Our weather service just warned our area that a strong storm is coming. They predict extensive rain and flash floods. In the Spirit, storms are also coming that will arrive in seasons where we would not expect their appearance. 

It is just a bit after 4:00 a.m., and I am sitting in my writing chair. I just heard the clap of loud thunder in the skies above our home. Strong winds began to blow. This might be normal on a hot summer day, but not in December when cold temperatures are present. 

I was right in the middle of writing something else when I stopped to listen to whether what I was experiencing in the natural contained a word from the Lord.

As I listened to the sounds of the storm intensifying above me, I reviewed our property to make sure our windows were shut, the gutters were clean, and we had plenty of wood ready to heat our home if we lost power. 

Just like my thoughts on how to prepare in the natural for what is coming, we need to listen to the voice of the Lord. He is preparing to do something in the Spirit. He is issuing a warning to the Church. We are being warned of an incoming work of the Spirit that will appear disruptive. This will not be the arrival of “Jesus, meek and mild.” He is issuing a strong warning to the Church of what is coming as His judgment begins in the House of God.

The warning has two elements – repentance and exposure. We are being called to repent of sins, especially those sins that seem small, but will eventually grow into something much worse. We also need to expose what has been hidden and not fear the repercussions of that exposure even at the cost of our current relationships. 

This warning from the Lord has been given to save, not destroy. To live in secrecy with unrepented sin at work in our lives will not be strong enough to withstand the spiritual storm that is coming. Once our spiritual life is in order, we will be able to ride out what is coming and see the Lord do a powerful work of redemption in our personal lives, our churches, and our nation.