As we read in the Scriptures, those who are led by the passions of the carnal nature will perish and not inherit the kingdom of God. This we must know and keep in mind. But the way to get free of what the Apostle Paul called “the body of death” (see Romans 7:24), which is the result of eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, is to eat from the Tree of Life, which is Christ.

      This week we will study the prophetic gifts and how they work in us. When we do, many will realize that they have been working in them, but did not understand them. Even so, this is not a science but a relationship. We are listening to a Person, not just learning formulas and procedures.

     As we see in the Book of Revelation, some kingdoms will “become” the kingdom of our Lord, which implies a transformation to becoming His. Isaiah 60:1-3 concurs with this—that during the time of “darkness covering the earth and deep darkness the peoples,” the glory of the Lord will be revealed through His people.

     I love prophecy, but I love history even more. Since I came to the Lord by a supernatural experience, I immediately became deeply interested in the supernatural which I had not even believed in before. I love supernatural prophetic experiences and the prophetic gifts of the Spirit. I like eschatology, the study of the prophecies of the end of this age in Scripture, but it is more of a peripheral interest than a passion, even though that is what I get questioned about the most now it seems.

         As we have been covering, church history was predicted by the Lord’s messages to the Seven Churches. Church history is filled with crucial lessons to learn if we are to become the pure, chaste virgin the Lord so deserves as His bride. In that history we see the consequences of being joined to the powers of this age and allowing intolerance for those who may not conform to everything we believe, or just the way that we believe, to creep into the fabric of church life.

President-elect Obama won the election because he seized the high ground of hope for the future. The hope he gave was mostly undefined and superficial, which only goes to show the power of hope, especially in difficult times. This is a lesson we must learn. One of the most tragic mistakes of Christianity has been to focus on the prophecies of judgment about the end of the age instead of fulfilling the commandment to preach the gospel of the kingdom. Gospel means “good news,” and it is the greatest news the world has ever or will ever hear.

     How do we make this year our best yet? First, we need to look at what we’re doing and how to do it better. Then we need to prioritize what we’re doing so we don’t get consumed with things that may clamor loudly but are not the most important.

Our text for this week is Ephesians 5:13-14: