PRINCIPLES OF PRESERVATION
IN DIFFICULT TIMES, No. 6

How To Survive The Shaking!

One night in early September God woke me out of a deep sleep and I heard His voice say clearly, "I am arising to shake all the earth." My immediate response was, "Lord, in your wrath, please remember mercy." Later that day I received the news of the earthquake that hit Christchurch, New Zealand, the land of my birth. God answered my prayer and remembered His mercy. Although there was much structural damage and property devastation from this 7.0 earthquake, there were remarkably no deaths.

A few weeks prior to the earthquake I received a call from a close friend who intercedes for the nations. He said the Lord had impressed on him that something was about to happen in Christchurch, New Zealand. After the earthquake, I called my friend and spoke about his revelation coming to pass. He mentioned to me again with emphasis that it was Christchurch and the spiritual significance of that name. 1 Peter 4:17 says, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?"

We are certainly living in a time that could be aptly described as shaky. There is not a lot in our politics or economy that feels certain or secure. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work and many are losing, or being threatened to lose, their homes and possessions because they cannot meet their mortgage payments. Massive stimulus packages fail to stop the hemorrhaging. Businesses are afraid to expand and hire staff because of mounting taxes and costs to pay workers and health insurance.

These shaky times are also characterized by a landslide of moral decay. It seems that no one wants to address the moral decay. Most would rather talk about our mounting taxes and declining bank balances. The church, for the most part, is silent on the moral issues. Why do we want to fix the economy, but not repent of moral backslidings?

Sooner or later, we will be forced to face up to the real culprit and cause of our shakiness. Simply put, just as tooth decay eventually necessitates a visit to the dentist, moral decay, whether physical or spiritual, will eventually require a visit to the Physician. If we do not take action now, the decay could prove fatal. God in His mercy is trying to get our attention!

Recently I listened to another friend speak about Nehemiah and his reaction to the sad report concerning the great affliction and reproach of the Jews and the destruction of the walls and gates of Jerusalem. What did Nehemiah do? "And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven" (Nehemiah 1:3-4). Do we have the same reaction as Nehemiah?

I have always been challenged by the passage in Ezekiel 9:4-6, "The Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.' To the others he said in my hearing, ‘Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary.' So they began with the elders who were before the temple."

The challenge to me is this: if the Lord was to send a great shaking and judgment to the area where I live, would there be a mark on my forehead? Do I sigh and cry for the abominations in the land? Do I pray and fast for the sin in the church and the nation? I take this seriously. I want the mark on my forehead and have therefore committed to do what God has put on my heart. If judgment comes, will you be set apart with the mark? Will you also ask God what He wants you to do?

Matthew 5:4 says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." I know that God wants me to be concerned over my own shortcomings and failures and mourn over these also.

I pray that whatever city God sends judgment to next that He will in His wrath remember mercy, just as He did in Christchurch, New Zealand. I pray that He will save the lives of the people even though there may be much property damage. My intercessor friend told me later of a vision he had where he saw the Lord with a flaming torch, lighting fires of revival in New Zealand, starting with Christchurch. The Lord is very merciful and is not willing for people to perish.

At this time, God is calling His servants to repent and pray like Nehemiah and Ezekiel--with sighing and crying, coupled with fasting. I believe that when God woke me up and told me that He was arising to shake the whole earth that He meant what He said. He wants me to give Him a positive response. He wants you to give Him a positive response. I believe that God will show you how He wants you to stand in the gap for the shaking that He is bringing to the whole earth.

We know 2 Chronicles 7:14 by memory, yet we fail to put it into practice, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

2 Peter 2:7-8 says, "God delivered righteous Lord, who was oppressed with the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds.)"

Sighing and crying over the sins of the church and the land is an important principle of preservation!

COLIN CAMPBELL

Colin will continue to give you biblical principles for preservation in difficult times. To receive these messages, send a blank email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Colin is the husband of Nancy Campbell, Editor of Above Rubies www.aboverubies.org

Colin can be contacted at 615 948 5958 for speaking engagements.

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