‘Alert and Oriented’ Times What?

Para-rescue jumpers, the brave men who treat injured seamen offshore, have a method for evaluating an individual’s level of consciousness.  It starts at level four, ‘alert and oriented times four,’ which is most of us, most the time: we know who we are, where we are, what time it is, and what’s happening.  It goes down from here.  ‘Alert and oriented times zero’ is a person who has lost all levels of consciousness, right down to their identity.  They don’t know who they are, where they are or why they’re here; they only know they’re in excruciating pain.  This, to me, describes much of humanity in the world today, and many of us who claim allegiance to the King of Kings, many within the Body and the Bride.  We’ve forgotten who we are {Sons and Daughters of a mighty King}, where we are {in a world at War}, and why we’re here {to fight, faithfully and fiercely, for the hearts of those around us}.

So, let’s pause for a ‘reality check’ or two, in light of what we’ve seen from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 the past couple of weeks ...just to see what we’re ‘alert and oriented times.’  The first thing which comes roaring to the forefront of our hearts and lives is there’s a Battle raging this very moment… a vast Cosmic Conflict in the world in which we live.  And we, unaware though we may be, are in it none-the-less.  The question is not ‘will we step into the fray,’ because we’re in it already, whether we like it or not {and have been since the moment we first drew breath}.  The question is whether we will choose to fight in such a way that glory is won in the Cause of Christ.

The next divine reality we come to grips with is: the victory we long for in Time has already been won for Eternity.  Jesus spoke to His Disciples in John 16:33 on the eve of His Crucifixion and said, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble, tribulation....”  “May have ...will have,” see the difference?  There are two places you can choose to ‘abide:’ in Christ or in the Kosmos, in the Word or in the world.  Jesus said, “Here in Satanic Central you have affliction and oppression of every kind.”  The question I want to ask most Christians, even myself on occasion, is: What do you expect as a son of God {Gal. 3:26} behind the lines in enemy territory?  You’re a Child of God in the devil’s world.  What version of reality are you living in: the True one or The Matrix?

“But take heart, take courage!”  There it is again, vital to the Conflict.  “I have overcome the world.”  Tharseo is a word which means- ‘have courage in the face of danger,’ and danger is precisely what we face.  What He’s saying to you and I through this passage is, “All the pain, all the pressure, all the conflict, chaos, and confusion of the Kosmos I have defeated.  Everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve experienced, everything you’ve suffered {at the hands of others or from your own bad decisions} I have suffered a thousand times more.  I’ve been there... and I’ve beaten it all!  In Me you have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

The third thing we see is that the only thing which can rob us {like the Exodus generation} from entering into the peace of God and the Triumph of His Son is a lack of faith, an unwillingness to trust.  The writer to the Hebrews spoke of the Jews who were delivered from slavery in Egypt saying, “the Message they heard was of no value to them, [Why?] because those who heard did not combine it with faith” {4:2b}.  They heard it ...they just didn’t believe it.  Sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?  It’s a perfect picture of those who refuse to believe God knows exactly what He’s doing, those who think they’ll be better served by their will than by His.  It’s a common mistake— of epic proportions.

And finally… we must understand, and I mean implicitly, down to the core of our very being, that ‘life in the Word,’ and ‘in the world,’ is about relationships.  It is relational to an infinite degree: first with God, then with man; first with the Father through faith in the Son, then working its way out to everyone around us.  For we were created in the “image” of perfect beauty, eternal intimacy, and relentless relationship— the Triune God.

HJC	Ric Webb  |  Shepherd Heart’s Journey Community 9621 Tall Timber Blvd. |  Little Rock, AR 72204 t +1.501.455.0296 | hjcommunity.org
Heart’s Journey – where the Word and the Spirit are one.