It was Still Dark When He Went Out

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. [Mark 1.35]

I wonder why he had to go out of the house and go to a remote place. "Solitary place," says the NIV, which means secluded or unfrequented. No people there except Jesus. Waking up early and praying while it's still dark is understandable. A lot of us do that. But why go out? What's wrong with praying in the house?

Photo by Carolina Pimenta on Unsplash.

And why did the Holy Spirit move Mark, the Gospel writer, to record that in his Gospel? Why have it written for generations to read? Everything that happens--or God does or allows--is for a purpose, and this scenario is no exception. I believe it's important to note--and to see--how Jesus went out and looked for a solitary place to pray. He could've just stayed in the house to pray but he didn't. 

He Went Out

Jesus literally went out. We don't have to literally do so, too. But we need to "go out" in the spirit and leave behind all concerns "at home," getting away from it all. We have to be lost to the world and escape headlong to the throne room of God, into His darkness, deep into His quiet presence. We need to learn how to turn off everything in the earthly realm (without having to really leave our house at dawn, especially not in this pandemic) and be in His hiding place all at once.

“The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;" [1 Kings 8.12]

My beloved calls to me, “Arise, my darling. Come away with me, my beautiful one." [Song of Solomon 2.10]

Solitary Place 

The Father loves to watch everything done for him in secret. Exclusively for his eyes. He is jealous when you parade it in public for everyone to see. And he wants you all to himself without interruption. I once failed to pay attention to what God was telling me. So he sent me a "thorn in the flesh" to keep me glued to my bed, unable to move a single inch without getting dizzy, weak and gasping for air. It was a mysterious illness that puzzled even doctors because all my test results came out normal.

When finally the Lord had me all to himself (imprisoned in my bed and room), he pointed to an old book gathering dust in my bookshelf. He'd been wanting me to read it. So I had ample time reading the book slowly but surely, seeing things he'd been wanting me to see, sealed words and "inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell." I lay in my bed "sick" for some 6 months, and all I could do was read the book and hear him speak.

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Where He Prayed

In another scene, we see Jesus excited to send the disciples ahead to the other side by boat and went up a mountain by himself. Again, in a solitary place. He had just performed an astounding miracle of feeding 5,000 men out of a few small bread and fish--which no doubt was super exciting to see. But Jesus appeared more excited in what was about to take place--he'd take a break with his Father.

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. [Matthew 14]

There's tremendous power when you pray in private, doing it in secret with the Father, as Jesus taught his disciples to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." He made it so private that he had to get rid of all the people and his disciples and climb up a mountainside and there pray.

How He Prayed

And there, he just relaxed and talked with the Father casually. Orderly, patterned and programmed prayer is for the religious (especially one that is read from a paper), designed for ritualistic worship and pleasing people--because you're being watched in public. It is impressive but zero in spiritual power. "They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen by people." It's also what they teach about prayer following the acronym ACTS--Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Religion is fond of doing that. 

When Jesus needed a miracle to feed the 5,000, all he did was look up and say "Thanks!" No ACTS prayer. And so with his other prayers for miracles. Publicly, he simply gave the Father short "signal" prayers, cues that motioned the timing  or commencement of a miracle. But in his quiet times with HIM, Jesus spent hours and even whole nights just enjoying talking with his Father. And he made sure that it was without interruption.

In the Spirit

Today, we can even do more than what Jesus did, "because I go to the Father," he said once. Moreover, true worshipers (and prayerful individuals) worship God in spirit and in truth (place is irrelevant, Jesus added). So, anywhere you are, you can enjoy "solitary places" you can go out to and talk with the Father at length--even if you're stuck in traffic, busy at the office, talking with someone, cooking, doing laundry or doing anything. While busy in the earthly realm, you can "come away" with the King to his Kingdom orchards and gardens, and then in his throne room, spending grand times with HIM in eternity.

You want to experience this? First, you need to surrender your life totally to HIM.

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

What is God Doing While Covid Variants Mutate?

The mu variant started in Colombia but WHO says it's now in 39 other countries. While variants keep spreading around the world, what has God been doing so far? 

Photo by Benjamin Thomas on Unsplash.

It's probably everybody's secret inquiry--what's God doing in all this? What does he plan to do about it? Honestly, sometimes it looks like God isn't up to anything about it because it just keeps getting worse. It seems the more we pray the more nothing happens. Worse, even Christian ministers are affected and some have even died of Covid. 

Why GOD seems Silent

Even in Scriptures, God sometimes seems too silent while evil or hopelessness reigns, until just before the end comes when he starts judgment and rescue. In fact, even amid his "silence," God has surely been doing things--particularly preparing people for his next move. Some are being prepared for judgment, others for rescue.

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In another sense, he allows commitment of sins to reach its peak. Or, until the total number of repented people is completed. Why? To give us all a chance to repent. 

16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” [Genesis 15]

I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, [Romans 11.25]

During the "lull" is when he actively (though quietly) convicts the world of sin through the Holy Spirit and through messages he sends via angels as believers preach the Gospel or pray for the situation, as in the case of Daniel the prophet. When the right time comes, he judges the unrepentant and unsurrendered and rescues believers.

Raising Up Servants

Basing on what God did in the bible, he always has something in store in his plan. Always. Often, it has to do with extending his grace and mercy to everyone. It also has to do with preparing his remnant for action. During times when God seems too quiet, he equips saints and helps them go deep into His Word and in the Spirit. I liken it to how army special forces are trained secretly and then released for powerful action at the right moment. In the case of believers, they're trained for God's Next supernatural move.

At present, Covid variants cause havoc in unmitigated persistence around the world, more speedily spreading the infection. It seems unstoppable. Medical science merely watches the development helplessly. Vaccines help a lot, but talks go around about the mu variant being resistant to any vaccine, but which still needs confirmation. Churches pray but nothing seems to be happening. Even church people suffer deadly infection.

It seems God is not planning to do anything.

But don't let the seeming "silence" mislead you. He is presently at work, though his work has all been done and perfected since the 7th day when he rested after creation. The work he finished then has been activated to implementation through history according to his "time table." And this pandemic is no exception. He has his plans set in position at each phase, ready to "go off" at the right moment. All we have to do is trust him and wait.

The Real Question Is..

Yes, God is doing something powerful now though we see nothing (but which becomes visibly obvious in the spirit realm), and he's up to something grand and dramatic, both for judgment and rescue. No question about it--GOD is active today. Don't worry. Rescue is coming soon. Just wait, trust and obey. In the meantime, the real question is, what actions are you doing while waiting for God's next move? Are you for him or against him? If you are for him, then you must totally surrendered to him. How? Read below.

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4] 

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.

"Nothing Will be Impossible for You"

The disciples saw how Jesus simply rebuked the demon to get rid of it, because they could not. Then he said every believer should easily do this even with seed-size faith. And do more. 

"Nothing will be impossible for you."

Photo by Jill Heyer on Unsplash. 

Nothing will be impossible for you! Do you understand what this means? Because no less than the Lord Jesus Christ declared it, it's permanently established in the spiritual realm. And nothing--not even demons, principalities or church smart Alecks--can change it. It's one thing to say that nothing is impossible to God, but quite another thing to say, nothing is impossible for you.

Two Things About Spiritual Warfare

Fresh from an awesome supernatural experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, the disciples Peter, James and John, along with Jesus, were greeted by a crowd around a demon-possessed boy with the rest of the disciples who failed to drive the demon out. I saw the look of disappointment on the disciples' faces. Yup, I was "there" as I meditated that portion of the Gospel. I saw the scene like I was in it.

I know the disciples tried their best to "heal" the kid (demon possession sometimes takes the form of an illness), to no avail. I can imagine how they tried to rebuke it with heavy, high-sounding spiritual words you usually hear in spiritual warfare. Or spoke words with an authoritative, majestic voice. But nothing happened. With disappointment, the boy's dad told Jesus: "I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

The thing is, it's not enough to "try." Jesus never "tried" to do miracles, see if they would work. He performed them. Demonstrated. He showed them how the power of the Kingdom worked. The wrong attitude is to "consider" miracles among other solutions to remedy a situation. If trying miracles doesn't work, then we have Plan B and C ready. This is why miracles never work today--we're never dead serious about them. Miracles are just one of our options, often our last. Then we conclude that miracles are already obsolete because they don't happen anymore.

Another worse thing we do is hear God's Word but do things our own way. This is far from being faith. It was how the disciples probably did it, so Jesus said they were "unbelieving." Believing without putting it to work is unbelief.

Why couldn't the disciples drive the demon out?

“'You unbelieving and perverse generation,' Jesus replied."

 

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Unbelieving

Driving out demons is not through some formula or steps or procedures or words uttered. Or voice tone. Or prayer warriors. Definitely not through denominational titles or degrees. A lot of spiritual warfare seminars teach you methods and formulas as if demons are scared of them. Jesus said it plainly in the Matthew 17 passage--nothing but your faith will make it work. And faith comes only by "hearing" the Word, said Romans 10--not reading or being learned in Sunday school or sermons. 

Real faith comes by hearing God Himself speak his Word in the bible to you. Specifically to you. I heard Jesus say it like this:

"Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes out of the mouth of God." [Matthew 4.4] and...

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. [Matthew16]

About his Word and healing, the bible says:

He sent out his word and healed them. [Psalm 107.21]

God sends out his rhema healing Word from his own mouth. We have to believe it and really do it. And there are dozens of promises in the bible released for our use. We have to meditate them, put them to heart, and really apply them. It's no use learning about miracles just to know how Jesus healed people in the bible. Jesus demonstrated them so we can do them correctly. It all starts with serious meditation.

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. [Joshua 1.8]

As you meditate the Word, the experience is that you hear it straight from God's mouth and hear it in your heart. Bible studies, Sunday schools and sermons are good, but they are mere "snacks" compared to the grand, filling "feast" you get from meditating God's rhema (spoken) Word in your quiet times with HIM. This is what feeds your faith to believe God's signs and wonders and miracles. This has been my experience, enabling me to operate in signs and wonders (though the consistency is not yet enough).

Perverse

It's quite clear. If your faith cannot command demons, you are "perverse" or wayward or unyielding (insubmissive), even "villainous" said one dictionary. That's how God sees you, no matter if you're a bible school or seminary graduate or super active in church or in the ministry. Remember, the disciples were with Jesus in person, no less, learning straight from him and active in his ministry. But they were "perverse" because their faith couldn't drive out demons or move mountains.

Yes, they heard Jesus' Word straight from his mouth but failed to combine it with genuine faith--faith that actually applies, demonstrates and performs God's signs and wonders to actual situations. Doing it precisely according to His Word. Faith without doing is dead. It's one thing to know that a medicine works and you can even buy it and have it in your possession. But unless you actually take it, it won't work for you either.

Or if the meds should be taken orally but you use it topically. It won't work. You have to do it as prescribed, not in your own ways or how you see it fit.

Perverse Generation

Yup, the church mostly still belongs to the perverse generation. Most church folks don't know about rebuking demons, much less commanding them out. Most of us cannot even command headaches, colds, cough and fever--or toothache--to leave. Church does not prioritize the supernatural things God has given it, although Jesus has given the hint that God's supernatural is the key to prevent the church from being "perverse."

If you are perverse, then everything about the supernatural becomes impossible to you. But if you're not perverse, Jesus promises that "nothing will be impossible for you." Everything in the supernatural will work for you, 100 percent. Your imagination will be your limit. If you have God's imagination, then "nothing will be impossible for you." It's important, then, for faith to radically grow. And it does not grow except by hearing the Word of God, straight from HIS mouth, and believing and doing it.

It All Starts with Surrendering

All this may sound overwhelming to you. Well, don't let it. God's Word and promises are really very simple. They're about faith, the same as Jesus had. No rituals, membership, sacrifices, hardships, self-punishment or anything like that. No pledge or vow to go to church on Sundays from now on. Just genuinely believe. And part of it is surrendering your life to Jesus Christ. It all starts there.

Surrendering to Jesus 

Ask forgiveness and repent of your sins. Believe God's forgiveness. It is promised in the bible. Receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your sole Savior and Lord. Then be assured of heaven, not because of anything you have or do (not your good deeds or religion or church), but because of God's grace and mercy through Jesus Christ. In Jesus alone is salvation. 

Jesus is: “‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” [Acts 4]

Surrender to Him by intently studying the bible daily (ask guidance from the Holy Spirit) and applying in life everything you learn. And then pray that God lead you to the right person who'd disciple you, one who is totally surrendered to Jesus and living His words in the bible.