“For the earth will be filled
With the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,
As the waters cover the sea.”  (Isaiah 6:3)

In the past few weeks, at the onset of hundreds of nations’ lockdowns due to covid19, the media took advantage of gaining the whole world’s attention, flooding every heart with fear with news both fake and true.  The response was panic.  Why? Because we are all so used to living our lives in a routinary manner, having everything at our fingertips, that even when the speed of our internet slows down, ohh boy, how the internet companies get flooded with complains.

I remembered once when the water company advised us to stock up water due to its low level of sufficiency in our dams because it was summertime.  It was not that there was no water at all.  There was just a slight adjustment made and appropriate schedules were given to apportion the supply at every given place and time.  Hmmm … as I was scrolling down my facebook page, it was flooded with a mournful sound.  Why?  Because of fear of having no water.  Fear causes shortsightedness and selfishness.

Then, I heard the still small loving voice from deep within me, “Were you ever thankful when you had water 24/7?”.  Were you ever grateful when every time you turned your faucet on, water flowed?  Selah.  My response changed.  I did not go with the flow of the rivers of complains. Instead, I started to thank the Lord and praised Him for water.

The comfort of life has so overtaken us that a little inconvenience shakes our little world that causes us to express our dissatisfaction without considering the power of our words that unknowingly cut like knives.  One negative word released from our mouth gets planted in someone else’s heart and it takes a long time or even a lifetime to get it uprooted.

Thank God that He is rich in mercy and abounding in love that the Holy Spirit is so gentle when He re-aligns our hearts and our words into His.

No one is perfect and we are all a work in progress.  We are all learning how to be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit.  We are being equipped how to be led by Him and be graced to obey Him, for it is He Who knows ALL things.  But, we need to do our part. You and I as believers of Jesus Christ are co-laborers with God for the advancement of His kingdom and no matter how minor our daily encounters with Him are, we never despise small beginnings.  We need to get into His Word and meditate it day and night until it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.  What the Holy Spirit reveals, we are postured to explore and experience, otherwise the word we hear will not profit us if it is not mixed with faith by us who heard it.

When God gave us Jesus 2000 years ago, He powerfully demonstrated His deep LOVE for the WHOLE WORLD (John 3:16).  Because of Jesus, God became our Father, the Father to the fatherless, this orphaned world.  Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)   Do you know why?  Because our God is a HOLY God and in His Holiness, no one unclean can come near Him, let alone be one with Him.

When Jesus came, His finished work cleansed us from ALL our sins and ALL our unrighteousness by the power of His Blood shed at the cross.  In Isaiah 1:18, it says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be like wool.”  In Psalm 103:2-3, it says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And FORGET NOT ALL His benefits:  Who forgives ALL your iniquities,  Who heals ALL your diseases.”  In Hebrews 8:12, it says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember NO MORE.”

For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 TPT)

The Amplified Classic Version says, “For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].

Many call God, God, but only in Christ alone we have the privilege to call Him our Father and the only way for us to come BOLDLY and CONFIDENTLY to God as our Heavenly Father is when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He sees us righteous and holy because of the Blood of Jesus Christ.  It is NEVER in and of our own ability and workmanship.  “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is THE GIFT OF GOD, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)  A gift is given.  It is not to be earned nor paid for.  But THE GIFT needs to be RECEIVED if we desire to explore and experience it. 

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:17)

When God said, “Be holy for I AM HOLY.”, that means it is possible for us to be holy.  He will never issue this invitation to us without the divine provision of His grace.  The grace of God is His unmerited, unearned and undeserved favor.  It is the divine enabling power for us to be what He called us to be and to do what He called us to do.  It is the influence of the Word of God in our hearts that causes it to be reflected in our lives.  It is never about us nor about our own ability.

So then, prepare your hearts and minds for action!  Stay alert and fix your hope firmly on the MARVELOUS GRACE that is coming to you. For when JESUS CHRIST is unveiled, A GREATER MEASURE OF GRACE will be released to you. As God’s obedient children, never again shape your lives by the desires that you followed when you didn’t know better. Instead, shape your lives to become like the Holy One who called you. For Scripture says:  “You are to be holy, because I am holy.”  (1 Peter 1:13-16 TPT)

The revelation of God’s deep love for the whole world by Him sending us His One and only Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, should keep our hearts to be still in times of shaking that we are in today.  “God has proved His love by giving us His greatest treasure, the gift of His Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, He certainly won’t withhold from us anything else He has to give.” (Romans 8:32 TPT)   

Nowadays when the world is flooded with fear, He already gave us the ANTIDOTE to fear, and that is His Perfect Love. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.”  (1 John 4:18).  “He has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 5:17)   “God put His love on the line for us by offering His Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to Him.”  (Romans 5:8 MSG)

Our Heavenly Father desires for us to KNOW HIM and to KNOW THE KIND OF LOVE that HE has for each one of us.  He desires for us to experience HOW LOVED we are.  Check out my previous blog  The Father’s Heart

The last recorded time when the earth had its divine rebooting was in the time of Noah  who found GRACE in the eyes of the Lord.  He was a just man, perfect in his generation.  Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:8-9)  The Lord established His covenant with Noah and told him to build an ark for the great flood was about to come.  He preached righteousness to the people while building the ark but no one listened.  The flood was all about the mercy and grace of God, protecting the righteous from the world of the ungodly.  It was indeed a divine cleansing.

Here is a short video clip by Joseph Prince about Noah and the Ark.  Joseph Prince – Noah The Real Story

After the flood, God made a covenant with Noah.

I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”  (Genesis 9:13-15)

Almost everyone believes that the resetting of nature has taken place now that we are all under quarantine.  The air is getting fresher.  The haze is gone.  The sky is bluer.  The moon and stars are clearer, sparkling like diamonds in the nights.  The sun’s brilliance is brighter.  The trees are greener.  The rivers are fresher and the oceans are cleaner.

The fast paced life has slowed down to almost doing nothing, yet productive in every way.  Priorities are re-adjusted.  Families are spending more time at home, eating, laughing, playing, communing and enjoying.  Friends now have time to reach out to those halfway around the world via internet which I believe is the grace of God.  He created it through man’s wisdom and intellect way before this thing happened to make sure everyone is reachable and no one is left alone.

Yes, times of refreshing has come.  But don’t you think this is not just for the things AROUND us but the same is true IN us?  Yes, there are many things that we realized were supposed to be of more importance than others.  Yes, we may have come to a realization to do the “should have” things that we found ourselves not doing due to busyness.  But most importantly, it is the divine rebooting of our relationship with God that is top priority.  This is the true times of refreshing found in God’s presence.  This is the vital necessity that needs to be tapped into.

It is the resetting of the nature of man according to who God originally created us to be  and that is according to His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).   The divine rebooting is all about God’s great love, mercy, grace and truth being revealed and unveiled.

He promised Noah to NEVER flood the earth with waters again.  This time He FLOODS the whole earth with HIS LOVE by the Blood of Jesus Christ, kindling each man’s heart to come to know the truth of Who He is and who we are in Him.  The cleansing no longer comes from the flood waters, but this time it is the Blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses and purifies us from the inside out, for apart from us being made NEW CREATIONS in Christ, when this pandemic ends, the nature of men will remain the same.  And with its fallen nature, there will be no true rebooting without repentance.  The beautiful change that is happening will never be sustained.  Nature will not be stewarded well without us being changed inwardly.  But with His Blood making us as white as snow, depositing in us His DIVINE NATURE, the new birth has come.  We become born of God, born again in the spirit.  And comes with the new birth are new and living ways.  When we become the righteousness of God in Christ, righteous ways are its fruit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, ALL things have become NEW.”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Being NEW CREATIONS in Christ with His DIVINE NATURE in us, truly, NEW and LIVING ways are inevitable.  When we are rooted and grounded in the love of God, love-filled words and love-motivated ways are to become, for a tree is recognized and judged by its fruit.  “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a A TREE IS KNOWN BY ITS FRUIT.”  (Matthew 12:33).  

In Christ, He FLOODS us with HOPE, our confident expectation that we will see His goodness exceedingly above and beyond what we can dare think, dream or imagine.  Christ in us is the HOPE of glory. (Colossians 1:27)

In Christ, He FLOODS us with PEACE, knowing that “He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]  (Hebrews 13;5 AMPC)   He is the Prince of Peace dwelling inside us. (Isaiah 9:6)

In Christ, He FLOODS us with JOY.  “The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior [Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with JOY; He will rest [in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention [of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17 AMPC)

In Christ, He FLOODS our hearts with the knowledge and revelation of Who Jesus is that will cause us to give THANKS, PRAISE and WORSHIP the One Who is Worthy of it all.  “He is the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)  Although it may seem like we are in the midst of darkness in this pandemic times, His light will continue to shine bright, leaving us HOPEFUL in every way, for Light is always superior to darkness.

In Christ, He FLOODS us with His GREAT LOVE.  “We love Him, because HE FIRST LOVED US.” (1 John 4:19).  The perfect and powerful demonstration of His great love for us was when He gave His only Begotten and Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in Him shall NOT PERISH but will have everlasting life (John 3:16).

In Christ, He FLOODS us with His Word that becomes the sword of our spirits. (Ephesians 6:17)  “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)

In Christ, He FLOODS us with the “God-kind of faith.” If this tiny lifeless virus can cause this much damage to all mankind, imagine what the faith of a mustard seed can do? He is the Author and finisher of our faith. When He said, “It Is Finished!“, it should be according to His Word.

In Christ, He FLOODS us with His abiding presence.  “If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him.” (John 14:23 AMPC)

When we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, You and I become the temples of the Holy Spirit, His very sanctuary.  He is the one Whom we received as the GIFT from God.  We were bought with paid for by precious His Blood to be made HIS OWN. You and I are not our own.  We are His.

This is the GOOD NEWS!  Jesus Christ is the GOOD NEWS!  And He came not to give us a bunch of rules, regulations and religious burdens.  No!  He came that He may dwell in us, to give us GLORY and that GLORY is HIMSELF, and when His glory is present in our midst nothing, no amount of virus can come against us.

And the glory which You gave Me I HAVE GIVEN THEM, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” (John 17:22-23)

God’s oozing abiding presence in us is not just meant for us.  It is meant to overflow through us.  It may be unknown to us the extent of who He touches through our small and simple gestures boosted with His anointing, His miracle working power flowing in and through us, but all we know is that we become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ.  Whom He touches through us will do the same until the whole earth will be FLOODED with Himself.  HE is the One Who is the Origin of “networking” and is greatest NETWORKER of all.

 

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank YOU, for flooding the whole earth with Your love, mercy and grace.  Thank YOU, for making Yourself known to us and how much loved we are by You.  Thank YOU, Jesus, for YOUR full obedience to the Father, withholding nothing from us, not even Your own self, for the JOY that was set before You, seeing all of us who believe in You, reconciled back into the open loving arms of the Father.  Jesus, I invite You to come into my heart and be the Lord and Savior of my life.  Wash me clean by Your blood and flood me with Your presence.  Allow me to experience the full benefit of Your finished work at the cross.  Thank YOU, Holy Spirit, for taking out the scales from my eyes that I may see the beauty and holiness of Jesus Christ.  Teach me to know You more each day that I may live carrying Your presence and diffusing the fragrance of our Father’s love wherever I go.  Amen!