Purification

Waiting and Hastening: The Bridal Paradox of Prayer

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9 The LORD is not slow concerning HIS PROMISE, as some regard slowness, but is being PATIENT toward you, because He does not wish for any to PERISH but for all to come to REPENTANCE. 10 But the DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief; when… the earth and EVERY DEED DONE on it will be LAID BARE… (therefore) WHAT SORT OF PEOPLE SHOULD YOU BE, CONDUCTING YOUR LIVES IN HOLINESS AND GODLINESS, 12 while WAITING FOR and HASTENING THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD? … According to His PROMISE, we are WAITING for new heavens and a new earth, in which RIGHTEOUSNESS truly resides. 14 Therefore, DEAR FRIENDS, since you are WAITING FOR these things, STRIVE to be found AT PEACE, WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH, when you COME into HIS PRESENCE. (2 Peter 3:9-14)

The Lord’s preparation of the Church is one of the most overlooked, New Testament dynamics that is (day by day) impacting the people of God right now. Whether we see it or not, the truth is, the closer we get to the return of Jesus, the more the heart and the collective mind of the Bride is being refined to both understand and champion the reign of our King!

Jesus is not coming to “take us home”. If we’re in Christ, we’re already home! He’s coming to rule and reign on the earth, WITH HIS BRIDE IN GLAD-HEARTED CELEBRATION of the way He administrates His Kingdom. 

Right now, the Church is still “working the issues out” in our collective thinking. Our narratives are not filled with appreciation for the ways of our King. We don’t esteem the values of meekness, holiness, patience, and mercy-giving the way our King does. In fact, we count much of what He wants to work into our world as foolish, unpractical, and/or too religious. Where Jesus calls us to “serve”, we want to dominate. Where Jesus calls us to “pray”, we want to rush to action with human power. Where Jesus wants to aim at relationship, we want to build laws and structures. This disconnection from Jesus’ mind is what both Peter (here in 2 Peter 3:14), and Paul (in Ephesians 5:26,27) call “spots, wrinkles, and blemishes”. This is where the Bride is operating unlike Christ – where we are not Christlike!

So, how does the Lord bring us into like-mindedness? How does He conform us to His image?How does He cultivate both an understanding and appreciation of the ways of His leadership?

He shapes us by employing two living and active realities. The first are the affairs of 200ish nations, and the pressure points in our own lives. These are actually “grinding bearings” that the Lord uses to drive us to Himself. Where the answers are “out of our reach”, and “beyond our under-standing”, He nonetheless calls us to bring the tension points to Him, in both humility, and honesty. This means that we don’t allow other players to become the primary “shapers” of our narrative. It means that we bring what we see, what we know, and what we feel, into the “tent of meeting” with Him, and allow Him to illuminate our minds, and our hearts about both the facts of the storylines, and the issues they create in our own lives. He may or may not want to tell us the details about the nefarious activities of globalists. But He will most certainly want to talk to us about how these true or false reports are shaping our trust in Him, and our love toward others. Make sense?

The second living and active reality that He’s using to shape the Bride is His own Word. 

Paul writes: “He (Jesus) sanctifies her, and cleanses her by THE WASHING OF WATER WITH THE WORD, that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:26-27)

Jesus uses both the crises in our world, and our daily, disciplined commitment to engage Him in prayerful dialogue with His Word, and in this kinetic mixture, He shows us how He leads, how He redeems, how He analyzes, how He rewards, and how He purges humanity, and the human spirit. And then He calls you and I, His Bride, to agree in prayer with Him about the ways and the intents of His government.

It’s in this turbulent forge that our Bridegroom King forms and purifies our thoughts, responses, attitudes, countenance, and will. As we bring our outrage, passivity, temptations, and promises in the context of these worldly, national and personal crises into His courts, with truthfulness, a spirit of yieldedness, a dash of expectation, and a will that is prepared to give Him the gift of repentance, He is faithful to remove the impediments (the spots, wrinkles, and blemishes) so that His authority can freely work in, and through our lives. This is how we, the Bride, are conformed to His Image. This is what it means to be aligned to the “true righteousness” (v.13) that He will manifest on the earth when the fulness of His Kingdom comes. We do this by faith, now, in anticipation of it fully coming when He comes. And this is, according to 2 Peter 3:12, (wonder of wonders) how we “hasten the coming” of that Day – His Day – when He rules in our physical presence!

Until that Day comes, 2 Peter 3 tells us to “wait” three times! This is an exhortation to
a.) abide in, and not lose touch with this truth,
b.) to walk in growing patience and peaceable confidence in the Lord, and what He is accomplishing, and to
c.) give ourselves to these conforming dynamics with abandon. 

However, the Kingdom of God is always a paradox. In the context of patiently “waiting”, v.14 also charges us to “strive”. (This paradox keeps us from turning the dynamics of the Lord into a math equation – and keeps us close, and reliant upon the nimble, intimate, breath-by-breath leadership of the Spirit.) It is by the Spirit that we “strive” toward coming to the place of “peace” with the Lord’s Bridal purification process. We are in His more than sufficient Hands. We belong to Him. We are in His care. He knows how to get ahold of us. He has our number. He knows how to call us out. He isn’t perplexed about how to bring you, your family, your Bible-study group, your community, and your nation into agreement with His ways. v.14 is the Spirit’s loud encouragement to “TRUST THE KING’S PROCESS!” He will bring us forth, into His Presence, without “spot” or “blemish”; purified; like a sacrificial lamb; ready to be offered up to Him; wholly yielded to His majestic reign.

This is His goal: that we come forth, by His power, united to Him, and each other, loving Him and His ways with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12:30)

This has massive implications for HOW WE “DO CHURCH”. It underscores the vital necessity that we become a people of daily, reliant PRAYER. WITHOUT BEING MUCH IN PRAYER THE BRIDE WILL NEITHER BEHOLD NOR YIELD OUR HEART AND OUR WAYS TO THE LORD’S REFINING WORK. NOR WILL WE LEARN TO WALK IN THE AUTHORITY OF HIS DIVINE ORDER.

This brings us to the other side of the coin. And it is the reason that spurs the apostle Peter to write these injunctions in the first place. Should we neglect, and/or withdraw from Jesus’ capable, prayerful, purifying process; should we instead, give ourselves to spiraling conspiracies, spouting our own opinions, -becoming rigid in our carnal thoughts, we will not come forth in mature love. We will actually come forth with a mutant love – shaped by our world, the devil, and our own corrupt soul. Perhaps, (or perhaps not) filled with “Christian-sounding” rhetoric – but no substance, and no fruit.

When we neglect Jesus’ prayerful, purifying process, and instead, give ourselves to spiraling conspiracies, opinions, and rigid carnal thoughts, we will not come forth in mature love. we will come forth with a mutant love.

The wretched truth of the matter is, when we refuse to give ourselves to His ongoing refining process, we are in essence saying to Jesus: “WE REALLY DON’T LOVE YOUR RULE AND REIGN in our world. We would rather continue to have our own way, under our own power, than have You remove the SPOTS and BLEMISHES from our hearts… We’d rather You NOT do what You want to do to manifest Your vibrant RIGHTEOUSNESS through our lives.”

This is the spirit of antipathy. This is the spirit Peter calls us to “strive” against. This posture will produce endless enmity (and never “PEACE”) in our lives. And, truth-be-told, it is the sentiment, and slant that accounts for SO MUCH of the hostility in the Church today.

Beloved, the Lord is not relenting. He will not let us sleep-walk through the fires that He has kindled in our world. He is a holy-disturber of our “false peace” Who is making every provision for us to be aligned to Himself, in joyful unanimity with His Kingdom.

Let’s go into the place of prayer, and wholly give ourselves to His refining process. Let’s hasten the return of our King!

____________________
JSB • December 12, 2025

The Fire of the Lord is Falling On MAGA

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“Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15)

The FIRE of the Lord is SO COMPASSIONATELY UPON the Church in America right now. And the heart of our God is for our good, our nobility, and for our blessing. He’s especially bringing His judgment FIRE to MAGA leaders and believers. 

Today, who has eyes to see beyond the headlines? Who has the moldable will to yield, celebrate, bring everything in, bow down, surrender, be illuminated, purged and re-empowered by our God’s heavenly FIRE?

Beloved. His heart is for redemption, FOR EVERYONE WHO ENTERS INTO HIS FIRE!

For the last year, the Lord has been speaking to our household from Isaiah 1, telling us that this day was coming. Here are five truths about the FIRE of the LORD from Isaiah 1:27-31

THE FIRE OF THE LORD IS ABOUT REDEMPTION
v. 27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and her penitents with righteousness.
The Lord is moving proactively, by His own sovereign will to REDEEM His covenant people; those who already belong to Him. No one has earned this. It’s His initiative. It’s coming from His zeal to war against the UNRIGHTEOUSNESS that’s threatening His people. He promises to REDEEM our UNRIGHTEOUSNESS with His RIGHTEOUSNESS if we merely come to Him in REPENTANCE. This is the FIRE of His ZEAL TO REDEEM.

THE FIRE OF THE LORD DESTROYS ALL THAT IS IN OPPOSITION TO THE LORD
v. 28 The destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
There is also a DESTRUCTIVE nature to His FIRE. The Word of the Lord promises it will CONSUME those who “FORSAKE THE LORD”, meaning those who refuse to REPENT, who refuse to become PENITENT, and will not let the Lord REDEEM them from UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. We “FORSAKE THE LORD”, when we don’t come to Him for REDEMPTION. He is the God of Redemption. If His people will not let Him REDEEM them, He knows (much like the children of Israel in the desert) the FIRE that’s on the earth will DESTROY them in their TRANSGRESSION and SIN.

THE FIRE OF THE LORD ILLUMINATES AND EXPOSES
v. 29 For they shall be ashamed of the terebinth trees which you have desired; and you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens which you have chosen.
The FIRE of the Lord is illuminating the foolishness of man’s DESIRES, right now. In the light of the Lord’s FIRE, it’s showing millions and millions of hearts how deceived, foolish, and ultimately, how destructive their hearts’ inclinations really have been. This illumination naturally breeds SHAME and ignominy. But it isn’t a SHAME that shuts one up in condemnation. It’s a SHAME that’s meant to serve as an internal alarm that screams, “run into the shelter of the Lord! Don’t cover yourself with fig leaves in the GARDEN you’ve chosen. Go to the Lord for His covering in the ‘sure mercies of David.'” (Isaiah 55:3). He has no desire for us to experience SHAME any longer than we need. He’s made every provision for our idolatrous hearts, through the lovingkindness of His Son’s own blood. THIS IS IMPORTANT! When the Lord’s FIRE illuminates what you’ve been believing, and what you see causes you to be conscience-stricken regarding where you’ve CHOSEN to put your hope, let even a tinge of SHAME be a sign that the Father is compelling you to be clothed in the righteousness of His Son.

The tinge of shame, or disappointment that you feel when the truth of your champion is being illuminated is actually an internal invitation to come into the Lord’s shelter of cleansing grace while the fire passes through the ranks.

THE FIRE OF THE LORD COMES WITH PERFECT PATIENCE
v. 30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades, and as a garden that has no water.
The TEREBINTH tree is one of the most hearty, resilient, draught-resistant trees in the world. The Lord is saying that those who refuse to come to Him, are like this tree. Although they can “hold out” for long periods of time, they cannot outlast the patience of the Lord. He is saying to them: “If you continue to spurn My invitation, and if we DON’T “reason together” about your adultery, I promise you, you will eventually become like a WITHERING TEREBINTH tree.” The Lord prophesies, He Himself will withhold the life-giving RAIN from the GARDEN where their false beliefs, values and ideologies are being grown.

THE FIRE OF THE LORD IS INESCAPEABLE
v. 31 The strong shall be as tinder, and the work of it as a spark; both will burn together, and no one shall quench them.
The Lord promises/warns that even the STRONGEST of men will not be able to withstand the illuminating, consuming, heat of His FIRE that’s falling upon us. We should not be deluded into believing that our STRONGEST narratives, prophetic words, ardent work or human emotions will be safe from the Lord’s FIRE. The STRONGEST WILL BURN. NO MAN will be able to QUENCH the Lord’s FIRE. This is meant to engender a healthy, necessary fear of the power of the Lord’s FIRE, that drives EVERYONE into deep, honest conversations with the Lord about the nature of our sinful, and idolatrous ways.

Friends, the SPARKS of what will eventually CONSUME MAGA are flying. Through the heat of scrutiny over our President’s character, his previous life, and a number of theological/ideological schisms within the ranks, the TINDER in this movement is being set ablaze. Much like His Word to Judah through Jeremiah, the Lord is actually calling our family to seek shelter WITHIN THE FLAMES THEMSELVES, so that He can purify our ways, and establish us in the eternal hope found in Isaiah 1.

Again. Should we continue to avoid Him, know that as more and more is exposed, and you feel increasing SHAME over what you’ve been championing, understand that the remorse, the indignity, and the disrepute are all gracious, internal signs that God is summoning you into the eternal security of His FIRE.

Today is a good day to enter into the fire of the Lord, and pray: “Father, redeem me, purify me, and consume me. I want all that I am to be wholly Your’s – with longevity, depth, authentically, and without reservation.”

____________________
JSB • November, 2025

Fall 2025: The Church in America is in the Forge of the Lord

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“My Word is like a fire that purges dross… (Jeremiah 23:29); Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? (Isaiah 33:14) The strong will be like tinder, and his work like a spark. They will both burn together, and no one will quench the fire. (Isaiah 1:31)”

For the last 9 months, the Lord has been speaking to our House of Prayer in Arizona from the book of Jeremiah, and Isaiah chapter 1, about the approaching “fire of the Lord”. The hour is here. The Church in America (pastors, evangelists, apostles, teachers, prophets, young and old, women and men, Jew and gentile and black and native and… all who claim to be “in Christ”) is entering the forge of the Lord, with all of heaven, and the nation watching.

Some of us will come out of the furnace with spirits that are burnished bright; shining with His likeness. Millions of other believers will be radicalized by contraKingdom rhetoric; enflamed with nothing more than a raging self-seeking ethic that the Word of God warns us against.

Religious zealotry always looks promising to the flesh. But it is never what moves the Church from one age to the next. Consider the zealots of Jesus’ day. They subscribed to a very orthodox theology of God, and the scriptures. But their spirits, such as they were, were unprofitable for the Kingdom work that the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit were bringing to earth.

This historical parallel is essential to note. We live in an hour when many zealous individuals also verbalize classic, theological orthodoxy, and yet refuse to live under the reign of Jesus’ authority – marginalizing the blessings and warnings of the Sermon on the Mount, avoiding our daily (Luke 9:23) cross, and hence devoid of the Spirit’s baptismal fire. Consequently, the church elevates political power as an expedient end to prayer power, cultural dominion over humility before the Lord, and the temptation to live with a hostile, even violent spirit, rather than to learn the way of meekness.

Heaven has no use for a “Church” who has no use for the Son’s Sermon on the Mount. The Spirit will simply not release anointing upon a Church who isn’t walking crucified to “Christ”.

Heaven has no use for a Church who has no use for the Son’s Sermon on the Mount.

No. Classic, theological orthodoxy cannot be the sole, nor primary distinguishing characteristic of what constitutes “fidelity to the Lord” in this hour.

Nonetheless, it is a brusk, unbowed, militant, theological orthodoxy which is being spun, embraced and now normalized within our evangelical family in this hour.

It’s incumbent upon pastors and leaders to discern this deceitful perversion of Jesus’ Kingdom. It is a false way, that though it be filled with emotional, populist appeal, lacks the essential element that makes for Kingdom success: the crucified life. It is for this reason that the Lord is bringing His fire into our midst. His “burnings” are intended to purge the self-saving spirit from His Bride, while simultaneously beautifying the Christ-reliant, Christ-exalting resurrection spirit within His Bride.

This separation of the way of self, from the way of Christ, is a compulsory work of the Spirit. And it is the fire of the Lord that forges this element within the character of the Bride; refined, spotless, and pure – prepared to be presented to the Son. And it is for this work that the fire of the Lord is upon the “ecclesia” right now, in the fall of 2025.

Will we come to the Lord’s threshing floor and allow His fire to remove the endemic selfism from our ways, and spirits? Or will we “rise up” in the religious zeal of our own self-determined flesh in order to champion a crossless, politically empowered morality?

Every evangelical leader in America ought to be attuned to the intent of the Spirit right now, so as to help the people of God to…

A. Understand the nature of the cultural and internal conflict that’s upon them,

B. Understand the glorious nature of what the Lord wants to produce through the forge (ala. vibrant Christlikeness)

C. Understand how to help the people wholly submit to the purging/purifying work of the Spirit through this season.

A vow (not even a very popular, emotional vow) will not save the Church right now. Only finding His Presence, and bowing low before His unapproachable majesty will align us with our King. We can either be stirred to fervent determination (which will exit us from the forge of the Lord – a whole “other” story… [See Isaiah 1:28]), or we can stay in the fire, trust His heart for us, and submit ourSELVES to the deep, cleansing work of His fire. The Lord will ONLY bring resurrection power to one of these two places. Not the other. NOT the other.

Beloved. We don’t want a Christianity that has no resurrection power upon it. Only a cross will get us there. Not a sword. (Even if we do call it “the sword of the Lord”. It is not.)

We want bonafide New Testament Christianity. Not age-old, intertestamental religious zealotry. It’s vital that we learn to distinguish between the two.

Rising up in militant, nationalist opposition to their enemies brought neither Judah, nor Israel into revival. It brought them into exile.

Rising up in militant, nationalist opposition to their enemies brought neither Judah, nor Israel into revival. It brought them into exile.

The only way into the revival that the Lord has in store for His people is through the Christ-forging fire that the Lord is bringing upon His people.

Truth-be-told, the New Testament scriptures are clear: though He be enormously patient and compelling, should the covenant people of God steadfastly spurn the purging work of the Father, they can expect to be purged from the Father.

In real fear and trembling, I pray that more than a very small remnant will see the forge that’s upon us, and avail ourselves of it.

“The sinners in Zion are afraid;
fear seizes those clothed in falsehood:
‘Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?
Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?’
He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
he who despises the gain of oppressions,
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks.”
(Isaiah 33:14-16)

____________________
JSB • September 13, 2025

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Are We Alive or Dead to His Leadership?

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“I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God.” (Revelation 3:1-2)

The Lord is purifying a Bride for His Son.
We Americans are (present tense, in October 2022) being transformed and prepared for the return of a Perfect King Who will rule the nations with perfect love and perfect justice and perfect integrity.

In case we need to be reminded, “His ways are NOT our ways.” :)

Not withstanding, our hearts were designed to thrill and be supercharged under His style of leadership.
We just don’t know it – or fully believe it – yet. (We will…)

EVERYTHING that’s happening in our world right now is being used by a perfect God to bring our hearts into perfect alignment with the perfect reign of this King.
Everything.
Personal acrimony.
Politics.
Church tensions.
Family fracturing.
Gender confusion.
Plagues. Masks. And vaccines.
Racial insensitivity.
War. And threat of war.
Social media interactions.
Economics.
Everything. 

We are being prepared to herald a new type of leadership that is completely foreign to the weary weary way of the world. It is more noble; more glorious; more efficient; more empowering; more holy; and more fulfilling than anything we’ve ever seen or imagined. And it’s coming – with Him.

Although His ways are foreign to the ways of the world, our transformation to His ways should not be foreign to us. Our transformation is a central part of our covenant with Him.

The New Testament is filled with scriptures that describe our need to be radically reoriented to His government, and His way of thinking and ruling and living.
Isaiah 40:3-5
Matthew 4:4
Luke 6:25
Galatians 4:19
Ephesians 5:28
Colossians 1:28
Hebrews 12:29
1 John 3:3
Revelation 3:1-2
Revelation 3:19
Revelation 19:7

It’s all in the Book.

Having said this, our hearts are in need of (MUCH) more alignment than we are consciously aware of.
The truth of the matter is, our hearts are actually (even now, in our redeemed state) more resistant to the ways of His leadership than we know…
Our hearts see more wisdom in pride than in humility.
Our hearts like to force our own way more than trust the ways of meekness.
Our hearts are still more exhilarated by unrighteousness than being exhilarated by righteousness.
Our hearts are bent toward self-justification more than ruthless purity of heart.
Our hearts are spring-loaded toward alienation and separation. We don’t love mercy-giving much – at all.
Our hearts bulge with curse and violence rather than blessing and peace.
We’re still much more filled with arguments about saving self than we are about ways to lay our self down for the sake of the increase of Jesus and His ways. 

If we don’t understand that ALL THE CURRENT EVENTS AND CRISES in our lives right now are about shaping our hearts to embrace and champion His ways we will misread EVERYTHING that’s circulating in our culture right now.

The raw, Biblical truth is: If the Lord did not send us tribulation (“trouble”) our hearts would not do the hard work of moving from our self-centered paradigms into the ways of His Kingdom.
And we would NOT do the disciplined work of making ourselves ready, and bringing our hearts and minds into agreement with the way He will run His government on the earth.

When we say “yes” to this transformation our hearts remain “alive” to His leadership. 
When we start saying “no” to the necessary transformation of our heart, we become “dead” to His leadership. (Revelation 3:1)

One of the most efficacious prayers we can pray and live right now is to pray: “Father, I want to live fully alive to the perfect leadership of Your Son. Teach me to embrace and even rejoice in Your judgments. I want to come forth in vibrant Christlikeness. I want my heart to be in ‘PERFECT’ agreement with the way Your Son will rule and reign on the earth. Though it cost me my life, I choose to leave my impoverished land of pride and force and unrighteous affections and self-promotion and curse and war and alienation in order to become a subject of the government of Jesus. He Himself is worthy of my allegiance.”

One day, when we see Him face to Face, we will be filled with unimaginable joy over the fact that we said “Yes” to living alive to His present-tense leadership.

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JSB • October 12, 2022