A NEW BUSH ADMINISTRATION!

I was up in the early hours one Sunday a.m. praying, thinking, wondering about what to speak later that morning at a local Presbyterian Church when the Lord whispered to me (in only the way He can) that it was time for a 'New Bush Administration'. At first I wasn't sure about the meaning of what I had heard from the Lord. I wondered if He was talking about our current political situation, then it dawned on me that He was not talking about George Herbert or George W Bush, our two former presidents, or of their style or persuasion of government. He was speaking of the encounter Moses had with God at the burning bush, and the administration of power and glory that was released to the people of God from that encounter.

Yes. It is time for a new 'Bush Administration', a time when the foolishness of God puts to shame the so called wise of our age and their wisdom! A time when the weak things of the world put to shame the things which are mighty (see I Corinthians 1:26-31). A time when we enjoy the 'favor of Him who dwelt in the bush', as Moses prayed for the heritage of Joseph in Deuteronomy 33:16.

Consider the conversation Moses had with the elders of Israel as he attempted to convince them that he was the man to deliver them from their bondage. Perhaps they asked him, "How was it that God spoke to you? What is this God's name?"

Moses may have responded; "Well...uh...you see...I was following my sheep on the backside of the desert...and there was this bush...it was on fire and...and it didn't go out...and then the bush spoke to me...".

"The bush spoke to you?!?" they responded.

"Uh, yes...and then He told me that His name ..."I Am That I Am!"...

Well, you get the picture. God's foolishness is much wiser than man's wisdom. The encounter Moses had at that burning bush enabled him to dislodge from cruel bondage, two million Hebrew slaves. By knowing God in that unique way Moses withstood the anger and authority of the most powerful government of his day. We need just such a divine administration now, for whenever the church leaves the supernatural power of God it loses it's influence and authority to effect change in our culture.

Just this week I was visiting a brand new 21st century multi-million dollar seeker friendly multi-media facility type church that the Lord is using to touch many in my city. I am truly grateful for the blessing and effectiveness of that ministry. While I was there I met one of the staff members who said to me, "Just imagine how much more effective the apostles could have been in the book of Acts if they had access to all of this technology!" Later I thought, "Just imagine how much more effective we would be if we walked in the same level of raw power, authority, and anointing that they had!". They turned the world upside down. Ours is still right side up.

It is time for a new "Bush Administration!".

GOT ROOTS?

When looking at a tree one does not normally consider its roots although they are vitally important. Without them the tree would not flourish, not bear fruit, and not even survive. Some trees have as many large roots under ground as they do primary limbs above ground, like a mirror image of the visible part of the tree.

Our lives follow a similar pattern. It's the hidden life, the spiritual disciplines and relationship with God that sustain and nurture the visible aspects of our lives.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 17:7:

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear (lit. 'see') when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit."

Trusting God, an essential yet invisible function of our spiritual lives is like our spiritual root structure. Without it we will neither flourish nor survive as Christians.

In Jeremiah 17:5-6 the prophet also identifies what happens when we don't have this trust in God:

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited."

Jeremiah concluded that when a man does not trust the Lord he does not 'see good when it comes'. God is so good that He tries to help those who don't trust Him but when He sends good their way they are in no condition to recognize it. When the rains come that person has no root system to draw up any water. How sad!

Develop a good root system and sink your roots deeply into God. "How?", you may ask. By the normal simple ways: If you want something to live, feed it. If you want something to die, starve it. Develop your spiritual life by feeding your faith, by feeding on the faithfulness of God, and by focusing on what the Bible says about Him, about us, and and about every other important thing in our lives. Pray. Ask Him questions and wait for the answers to come in unusual ways. Be thankful as a life style, and forgive those who sin against you. These simple things will serve you well in building your spiritual root system.