For starters it goes without saying that America is in a period of grace right now. Like Israel in Jeremiah’s day, we’re flourishing, but judgement is around the corner. Of course, ask Jeremiah, no one wants to hear about judgement in a time of prosperity. With the stock market at an all-time high and gas prices plummeting, it’s easy for false prophets to stand in the streets (or on campaign platforms) and cry out, “Peace, peace!” But we know that this nation has turned away from the Lord, who is a righteous judge, and so the interim that we’re in can only be His mercy giving us time to repent and turn back to Him.

Lou Engle, of The Cause USA, hosted a live “prayer cast” last Saturday. He talked to a dozen pretty established prophetic voices in our country (Mike Bickle, Bob Jones, James Goll, Rick Joyner, etc.) about the state of the nation and what the Lord has put on their hearts. Pretty amazing. (It was recorded – hooray! – and you can listen here.) Bob Jones is a man I respect very much (he’s predicted – by the Spirit of God – everything from snow and comets to the fall of the Berlin wall and Bush/Quail), and he mentioned this grace period that we’re in. Then he said he expects it to end in about two years. Yike.

Then I remembered Josiah, and how he ruled a nation according to God’s will. I realize President Bush doesn’t quite match up to Josiah, but I think Bush was raised up as a Christian man who did a job that not many presidents would have done in the face of such opposition. Let’s not forget Jesus has this all figured out. The Lord told Josiah that he could not pardon all the innocent blood shed in the land by previous kings, but that he would not judge the nation during Josiah’s reign.

So Bob thinks the window of opportunity to return to the Lord with all our hearts is going to end in about two years. I think that so many ignorant American voters are angry with President Bush (mostly because the media tells them to be) that the next Democratic presidential candidate is going to have their favor simply because he belongs to the opposite political party. Perhaps judgement is again merely waiting for His servant’s reign to end.

I’m finishing up The Life and Diary of David Brainerd; right now he’s 29 years old and ready to die of tuberculosis at any moment.

Brainerd is not a name a lot of people know. He lived during the 18th century, and very quietly carried out his mandate to bring the gospel to the Native American people in and around New England. It’s been an interesting journey of laying down a list of good works before the throne of grace, getting commissioned, and absolutely laboring in the spirit for these people. Once he got a breakthrough, though, the man got a breakthrough. Day after day, and week after week of uninterested people finally gives way to a journal entry that describes what must have been an amazing presence and conviction of the Holy Spirit while Brainerd talked about the love of God. A simple message causes this holy travail because the man’s life was saturated with prayer. He carried on for several years with a congregation of a few hundred (mostly) Native Americans, and preached an annointed Word the whole time.

Anyway, being that it’s a journal and that Brainerd spent all his time preaching or praying, there’s not a lot of reflection in it – it’s just a day to day account of what happens. These last 80 pages or so, he can hardly get out of bed, so he has more time to write. He’s looking forward to a physical death at this point because he feels useless being alive and unable to preach, and he made a comment that caused me to pause. I don’t have the book with me, or I’d give you the old English quote direct, but it communicated that he is looking forward to heaven so he can finally worship the Lord perfectly. Wow.

So often I think of heaven as the escape, the reward, the retirement, the rest I don’t get on earth, the great place where we’re happy and comfy and in God’s presence all the time and yes, worship will be good … But here is a man so in love with Jesus that he looks forward to heaven so he can finally worship without all the junk and distraction of this world. I want a heart like that.

The message that I think the Lord is trying to move deep into my spirit in this season is “no compromise.” It’s everywhere I go – subtly sometimes, but that’s how He is – and it’s working … and I’m trying really hard to let it work, because my flesh really likes little compromises.

A couple weeks ago Pastor talked about Agag, and the things the Lord asks of us that we 98% do. When he tells us to “utterly destroy” something – in Saul’s case, and we destroy most of it.

I just finished 2 Kings, and by the time I got to Josiah I was so stinkin’ relieved to finally find someone who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord.” It’s exhausting to flip through page after page of wicked kings; I was disgusted at compromise without anyone preaching it to me. The interesting thing about Josiah is that even though he turned to the Lord with all his heart and soul, and did not compromise any of the high places, etc., God still judged that land (after Josiah’s death) because of the sins of previous kings. 2 Kings 24:4 actually says that it was in part because of the innocent blood shed that the Lord “would not pardon.”

Last night Jeff spoke at our midweek service (as Pastor is still asisting in revival in Nepal). He talked about sacrifice and building an alter via Abraham and Issac. Jeff pointed out that God told Abraham to offer Issac (“Issac” means “laughter,” so God was literally asking Abraham to offer up his joy) as a burnt offering, and what I did not know was that the burnt offering was the one kind of offering (of five) that consumed everything. The other offerings left a little grain, or a little meat, for the priests’ provision, but a burnt offering consumes everything.

It’s taking hold of me. Just yesterday I overheard a conversation in the office (it’s a tiny office) about someone not readily accepting a new family member because of her occult background. A comment that was made was, “I think I’m pretty religious, but you have to be open to other things.” I didn’t say anything because I hesitated too long trying to decide if the best response would be a passionate (read: angry), “Why?!” or a sarcastic, “You say that like it’s a contradiction. Most people who are bound by religion are open to all kinds of things.”

I get the feeling I’m not becoming a girl that people are going to enjoy (until they need Jesus to heal them or save them or something). I hope, anyway. Because Jesus was a nice guy (ultimately), but a lot of people didn’t like Him because He refused to compromise. Paul was a nice guy that people didn’t like. David embarassed his wife dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, and on it goes. Who’s coming with me?