When Sin And Religion Become Friends by Carter Conlon

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23).

What did Jesus mean when He said, “If the light that is in you be darkness?” Taken in context, we see that He was speaking about the impossibility of serving two masters at the same time. He continued, “…either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

Jesus used the example of money here, but He was illustrating a much deeper principle—a struggle that all of us face from time to time. It occurs when we come to even a minimal understanding of the ways of God, yet in our own hearts think we know a better way. For instance, when we believe we can secure a better future if we simply follow our own reasoning. Or when we believe we can achieve greater happiness if we don’t take the pathway God has prescribed, but instead take an easier and more attractive one. In other words, it is the constant struggle between either serving God or serving ourselves as god.

It is possible to have a clear vision of what is of true value, yet still choose to set our affections on something we know to be potentially harmful. It is possible to sit under the Word of God, to know what He is saying, but inside still wonder, “How close can I get to the fence before I am outside? How close can I walk to the line before I am rejected? How much do I really need to obey God?”

Choosing Another Pathway

In the book of Ezekiel, a prophecy was given to the king of Tyrus; this is believed by many to actually refer to the fall of Satan and his subsequent corrupting of the human race. The Lord said through Ezekiel, “You have been in Eden, the garden of God, and every precious stone was your covering. You had an anointing, and you were put in an appointed place. You walked in the presence of God—in holy places with an unhindered view of who God really is. You were perfect in your ways until the very ability which I gave you corrupted you” (see Ezekiel 28:13–15).

Satan was in the presence of God and had an unrestricted view of the perfect Light. The Scriptures seem to bear witness that there was a specific beauty about Satan. He was granted great gifts and was perhaps one of the finer created beings in heaven at that particular moment. However, these very gifts from God corrupted him, which we see occur in the human race over and over again.
For example, people with brilliant minds become absolutely corrupted by that intellect, using the thought process to stray farther and farther away from the kingdom of God.

Just as Satan had an unrestricted view of the Lord, we as children of God have the Holy Spirit within us, enabling us to understand the Scriptures and discern between right and wrong. So in another measure, we too have an unrestricted view of God. That means if we want truth, we can have it; if we want freedom, it can be ours; if we want life, it is promised.

Even with the pureness of that Light before him, Satan chose another pathway, following his own reasoning. He began to chafe at what he considered to be narrowness, convinced that he knew a better way. He mistakenly believed that he could be his own god, create his own reality, and live by his own concept of right and wrong. That was his downfall.

Cast out of heaven, Satan then came down to Adam and Eve and sowed his own logic into the human race. “Listen, God created you and put you in this garden tending these plants and naming a few animals, but don’t you think you were created for more than this? If you just do it my way, you can become as gods, knowing what is good and evil. I know God says that certain things are good and certain things are evil, but you don’t have to live in this narrow way.”

In his own mind, Satan had become god, the same danger you and I face today. He sowed into all of humanity this desire to be as God—to create our own concept of good and evil. An example of this would be when we refuse to forgive a person who has wronged us and conclude, “It is fine that I have not forgiven him. I know what God says, but this person just does not deserve to be forgiven.” Or when we steal in the workplace and say, “They don’t pay me enough, and last year I did not get that vacation I deserve, so this is good.” All the while we are well aware that the Scripture says no thief will inherit the kingdom of God.

Beloved, there is no deeper darkness than when sin and religion become friends. There is incredible power in this deceptive state. The Bible tells us that Satan succeeded in taking one–third of the angels with him in his rebellion, and he is still at work today attempting to incite a similar rebellion among those who claim to be followers of Christ.

A Covering Of Religion

As the apostle Paul put it, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18). In other words, they hold the truth with a heart that is not surrendered. They read God’s Word but will not obey it, even when it is plain and clear.

“…they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator… and God gave them over to a reprobate mind…” (Romans 1:25, 28). A reprobate mind means corrupt thinking, a crooked mind. You and I should always pray that we never reach such a point! Unfortunately, I have met people like this—sitting in the house of God with all kinds of practices that are very clearly prohibited in Scripture. Yet after years of refusing to obey God, it is almost as if their thinking cannot be straightened. They choose instead to worship the thoughts of their own hearts, and sin and religion eventually become friends, bringing them to a place where they begin to call evil good.

There is no greater darkness than when that which is inwardly corrupt takes on a covering of religion. Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?” (Matthew 23:33). In other words, “You have so covered yourselves in corruption and religion that you have bought yourselves a ticket to hell. How will you escape? How will you change? You have embraced this corrupted reasoning of Satan, covering death and decay with fine clothing and sweet religious words, but inwardly you hate God!”

At another point, Jesus also said to them, “You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning…” (John 8:44). He basically told the Pharisees, “I know that you are going to kill Me. I have come to you with words from God to bring you into freedom, but you have fallen for the deceptive strategy of Satan. Now you are entrenched in a wrong way of thinking, leaving you with two alternatives—either you will repent of your sin, or you will kill the voice that has been sent to draw you to the presence of God.”

It is amazing when sin and religion combine. That is what Jesus meant when He said, “If the light that is in you be darkness—if you have sat under truth but embraced a lie—how deep that darkness is.” It would be better to be the most overt, reprehensible sinner and know it; at least then you would have a chance to be redeemed. Unfortunately, many people reach a place where they sit in the house of God, having put on a covering of religion while embracing a wrong view of God and His ways.

   Korah’s Rebellion


The Lord gives us another picture of this intertwining of sin and religion in the book of Numbers. As Moses was leading the people of God through the wilderness, a man named Korah succeeded in rousing two hundred and fifty of the Israelites to stand in opposition to divine order and God’s leadership through Moses.
As Korah assembled those in rebellion, “So they each took his own censer and put fire on it, and laid incense on it; and they stood at the doorway of the tent of meeting…” (Numbers 16:18, NASB). There they stood, each holding a censer—a type of prayer and holy devotion to God—completely unaware that they were about to be burned by the presence of God. Notice that the Scripture says they were men of renown! How did they get to that state?

Recall that God supernaturally brought the children of Israel out from slavery in Egypt, and along with the deliverance imparted giftings and leadership ability. However, this led to an inner corruption, and all it took was for Satan to use that strategy once again and say, “This is too narrow! Think of the glory that could be yours! You are meant to lead, you are not meant to follow!”
Do you understand the power of your own heart to deceive you? Each of us has an inner capability to walk away from God and develop completely corrupted scriptural reasoning around it. Bear in mind that it was the most religious nation on earth that cried out for the death of the Son of God. They had the Scriptures and a revelation of God if they had wanted it. They chose, instead, to form a religion to cover their inner corruption. Jesus looked at the leaders and said, “You appear righteous but you are full of death inside. You clean the outside of the cup, but inwardly there is simply decay” (see Matthew 23:25). Just as they had a choice, today you and I must decide either to believe God and what He says, or to embrace ourselves as God, considering our own covering as sufficient.

If Your Eye Is Single


“In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not” (John 1:4–5). It is important to realize that the light shone in a religious darkness—that was the darkness that didn’t comprehend it. Isn’t it strange that the lepers comprehended it, the prostitutes responded to it, and even the dead could hear it? Yet religion has a certain death about it, making it almost impossible to hear the voice of God.
“…if your eye be single, your whole body will be full of light” (Matthew 6:22). You will not be in darkness if you are singly focused, standing before God, saying, “Lord, whatever You say is wrong, I will regard as wrong; and whatever You say is right, I will follow. By Your Spirit I will do what You ask me to, and wherever You lead me, I will follow.”

Paul spoke these words regarding Israel,“But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ” (2 Corinthians 3:14). Religion had blinded their minds, and they had created a system operating outside of truth.
“But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away” 
(2 Corinthians 3:15–16). Yes, a day is coming when Israel will turn to the Lord, but this is also a principle that applies to us today. When we turn to the Lord, the veil that hinders us from the fullness of life that God offers us is taken away. “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:17–18). Here the meaning of “liberty” is generosity. As we are willing to surrender with an honest heart before God, we suddenly become aware of His incredible generosity. The Lord says, “I am willing to give you a new heart and a new mind. I am willing to put love, joy, and longsuffering inside of you. I am willing to give you peace in the midst of the storm; strength in the midst of your weakness. I am willing to do what cannot be done apart from My strength within you.”

We are changed from glory to glory as we behold Him, and the veil of incomplete religion and deceptive reasoning of the human heart is taken away. Our hearts are changed, and the whole focus of our lives is to honor God and see fallen men brought to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is a miraculous life that we enter into. Religion is obnoxious and ultimately leads to death, but in Christ is life, joy and peace.

“If your eye be single, your whole body will be full of light.” 
In other words, every chain, every wall, every enemy, and every power of hell begins to be broken. You will be given strength that can come only from the Lord, and your body will be a declaration of His keeping power. Your whole body—everything you are, all that you say, whatever you touch, everything you do—will become an expression of God. Your entire body will be full of light if you choose to do things God’s way.

What Is God Speaking To You?

So now the question arises: What is God telling you to forsake, and what is He calling you to go toward? There is a distinct call to each of us, and this is where we will either cover sin with religion, or throw off that false garment and move toward a holy God, saying, “Lord, I am going where you are calling me. I will not create a religion in my own heart that allows me to move in the direction of death, thinking it is life. I will walk the pathway that You have set before me.”

Beloved, don’t fall into the religious trap of becoming your own god and justifying wrong. Don’t put off what God has called you to do, for the more you put it off, the greater the chance that you will make peace with it and eventually call it good. If you are under conviction, if you are reading your Bible and the Holy Spirit has His finger very clearly on an area of your life, don’t harden your heart to His voice! Over time you will end up making peace with it—covering it and calling it holy, as is the habit of our fallen nature.
I encourage you today to do what you know God says is right and to forsake all that you know to be wrong, no matter how difficult it may be. We all are going to need the strength of Christ to get through the coming days. We will need our inheritance in Christ, which God desires to give to us—but everything that is a reproach to God must be put away. As we make the choice to do things God’s way, allowing no friendship between sin and religion in our lives, the absolute outworking of it will be joy and strength, direction in the storm, provision in famine, victory in the battle. Hallelujah!

Carter Conlon

©2011
Times Square Church

DIGGING UP THE OLD WELLS OF ABRAHAM by Carter Conlon

Visit any cemetery and you will see gravestones standing at attention like soldiers on a parade ground. Each of these stone sentries endures the heat of the sun, the beating of the rain, and the frigid blast of winter’s cold. Yet, these mute bands of soldiers continue to tell the stories of those they represent in the graves beneath them. They proudly bear on their broad chests the epitaphs of individuals long gone; inscriptions ranging from the trite to the tragic, from the flippant to the faithful.

One of the great truths God teaches all believers is wherever He leads, He will also provide.

If the patriarch Abraham had a headstone, it probably would have read: “Abraham – The Father of Faith: All the nations of the earth are blessed because of you.” Abraham’s son Isaac desired to follow in the heritage of his father’s faith, being challenged by God not to trust in his own initiatives but in God’s unending promises.

THE CHALLENGE TO ISAAC

Isaac was now head of the family; he had a wife, servants, flocks and herds. Many depended on him. The land he was living in had entered into a devastating drought. It seemed that the most sensible and practical thing to do was to go to Egypt with its ample supply of fresh water and fertile lands. Why would he put the well–being of his family at risk by staying in a barren and fruitless land when they were his first responsibility?

“The Lord appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Genesis 26:2–5). By directing him away from Egypt during the lean years, God was teaching Isaac to rely on Him and not look to the world for his security. God had something much deeper for him if he would trust Him with his life and family. Against popular opinion, Isaac chose to believe God and stay where he was, in spite of the hardships. You will find that when you choose to obey God, difficulties do not cease immediately. As a matter of fact, you may at times have to contend with adverse circumstances, but God will give you the victory over and over again.
No sooner had Isaac made the decision to remain in the land than the presiding king came to him and requested that he remove himself from the area. “Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there” (Genesis 26:16–17).

THE OLD WELLS OF ABRAHAM

One of the great truths God teaches all believers is wherever He leads, He will also provide. This principle has been proven many times throughout Old Testament history. We see this when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. God took more than three million people into a barren wilderness and there supplied them with an abundance of water and manna from heaven. In order for Isaac to know the blessing of God’s provision, God used King Abimelech to redirect him back to the old wells of Abraham.

“And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them” (Genesis 26:18).

When Isaac arrived at the place where the wells had been dug, he found the Philistines had been in the area and had filled them with dirt. Although the outlook of his immediate security was extremely bleak, God would use these unfavorable circumstances to speak to Isaac. In a land where water is always at a premium, you would have to ask yourself, “Who would be crazy enough to fill wells with dirt when there was such a scarcity of water? Why would they do that when there could have been enough for everyone?” But this is a picture of a darker and more subtle attack of Satan. This is what the devil wants to do in the life of the believer; he wants to stop the flow of water until nothing is left. Then he covers over the places where others once found their strength and sustenance in God. This makes it almost impossible for those coming afterwards to know and understand how God had sustained them in difficult times. For example, simply look at the thousands of monolithic cathedrals left to us
today which dot the landscape with their peaked towers and crosses. Architecturally these buildings are beautiful, but inside they have become empty relics of a past revival. No longer do they brim with people or are filled with the praises of God; they only stand as stone edifices and outer shells called churches.

This is why God took Isaac back to the old wells and caused him to dig in the same places Abraham had dug. In his time of trial, Abraham went down deep into the bedrock and had found water to live by. Here Isaac, representing the next generation, could also find the same source of strength his father had found. If we want our lives to make a difference in our generation, I believe we have to go to the old wells of truth where others previously found their hope in God. We must learn what it means again to trust completely in God’s direction. His ways are always right and though He does not expect us to always understand, He does expect us to believe Him and obey.

THE INVALUABLE LESSONS FROM ABRAHAM

“And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar” (Genesis 20:1).

Isaac in his own walk with God was living in the same place where his father had dwelt years earlier. God was about to show Himself mighty on Isaac’s behalf. In this place where Abraham had faced tremendous trials and had overcome, so Isaac would experience the same victories with God’s help. When Abraham lived there, Abimelech, the king of Gerar, had wronged him. Abraham had every right to become bitter and hold grievances towards this king. Instead, he chose to pray and ask God to bless and restore this man, as well as his whole household.

Today many Christians are feeble, and their prayers ineffective. They weep and ask God, “Why am I so weak and my prayers powerless?” Yet, if these same believers would respond like Abraham did and forgive those who have unjustly hurt them, they would experience incredible freedom and see miraculous things happen. It is interesting to note in the very next chapter of Genesis, Abraham’s barren wife Sarah, supernaturally becomes pregnant with Isaac when Abraham was 100 years old. When you choose to go God’s way and do what He says, the miraculous power of God begins to be released in your life.
LAY ASIDE HUMAN REASONING

After Isaac was born, Sarah said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son [Ishmael] of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac” (Genesis 21:10).

In essence, she was exhorting him to put away the works and reasoning of human endeavor. “And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba” (Genesis 21:14). Abraham revealed true character by having the courage to do what was right. Every Christian who wants to live a victorious life in Christ reaches a point where he says, “God, I give up trying to figure out things in my own strength. I lay aside all my own thinking and trust explicitly in your ability to keep me.”
Not only does God ask you to lay aside fleshly thinking but He wants you to give to Him those things you treasure most. Testing comes to us all and we must decide if we are willing to trust God with those things that are closest to our heart. In Genesis 22, Abraham demonstrated his own willingness to give up all that he cherished, if God required it. Nothing was dearer to him than his own son, Isaac, who was his heart and life. Isaac represented the very essence of everything God had promised Abraham, and now He was asking him to give Isaac back as a sacrifice to God. In total obedience, Abraham believed God was able to raise the dead as he had witnessed in his own body. So Abraham took Isaac to a mountain where he prepared to offer him to God. You know the story well how as he was about to kill Isaac, the angel of the Lord stayed his hand and the boy lived. Hallelujah!

Abraham then worshipped God on that mountain and referred to Him by a new name, Jehovah Jireh (God our Provider). Abraham had come to understand that God would make provision for everything he would ever need in his life. What is dear to your heart? What is it that stands between you and Christ that He might be asking you to give to Him? Obey the Holy Spirit today, God will open your eyes and you will know Him as Jehovah Jireh, your Provider.

WELLS OF LIVING WATER

Isaac was in a dry and barren place, he needed to see God as the one who would take care of him. So, he began to dig again the same wells of Abraham. “And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water” (Genesis 26:19). In the Hebrew text, the Scriptures indicate that the words springing water here literally mean alive or living water. God was providing life sustaining water for Isaac’s family, servants and herds.

THE WELLS OF CONTENTION AND HATRED

No sooner had Isaac’s herdsman dug out one of the wells than the people of the land began to strive with them saying the water was theirs. “And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him” (Genesis 26:20). Isaac named the well Esek, which means strife or contention.

In the life of the Christian the devil does not want you to find living water, so he will immediately attempt to stop its flow by bringing you into contention with someone. James, the Lord’s half brother, wrote about strife, saying, “For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work” (James 3:16). James understood that when the door of contention is opened, it will lead to hurtful and destructive conditions. In Isaac’s situation this was proven to be true, for when they attempted to dig another well, even greater strife arose.

“And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah” (Genesis 26:21). When you study the names of both these wells, you see that Esek literally means contention, while Sitnah means hostility or, even stronger, hatred. When you combine the two, you get a deadly combination. If contention is not dealt with in the early stages, it can easily turn into hatred. The apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:20 that if a man hates his brother, he’s a murderer and does not have eternal life abiding in him. What a tragedy when people have served the Lord for years and then finally walk away from God because their hearts become hardened. If you allow hatred to develop towards others God has no alternative but to declare you to be a murderer. Just think about it! These are the only two things the devil needs to begin stopping the supply of life which God has given you in Christ. This is exactly what this message is about; exposing Satan before you are embittered by contention that turns into hatred. By God’s grace, we will move away from these wells, we will move away from strife and contention, and allow the Lord to heal every wounded heart.

There is room for all people at the cross no matter what age, race, or nationality.

REHOBOTH – THERE IS ROOM

“And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land” (Genesis 26:22). Isaac and his herdsman
dug yet another well and called it Rehoboth, which means room. They did not allow the strife they experienced to turn their focus away from the wells of Abraham.

In the same way you need to believe there is room for all of us in God’s kingdom! His covenant with His Son has opened the way for everyone who believes on Christ to have a place in this kingdom. There is room for all people at the cross no matter what age, race, or nationality. And when you become His child, He enlarges your heart to love all of His people even those who wounded you. He will make enough room in your heart to overlook the willful and hurtful transgressions of others. Whereas, you could not do this before you came to Christ. But now, like Abraham who prayed for King Abimelech and blessed him, you are going to be able to pray for others, “God bless you, God bless your family, God bless your home, God bless your children, and God forgive you as He has forgiven me.”

In John chapter four, Jesus gives us this same principle by loving and forgiving someone who would be considered as an outsider or even as an enemy. When He came to Jacob’s Well in Samaria, Jesus sat down and asked a woman of religious and cultural mixture for a drink. If a Jew, other than Christ had met that woman at the well, she would have been ignored and shunned because of her background, let alone her gender. Jesus did not allow anything to alter his deliberate treatment of her as being someone created and loved by God. That day she was given living water from God Himself.

If you want to continue to experience the same fullness as the woman at the well, you have to start by forgiving those the world says should be your enemy. You offer love and forgiveness, whether it is accepted or not. The moment you do, it will be as though you have dug out all the dirt from the old wells of Abraham, and living water will begin to flow again. Just think of the impact you would have in the workplace if you forgive a co-worker who had wounded you. Think how everyone on the job would marvel that you would actually reach out to this hurtful person and offer friendship to them again.
Do you want to make the world marvel? Start talking to the very people who have turned their back on you and at this point may intensely dislike you. Speak to people you know need God’s grace. And just
like the name of the last well Isaac opened and named Rehoboth, the Lord will make room for you and you shall be fruitful in a land regarded as barren and useless. Hallelujah!

ISAAC’S EPITAPH

If Abraham truly had a grave marker and the epitaph on his headstone had read “Abraham – The Father of Faith: All the nations of the earth are blessed because of you.” I have no doubt that the epitaph on Isaac’s gravestone would have read: “Isaac – The son of Abraham and Sarah: Everything God promised to my father I have proven to be true.”

Today, beloved, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is also our God, He is our Jehovah Jireh, He is our Rehoboth, and the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ, rules and reigns in our lives. Praise God!

Carter Conlon ©2010 Times Square Church

Why Is God’s Strength Made Perfect In Our Weakness? by Carter Conlon

How would you like it if I told you today that you are foolish, weak and base? Well, perhaps by the end of this message you will gladly welcome the thought!

Consider the words of the apostle Paul: “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:26−29).

Paul could write these words because he understood the truth that God would allow no flesh to glory in His presence. Remember, Paul received many incredible revelations from the Lord. At one point he was even taken up to a place he referred to as the “third heaven” where he heard something so divine that he was not permitted to repeat it. Now knowledge can “puff up,” potentially causing one to become unteachable and no longer able to represent God. Lest that happen to Paul because of the abundance of revelation, he was given a thorn in the flesh—a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him. This so troubled him that he petitioned the Lord three times to take it away. The Lord’s response was a profound statement to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Isaiah’s Vision
Why is it that God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness? I believe we will have a deeper understanding as we consider the story of Isaiah when he was about to be brought into ministry.

“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord…” (Isaiah 6:1). Uzziah was a king who died in pride, diseased in his mind. He had entered the temple and offered incense on the altar, although he was strictly forbidden to do so. Uzziah mistakenly thought he could be as God—doing whatever he pleased and suffering no consequences.

The year King Uzziah dies represents the year that pride dies. It is when we finally realize we don’t have any strength in ourselves—when our natural tendency to do our own thing, even in the name of God, dies—and we understand that we don’t have the right to chart our own course in life. That is when we see the Lord!

At the time Isaiah had his vision, it was likely that he was already, at least marginally, a prophet. However, God was about to commission him—just as I feel in my heart the Lord is about to commission us as His church. We are going into revival, and God is on the verge of commissioning us to represent Him in our generation. Many might argue, “Oh, God, I have walked with You for so long, but I am so weak. I am not as smart as other people, I don’t have a budget, and I don’t have the pedigree of others. Don’t I need to have it all together to be effective? How are You going to use me?”

When we are tempted to look in dismay at our weaknesses, consider what followed in Isaiah’s vision. “…I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1). We must remember that the Lord truly is high and lifted up. That means He is above every name that is named, every kingdom that ever will be, every power, every principality, every circumstance, every trial—He is above it all! Nothing escapes His attention, and nothing is allowed to happen without His permission.

“…And his train filled the temple…” (Isaiah 6:1). What an incredible picture, especially in light of the story in Matthew 9:20–21: “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: for she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.” This woman had to press through the crowd to get to Jesus, but when she finally touched the hem of His garment, immediately she was healed.

At that time His garment was only on one physical body, the man Jesus Christ. To touch it, you would have to travel miles and press through crowds. However, Isaiah said that the hem of His garment filled the temple. In other words, there was nowhere in the temple where you couldn’t touch Him and be healed!

Consider now how you and I are the temple of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament church. The presence of Christ is within us, and what Isaiah saw is now a reality in the actual body of a New Testament believer—the hem of His garment fills the temple! That means there is no area of your mind, your body, your past, present or future that God can’t touch. In other words, the healing of Jesus is in every part of you!

In Him We Live And Move
“Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly” (Isaiah 6:2). Notice that the seraphims were not looking where they were going, for they covered their faces with two of their wings. Secondly, they were not traveling in any amount of natural strength, for they covered their feet with two wings as well. They were flying by divine power.

It is incredible to imagine that there are perhaps hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these created beings flying around the throne, yet they never crash into one another! Where God is, everything is in divine order. All that is created and remains in subjection to Him knows its course in life and moves together in harmony.

Paul said, “For in Him we live, and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:28). We are not crashing into things; we know where we are going because He is the One leading us. We are not walking by sight nor by power, but by the Spirit of Almighty God. We don’t have to see it with our eyes, nor do we have to achieve it with the strength of our own labor. God, by the Holy Spirit, has promised to carry us and make us into everything that He has ever promised we would be.

Full Of His Glory
“And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Holy—it was the only word they knew. Its meaning in Hebrew conveys the thought of being separate from all sin and death; without any equal; completely perfect; free from moral imperfections and all the failure of humanity. It also means that God is absolutely faithful to every one of His promises.
Now how could the earth be full of His glory? It is clear that the heavens declare the glory of God, as does the order we find in nature, so there seems to be a partial fulfillment of the verse. But as we read today’s newspapers and look around at society, how can we possibly conclude that the whole earth is full of His glory?

The truth of the statement lies simply in this: The church of Jesus Christ (you and I) is still here on earth. The glory of God abides in us, His temple, and there is a church of Jesus Christ all over the earth. That is why the earth is full of His glory. The main problem is that we don’t know who we are in Christ. We don’t truly understand Who is inside of us.We live so much of our lives trying to be what only God can make us, in our own strength, trying to go where only He can lead us.

Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory. It is important to know and believe this when we pray. We come to a throne that is above every other throne, a place of absolute and complete divine order, a place where healing flows. We come to a holy God who is absolutely faithful to all His promises, the One who has commissioned us to be His representatives on the earth until the day He takes His church home to be with Him forever.

I Am Undone
“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). Isaiah came from perhaps the most religious, scholarly people on the face of the earth, yet he concluded that they were all unclean. “We claim to be smart and learned, but we are ignorant. We claim to be strong, but we are weak. Now my eyes have seen the King, and I know all our boasting is worthless. We claim to know what God is like, how He feels, what He thinks, but it all falls short because my eyes have finally seen His glory!”

By then Isaiah might have rightly wondered, “What do I have to offer this kingdom? It is so far beyond me. This place is holy, operating in divine order with absolute truth and perfection. How in the world can I ever be part of this in my condition?” However, it was actually at that point that Isaiah was about to be given the greatest revelation of all.
“Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged” (Isaiah 6:6–7). That coal speaks to me of the cross of Jesus Christ. He has come to touch us and take our iniquity away. I believe the “great” iniquity is human effort—the thought that we can add to the kingdom of God. However, the kingdom of God will not advance because of anything we promise to be or do for Him. It is about His promises to us. So don’t tell God you are going to pray more and do better, because you won’t be able to do so in your own strength. Instead, go into the prayer closet and bring God’s promises back to Him. The Lord says, “I have touched your lips; I have given you my redemption. Now come to Me, knowing who I am. I am above your weakness; I am above your frailty; I am above your circumstances.”
Whom Shall I Send?
The next thing Isaiah heard was the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send?” Now take into account that in this whole scene, Isaiah was the only one who didn’t have it all together—the only one who was not operating in divine power; the only one completely undone. Yet when the Lord asked, “Who will go?” it was as if this little hand in the back row came up, exclaiming, “I’ll go!” You would almost expect all of heaven to gasp.

You see, Isaiah was the only one there who needed mercy, and he had come to the revelation that the kingdom of God is about mercy. Standing in the presence of God, he finally realized, “I’m undone; I’m finished. We are all finished, and if God is not merciful to us, we are doomed.”

Suddenly Isaiah was touched with the mercy and cleansing of God—with everything that Jesus did on the cross of Calvary. He had the incredible revelation that God wanted to show His people mercy. That is why he said, “I’ll go!” Isaiah knew that the people needed to realize all of their righteousness was as filthy rags. They needed to understand that the only way they would ever get through was if God were to come and touch their lips and their lives.

It’s All About Mercy
Judgment was coming, and Isaiah knew it. However, he was given a clear vision that the ministry of the church on earth is mercy. Mercy—that is our message when somebody asks the reason for the hope that we have. It is not because we have memorized verses or because we go to church. We stand by the mercy of God!
Once you grasp this truth, suddenly you will become an evangelist. You will be able to open your mouth because you understand that God has not chosen the strong but has chosen those who know they stand by mercy. It is the mercy of God that has given us hope, broken our sin, and made us brand-new creations in Christ Jesus.

What did Isaiah have to do? No more than the prodigal son had to do as he returned home, only to find his father running to embrace him. God is the One who does the work in our hearts—it is just up to us not to resist it. When the seraphim came with the coal, Isaiah could have moved his head and said, “Oh no, not me.” It may have had an appearance of humility, but he actually would have been resisting the power of God.

We must let the power of the cross touch us and allow the sacrifice of Calvary to become sufficient for our sin. We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; there is nobody righteous. That is why the Christian life is a life lived in mercy.

Paul said that God allowed the weakness in his life to protect him from pride, assuring him that, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is perfected in weakness.” So if you feel weak today, you can give God praise for it. You can say, “Lord, thank You for protecting me from spiritual pride and keeping me in a place where I can speak for You. I can go to anybody in the city and say to them, ‘The Lord has been merciful to me. I am not the strongest of people in His kingdom, yet He has touched me. His healing is beginning to flow in my life and He is changing me sovereignly by His power.’”

Start Speaking!
Why have you held back from opening your mouth and telling others about Jesus? Is it because you have been very aware of your weakness? Remember, it is that very weakness that God will use to bring glory to His own name. Of course I am not suggesting that our whole testimony is that we fall and fail. I am talking about the source of our strength coming from God because of our frailty.

Beloved, the time of being silent is over. It is not the Lord’s will that any city should perish in its sin. Isaiah was given only roughly one in every ten souls that he spoke to, but was it not worth it for the one? Society in his time had become very opposed to truth. We may be living in a similar time today, and the Lord simply asks, “Who will go? Who will start speaking? Who will not be ashamed or triumphed over? Who will understand that his strength is in God and not in himself?”

In this late hour, God is commissioning His people. He is looking for those who are willing to say, “Here am I, send me”—those who will believe that, despite their own frailties, the Holy Spirit will guide and speak through them. Do you know how God gets glory? He sends you and uses you, perfecting His strength in your weakness. That is how He gets glory, and that is how His glory fills the earth! Hallelujah!
Carter Conlon
©2011 Times Square Church

THE HUMBLE WILL SOON HEAR YOUR SONG by Carter Conlon

A PSALM OF DAVID

Psalm 69:1-6: “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.”

FALSE PROPHETIC VOICES

In Psalm 69 David, the king of Israel, is speaking of a time when his confident standing in the God of his salvation was under vicious attack. In verse four, he talks about enemies who were speaking wrongful- ly against him. The word wrongfully in the original text means that it is a false prophetic voice. These are groundless words that have no basis in fact or reality, but their arguments in David’s mind were so real and mighty, he says, “I restored that which I took not away.” In other words, “I came to the point where I repaid debts I did not owe; I was unable to free myself from condemna- tion.” Some of you will understand this, as there are times when you have been attacked in such a way that it is absolutely demonic. The enemy sets himself up against the truth you have known concerning your position in Christ. He comes against you like a mighty flood, and you find yourself confessing things that have already been forgiven, and which are already under the blood.

In verse six David cries, “Don’t let those who trust in you stumble because of me, O Sovereign LORD Almighty. Don’t let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel.” The cry of every true child of God should be, “Oh, God, don’t let me go under. I ask this not just for my sake, but for those looking to the testimony of my life to find hope in God.” It is not just about you and me, but it is about our family, our children, grand- children, and neighbors. It is about the co-worker and associate who will look to you and me as a “light,” showing them the way to faith in Christ in their moment of despair and desperation.

Philippians 2:15-16: “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life.”

DESPAIR—SATAN’S TOOL

In verse one David cries, “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.” In other words, “These hardships and trials are bringing me to a place where I can no longer stand; I am sinking into deep water, where the floods are overflowing my soul.”

1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Now this is interesting. When we think about a lion, we think about being devoured by simple brute force, brutality or viciousness, but the actual translation of this word has another context, as well. It means not just these things, but also to swallow somebody up or to drown him or her. In other words, the enemy walks about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may drown, seeking whom he may swallow up by something that is going to come out of his mouth. How does the enemy do this? He attempts to “swallow” the righteous with despair and false- hood. You know you are a Christian, and yet you have been crying out, “God, save me; there is this flood coming against my heart and mind. It is attacking the very core of who I am in Christ. Lord, I need you as I have never needed you before.” My friend, you have become a victim of this roaring lion who stalks about seeking whom he may devour.

WATER AS A FLOOD

In Revelation 12:15 and16, “The serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

So, this is how the devil himself is going to come against the people of God. He cast out of his mouth this water, this flood that came after the woman, causing her to be carried away from her rightful position in God. Now, if you are a Christian, if the testimony of Jesus Christ is yours, you can be sure you are going to find yourself in a war, a war like none you have ever known before. This is a war of the mind; this is a battle for your thought life, a battle for the truth, and for the assurance of who you are in Christ. Satan’s intention is for you to lose your strength and confidence in your God, forcing you to retreat, so instead of standing strong in your darkest hour, you find yourself sink- ing in discouragement and despair.

JOB WAS SUBJECTED TO THIS FLOOD

Job was also subjected to a flood that came from the devil’s mouth, a flood that tried to swallow up his confidence in God, drawing him into bitterness and self-pity. The Bible tells us that Job was a righteous man who feared God, and yet without any explanation, he lost his children, his property, and his health. Many of us have known these losses, at least in some measure. You have known those difficult times, when things you had trusted in, or thought were the blessings of God, were suddenly gone! It is as if there is an unseen conflict going on around you, and you don’t know why. Some of you reading this are suffering from sorrow because of the loss of one or more of these same things—the enemy has encircled you like a roaring lion, seeking to devour. Satan is after your testimony.

SATAN-INSPIRED THEOLOGY

Satan showed up in Job’s day in the guise of three friends. They brought a satanically-inspired theology, sent to condemn this man who was suffer- ing. Job had been declared righteous in the sight of his God, and so he became the target of Satan, who instigated this flood of ungodly reasoning. This theology sounded something like this: “If God was with you, you would never struggle or suffer in your body; you would be rich—and you would have no trouble in your family. Your home would be a blissful place, and all your children would be serving God.” Then this attack became even more insidious, “God is punishing you less than what you deserve. Just confess your sin, Job, and God will forgive you and restore your for- tunes.” Had Job fallen into this trap, he would have proven the enemy right: “Job only serves you for what he can get. Touch him now, touch his family, touch his health, touch his property, and he will curse you to your face.” These friends of Job were rebuked by the Lord, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7 AMP).

SATAN TRIES TO TAKE AWAY YOUR POSITION IN GOD

In Revelation 12:15 and 16, we read that the serpent cast out of his mouth a flood, which attempted to carry this woman away, out of her position in God. Nevertheless “the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.”

Now, what does it mean, “the earth opened her mouth”? This is symbolic speech, and in our day it speaks of how the dragon (Satan) is sending out a flood of false doctrine in his attempt to destroy the seed of Christ. However, we see that the earth opened its mouth and swallowed this flood which came against God’s servants. Then we wonder, “How does this happen? What does this mean to us?”

THE ACCUSERS

Moses and Aaron were chosen vessels. They were not perfect, but despite their weaknesses, they were called of God. In New Testament language, the Lord so often chooses the weak and foolish, those things that are despised, to bring to nothing the things that exist in and of themselves apart from God. In Numbers 16:3 we see the rising up of religious accusers, their voices coming in judgment against those who were called of God. They said to Moses and Aaron, “You take too much upon yourselves,” and they stood and accused them. In other words, “We are entitled to the position you have.” This is the tactic that demonic powers use. “Who do you think you are to live in such a high calling? Who do you think you are to call yourselves priests of the Most High God? Who do you think you are to stand and say that you speak for God?” The enemy used men of renown to accuse Moses and Aaron, probably reminding them of their own weakness and failures in the past. Now these voices were coming as a flood.

GOD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU

Moses said, “But if the LORD make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the LORD. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation” (Numbers 16:30-33).

Listen to me carefully. The whole congregation in one powerful act of God saw how Moses and Aaron were delivered from the voices raised against their God-ordained position. The people of Israel became aware that the accusers were under judgment. And this is how God will fight for you—by showing you that your accuser, Satan, is already judged. You are free; you are bought with a price; you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ; you are the righteousness of God in Christ; the glory of the Lord lives within you. The promise of the Lord is, “No man can take you out of my hand! You are redeemed, you are glorified, and you are sanctified in Christ.” He is your wisdom, righteousness, and redemption. You are redeemed, the devil is damned forever!

No weapon formed against you can prosper; no weapon, nothing that the devil throws at you can prosper. Hallelujah!

GOOD NEWS—SATAN HAS BEEN JUDGED

Jesus said in John 16:11: “…The prince of this world is judged” and in John 12:31, “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Through the death of Christ, Satan was over- thrown—and those who believe in the Son of God are made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in his death on the cross. (See Colossians 2:15, and Hebrews 2:14.) He has secured the future of Satan, his fallen angels, and every demonic power and voice that rises up against his people and against the truth of their righteous standing in Christ. God will display his righteous judgment against the “accuser of the brethren,” by casting him into a lake of fire that will never be quenched (see Revelation 20:10). May your spiritual eyes be opened to know the truth: The enemy is a defeat- ed foe and his accusations false!

If you are a Christian, your destiny is eternal life and an abundant life in Christ on this side of eternity. Your destiny is not to sink, but to stand in the midst of the storm— to be clothed in the armor of God’s provision. The plan of God is for you to stand strong in a day of com- promise, a day of extreme darkness, which is on the face of the earth. Stand in the strength of our God, know who you are in Jesus Christ, and sing the songs of Zion as you have never sung them before. Not songs which are dependent on the status of your health, the size of your property, or even your family. The song you are to sing flows from the joyful life of God being lived out within you! A day of justice is com- ing when our accuser is going to be cast down forever. Hallelujah! You will no longer hear his voice of accusation, no more tears, sorrow and sighing, for all these former things will have passed away.

ADORNED IN CHRIST

The scripture declares, “…And their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17). In essence, the Lord is saying, “‘I took off my robes, came down to earth, and became a man. And when you came to me, I took my robe of righteousness and I placed it upon you, and now you are clean. Now, what I have cleansed, let no man call common or unclean!’”

In Ezekiel 28:14-19, we understand two truths. Firstly, Satan, who was once adorned in splendor and beauty, is now stripped naked before the Almighty God. He forfeited this beautiful adorning, when pride entered his heart. Secondly, God has a ransomed people that were naked, but whom he has chosen to adorn in his loveliness. Beloved, you are not naked, but clothed in the righteous robes of Jesus Christ. Satan comes to you as a roaring lion, accusing you falsely of the very thing that he is: stripped, bankrupt and without hope!

REFLECTORS OF HIS GLORY

Isaiah 54:11-13: “O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colors, and lay thy foundations with sapphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” In other words, “The adornment your accuser lost, I am going to give to you. I will build you on the foundation of truth, and by the power of my Spirit. Your life will be transformed into the glorious image of Christ.”

“I will make thy windows…” This means, “People will look at your lifestyle and see my reflection. They will ask, ‘What is the reason for the hope you have, and for the song within you?’ The humble will see the beauty of your Christ and be glad.” “…And all your children will be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of thy children.” They are not going to be taught just because you open the Bible each day. No! They will be taught because they will look at your life, and see the beauty of Jesus Christ within you; they will see this crowning glory of the One whose Spirit has raised you from the dead and seated you in heavenly places with Christ.

A FULL RESTORATION

Job 42:10: “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Job was restored, and was given twice what he had before. You may not necessarily have this blessing restored in kind, but the riches of your confidence in the Lord will be restored and strengthened. You will increase in the riches of the knowledge of Christ, sharing his sufferings, and experiencing the power of his resurrected life being transformed into his image. This blessing and victory does not happen without a battle, but remember, the battle has already been won at the cross! We now lay hold of it by faith through the finished work of Christ. There is a time when you have to confront the enemy, and declare your position in Christ: “I am forgiven and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. I am being changed by the power of the Spirit of the living God who abides in me.” See 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Praise God, we are now seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, and your heart’s desire is for Christ to be glorified in you on this side of eternity. You also have a desire for others, who are dear to the heart of God, to know him, and put their confidence and trust in him, and so are released from the grip of satanic lies.

THE HUMBLE WILL HEAR

In Psalm 69:1, David started out by saying, “Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul.” In other words, I am being accused and I am weary of crying.” But by verses 30-33 of the same chapter, things begin to change, “I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. For the LORD heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.” David is saying, “I am not giving up my song. I am not forfeiting my song to this flood of the enemy. I am not giving up my standing in God and singing in this place. God has promised to give me a song! Therefore, I am going to praise him! There is nothing I can do to gain this place! He has given it to me by faith; I am going to accept it by faith, and I am going to start praising him with everything that is in my heart. God will reveal himself to this generation, and they will know he lives by my song of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord in every circumstance of life. Those who are looking for God, those that know they need help and a hope for their future, will see this song within my heart and be glad.”

The humble are waiting to hear your song of praise! Amen!

Carter Conlon November 27, 2005 ©2006 Times Square Church

“The Mark Of The Beast” by Carter Conlon

“And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six” (Revelation 13:15–18).

This passage of Scripture refers to an end-time event that will cause the entire world to spiral out of control. Whether triggered by a financial meltdown or a military confrontation—whatever its cause—it will result in men’s hearts failing them and an emerging cry for a one-world government.
The Scriptures tell us that a man known as the Antichrist will arise and lead this one-world government. While at first he will appear to be a peaceful man, ultimately it will be revealed that he is indwelt by Satan himself. He will cause people to receive a mark on their forehead or their right hand in order to be permitted to buy or sell. Many Christians have spent a lot of time over the years worrying about this mark. However, there is no need to be worried—and you will understand why by the end of this message.

Back To The Beginning

In order to gain a better understanding of the days to come, it is necessary to go back to the beginning. Remember that Satan exalted himself against God and was subsequently deposed from his high-ranking position in heaven. Coming down into the Garden of Eden, he approached those whom God had created in His own image, Adam and Eve, and sowed in them that same seed of rebellion. This original sin remains in our fallen nature today—a desire to be our own god, living however we please without suffering any consequences.
Now regarding the number 666: Most biblical numerologists ascribe the number six to man, the number three to God, and seven to God’s perfection. When man is indwelt in his body, soul, and spirit by Satan himself, we have what we might call a 666 trinity. Satan’s rebellion will finally reach its climax and a man physically indwelt by Satan himself will go into the temple in Israel and declare himself to be God. That was Satan’s goal from the beginning.
At that point, Satan will finally have created an unholy trinity. All of humanity that agrees with the concept that man can be as God will not think twice about receiving a mark on the forehead or the hand. They will have already stood in agreement with this fallen theology long before the mark ever came.

The Last Days
Jesus described the last days as being just as “the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark…” (Matthew 24:38). Obviously eating, drinking and marriage are not bad things. However, the danger comes when there is a preoccupation with security, and pretending that all is well—convincing ourselves that there is no God, no judgment, no everlasting peril just ahead.
Even if there is some acknowledgement of God, it comes with an inner contempt. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:3–4). There is a scorning among those who walk after their own lusts and are not seeking the things of God. Their minds are not fixed on the things of heaven, and their hands are not reaching out to do the work of God. Therefore scoffing enters their hearts and they ask, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:4). The same type of person sits here today and says, “Oh, no! Not another message about the coming of Christ. They have been preaching that for 2,000 years.” However, we must realize that the conclusion of the world as we know it is indeed very close, and there are multitudes in a place of decision. “How deep am I going to go with God? How much am I going to let Him rule my life? How willing am I to let His plan become the plan of my life?”
Paul also said, “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). In order to fall away, you must have been somewhere to fall away from. I believe this will be a falling away of people who sat in church but never really embraced the work of God. They didn’t want to go to hell, but they didn’t want to live for heaven, either. They wanted the cross for redemption but did not want the cross for a lifestyle. However, that type of experience will not keep them when the storm hits.

When Do You Want Your Inheritance?
Esau, son of Isaac, had access to the promise God gave to Abraham—the promise that he would be blessed to be a blessing in the earth—and we, as Abraham’s spiritual descendants, have that same promise. One day Esau returned from hunting, tired and hungry, and asked his twin brother Jacob for some of the stew Jacob was cooking. Esau, the older of the two, had the right to a double portion of his father’s inheritance, but he put his temporary, physical needs over his God-given blessing and sold his birthright to Jacob (see Genesis 25:27–34). It is almost inconceivable that he traded his birthright for a bowl of stew, choosing the temporal over the eternal.
Why will people fall away in the last days? Because even though they have been part of the family, they have never internally embraced what that meant, saying, “God, You promised me life; You promised to make me much more than I could ever be in myself. You promised to lead me on a path of righteousness as a testimony to many, and then into eternity where I will rule and reign with You.”

The Lord has given us great and precious promises, yet we may not see the fulfillment of all of them on this side of eternity. Esau, however, like the prodigal son, insisted, “I want my inheritance now! I don’t want to wait until this physical life is over. I want satisfaction now; I want to be wealthy now; I want to rule now!” So he sold off what was of eternal worth and headed in the wrong direction. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things” (Philippians 3:18–19). Just as Paul said, many live every day focused on the things of this world.
Picture, for example, somebody inside the first-class passenger liner Titanic after it hit the iceberg. Everyone had fled the ship or was in the process of trying to flee. One poor, hapless soul was down on the second deck examining the cabins, excited about all that he saw. “Wow! Look at this—gold faucets!” Oh, the insanity of seeking comfort and security in a ship that is going down to the bottom of the ocean. Yet it is the same for Christians who are looking for fulfillment in the things of this world. Of course, I am not suggesting that you can’t enjoy a walk in the park on a sunny day, or that we ought to walk around mournful all the time. Rather, it is our identity—who we are and what we are becoming—that should not be in the things of this world but in the things of God.
The Lord said, “And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste…” (Malachi 1:3). Perhaps Esau professed, “Yes, Abraham is my grandfather and the promise is mine!” Yet God said that He hated the testimony and image of God that this man portrayed in the earth—this self-focused, carnal man who claimed to be in the lineage of God. You can say that the mark was on him because he owned neither the presence nor the promise of God.

The First Marked Man

The Bible tells us in Genesis 4:15 that the first marked man in the Bible was Cain, a man who willfully brought to God less than what He required of him. I cannot help but plead for people today who are willfully bringing to God less than He requires. There are things that they know God is asking of them, but they are not willing to obey. They are looking to be god of their own lives and somehow circumvent God’s will and God’s Word. They are trying to justify practices, relationships—trying to make what is wrong right.
God put a mark on Cain, and he became an unsatisfied wanderer. In a sense he was relegated to a life of endless searching without ever finding that which satisfies. I cannot help but wonder why Christians run all over the world looking for Jesus, a practice that seems to have become more pronounced in the last two decades. Suddenly there is a new manifestation somewhere in the world and they are on the next flight over. Is it possible that there is a mark there? Is it possible that they are not bringing to God what He requires? Subsequently, since there is nothing where they are—no living relationship, no prayer life, no revelation—they must wander the world searching for satisfaction.
Jesus Himself said, “If they say he is over here, he is in the desert, don’t go there, don’t believe it” (Matthew 24:26, paraphrase). The Lord is everywhere—omnipresent. He is in the text of Scripture and if you are a believer, He is inside of you. You don’t have to look very far for Him. He is right here!

As you begin to do the work of God, the prophet Isaiah said you will ask, “Lord, where are You?” You will hear an inner voice saying, “Here I am. What is it that you want Me to do? For we are walking in unison; you are walking in step with Me” (see Isaiah 58:9).

Whose Mark Will You Have?

“And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary” (Ezekiel 9:3–6).
God was about to judge His own city, Jerusalem—suddenly! However, the people were caught unaware—many had chosen to put off that day; most never believed. “It’s not possible that God would ever judge us—His own temple. Consider the history here; the prayers that have been prayed here. No, surely God would never do this!” But when we start to believe that, we have substituted our own thoughts for the Word of God.
However, the Lord had a man who was instructed, “Go and set a mark upon the foreheads.” (Remember, the mark in Revelation was on the foreheads or right hands of the people.) In other words, set a mark upon those whose value system is in line with God’s; set a mark upon those who feel what God feels, who are walking in a way that Christ Himself would walk if He were on these streets. Set a mark upon those whose value system is not so intertwined with this world that they don’t understand the day in which we are living. Rather, they are aware of the peril ahead; they are concerned about the plight of the eternity of those who are vomiting in the streets in the evening.
Beloved, if there is a sighing in your heart, you can be thankful for that. It is not that you are morose, but rather there is an inner awareness that you do not belong here—this is not your home, your satisfaction is not here. God has set a mark on you!
Imagine the scenario for a moment: Satan sends a demonic horde into the world and says, “Go down and convince these people they should receive a mark.” I can see this devil coming back to his captain, saying, “Well, I went down and tried to place a mark on this person, but there was no place to put it. There was already a covering there, and it took up the whole space! There wasn’t even a corner where I could put a mark.” Satan replies, “Well, why didn’t you write over the top of it?” He explains, “Because when I tried to do that, your pen wouldn’t write there!”
The prophet Joel said that even though all of this darkness may come upon the earth, the Lord will be the help of His people (see Joel 3:16). You may hear a lot about the mark of the beast in our generation, but I want to remind you that you don’t have to worry about any of these things. You are already marked—the space is taken and nothing else can be put there!

Always remember that God knows those who are His. He has set a mark on them, and they are sealed in His hand. I don’t know about you, but that settles it for me! Let hell throw what it may; let the devil send a flood out of his mouth; let society get as confused as it wants to get. But those who belong to Christ are sealed in the hand of Almighty God, and nothing—no flood, no fire, no army, no demonic power, no poverty, no trial—can take them out of His hand!
“For I know whom I have believed…” (2 Timothy 1:12). Paul was saying, “I am intimately acquainted with Him—I know Him.” I encourage you to continue spending quality time in the Word, meditating on the promises of God. Ask the Holy Spirit to make them so real that you can stand and say, “I know in Whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep everything I have put into His hand until that day I am home with Him. God has set His mark on me, and I am persuaded that nothing that comes against me is going to stop His work in my life!” Hallelujah!

Carter Conlon
©2011 Times Square Church

Ask Jesus Now For The Things That You Need : by Carter Conlon

Ask Jesus Now For The Things That You Need: 
by Carter Conlon

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7–8). Interestingly, near the end of His life on earth, Jesus also said, “Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). Notice that Jesus was speaking to His disciples at the Last Supper, so to hear that they had asked nothing until this time must have been somewhat perplexing to them. After all, the very essence of discipling is a master/student relationship—one of asking and receiving. When the disciples left their nets and began to follow Jesus, that was the basis of the relationship—they asked, and He answered and gave them what they needed.
What Jesus was actually telling them, however, was that an unprecedented time of hardship was imminent. You and I know that Jesus was about to be taken captive and as a result, all the disciples would flee. He was essentially saying, “You are going to be afraid, and a sense of loss and sorrow will try to fill your hearts. But I will be with you to give you an inner strength only available to those who are willing to do My work in the earth.” You will see this thought very clearly presented to the disciples in portions of chapters 13 through 18 in the gospel of John. “As you walk in the pathway that I have prescribed before you as My Body, you are going to have hope, vision, and joy. Up to this point you have not asked for what is really yours. But now, if you are willing to ask, you will receive all that you will need.”

Later May Be Too Late

In Matthew 25:4–8, Jesus gave an illustration of the day of Christ’s return. The five wise virgins took oil in their lamps, but the five foolish virgins had no oil. When the crisis hit, the foolish said to the wise, “You seem to see something that we don’t see. You stand here saying, ‘Behold the Bridegroom,’ yet we see nothing but darkness and calamity. Give us some of your oil!” Yet tragically they asked too late.
Beloved, it is very hard to get the resources that Christ is willing to give once the calamity hits. Remember Noah’s day! Before the floods came, God closed the door of the ark and sealed Noah and his family inside. Imagine when the rain started and people outside began banging on the door. They could not enter because the ark had been closed—the time of asking was over; the time of getting needed strength was past.

The Kind Of Testimony Jesus Requires

In order to understand more specifically what Jesus was telling His disciples to ask for in our opening text, we need to know what kind of testimony He required them to have everywhere they went. Keep in mind that Matthew 7:7 comes at the end of a very long discourse that began in Matthew 5—when Jesus saw the multitudes and went up to a mountain. His disciples came to Him, and He began to teach them about what they were called to be in the earth.
I will paraphrase some of the verses of Scripture, but I encourage you to study it in detail on your own, for as His followers, we have received the same calling.

Let’s begin in Matthew 5. We must recognize our need of God and long for His ways to be known in the earth. We must act with restraint even when it is within our power to do otherwise. He instructs us to hunger and thirst for inward purity, to be merciful, at peace with all men, and call others to peace with God and with each other. We are to endure persecution, even to the point of rejoicing because of it.

We should be as salt—bringing flavor, creating thirst, promoting healing, and bringing preservation into the earth. We are to do things publicly that bring glory to God, but at the same time, do them without the motive of being seen. What a phenomenal thought—let your light so shine that people may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Yet elsewhere Jesus also said, “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father, which is in heaven” (Matthew 6:1)

We must shun sexual lust. Jesus said that if a man even looks upon a woman with a lustful eye, he has committed adultery in his heart. We should remain true to our marriage vows. I know there are some exceptional circumstances, but if your marriage is going through a rough spot, don’t just walk out. Marriage is a covenant you made with another person before God, and Paul says it is the closest reflection on earth of the love of Christ for His church. Unfortunately, we are living in an hour when the divorce rate in the church is very high, and it brings no glory to God.

We should bless and do good to our enemies. Remember that Peter came to Jesus and asked, “How many times should I forgive—seven times?” And Jesus answered, “No, not seven times, but rather seventy times seven.” That’s four hundred and ninety times you should forgive somebody who does the same thing to you over and over again.

We are to pray for God’s will to be done, that supply will be given to do it, that we might be ambassadors of forgiveness, and that we might not be led astray. We are to acknowledge that God alone has the power to help us do this.

We must be aware of the danger of seeking security in anything of this world and letting the fear of tomorrow’s provision consume our lives. Yes, we are going into a worldwide economic storm, but the Lord tells us that we must seek first His kingdom, with the promise that all that we need will be given to us.

We must be careful how we judge one another. While we are looking at a speck in our brother’s eye, there might be a log in our own that we are unaware of. Jesus said that once we have dealt with what it is in our own heart, then we will see clearly. In other words, we will see our brother as Christ sees him, and we will deal tenderly.

Lastly, in the final verse before we get into our opening text, Jesus says, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7:6). In other words, we must learn when to share truth and when to be quiet. When Jesus was brought before His accusers, He knew what was in their hearts and didn’t answer them. If He had spoken divine truths, they would have just trampled it underfoot and made a mockery of the things of God.

It Seems Impossible

Jesus shared so much in that one teaching on the mountain that when He was finished, His disciples were probably thinking exactly what you are thinking now: “How in the world am I ever going to do all these things? It’s impossible! How do I love my enemies? How do I truly forgive those who have wronged me? How do I stop thinking and worrying about tomorrow”

That is why Jesus then said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” He knew that we would need His resources in order to be all that He requires. Then Jesus went on to say something interesting, “Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?” (Matthew 7:9−10). Of course, these are not just random examples.

Previously, in Matthew 4, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. He had been without food for forty days when Satan came to Him and said, “…if You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matthew 4:3). In other words, “If You are God’s Son, must You go through hardship? Shouldn’t it be easy? You shouldn’t have to suffer and be deprived. Just command these stones to be turned into bread.”

But Jesus replied, “…it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). In other words, “I have been sent on a mission by My Father, and I am going to fulfill it. It doesn’t mean that I will always be comfortable. But I have a word from the Father that I am going to finish this journey in victory, and many are coming with Me.”

Many people in our generation have looked for an easy journey and attempted to use the power of God to turn every stone into bread—to make every hard place easy. But Jesus told His disciples, “What man is there of you, if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone?” In other words, God will give you what you need to get you through every difficulty you face. You don’t have to figure a way out of your dilemma or try to use the power of God to make all the hard places easy.

Jesus continued, “…or if he ask for a fish, will he give him a serpent?” This is an incredible statement, for the Father sent His Son to become a fisher of my soul and of yours, and consequently to call us into His work to become fishers of men. This was the redemptive purpose of God in the earth, and it involved a cross—being rejected, enduring the ridicule and scorn of people who were opposing their own salvation. Yet the serpent had come to Jesus in the wilderness saying, “Here are all the kingdoms of the world. All You have to do is bow before me and acknowledge that God’s ways are not the only ways. Just bend your knee and circumvent the cross—go around the hardship and I will give it all to You right now.”

Now if you ask for a fish, the Father is not going to give you a serpent. In other words, you may be asking, “Lord, I don’t want to be just a light testimony of who You are in my generation. Will You make me a fisher of men just as the early church was?” And unlike the serpents who are trying to tempt much of the church of this generation to go a different way, God is not going come to you and say, “No, life is meant to be easy. You don’t have to suffer for the cause of Christ.” Instead, He will promise to see you through every difficulty that may arise as you walk with purpose in this generation, and He will see you through to a victorious end.

The Key To All The Resources

Jesus then continued, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). It is as if Jesus were saying to them, “If I were hurting, I would want someone to comfort Me. If I were lost, I would want someone to give whatever they had to in order to get Me out.”

Whatever you want others to do for you, do for them. That is actually the key to unlocking all the resources that Jesus tells us to ask for. It is the key to enduring the scorn of those who oppose Him; the key to being kind to your enemies. It is the heart of God that says, “I am not willing that any should perish,” and it is what allows you to have your face slapped and not retaliate. It is the key to joy and love in the workplace despite the rudeness of others around you.

The promise at the end of the Scripture says, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock” (Matthew 7:24−25). The house was founded upon the work of God in the earth. That’s why Paul could be on a storm-battered ship, still standing and taking communion, and encouraging those who would have to swim to safety (see Acts 27). It was all about God’s glory and other people, not about his own preservation. Paul could see what ordinary men could not see—the captain of the ship and the other merchant seamen could not see it. But Paul’s eyes were opened and he was given incredible vision because he had chosen to be used for the glory of God and others. He was a type of those who will have oil in the last days.

Ask Now!

I encourage you to study these three chapters in Matthew. I have read them over and over, and I believe they give a clear vision of what the Christian life is supposed to be. The more you study these chapters, the more convinced you will be that you cannot live this life yourself—you need the power of God. So the Lord says to you, “Ask now!”

This is the time we must all ask the Lord, “Please help us see anything we have embraced that displeases You. Help us to have the power to turn from things that we know are wrong, attitudes of heart that don’t represent Christ, pursuits that are not of God but self-serving, indifference to the peril of those who are lost. Help us to love and forgive people as You do. Don’t let us lose our zeal for doing Your work in the earth—for You promised that when the storm comes, we will not be shaken by it.”

I am certain the Holy Spirit has spoken to you about something that you need. So ask of Him! An incredible victory was won on the cross. When Jesus rose from the dead, the same Spirit that raised Him up will also quicken our mortal bodies. He will lift us, give us strength, cause us to be what we are not and bring us into the victory that was won for us. All things are possible now. You don’t have to pray a prayer and then go buy seven books on how to do something. Simply ask—the promise is for everybody who wants the life of Christ.

Beloved, don’t put this off until tomorrow. There is a terrible storm coming, and it is going to happen suddenly, so don’t get caught off guard. The last days on this planet are going to be horrendous days, deeper and darker than anything our natural minds can imagine. If you have the ears to hear, the Lord is saying to His church today, “Ask Me now for the things you are going to need.”

Sometimes “the ask” is just a groan, “Oh, God, I fall so far short.” Yet the Lord says, “But I don’t fall short, and I am within you. We will walk together, and I will cause you to stand in the midst of the storm. I will give you supernatural vision to see the value of every soul and the strength you need to represent Me in this generation. From the inside out you will begin to change, and you will see how willing I am to be God to you.” Hallelujah!

Carter Conlon
©2011 Times Square Church

PASSING THROUGH THE GATES OF BETRAYAL: by Carter Conlon

PASSING THROUGH THE GATES OF BETRAYAL
by Carter Conlon

Many people have suffered betrayal as a Christian. This often causes them to live in a place of defeat where God cannot pour into them his full provision. As you read this message I believe there is going to be deliverance for you. Deliverance will mean not living behind gates of betrayal, where the devil would want to keep you.

BETRAYAL CAN HAVE A PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE
Psalm 105:16-22: Moreover he called for a famine upon the land: he brake the whole staff of bread. He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free. He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance: To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom. To fully grasp how God can have a purpose through betrayal, let us take a look at the life of Joseph. He was the man whom God would one day use to supply provision for others, including his own family. God had a plan to preserve the lives of his own people which ultimately involved moving them to another place. To do this he sent a severe famine throughout the land. Before God would bring about this time of great provision through Joseph, he was first called to walk a very difficultpath. We read in verse 18, God took Joseph on a journey that literally brought pain to his feet. In other words, God allowed hard times to come into Joseph’s life to prepare him for what was ahead. For God’s provision to flow through you to others it may mean taking journeys in life that you and I would rather not take and places we would rather not go. Some of you have had to walk a very hard path, and you’ve had these conflicts in your mind: “God, I thought this was going to be a walk of blessing. I thought it was going to be one of constant provision and joy. I’ve had this impression, but I seem to be called to walk in such a difficult place, enduring hardship when others around me appear to be on an easier journey.”

DREAMS THAT GOD GIVES
Remember when you were a child and your feet hit the ground with wonderful expectations of life? You lived in anticipation of what was going to happen every day. Joseph was like this in his early years when he had a dream in his heart. In Genesis 37, it says he dreamed God loved him and he would one day be in a highly favored position. God also has an incredible purpose concerning your life, something only you can do, and the moment you come to him, he begins to let you know what it is. It may not be grand in the sight of man, but it’s grand in the sight of God. He looks down upon you with favor, and empowers you, fulfilling the purpose that has been assigned to your life. God gives you the desire, and then fulfills that desire.

BETRAYED BY FAMILY
As a teenager, Joseph, knew he had been favored by God. Even though his life, he could not have known it would include being betrayed by his family. In much the same way when you were a young Christian, you set out on this journey with an incredible sense of the favor of God on your life. You loved everyone and everyone loved you. Wrong! Joseph’s father had said to him, “Go and see how your brothers are doing,” so he headed down the road that day in childlike obedience. But when Joseph met up with his brothers they laid hold of him, and in a moment of jealousy sold him into slavery to passing traders. These traders took Joseph bound with chains
into Egypt. Joseph endured things that would stop most people in their tracks. This betrayal by his family was the beginning of a journey that would result in many years of suffering. I don’t know if there’s any deeper betrayal than that which comes from those whom you thought loved you, those you became vulnerable with. Some of you have known this pain, even when you came to Christ and thought everything was going to be different.

BETRAYED BY EVERYONE AROUND HIM
After several years in Egypt and faithful service to a man called  Potiphar, Joseph was again betrayed. Potiphar’s wife could not gain Joseph’s affections so she decided to cause him great harm by slandering his character to her husband. This man knew Joseph would not have acted with any impropriety, but still he chose to believe this evil report and had Joseph imprisoned. While in jail Joseph is betrayed once again by a fellow inmate. This man promised to help Joseph when he was in a position to do so, but immediately after his release he forgot all about Joseph. I don’t know about you, but after thirteen years of this, I might be inclined to pack it in, find a cabin somewhere and just give up.

THE DOORWAY OF SUFFERING
The New Testament tells us that suffering is, in measure, a doorway to a depth of Christ that you cannot know in any other way. Through suffering, God can bring you into some of the darkest prisons to minister to people in their suffering; to give them true hope and not just theories and pat scriptural answers. Look at Paul and Silas. We want to sing about their victory, the earthquake that opened prison doors, and the jailer and his family being saved. We forget that the precursor to the prison doors opening were stripes laid on their backs, false accusations, public beatings and humiliation. Paul said in Philippians 3:10: That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his death. Paul knew suffering was a  doorway to fellowship with Christ.

ARE YOU WILLING TO GO THROUGH SUFFERING
Matthew 20:20 — Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. James and John answered, “We are able to drink of this cup.” How quickly we answer God, and run to the altar, not understanding what we are asking for. Jesus said to James and John, “You want to sit with me where I am. Are you then able to endure rejection, betrayal, and wrath that you do not deserve without losing heart and focus? Are you able to drink the cup I have to drink to get to that place? Are you willing to be baptized with the same baptism I’m baptized with? Are you willing to walk in the will of God, and allow God’s plan for your life to be fulfilled? Can you follow me even if it means pain, sorrow, misunderstanding, being scorned and even death? Are you willing to let me be your source of life and supply to others?” Jesus could ask this because He was a man who would be betrayed. He was betrayed by Judas. He was betrayed by countless hundreds, maybe even thousands; some of whom he may have even fed on the mountaintops. This crowd stood before him and said, “Away with him, give us a murderer, give us a thief— away with this Christ—crucify him.” Jesus went to the cross and suffered the wrath of God, the wrath we deserved. So the question remains, “Are you able to drink the cup I have had to drink?”
PROVING OF YOUR FAITH
The enemy’s plan while Joseph was imprisoned was to keep him behind the gates of betrayal for all of his days; to have him believe he should merely endure people and look out only for himself. Yet these trials were permitted in Joseph’s life to increase his faith and trust in God. God’s plan for his people was to flow through Joseph with incredible provision.  Unfortunately, there are many people in the Body of Christ who have never come close to fulfilling what God has for their lives. Could this be you? Instead of growing in faith you sit behind the gates of betrayal not willing to trust people or be vulnerable again. You don’t like people, loving people is no longer an option. You can’t come under leadership, because leadership at some point betrayed you, whether it was your father, mother, guardian, or a boss. You vowed never to trust leadership again. You cannot come under authority, you cannot walk in a ministry, or in unity with anyone else. You are living exactly where the devil wants you to be. You might have heard sermons like these before, occasionally gone to the altar, and asked God to help you forgive. You might have had momentary relief, but you were not really free the way you thought you were going to be. You might be discouraged, but don’t despair. God will not allow you to go through a trial without His power and aid. 1Corinthians 10:13: There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.Every person who has been used in any considerable measure in God’s kingdom has had to go through betrayal. You see it throughout the scriptures. Jesus Christ was betrayed. John the Baptist, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were all betrayed. Look throughout history and you will find all great men and women who were used of God went through the gates of betrayal. You will not know the fullness of what God wants for you if you cannot get through these same gates.

JOSEPH’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE GATES OF BETRAYAL
Once Joseph was released from prison, he was placed in a position where he had the keys to great provision, even for those who had wounded him. People are going to come to you because you are in  Christ, sitting in a place where there is abundant provision. Hungry people that once wounded you, people in your neighborhood, on your job, in your family, will seek you out and you are going to have to deal with this. When Joseph’s brothers first appeared before him, the memory of their betrayal came flooding back. Genesis 42:7: Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them and made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them. The best Joseph could do at this time was to speak roughly to them. Sometimes that’s just where you are. You can’t speak civilly to people who have hurt you. You try to cover it with some Christian words, but there is a roughness in your speech. It’s not defeat. This was just the beginning of God bringing Joseph through the gates of betrayal, and he will do the same for you. Joseph’s brothers stood before him and claimed to be honest men. When Joseph asked, “Who are you?” they replied that they were all one man’s sons and true men. Yet here they were standing before the man they had once betrayed. When somebody has betrayed you and they are unwilling to admit their fault, they stand before you in self-righteousness. This might be one of the most galling moments you have to go through as a Christian. God had already revealed to Joseph there would be a famine for seven years. He knew there was no hope of his brothers and family ever surviving, yet it was within his power to provide for them. He must have had a battle in his mind. If you have the provision of God, why should you give it to those who have betrayed you? They were not even willing to admit who they were—betrayers! Joseph placed them all in prison for three days. This might have made him feel good at the time. You might also feel a sense of justification when you keep people in a prison of unforgiveness for days on end. But the scripture says in Matthew 18:28: But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGEMENT
I can’t help but wonder what was going on in Joseph’s heart the three days his brothers were in prison. Maybe the Lord reminded Joseph of the mercy he had been shown when he was in jail. So on the third day Joseph said to his brothers, this do and live, for I fear God…go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses. This is about as merciful as Joseph could get; he told them, “Just go. Here’s your corn – just leave.” You might think by this action Joseph had  forgiven all the debt, but he still had a way to go. In Genesis 42:22-24, Joseph hears the brothers talking in their distress, as Reuben exclaims, Did I not tell you, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept. Joseph battled in his heart; he saw his brothers were only concerned about the present trouble they were in. He hears no true sorrow for what they had done to him. You see, for Joseph, it was no longer about the fact they betrayed him; rather, it was the fact that they were not dealing truthfully with the deception of their own hearts.

A YEARNING FOR RECONCILIATION
Despite the struggle of his heart there was a growing yearning for reconciliation in Joseph. You see this in Genesis 43:30, And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. Joseph yearned for reconciliation with his brothers but wasn’t sure if he could be vulnerable with them. A desire to be reconciled with people who have hurt you is clear evidence you are moving through the gates of betrayal. You know Joseph is now passing through into the victory God had originally intended for him as he opens himself up to his brothers. Genesis 45:1-5, Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud. God does not always call you to go back to past hurts with a big smile on your face. There are real emotions involved. When you go back to someone who hurt you, it may involve a lot of tears. Joseph was now willing to do it. He had come to the point of understanding God’s plan and therefore wept aloud, saying, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

THE GATES OF HELL CANNOT PREVAIL
When you finally get to this point in your life as Joseph did, you understand God has been in control all along. Everything he allowed in your life was for a divine purpose and this purpose was to be a source of provision for others. You are called to walk with him, to drink the cup that he drank. God loves you, even though in your hurt you may have drawn back from Him. Jesus said, “You are my church and the gates of hell cannot prevail against you.” It’s time for you not to let wounds and hurts stop you from what God has for your life, and the provision that he is going to flow through you. The gates of hell cannot prevail! That means they can’t hold you back if you have a heart for truth. If you have a heart for God, and if you want to go on with Christ, then no gate can ever stop you. Hallelujah!

IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO ARISE
I want to challenge you with everything that is in me becauseof the lateness of the hour we live in. The famine is already here, and people are starving. It’s time for you to arise; the gate is open, but you have to make the choice to walk through it. Joseph did and was blessed on the other side. David also made the choice and he too was blessed. In Psalm 23, he wrote Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death… He did not remain in the valley but walked through it to the other side. David realized the revelation of the promises and provision of God in his life came when he walked through the valley. Therefore he could say, God’s provision of Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life. I shared the life of Joseph in this message to show that with God there is a process involved in moving through the gates of betrayal. You no longer have to live behind those invisible bars of past betrayals. You will be vulnerable once again. Will you get hurt? Probably! But will you get through it? Absolutely! The end result of this victory will be even greater provision from God. God will give you fresh insight into his Word; he’ll give you boldness and words of knowledge and faith in troubled times. You will stand in the midst of adversity and be a testimony for the living God.

Carter Conlon
November 12, 2006
©2006 Times Square Church

THERE IS A SONG IN EVERY BARREN WOMB: by Carter Conlon

THERE IS A SONG IN EVERY BARREN WOMB
by Carter Conlon

1 Samuel 2:27–36: And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house? And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel? Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people? Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house. And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever. And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them. And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever. And it shall come to pass, that every one that i left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a piece of bread. This is a message for all who find themselves in a time of discouragement. By the close of this word, however, I believe you will be rejoicing in the Lord.

A BARREN RELIGIOUS SYSTEM
Now in times past, the people of God had taken the testimony he determined they should have of him and turned it into a false religion. When that happened, that generation was dealt with by God. God has a pattern of dealing with his people in his Word and it does not change from generation to generation. We read in the book of Samuel that the religious condition of Eli’s day had produced immoral and self-seeking sons. Eli was a type of backslidden priesthood. He was a priest in Israel who had lost his authority and with it the people’s respect because he could not correct his sons. The previous scripture verses tell us that Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s sons, were flagrantly promiscuous and randomly fornicated with women while in the service of God. Furthermore, they were no longer content to live by faith. Instead of being satisfied with regular meat offerings as provided by the Lord, they demanded the choicest cuts. This resulted in abhorrence for the Lord’s offering by the people. Before we completely castigate this priesthood and say how immoral and religiously corrupt it was, let us remember that in the Book of Revelation we, too, are called kings and priests unto the Lord. The question we are then forced to ask ourselves in this hour is: “How am I representing Christ before my generation?” It’s easy to criticize those who have gone before us while failing to realize that we, in part, might be following in their very footsteps. Undoubtedly numerous warnings had come to Eli and his sons that had gone unheeded. Then one day a man of God appeared. This is the way God does it; he finds a vessel on whom he can place an anointing. This anointed man was fearless in bringing stern warnings of impending judgment, saying God would no longer tolerate those who refused to listen to his warnings. Ironically, 1 Samuel 2:25 tells us that the sons of Eli couldn’t hear godly instruction anymore. And the reason they couldn’t hear was because God had determined to slay them. Their reckless misrepresentation of his life and character had robbed those people seeking knowledge of who he was. Their disregard of this sacred trust sparked the flash point of God’s judgment. He was literally going to remove them out of the picture.

THE LOSS OF WISDOM
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house (1 Samuel 2:31). This judgment of God speaks of the loss of wisdom and of a people who rise and lose respect for those who have gone before them. There would not be an old man in the house, no grandfather, no father of the faith. Young, inexperienced men, perhaps in their late twenties or early thirties, led largely by their ambition and fleshly lusts and desires for success, are leading the house of God. Look around today and you will see the system that is under the justice of God. They cast away the old as if they were no longer of any value to the house of God. I thank the Lord that in this house of Times Square Church, we have and have had men of maturity and experience such as Pastor David Wilkerson, Ben Crandall and the late Pastor Jack West who have all spoken words of life, encouragement, and direction to this body of believers. The scriptures speak of this a second time: And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever (1 Samuel 2:32). God said, “Eli, you are going to see an enemy come in and take away all the wealth that I would have given you: the knowledge of God, the life of God, the treasure of God.” Eli lived to see this when the Philistine army came in. And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain (I Samuel 4:11). The shock of it all caused Eli to fall backward off his seat, break his neck and die (v. 18). It’s not as if the Word wasn’t there with him; it was, but he could not hear it clearly anymore. Perhaps it was because Eli had become comfortable in his priesthood, and then overnight everything he cherished was suddenly taken away, including his own life. This warning of God continues unto all future generations. In verse 33: …shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age. Young men full of ambition will rise in this type of ministry just mentioned, and remove the true vision of God from before your eyes. They see you as possible donors for their cause and not as precious members of the body of Christ. But as these young men begin to look like the new rising stars in the church of Jesus Christ, they will suddenly fall. God will not let them go beyond a certain point since they do not truly represent him. Technically speaking, a man should be at his zenith as he grows older. What an incredible judgment of God.

GOD WILL RAISE UP A MINISTRY TO REPRESENT HIM
And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever (1 Samuel 2:35). The judgment of God is not complete until a ministry with his heart and mind is raised up again. It’s just as he does with us. When you come to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes the old away, and brings in the new. This is the pattern of God: he begins to remove your old way of thinking and he gives you a new mind; he takes away your old selfish heart and gives you a heart that has his love in it; he removes confusion of mind and then sets a clear pathway before you; he takes the old away, and brings in the new. So judgment is not fully complete until God establishes the new order. This has been God’s pattern all throughout history.

A BARRENNESS RESERVED BY GOD FOR A DAY OF HIS CHOOSING
In the midst of the backslidden priesthood, God had reserved a woman with a barren womb for himself. This was his plan right from the beginning. This woman came with her husband yearly to the temple to offer a sacrifice and the scripture says, … for he loved Hannah: but the Lord had shut up her womb (1 Samuel 1:5). It is important to note that Hannah’s closed womb was not caused by a medical problem. It wasn’t the devil. God shut her womb. He had destined this woman to bring life at a certain point in history. He forewarned Eli of his judgment and had a plan to raise up a faithful priest (1 Samuel 2:35). And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, so she [her adversary] provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat (1 Samuel 1:7). Despite the railing of her adversary, the lack of “fruit” from her womb had put a cry within Hannah; part of her life had not been satisfied. So she faithfully came to the house of God in Shiloh to seek the Lord. We should be encouraged by this example. She remained undistracted by the party crowd led by Hophni and Phinehas and made fervent, heart-wrenching intercession to God that bewildered backslidden Eli. You must remember it was God who kept this woman barren, from the life that she wanted—until she uttered something that God wanted to hear: …she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head (1 Samuel 1:11). Hannah’s vow to God came at great personal cost; giving up the chiefest cry of her heart, the life God would give to her—she vowed to return it to him.

GOD WAITS TO HEAR THE SAME CRY FROM YOU
Prophetically speaking, some of you reading this have been kept from receiving what you want until, like Hannah, you say something God wants to hear; something that will touch his heart, something that is of great personal sacrifice. Perhaps you have been touched by God and will be called to give what you have even in places where it is not appreciated. But God says, “I am waiting for this cry.” He knows there is a spiritual void in many of you, and that an increasing desperation has come into your heart. Now he is waiting for the cry to come from you, “Lord, touch me; God, if you raise me up I will bring it all back for you to use.” She had longed for this child, and it was the deepest cry of her heart. Hannah knew of the great personal sacrifice she would have to make. She knew she would have to bring this little boy back and give him into this place that did not appreciate the anointing of God anymore.

SARAH’S BARREN WOMB
This is not the only time that God had used a barren womb to accomplish his purposes.  After Adam’s fall and the degeneration of subsequent generations, God used Sarah’s barren womb. And it was through this lineage that the Messiah was brought forth into the world. Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised (Hebrews 11:11). Through Sarah’s life we learn to wait for the promise of God. If God makes a promise to you, he will fulfill it. On another occasion God found a woman called Elisabeth, who also had a barren womb. After a period of 400 years of silence between the Old Testament and the New Testament, God used Elisabeth’s womb, barren and past the age of child-bearing, to bring forth John the Baptist—a voice to announce the coming of God’s Messiah. When Mary arrived at Elisabeth’s home, the babe inside Elisabeth’s womb leaped (Luke 1:41) and Elisabeth began to sing and glorify God. Mary joined the chorus and declared the goodness of God. Even Zacharias eventually burst into song! Oh, it’s amazing when you see it—the song that comes from a once barren womb now made fruitful! The rejoicing that hit Zacharias! This child was to be a voice that would announce the coming of the Most High (Luke 1:67–79)!

WAIT FOR THE PROMISE OF GOD
Jesus said, …wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me (Acts 1:4). There is a time and season that God has foreordained that the Holy Spirit should come. You cannot rush the promise of God. You cannot make it happen. It does not come out of the minds of men, nor from the ingenuity of human strength, but rather, it is something that God does through his sovereignty. However, before he does it, he has to have a people that are set apart for himself and who are willing to wait for him to bring about the answer. In Acts 2:1, the scripture says, …they were all with one accord in one place. They were there for a very specific reason because Jesus had told them to …wait for the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). There were 120 of them in the upper room crying out like Hannah and Sarah for God to fill the emptiness within them and to empower them to stand in their generation. They were in one accord with God and his purposes. Suddenly, the sound of a rushing mighty wind came and God filled them: And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them (Acts 2:3). And they burst out of their barrenness and fear and stepped through the doors of this upper room into the marketplace where there were still angry people in the midst of the crowd. Yet on that day 3000 souls bent their knee to God. And the deepest desire of God’s heart and of their heart was fulfilled.

STEPPING INTO THE MARKETPLACE
Why is there a church such as Times Square Church in our generation? I believe with all my heart that it is because the Lord wants to fill this house and every house where the true gospel of Christ is being preached. He wants to fill men and women who gather together with his Spirit and send them into the marketplace with the power of God, and alive with the mind of God. The new life that has burst within you has not come from human effort. No! You have been touched by the Spirit of God and are stepping out of obscurity. Your life, your voice, your song, your eyes, your hands are a clear declaration that there is a Christ who rose from the dead and who sits at the right hand of Almighty God! The scripture says that …he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God (Luke 1:15–16). Again Jesus declares, But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). God says, “When you have the cry for God in your heart, when you walk together in one accord, and when you are willing to be set apart for my purposes, then I am going to come to you, and I will fill and empower you to be witnesses for me.” God has a plan and purpose for this generation and desires that none should perish.

SAMUEL – ASKED OF GOD
And she [Hannah] said, ‘Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight.’ So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the Lord, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the Lord remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the Lord’ (1 Samuel 1:18). The name Samuel means “asked of God.” Hannah went to an altar and received a word from God and the scripture says, She was no more sad (1 Samuel 1:18). Can you imagine the entire world around her asking, “Oh, Hannah, are you sure this is a good thing? Are you sure you want to give your child up to Eli who could not even raise his own sons in the fear of God?” But Hannah persisted. This was what she had cried out to God for. This was why she had borne a child. And Samuel, Hannah’s son whom she had yielded to God, walked closely with God. And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground (1 Samuel 3:19). Think of what happened to Eli’s house where a false representation of God had found root and had flourished; he died and so did his sons. A false religion will always ultimately produce death. But now look at the song that’s coming out of this vessel, Hannah, who was once barren and bereft of children. Can you imagine the rejoicing in her home as she returns thanks unto the Lord? Look again at her anointed song of praise. And Hannah prayed, and said,My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed (1 Samuel 2:1–3). God took the barren womb of a woman who cried out in desperation to him and at an appointed time, created new life within her. Like Hannah, you too can have a song of praise. God will bring new life in every barren heart  of those who call out to him because he wants to have a testimony in the earth. You will be that testimony. Hallelujah!

Carter Conlon
April 23, 2006
©2006 Times Square Church

DON’T LET DISCOURAGEMENT TAKE YOUR STRENGTH: by Carter Conlon

DON’T LET DISCOURAGEMENT
TAKE YOUR STRENGTH by Carter Conlon

Discouragement can be completely debilitating. It has the power to paralyze. It is a favorite weapon of Satan which does not need refinement. The devil does all he can to produce this kind of despair in the heart. He knows it weakens faith and creates doubt in the existence and faithfulness of God. He uses this method to pierce the trust of the believer in order to incapacitate them. This has happened to even the most mature and sincere Christians. In fact the Bible reveals that some of the greatest heroes of the faith suffered from this form of oppression. When they failed to comprehend the reason for discouragement, their only hope was to receive comfort from God.

Perhaps you are going through a similar season and do not understand why. I trust this message will open the Word to you and cause you to recognize the work God is doing in your life. Remember, God has promised to be with you all the way. David confirmed this when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death. He declared not only was God with him, but “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever” (Psalm 23:6).

DISCOURAGEMENT REVEALS THE REASON FOR DEFEAT A surprising number of leaders have endured intense struggles of this kind. Joshua, for instance, had a severe but momentary attack of discouragement. Having crossed the Jordan River he came face to face with his first major battle, the seemingly insurmountable walled city of Jericho. God gave him and the Israelite army an incredible victory. However, the euphoria experienced in this conquest was short-lived. Immediately after the triumph over Jericho, Israel was overcome and routed by the undersized and inferior army of Ai. They successfully halted the forward progress of Israel. Joshua, feeling belittled and scorned by his enemies, fell prostrate on the ground before God in prayer. He had instantly succumbed to a deep discouragement. The sweet taste of victory had turned sour as he struggled with the bitter dregs of defeat. To him, the great commission of occupying the land of Canaan no longer rang with promise. The whole Israelite camp stood defeated and apparently abandoned by God. “And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their head” (Joshua 7:6).

Here is the point I want to make. Joshua, who should have been standing as God’s mighty general over a crushed enemy, was now lying face down on the ground. This was a man of great faith, but like you and I, he was susceptible to attacks of discouragement. He must have been thinking to himself, “Why, God? Over the past 40 years in the wilderness, I have seen Your awesome power to provide and protect. I know what you can do. Now, why is our army running from the second-rate force of Ai, which is before us? Why have we lost our strength?” He literally cried out, “… Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy
us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan! O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies! (Joshua 7:7−8). These were no longer declarations of faith; but the questions of a man in the grip of disappointment. It was the prayer and cry of a person going through the pain of having suffered a humiliating defeat. When you have an honest heart like Joshua, God will come speedily to bring you understanding about why you are going through such discouragement.

HIDDEN ISSUES OF THE HEART “And the Lord said unto Joshua, ‘Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put [it] even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies’” (Joshua 7: 10−12a). Joshua learned firsthand the Lord uses discouragement to reveal hidden issues that are hindering His work. The Israelites had been instructed to place all the recovered gold, silver and brass from Jericho into the Lord’s treasury and to destroy everything else. One man, Achan, took items designated for God’s treasury and destined for destruction. He buried them in the ground under his tent. By doing this he brought weakness and defeat into the camp of Israel. God effectively used a bout of discouragement in Joshua’s life to expose Achan’s deceit. From that encounter Joshua was able to take swift action in removing this hindrance to further victory. When you allow hidden issues to remain in your heart, God in His mercy will do everything He can to expose them. To get your attention, He can permit you to experience a level of discouragement in your life. The Lord knows if these issues are not dealt with, they will, over time, take away your strength. You will not be able to move forward in complete victory until they have been removed. “I am the one who corrects and disciplines everyone I love. Be diligent and turn from your indifference” (Revelation 3:19, NLT).

DISCOURAGEMENT WHICH COMES FROM WILLFUL SIN During the time when kings usually go to war, David sent Joab, his military commander, to battle while he remained behind in Jerusalem. With unoccupied time on his hands, he got caught up in compromise and lust. It ended in adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of one of his soldiers who was fighting on the battlefield. This unlawful union resulted in her pregnancy. David’s fear of being found out caused him to arrange for her husband’s death in combat. He committed not only adultery but murder as well.
Nathan the prophet was sent by the Lord to lovingly confront this king. David was instantly convicted by the Holy Spirit and repented. He knew “People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13, NLT). God forgave him immediately; however, there were still consequences to his sin. David married the now widowed Bathsheba, but was plunged into unfathomable discouragement when he heard their newborn son had a fatal disease. “David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth” (2 Samuel 12:16). By reading the Psalms we can know David’s heart and in this situation he must have cried out with bitter remorse, “Oh God, it was my iniquity that brought judgment into this house. Punish me for my sin, not an innocent child.” The child died and, instead of dwelling in his discouragement, David got up from lying on the ground and began to sustain himself with food. He successfully put the past behind him and moved forward by holding on to the forgiveness of God. He was able to take off the garments of mourning, and bring comfort to his household. David could say, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord…If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But [there is] forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared” (Psalm 130:1, 3−4).

It is in low points of the soul when Satan does his best work. He will do what he can to place you into a vice grip of condemnation. The devil will employ his most subtle lies to convince you that there is no longer any value or further use for you in God’s kingdom. Beloved, if he can persuade you to give up in the midst of this battle then he has won the fight. I want to bring to your remembrance today that if you have repented from any sin, you are in right standing with God. The second you turn to Him, His plan for your life continues to unfold. Hallelujah! This is the way you overcome the enemy; you have the authority to say, “Devil, you are a defeated foe, God has forgiven me and I am not going to let you condemn me a moment longer.”

DISCOURAGEMENT CAUSED BY THE UNBELIEF OF OTHERS Caleb was one of twelve leaders selected by Moses to enter into Canaan and spy out the land of their inheritance. After 40 days of scouting the interior, they returned to the camp of Israel to report where they had been and what they had seen. But there were only two who brought back favorable reports filled with faith. Both Caleb and Joshua communicated to Moses that the land was ready to be taken and God would give them the victory. The other ten scouts came back bringing unfavorable reports, even though it took two men to carry the single cluster of grapes they returned with.  These men were not convinced about immediately possessing the land and overpowered Caleb and Joshua with their opinions. From the human perspective of the ten spies, Israel as a nation was not ready to invade Canaan. They felt inferior and dwarfed by the intimidating giants who lived there. They saw not only giants but also huge walled cities which were impossible to conquer. With these statements of unbelief they crushed any faith and confidence the people had in God. These spies turned the whole nation against Caleb and Joshua and the Israelites came close to stoning them.

We cannot comprehend the discouragement that could have overtaken Caleb’s heart because of the unbelief of others. He could have easily sunk in despair as the Israelites turned from the Promised Land and headed back into the wilderness. During the next 40 years as they wandered in a wasteland, Caleb had to endure the words of unbelief, as well as the many grievances, complaints and grumblings which surfaced among the children of God. It would have been easy to become bitter and carry a heavy burden of discouragement during this time. But both Caleb and Joshua refused to be contaminated by the unbelief that pervaded the Israelites’ hearts. They continued to believe God throughout their experiences in the wilderness.

Finally, when they were in the Land of Promise, Caleb came to Joshua, who led the new generation to possess Canaan, and said, “Forty years old [was] I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadeshbarnea to spy out the land; and I brought him word again as [it was] in mine heart. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while [the children of] Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I [am] this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I [am as] strong this day as [I was] in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength [was] then, even so [is] my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in” (Joshua 14:7−11). When he made these statements, Caleb was talking about his faith
and strength in God. Even though he had aged, he knew confidence in God could still give him victory, so he said to Joshua, “Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims [were] there, and [that] the cities [were] great [and] fenced: if so be the Lord [will be] with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said. And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel” (Joshua 14:12−14).

It is interesting to note the Lord rewarded Caleb with a new opportunity to face the giants and walled cities of Canaan after so many years. These were the same issues which had so easily turned the unbelieving Israelites away from the Promised Land. But Caleb was still eager to prove to his countrymen that God was able to overcome these obstacles. He had not changed His mind. What He was willing to do before He was still able to do now. And God did conquer that mountain by using an old man who chose to believe Him instead of being buried under years of disappointment and discouragement. Praise God!

WAITING ON THE LORD TO RENEW YOUR STRENGTH God is looking for a Caleb company who has not lost trust or confidence in Him. In spite of the many difficulties they experience and every opportunity to become discouraged, this company of faithful warriors will chose to wait upon God. They will elect to believe what He says as a greater truth than what can be seen in the natural, and thereby defy the lies of the enemy. The devil wants you to think your problems are worse than anyone else has had to face and you are somehow excluded from God’s attention. But while you wait upon Him, God will make a way for you as Isaiah exhorted, “Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out one after another, calling each by its name. And he counts them to see that none are lost or have strayed away. O Israel, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? How can you say God refuses to hear your case? Have you never heard or understood? Don’t you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:26−31, NLT).

In Isaiah the word, “wait” means, “bind together by twisting, to be gathered together.” It is like taking two twist ties and joining them or braiding strands of fiber into a rope, with the end result being stronger than the beginning. This is the most exciting part about God’s invitation to trust Him with every detail of your life. He invites you to be bound together with Him in His victory and power over discouragement.

Do not allow the enemy to lie to you saying God is not interested in your particular problems and your ways are not important enough for Him to deal with. The Scriptures show that if God has numbered the stars and calls each of them by name, surely He sees and knows your struggle. God knows you by name and He knows your circumstances. God will quickly bring the understanding you need for faith and strength to get through difficult times if you cry out to Him. In the natural, this season of your life may look like a mountain filled with giants that can easily crush you, but they are nothing in God’s sight. Stay united with Him and His ways and He will cause you to triumph over
all your enemies.

For those who are discouraged, you do not have to live under its power and dominion any longer. Let God speak to you through this word today and let faith arise in your heart again. God has given you a promise—if you will wait upon Him, He will come through for you and give you increased strength.

Carter Conlon ©2009 Times Square Church

GETTING THROUGH DARK DAYS: by Carter Conlon

GETTING THROUGH DARK DAYS
by Carter Conlon

The hour in which we live is one of uncertainty, fear, and financial insecurity. It is a volatile season where everything can change in a moment. For instance, you could be laid off from your job tomorrow or you can lose your house to foreclosure. Perhaps a catastrophic event happens that changes the landscape of your life. It is during these unsettled times when many voices will try to surface in your mind. Some will be your own fears seeking to dominate your thoughts; others will be false reasonings sent by the devil himself. All of these voices will be working to destroy your ability to stand strong in difficult days. Unfortunately, there will be multitudes of people who will never learn to hear the voice of God. They will become prey to anyone and everyone who claims they are speaking for God. Jesus said “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). It is therefore imperative for believers in this hour to clearly know and understand how God speaks. It is also crucial for the church of Jesus Christ to be led and directed by truth. “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe; they will follow lying spirits and teachings that come from demons” (1 Timothy 4:1 NLT).

THE LAST DAYS OF JERUSALEM In the Old Testament, God used Jeremiah the prophet as a “voice of truth,” to speak to His people in Jerusalem. The Israelites were living on the brink of sudden ruin and impending captivity. God’s voice could be clearly understood when Jeremiah boldly proclaimed His Word to them. “For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:8–9). God loved His people and gave them warning after warning, but they chose to ignore it. Instead they believed the lies and smooth talking of the counterfeit prophets who preached a deceitful gospel of peace and prosperity. This wrong message lulled the majority into complacency, which kept them in a sinful and destructive lifestyle. These compromised people mistreated their fellowman without fear of reprisal from God; all the while the dust clouds of their captors gathered on the distant horizon.

Jeremiah continued to be a contrasting voice for the people of Jerusalem. Even in the midst of great personal difficulty and persecution he faithfully spoke the word of God to them; warning them of the judgment to come. When the judgment of God suddenly arrived on their doorstep they capitulated into panic and fear. They were gripped in unbelief and dread, because they had wholeheartedly embraced the fraudulent voices around them.

WHY FALSE PROPHETS? Jeremiah knew Satan had placed false prophets right in the midst of the people. Listen to his lament concerning them, “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place” (Jeremiah 14:13). Their misguided message was given to a people whose value system was entrenched in a perishing society. There really was no difference between them and the surrounding nations.

The devil sends bogus prophets, because they offer a bright but elusive future in a place which is about to experience the judgment of God. They preach peace when there is no peace; they preach prosperity, when there is no prosperity. One of the most ominous signs judgment is coming is the rise of phony prophets, all claiming to speak in God’s name. Even God’s judgment did not stop their falsehoods. While Babylon’s army was systematically deporting the people, these same false prophets, who went into captivity with them, took along a new message. They began lying to them saying, “We won’t be here long, just look back at the past, God is going to restore what we had before.” This is exactly what false prophets are all about. It is the strategy of Satan, to keep you in a continual state of uncertainty; caught between an illusive future and a vanishing past. Now, here is the key to understanding why Satan works so hard to deceive you. It is to inundate you with counterfeit promises so you will come to the wrong conclusion about God. A conclusion which says God cannot be trusted. That is the issue. This is why Satan gives false promises of the future and then false promises of the past. He does this to keep you in a place of not knowing the true voice of God. In this way he keeps you off balance and chasing every new thing that comes along. You will always be shifting with every new wind of doctrine. Ultimately, this lack of trust in your heart will finally lead you to cast off your confidence in Christ, during the hour of your greatest trial. We are living in that place in some measure today.

MANY VOICES I think many in the church today, especially if they have been a ‘gospel surfer’ have come to the place of saying, “Who is speaking for God? Will the real Jesus please stand up?” When everything begins to shake and calamity is at the door that is when you need to know you are hearing the voice of God. You need to know with assurance it is God and not your own heart speaking. You need to know it is not Satan animating some person who appears as an angel of light. You need to know that you are not being led into something that is going to bring you into a spiritual desert and ultimately spiritual destruction. Now, there may be a legitimate question arising in your heart: With all of these voices clamoring to speak for God, how can I know which one is actually God speaking?

HOW YOU CAN KNOW GOD’S VOICE Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, (and the word ‘know’, means I am intimately acquainted with them.) and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:27–28).

The voice of God will never promise you peace when you are living in compliance with the value system of the world. In other words, God will not promise you peace if you are embracing the same values as the ungodly around you. A worldly system which God has condemned and is about to bring His judgment upon. Jeremiah said “They (meaning the false prophets) say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto every one that walketh after the imagination (that means the stubbornness) of his own heart, No evil shall come upon you” (Jeremiah 23:17). In other words, the Lord is saying, “I have not sent these prophets, but they have gone. I have not spoken to them, but they have run to the people saying to them, they are speaking in my name. But, if they had stood in my counsel, they would have turned the people from their wicked ways.”

The voice of God will always challenge sin in the life of the believer. Sin is willful rebellion that stands in opposition to obedience to a holy God. If you are living in compromise or blatant sin, you will not be at ease in the house of God, where the true gospel is being preached. If you are desirous of hearing God’s voice for yourself, then you have to repent, which means turn from your sin. To live as a Christian is to live a supernatural life by the power of His Holy Spirit. To live for Christ is to have a totally different value system to this world. It is to embrace the heart of God, who longs to reach fallen men, women and children. To let them know there is a Savior who loves them and will keep them in these trying times. Once you have turned to God with all your heart He will begin revealing His Word and His voice to you. “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left” (Isaiah 30:21).

The major difference between people who are hearing God’s voice and those who are not will be evidenced by God’s leading. David said, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2). They will be led by the tender voice of our Savior. They will be given promises of reassurance no matter what they have to face in the coming days. God will be with them. There will be quietness in their soul and a confidence in the midst of conflict. This is the same word Jeremiah gave to the people who were about to be displaced, “Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished” (Jeremiah 29:4–6).

BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED In other words, bloom where you are planted. No matter where you may end up in life, what city or country you eventually find yourself in, dig down deep and bloom there. Trust what God is saying. Nothing which comes your way is by accident. God has allowed it for a specific reason and your heart has to learn to trust His voice and direction for your life. You can now be confident that you are not in the hands of the devil, you never were, and you never will be. You are in the hands of God. Jeremiah admonished those who were transported into Babylon, “seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:7,10). Wherever God calls and allows you to go, pray for that place and city. Live there as a person who has confidence in God and brings honor and glory to His name. Even if you are living in a place where everyone seems to be living apart from God, there choose to live for Him. Do not cast away your confidence in God in the difficult days. Wherever you live and whatever state you find yourself in, remember what Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11–13).

There is a song of praise that comes from trusting in the Lord your God. The Lord said through Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, thoughts of good and not of evil to bring you to a desired end” (Jeremiah 29:11). He has to have a people in this generation that say, “Though the mountains be shaken out of their place, though the seas overflow their borders, I will not be afraid. I will trust in God. God will not fail me, nor forsake me. He will give me a testimony in the midst of my enemies.” One day when you are called to heaven, on the other side of this valley, just over the hilltop, there is a land of glory waiting for you! It is a place where your song of praise will never die; where you will never thirst; never get hungry and where you will never have to shed a tear. There will be nothing around you to disturb the peace of God in that place. Hallelujah!

Carter Conlon ©2009 Times Square Church