Kimberly Pinkney – Oct 9, 2020 4 min
There is a saying that has circulated among churches for years, which I am sure you have heard often: “The devil is busy.” I dislike this saying because the usual resignation with which it is uttered gives the erroneous impression that God sits idly by while the devil wreaks havoc. I want you to know that the devil is never as busy as God and should therefore never be as busy as the Church! In fact, Jesus entrusted the Body of Christ with the affairs of this world (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:14-18), so we are the ones who should be busy—especially in this day and age—like never before. We need to be like Jesus when he said to his mother, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49b). We too must be about our Father’s business.
And what business is that, you might ask. Mark 4:23 gives us a clue: “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.” This is what the Body of Christ needs to be doing right now, essentially taking and demonstrating the Gospel everywhere! We should be lights reflecting The Light and shining into people’s darkness. Opportunities abound to showcase the Gospel, and just like Jesus, the Church should be taking every opportunity! For example, Jesus went into a synagogue one day, saw a man whose hand was withered, told that man to stretch out his hand, and the man was healed the moment he did (Matthew 12:9-13). When was the last time we walked into a church, or anywhere, and saw someone sick, laid hands on the person, and instantly administered healing? When was the last time we disrupted a funeral procession by raising the dead? (See Luke 7:11-15). When did we last see someone on the street, or on our jobs, in need of deliverance and brought that deliverance on the scene, thwarting the plans of the devil? (See Acts 10:38).
As I write this, I hear a command from the Father that we must be the Body of Christ, not just in name but also in action. The Apostle Paul writes, “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (I Corinthians 2:4). This Gospel must be more than just talk. The world is tired of us talking about God, but not using our faith to back up what we say or preach. They are tired of us asking them to come to Jesus without showing them how Jesus really can change their lives in every way, spirit, soul, and body (see I Thessalonians 5:23), which incidentally includes health and prosperity as well as the expressed ability to love others as Jesus does! Heaven is the absolute best benefit of salvation. Keep in mind, however, that people must live on Earth on their way to Heaven. Thus, it is incumbent on us to teach and demonstrate to them that the Jesus who will save them is the same Jesus who will heal, prosper, instruct, and correct them, and basically equip them to navigate this life successfully—not without trials but definitely with constant triumph (see II Corinthians 2:14).
We certainly have what it takes: “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18). We have been anointed and authorized to be and make the difference in this world. We must be the kind of Believers who will no longer sit back or take a back seat to the enemy. We need to be No More Christians: no more tolerating the god of this world blinding the minds of the unbelieving; no more standing idly by while people struggle with addiction when we have the power to set them free; no more seeing people consumed by grief; no more watching, as though incapacitated, while the devil wreaks havoc on Earth’s inhabitants whom God dearly loves (See John 3:16-17). In essence, we must at last come out of our proverbial closets and four walls of our local churches to boldly attack the enemy and release people from his bondage.
Finally, 2020 should not end with COVID-19 as the hottest topic of the year. Rather, it should end with the Body of Christ making the biggest impact ever experienced by society nationally and across the world. Will you join me today in saying no more? Not one more day will pass where I do not exercise my faith in Jesus to see someone set free or healed. Not one more day will pass without me speaking the Word of God to forever change someone’s life. Not one more day will I sit by and not pray for my nation, declaring an end to the devil’s maneuvers, and seeing a turnaround in this nation. As always, the choice is yours as to whether you will heed or ignore His Voice. The time is short, and the way may be hard, but the magnitude of the glory that comes from obedience is boundless.
God bless you as you choose to hear and heed His Voice!
