Worship

“Getting Ready” by Maverick City Music and UPPERROOM

Scripture

““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”” -Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” -Psalm 73:26 (ESV)

“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” -Psalm 84:2 (ESV)

“Teach me your way, O Lord , that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.” -Psalm 86:11 (ESV)

Cultivating Our Hearts

I feel a tension arising in the Earth. I feel the enemy unleashed like we have never seen in our lifetimes. I sense the reality of Jesus’ question: When He returns, will He find faith on the Earth? It’s the plan of the enemy to break us down and to wear us out. He’s relentless. But Jesus—King Jesus—He is our strength, our portion, and He is fighting for us. Oh, He is so faithful, getting us ready to win! This very truth is going to “call for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people (Revelation 13:10).”

It’s been the cry of my life, before Jesus, that I not have a divided heart. I have pondered the word the Lord gave me about seeds a few weeks ago and the four fields to which the seeds fall into. I always related this portion of Scripture in Luke 8 directly to evangelism, but I want to pull it into a more personal moment for us. Because I believe the condition of our hearts (and their soil) right now determine these last days in which we will walk.

“And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”” -Luke 8:6-8 (ESV)

With the counsel of the Spirit, we have an opportunity to cultivate the soil of our hearts so that the seeds He is planting have opportunity to be planted, germinated, and grow. If you are like me, we want our days to matter, our lives to bear fruit, and our worship to be only for Jesus.

“We benefit from seeing bits of ourselves in all four soils. Like the wayside, sometimes we allow the Word no room at all in our lives. Like the stony places, we sometimes have flashes of enthusiasm in receiving the Word that quickly burn out. Like the soil among thorns, the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are constantly threatening to choke out God’s Word and our fruitfulness. Like the good ground, the Word bears fruit in our lives.” -David Guzik, Matthew 13 commentary

Scripture’s Promises for Believers

We are getting ready for our Bridegroom, and these very last days are days of significant preparation. The line has been drawn on the battle field. The soils of our hearts are being invited to be laid bare before Him. You know the final word of victory over your life because Jesus died to give it. You are an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony. You will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You are hidden in Christ and seated at His table as royalty as well as seated in heavenly places. All of this is true of you, and I bless you today to receive this truth deep unto deep. But I believe as we step into week 2 of this new year, what will be required of the resiliency of our faith is a perseverance so deep that comes only from an undivided heart. These precious, blood-bought lives of ours must be placed on the altar before the Lord where He circumcises the things that must go and fills them to overflowing with His very power and presence. The treasures of our hearts must be laid before Him—every last one. The soils of our hearts are crucial in this hour.

God’s Faithfulness

The stakes are high for our faith and our affections. But He is faithful.

The battle has been pitched for your defeat. But He is victorious.

The enemy seeks whom he can devour. But God is your Roaring Champion.

“You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”” -Psalm 91:13-16 (ESV)

No matter what we endure this year, what is of the uttermost importance is our faith that is being refined. It’s our faith that will endure to the end. That is why it is so crucial to examine our hearts, eye to eye with Jesus. All soils are to be tended to by your Wonderful Counselor. All affections, desires, dreams, hopes, longings, loves, and treasures laid bare before Him. He wants to right-set, reorder, and revive your heart for Him and Him alone.

“God is raising up a people of perseverance. Right now God is dealing with the issues of the heart that would hinder perseverance. Those areas of the heart that continue to raise themselves up, that fear links into, that anxiety lives in, where discouragement or disappointment took root, where the weeds have gone deep into the gardens of people’s hearts. God is uprooting those things now. God is strengthening His people. God is refreshing His people. God is healing His people. God is fortifying His people. Many of you have been battered, many of you have been bruised by what you have walked through. Many of you struggle to hope. Many of you struggle to dream. Many of you are scared to ‘believe again’. Many of you are continually faced with the thoughts of it being ‘easier to give up’ than to keep moving forward. I prophesy over you right now in the name of Jesus that the Lord is doing a deep work in your heart and He is raising you up as one who embodies perseverance.” -Lana Vawser, prophetic word

I write this with a sobriety in my spirit and an urgency in my heart. Let’s dare to go there this week with the Lord and get ready for 2022. May the God of all grace comfort and counsel you with this word.

A Few Key Notes

• Join us January 18 for an eight-week course called “Our Identity: Releasing the Voice of War to Roar.” Christina McCracken and I will co-lead this course to help you understand your identity, authority, and inheritance. We will meet over Zoom every Tuesday from 7-8:30 p.m. Email me at [email protected] to RSVP.
• Join us for a time of prayer from 2:30-3 p.m. on Wednesdays. We will hear from a sister working in one of the hardest to reach places and learn about her ministry. Email Allison Despres at [email protected] for a Zoom link.
• Save the date for an Arise luncheon on February 15! We will hear from prayer warrior and pastor Mary Jo Pierce. Join us from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at The Hope Center in Plano, Texas. Tickets are $10 per person for the in-person luncheon. Visit www.eastwest.org/ariseluncheon for in-person tickets or to register for the virtual option.
• Spark a movement within your friend group by hosting a table for you and six guests! Sponsorships are $150, and only 10 tables are available to sponsor. Visit www.eastwest.org/ariseluncheon to sponsor a table. Email Stacy Riddick at [email protected] for questions.