Is Your Connection Broken

John 15:1-8, "“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. 5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. 7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! 8 When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father." (NLT)

The Spirit placed this passage in my heart this morning as I was praying. Is it possible that we have either forgotten or overlooked this powerful principle of "connection" that Christ revealed to us? Each of us can recognize and even sense that the powers and principalities of darkness are at work in our culture. How will we respond to that activity? This is no time to allow the enemy to sever or disconnect you from your relationship with Jesus Christ. I see those attempts taking place in dramatic actions all across the spectrum of Christianity. Some of us are being attacked in manners that we have never identified before. Others are sensing the subtle attacks of satan and they are seeking to respond to them in the strength of the flesh rather than the power of the Spirit. I believe that it is time for the "church" (both local as well as corporate) to cry out to God and rebuke the snares/traps of the enemy.

Is it just me or do you see some of these same actions taking place in our lives? The devil seeks to sever our time with God that at one time we reserved for prayer, meditation, Bible reading, corporate worship, fellowship with the believers, visitation of the sick, etc. The present culture has a way of keeping all of us so busy that we have very little "spare" time. These are strong words but I do believe that they need to be written. We have time for "us" and in some cases God is allotted whatever time is left over after we have completed all of the activities that pleased and brought satisfaction to us. I will stop at this point but I do believe that it is time that we examined our connection with Christ.

To be continued...