Take It Up a Notch

As the body of Christ, we are at a point in time where we need to take things up a notch. We need to move up to the next level in the Spirit. We are in the last of the last days and it is imperative that we rise to the occasion.

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12 (KJV)

Well, what does that mean? It tells us that we need to mean business in order to gain what we need from heaven and in order to advance the kingdom of God. The Amplified Classic might help us better understand it.

And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize—a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion]. Matthew 11:12 (AMPC)

That phrase “most ardent zeal and intense exertion” says a lot. We cannot bring in the endtime harvest by continuing to play church. We have to bring our A game, so to speak. Ardent zeal implies that we are in it with our whole heart. Sloppy, half-hearted Christianity won’t cut it in these perilous times. We must be passionate about the things of God. And if we have lost our passion, we need to make the conscious effort to return to our first love. We have to stir ourselves up. Pray in the Spirit. Increase your time in the Word and prayer. Praise Him every chance you get. Remind yourself of the times when God has shown Himself faithful to you. It is a decision that we must make to give Him every part of ourselves and our lives. Intense exertion speaks of extreme effort. We must go on the offensive against the enemy and then we cannot relax our hold over him. Now is not the time for a spiritual vacation. We need to press in and press in hard.

In order to go to the next level we must spend time in serious study of the Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and show you fresh revelation from the Scriptures. The Word is the Sword of the Spirit, and we need to have it in our hearts, minds, and mouths in order to wield it against the opponent. If we do our part, God will do His part, and together we will be unstoppable.

And such as violate the covenant he shall pervert and seduce with flatteries, but the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do exploits [for God]. Daniel 11:32 (Amplified Bible Classic Edition, AMPC)

Exploits. That’s the stuff that legends are made of. Are you ready to go to the next level? Are you prepared to take the fight to a greater intensity? Are you positioned to do whatever is required, wherever and whenever it is required in order to win the world to Jesus? Make the decision today. And follow through with it. Time is short; Jesus is coming back soon for His church. We must make the most of the time we have left so we take as many people with us as we can.

Ephesians 5:16 in the King James Version says we are to redeem the time, because the days are evil. However, I get more out of the way The Passion Translation says it.

So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes. Ephesians 5:16 (TPT)

Let’s go to the next level in the Spirit and make every second of every day count for Jesus.