2002
‘A YEAR OF NO-COMPROMISE’

“ How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? if the Lord is God, follow Him !  But if Baal, then follow him.”   1 Kings 18 ~ 21 (Ampl).

C/Ref ~  Deuteronomy 30 - 19  :  Joshua 24 - 15  :  Luke 16 - 13 : Galatians 1 - 10  :  James 4 - 4  :  1 John 2 - 15.

There is much to be said about Compromise.  As I meditated about it more words pertaining to it came into my spirit.  I will endeavor to put on paper what I feel the Holy Spirit is saying to us for this coming year.

The scripture says a few things - let’s talk about the word DECISION first.
Elijah asks the question - How long will you be in a state of indecision? We as Believers have got to take and make some serious decisions. My son has a typical South African expression “Hanna Hanna”. We humm and harr about everything. Always too scared to make a move. We have come to a place in our walk where we need to decide once and for all who we will serve. God - or the world. Lets look at 1 JOHN ~2 vs 15 to 17. This is how the Life Application Study Bible says it :      

“Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions, these are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever.

The time for sitting on the fence is over. Once we are clear on that area - then we need to fast and pray - hear God and move. I believe that this year we will face all sorts of decisions that will have life changing outcomes. If you are standing on the bank of the raging Jordan River, step in ! move ! The waters will not part until you make the move. God wants to see you trusting Him in every area of your life.

Decisions are a vital part of what God has planned for our earthly journey. Think of Moses - his mother had to make a decision to put him in a basket at the age of 3 months old, and send him down the river Nile - Not an easy thing to do - but she did it and it changed the course of history. I read something that really confirmed this to me - it read “ You probably don’t know the long-term effects of most decisions you make. But shouldn’t the fact that there will be long-term results, cause you to think carefully and seek God’s guidance as you make choices and take action - today”. ?

The second word is CHOICE - or choose. Some people think it is very difficult to choose. DEUTERONOMY 30 ~ 19 & 20 says :

“ TODAY, I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live ! Choose to love the Lord your God and to obey Him and commit yourself to Him, for He is your life.”

Choose what is right. God has given you the means through the Word to discern right from wrong, and something to remember, is that saying that says - “The will of God will never lead you, where the grace of God cannot keep you” Let me again quote something that I read about Abraham. Abraham had a choice to make. His decision was between setting out with his family and belongings for parts unknown or staying right where he was. He had to decide between the security of what he already had and the uncertainty of travelling under God’s direction. All he had to go on was God’s promise to guide and bless him. He could hardly have been expected to visualize how much of the future was resting on his decision of whether to go or stay, but his obedience affected the history of the world. His decision to follow God set into motion the development of the nation that God would eventually use as his own when he visited earth Himself. When Jesus came to earth - God’s promise was fulfilled. Through Abraham the entire world was blessed.

The next word - is CRITIZIM - now you may ask - “what has this got to do with compromise” ? Let me explain - I have seen lately a big falling away in the church. People who have been on the road for many years have become fed up with all sorts of things - I say to you - be careful of a critical spirit. It has got so bad that we can’t listen to a sermon without analyzing or dissecting it to find something wrong with the teaching. We are so busy trying to find fault or being terrified of false doctrine that we are losing out on what the Holy Spirit is trying to say to us. If we happen to hear one little thing that we don’t agree with - we switch off completely and refuse to listen to or receive all the “right” things. You are never going to find someone that is going to say everything that you will agree with. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion - and know that the Word does not need man's opinion to justify itself. What has happened, is that this has caused us to lose our Joy and that is very dangerous because in doing so we lose our Strength and then we die a spiritual death. We just close up and refuse to listen and that is our downfall. We have to grow up - fast ! - and be mature, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Offence should not be part of our make up at this stage of our walk. We need to be secure in what we believe and know, the things that we have been grounded in - in other words “what works for us”. Hold onto those things and keep moving forward - DO NOT COMPROMISE and do not allow man’s opinion to discourage or sway you in your walk. If you or I are wrong in our thinking on certain things - and if we are truly seeking the truth - surely the Holy Spirit will convict us and show us the truth. Rather pray for those that you think are in the wrong and allow the Holy Spirit to do His work. I have found that getting mad with someone who does not share my thoughts or views is just going to cause a problem if I try to change them. Don’t let man cause you to compromise your walk with the Lord - stay on the road !

Every time we go to Israel, we visit a Rabbi in the Old City - As you enter the synagogue there is an inscription written in Hebrew - It reads “ KNOW THAT THE GOD BEFORE WHOM YOU STAND IS HOLY” This brings me to the next word which is PRESUMPTION. So many in the body of Christ have become presumptuous towards God. Be careful of presumption, rashness, and irreverence - do not think that good intention will justify a bad action - be careful to watch over your hearts lest familiarity breeds contempt and you think God is in any way beholden to you. Do not compromise having the reverential fear of God in you.

In conclusion let me say this ~ as the coming of Messiah draws near we are going to be put in situations where we are going to have to choose, and in our choosing we are going to be branded and persecuted for our stance- One of the major things that I believe is going to be a very big issue is our stance with regards to Israel. Already I see the curse as stated in Genesis 12 verse 3 (“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee”) manifesting itself in the nations who have chosen to turn their backs on her. They are turning into wastelands, their people are starving and are disease ridden, famine, drought, floods, and wars are their portion. Suffering and misery abound in the midst of their peoples. We are going to have to stand and be counted. After all, we serve the only true God - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel! Even if our nation has turned its back on Israel and they find themselves in the above situation - know that our God will protect and deliver us in this time of persecution that is coming. DO NOT COMPROMISE YOUR STANCE ON ISRAEL !

Word given to me early September 2001 for the coming year !

 
Before, I close I would like to add something that the Lord showed me as we were praying the New Year in (31.12.2001). Clearly, I heard these words “FRESH MANNA” - and I believe that the Lord is wanting us to have fresh manna. Too long have we been eating stale manna - I liken it to a fresh, fast flowing stream - drinkable, thirst quenching and life giving - Water that is stagnant, smells, looks, and tastes bad - it brings Death ! We serve an exciting, vibrant, living God, He is New every Morning ! We dare not stagnate ! The Lord wants us to have Fresh Manna even as He wanted the His people in the Wilderness to have it !

The scripture to hold onto this year - A prayer - A declaration - A petition and a Blessing - is PSALM 20.

May God bless you as you determine NOT TO COMPROMISE this year - May He guide you and lead you in your decision making, Choose Now - Choose Life !

AMEN.

God bless,
Sonia Keown.
Seaview Mission Outreach, Mount Zion Chapel.
Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
E-mail sgft@global.co.za
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posted 14 January 2002

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