"Being the Salt and Light by Walking in
the Truth"
by Rick Joyner
Web: www.MorningStarMinistries.org
It is crucial to not just know the
truth, but to love the truth. Today I am going to take it one more step to
walking in truth. Knowing the truth is important, but not enough. Loving the
truth is important, but not enough. We must live what we believe if we are
going to be true. Jesus did not come to just be the Way or just be the Truth,
but He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. If we are going to truly know Him
and follow Him, He must be all three to us.
The harvest that is the end of the age is the maturing of everything that has
been sown in man, both the good and the evil. This is why it will be the
fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1-2, "Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover
the earth, and deep darkness the peoples, but the Lord will rise
upon you, and His glory will appear upon you." Here we are told that
at the same time the great darkness is coming upon the peoples, the glory of
the Lord is appearing upon His people. This is the time that we are coming to,
and to walk through the great darkness that is coming, we are going to need the
greatest light.
Character
and Power
Before the very end of this age, it will require both the character of Christ
and the power of Christ to prevail. This is the Lord's intention - to compel us
into the Light. The lukewarm will not make it through what is coming. The clear
differences between the light and darkness will continue to increase. For this
reason it is inevitable that increasing division will come all over the world.
The lines are being drawn, and the sides chosen by all who live on the earth.
This is the great "valley of decision" (Joel 3:14).
It is for this reason we should all be committed to the truth of Proverbs
4:18 in our lives, "But the path of the righteous is like the light
of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day." If we
are still on "the path of the righteous" we should be experiencing
more light and understanding each day. Those who are on the path of the
righteous will have a hunger for the truth and a conviction to obey the truth
and will walk in it. These are two basic issues that we should always be
watchful of in our lives. This becomes increasingly important as we proceed
toward the end of this age and see Hebrews 12:26-29 coming to pass:
"And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying,
'Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.' And this
_expression, 'Yet once more,' denotes the removing of those things which can be
shaken, as of created things, in order that those things which cannot be shaken
may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,
let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with
reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."
Everything Seems to Be Getting Less and Less
Stable
The long trusted
institutions are showing great cracks in their foundations. Even the
governments that once seemed so strong are beginning to totter. This is because
of the shaking that is already beginning to take place. The Lord, in His mercy
and patience, is allowing it to come upon the world gradually, in increasing
waves, just as contractions come upon a woman in labor. As we get closer to the
birth of the new age in which Christ will reign over the earth, the
contractions will become more intense and more frequent.
However, we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and if we are building our
lives on it we will not shake either. This is leading to a place where
Christians will become the only stable ones on the earth and all others will be
increasingly disconcerted and fearful. Every life will become either full of
increasing light and faith, or filled with increasing confusion and fear.
We are coming to the time when the economy, schools, banks, police, and even
some of our most trusted governments, are going to become less and less stable.
This is not something that should surprise us, but something for which we need
to prepare. This is, in fact, already the case for most of the world. There are
many countries where it is hard to determine who will be in power from day to
day. Police departments are corrupt, supporting the ones who offer them the
most. The economies of these countries are based more on the black market than on
the stock market. However, these are also the places where some of the
strongest Christians are found in the world. In some of these places the
Christians are turning their shaky, national governments into strong, stable
ones. These still may not be up to the standards enjoyed by some countries over
the last few centuries, but great progress is being made. This is from the
Lord.
Right
Foundations
The nations that are stable today are mostly the ones who are benefiting from
strong Christian foundations. These too will be tested, but to the degree that
they are built on the right foundation they will stand the test. Therefore, it
is one of our purposes as the salt of the earth and the light of the world to
help steer them to that which alone can stand the testing that is coming.
It is for this reason that if we are blessed to live in a democracy where we
cannot only speak the truth, but also vote for righteous leaders, we are
failing in our purpose if we do not do so. Many well-meaning, but deceived
Christians think that it does not matter who they vote for because God is going
to put His people in office regardless. This is not the case. As we are told in
Psalm 115:16, "The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth
He has given to the sons of men." This means that He has given man the
authority for what happens on the earth. As it has been well said, the only
thing required for evil to prevail in a place is for the righteous to do
nothing. If it happens on our watch, then it is us who have allowed it.
It is because the Lord has given the authority over the earth to men that He
will not intervene on the earth until we pray. He knows what we need even
before we ask Him, but He will even Himself comply with our authority, and only
give us what we ask for. That is why the Lord Jesus continually referred to
Himself as "the Son of Man." He could not redeem the earth as God,
but had to do it as a man. Until He returns and sets up His throne on the
earth, He has given the earth His church as the salt that preserves and the
light to show the way.
The Power
of Prayer
Because prayer can move the hand of God, there is
nothing more powerful that we can do on this earth than pray. Therefore, an
intercessory prayer meeting can accomplish more for the good of the earth than
the United Nations and all congresses and parliaments combined. However, this
does not mean that we are wasting our time voting or participating in the
political process. As we are discussing walking in truth, walking involves
touching the earth. If we are going to walk in truth, we are going to stand for
truth in every way that we can touch the earth. This is one way that we can
effectively be the salt and light we are called to be. To not take advantage of
such an opportunity is a dereliction of our duty as citizens and Christians.
As Christians, we should be far more devoted to our duty to the church and the
There will be nations that have been built upon a strong foundation according
to God's standards of righteousness and justice that will stand the shaking that
is coming. If our nation does not pass this test, it is because the Christians
in it were not the salt and light that they were called to be. To be the salt
and light that we are called to be, we do not want to get overbalanced in our
devotion to the natural, but neither do we want to neglect anything that we can
do. Vote, and vote according to the Lord's standards of righteousness and
justice.
by Rick Joyner
www.MorningStarMinistries.org