The
news on the sudden onslaught of cold and harsh 'killer winter' is no
surprise to the watchman. He saw related visions at two preceding
consecutive February. On both occasions he saw the speaker standing
in the snow. In the first
one he saw her (a senior prophetic intercessor) standing in the
wilderness confronting the vast emptiness, speaking. The snow was up
to her ankle. An avalanche of snow was fast moving toward her but she
was relentless. She just spoke on. In the second year, he saw the
same speaker standing in the snow. This time he was looking out of a
window. The snow has reached neck level. The same speaker whose body
was covered by snow had only her head seen. There were other heads
sticking out of the snow. The land was empty and frozen. The watchman
also received one verse one day after he had these visions. He heard,
“Do you have winter clothes?” So he put it in writing and also
called up his friends.
This
year another intercessor had a dream. She saw the sudden freezing of
the sea and big hailstones rained from heaven. She and another were
trying to escape but soon the other person was hit. There was no
escape.
Soon
after this dream the news came. People were even dying of extreme
cold. It sounded incredible. But it is real. The winter in February
is unusual and unnatural. Again, sudden killer flood came to places
normally free of such calamity in the past 100 years!
The
watchman continued with weekly Bible reading with a group of friends
(members of three families, including his own. This time there were
two other new guests. Another guest who came last week dropped out.)
in his house on last Saturday. This has become a pivotal and
refreshing event in their ordinary lives. When the others left in the
evening, he continued reading the Bible on his own. He was led to
read Matthew 22-24. Chapter 22 started with the Parable of the
Wedding Feast. The warning verse 22:14
“For many are called,
but few chosen” stood
out (exactly as his guests came and went). By the time he read 24:12,
“And because lawlessness
will abound, the love of many will grow cold”,
the watchman knew this was
the message for this generation with the physical cold winter as a
sign!
He
knew the urgency of asking the Lord for the right teaching of God's
words to counter the spiritual coldness. So he asked. He stayed up on
Saturday night to search the Bible. But he was too tired and he had
to give up and sleep. When he got up on Sunday morning he was led to
open an audio CD holder which someone had recently re-organized and
placed in his car. Among others there were three CD with the label
“Hardness of Heart” by
Andrew Wommack. He
listened and found the key verse: “For they had
not considered the
miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were hardened.”
What
are the reasons for hardened hearts?
Cold cold loveless hearts
(toward God)? The wrong
focus of the disciples (on the natural and physical but not on
spiritual matters, i.e. the supernatural divine God, His nature and
His power!). The same for today's believers. Jesus Himself gave the
reason that because
lawlessness abounds, the love of many grow cold.
What are the things of
lawlessness? How to be saved from this lawless and cold heart crisis?
Jesus said: “But he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
(Matt.24:13)
How can one stand
firm to the end? (2
Thess2:15; 2 Pet3:11, 17-18);
These are important questions for this time. Take note that the Lord
hates lawlessness: Matt.7:23;
Heb.1:9. “Do you not know that the unrighteous
will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived” (1 Cor.6:9).
In
addition to what Jesus
has warned in Matt.22-25 about lawlessness, some
of the other Bible verses are as follows.
Godlessness
in the last days 2 Tim.3:1-5;
3:13; 4:3-5; The man of lawlessness 2
Thess2:3-4,7-8; The scoffers 2
Pet3:3; 2 Pet2:8; 1 John2:18; 3:4; Jude 18-19 (Scoffers;
men who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit of
God).
Indeed,
how shall we stand? “What manner of persons ought we to be in
holy conduct and godliness?” (2 Pet.3:11) Let us take heed
to this question and some of the answers in the following verses.
Our
Lord Jesus thus warned the disciples, “Watch therefore,
and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all
these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
Man.” (Luke 21:36) He however promised, “If anyone loves Me,
he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23) In
Revelation 22:14, this essential qualification is confirmed by the
Holy Spirit through the recording of John, “Blessed are those
who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree
of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” (the
heavenly city of New Jerusalem, the city of God).
The
Apostle Peter thus urged believers to know our status
in Christ: “You therefore beloved, since you know this
beforehand, beware, lest you also fall from your own
steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but
grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.'' (2 Pet.3:17-18) “but as He who called you is holy,
you also be holy in all your conduct.” (1 Pet.1:15) “But you
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people.” (1 Pet.2:9)
The
Apostle Paul therefore taught the believers to stand
fast by knowing and holding the truth in the Scriptures.(2
Thess2:15): stand fast in the Lord (1 Thess3:8); by
faith you stand (2 Cor.1:24); watch, stand fast in the
Lord, be brave, be strong (1 Cor.16:13); God is able
to make you stand (Rom.14:4); take up the whole armor of God to
withstand in the evil day and stand (Eph.6:13-14).
The
Apostle James thus reminded, “Therefore lay aside all
filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the
implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be
doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
(James 1:21-22)
The
Holy Spirit bears witness for us: “The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
(Rom8:16); the Spirit Himself makes intercessions for us
(Rom8:26); For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these
are sons of God (Rom8:14); he who is joined to the Lord is one
spirit with Him (1 Cor6:17); your body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit (1 Cor6:19); you were washed, sanctified
and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the
Spirit of our God (1 Cor6:11); by this we know that we abide in
Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. (1
John 4:13)
The
ultimate weapons against Lawlessness: How to overcome the spirit of
lawlessness?
“And
they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
(Jesus) and by the
word of their testimony, and
they did not love their lives to the death.”
(Revelation 12:11)
____________________________________
Andrew Wommack"s Hardness of Hearts (audio download)
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1003
excerpts:
"Here are some of the major things I’ve learned that determine the sensitivity of your heart. First, whatever you consider, your heart becomes softened toward. Conversely, whatever you fail to consider, your heart becomes hardened to. That’s what Mark 6:52 reveals. Again, that verse says,
“For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”
____________________________________
Andrew Wommack"s Hardness of Hearts (audio download)
http://www.awmi.net/extra/audio/1003
excerpts:
"Here are some of the major things I’ve learned that determine the sensitivity of your heart. First, whatever you consider, your heart becomes softened toward. Conversely, whatever you fail to consider, your heart becomes hardened to. That’s what Mark 6:52 reveals. Again, that verse says,
“For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.”