“..lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” 2 Timothy 3:4
For the last few days the phrase ‘lovers of God’ has been echoing in my mind & spirit. At times I’ve been compeled to cry out, “Rise up Lovers of God!” A deep travail has taken place.
Over the last 8 years whenever God has taken us to a new country, he has shown us some of the most prevailing dominate spiritual forces at work in that place & then he has set about walking us through how to overcome & not be conformed to these demonic forces. Every country has them. For the prince of this world is God’s enemy, as I shared in my last blog. One of the things that has struck me quite profoundly upon our return to Australia is the pursuit of pleasure. It seems to be the recommended painkiller for a tormented Australian soul birthed in a situation over 200years ago that was everything but good. Yet this chapter from Paul’s letter to Timothy is not about Australia, it is about the last days. Lovers of pleasure will pervade the world. But what is God’s design for man? It is stated here in 2 Timothy 3:4, “lovers of God.” This was & is the point of Israel. This was God’s original design & purpose on earth for Israel, to show the world who God is & how to love him! The remnant of Israel (those who have embraced & recieved revelation of Jesus as Messiah) are showing us this today.
The other day the Lord had me dwelling yet again in Song of Songs 2. I invite you to read this & let the Holy Spirit teach you as you dwell in it. It was verse 7 that caught the attention of my spirit this time.
“Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the swift gazelles and the deer of the wild, not to awaken love until the time is right.”
I was struck by the phrase “not to awaken love until the time is right.” This states there is a right time to awaken love. God is into right timing. And one thing we have discovered for sure is that timing is exclusively his! He appoints times for certain purposes. Do we know what the time is now? Do we know what God’s purpose is now? As I read through 2 Timothy 3, it was as if I were listening to the news. Paul states what time it is in his opening sentence; “You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.” (3:1) So what is God’s purpose in these last days? A few sentences later,be lovers of God! To be a lover of God requires having love awoken. The time is right for love to be awoken!
“My lover said to me, ‘Rise up, my beloved, my fair one, and come away. For the winter is past, and the rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up, and the time of singing birds has come, even the cooing of turtledoves. The fig trees are budding, and the grapevines are in blossom. How delicious they smell! Yes, spring is here! Arise, my beloved, my fair one, and come away.” Song of Songs 2:10-13
Father. Awaken by your spirit, lovers of you. Breathe into their spirits, into their hearts a love for you, simply you. In your mercy, make them hungry for the loveliness that is you, not the vain pleasures of this world. Breathe upon them and awaken love for you, beautiful you.