The
Standard
By
Shannon
Parish
Isa 59:19
When
the enemy comes in like a flood, the
Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard
against him.
What do you
say to a nation that is in mourning when you
are not a high government official? In the
‘real world,’ you may not think of
yourself as a ‘high official,’ but in the
Kingdom of God, as a shepherd of God’s
people, you are.
People look to their pastors and their
church leaders for instruction and comfort,
wisdom and peace.
When I asked the Lord, “What should I say to my friends
in Sarah’s Tent?”
I immediately heard this verse: “When
the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of
the LORD will lift up a standard against
him.”
Do yourself a favor and go back to that verse in Isaiah
59, and then read the entire chapter.
The similarities really struck me in
comparison to our lives now.
Take a look at this verse:
Isa 59:9-11
We look for light, but there is darkness! For brightness,
but we walk in blackness! We grope for the
wall like the blind, And we grope as if we had
no eyes; We stumble at noonday as at twilight; We are as dead men in desolate places. We all growl like
bears, And moan sadly like doves; We look for
justice, but there is none; NKJV
That sounds like an eye-witness account to what we saw on
our television sets with the people emerging
from the smoke in New York and collapsing on
the sidewalks or groping for the walls.
As I continued to run my eyes up the chapter I was
pricked in my heart at what had caused the
calamity to come.
People who take for granted their
salvation are lulled into compromises that
bring iniquity into their lives and everyday
behavior.
I dare say that many think they are not
of this sort, yet are most deceived.
Never before in my lifetime have I
heard of so many churches in competition,
strife and division among themselves, fighting
for positions and grandeur, larger buildings,
bigger congregations and more dazzling
programs – all for the wrong reasons.
Pastors are wounded and hurting all
over our nation and reaching out for other
pastors for answers to why their churches are
burning in the flames of gossip and strife,
yet they are met with judgment and arrogance
or shunned entirely because of the
‘stigma’ that comes to a pastor who is not
‘successful’ in turning his church around.
I dare say that this type of division
and strife has lead to the world looking at
the Body of Christ in disgust and hatred,
which in turn puts us in bondage to
‘political correctness’ and public scorn
through our entertainment industry.
We stay silent because we have lost our
strength and do not know what to say or how to
respond.
Our own fears and uncertainties have
brought us into the chains of bondage.
Yet, we are told that His hand is not short, that He
cannot save us, nor His ears deaf, that He
cannot hear us.
He will save.
We are encouraged that those who speak
lies and shed innocent blood will pay.
There is an answer – there is a
standard.
That standard is Jesus Christ, the
blood He shed and the unconditional love with
which He lived His life and continues to live
through us.
The standard is for us to do likewise.
Put away your pride and arrogance and
tendencies to compete with one another through
denominational differences and church sizes.
The day has come for us to link arms
together as ONE Body – not many.
To love unconditionally and strengthen
the weak knees and weary hearted.
Even in the natural we can shed blood
for our nation by donating blood and
encouraging our congregations to do the same,
for the victims in New York.
Isa 59:21-60:3
"As for Me," says the LORD,
"this is My covenant with them: My Spirit
who is upon you, and My words which I have put
in your mouth, shall not depart from your
mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants,
nor from the mouth of your descendants'
descendants," says the LORD, "from
this time and forevermore."
Isaiah 60
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the LORD is risen upon
you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the
earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the LORD will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your
rising.
NKJV
Pastors'
Wives to Pastors' Wives
It is one thing to know what to do – and
another to be alone in your doing it.
How do you encourage yourself and
expose blindsides when you are standing alone?
There is no need to stand alone.
There is an e-group where you can share
your thoughts, feelings, questions, answers
and concerns called Pastors’ Wives to
Pastors’ Wives or pw2pw.
If you are already a member of this group,
I encourage you to share your experiences with
yourselves, your families and your
congregational members in dealing with this
national tragedy so that all may learn and
grow. Develop
relationships with others – even if you are
not in crisis yourself, you still need
relationships.
To subscribe, send a blank email to: st-pw2pw-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Click also on the links to our E-groups to
choose another group if you wish at: http://sarahstent.com/BuddyE-Groups.htm
For more communities for pastors wives,
please visit Life in the Fishbowl at www.pastorswives.org
. and for a listing of still more resources
for pastors’ wives and ministry women,
please check out our listing of sites at www.pastorswives.net
.
There is no need to be alone.
Nor is there any excuse to not reach
out to others like yourself.
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