The all-too-familiar text within Paul’s Roman letter declares, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 NIV.

It’s interesting to read this same passage in The Passion Translation. It reads like this: “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Ghost through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes.” Romans 12:2 TPT

In Nehemiah 3, we read the prophet’s declaration of the work that had been done to the City of God, the City of Jerusalem. He said, “And they have restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall.” Nehemiah 3:8

Well-fortified cities have broad walls. In her glory-days, Jerusalem had one as well. The New Jerusalem, similarly, is surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world and separation from its patterns and ideas. There is a constant assault from the world against these holy bastions, ever attempting to break down the holy barrier and make the distinction between the Church and the world nominal.

Today, young believers seem to be completely oblivious to the doctrines of broad walls; of righteousness and personal godliness. For too long in western Christianity, there seems to be no line which couldn’t be crossed, no literature that couldn’t be read, no art that could not be viewed, no video that could not be watched, no picture that should not be seen. Gaiety and laughter filled the air as facetious pastimes were eagerly indulged. The pseudo-philosophers, self-help dealers, and pimping preachers were all pushing “personal happiness” as the mark of success in a world where Laodicean comfort was the gold standard of lackadaisical discipleship.

But the gift of trouble is its magnificent power to demonstrate the ‘reality’ of an unfiltered truth. During these past few months, the broad spectrum of Christianity and its leadership have marshalled together the sons and daughters of God, the remnant army of His Kingdom. There s a revival of repentance breaking out across the world. People are shaking themselves, they are awakening to the reality that their former days of non-distinctive living must be over. The laxity of yesterday is now clearly seen as a present danger and a perilous threat to an eternal future. Hearts have been realigned, friendships have been reappraised, loyalties to customs and traditions have been reassessed, and love for God has moved into first place in priority and first place in prayer.

Men and women of God have gotten up, dressed up, prayed up, and gone up to rebuild the broad wall with a fresh new anointing to be a non-conformer to this world, which is the enemy of God. People have taken trowel in one hand, and a mortar box in another while their friends and co-laborers have cobbled stone and brick together. Busy. Building. Back. The. Wall.

The Broad Wall provided a pleasant place of relaxation to the residents within Jerusalem, providing them with a panoramic view of the surrounding country. Today, more than any other time in recent history, a person’s station and local in relationship to the Broad Wall can be easily discerned by their speech and sight. What they see, they speak. If they are still living in ease, they’ll never be able to discuss the dangers on the landscape, only their desire for more ease within the district of their own personal pleasures.

The Lord Jesus gave us broad commandments, which in turn provides for us a boulevard of freedom and a specific pathway to communion with Him. From here, we look upon the distresses of our earth and up to the glories of heaven. We reverse the traverse of the Hebrew Aleph. We were bound and restricted as prisoners of lowland living inside the district of sin and deceit. But, because we were seperated by a Broad Wall of protection between Holy and unholy, One came from Heaven’s throne to kill the influence of ungodly quests and sinful lusts. No longer would we be the earthbound with no hope of touching heaven, but Heaven came to us by One who left glory to walk among us. He knew no sin, but became sin for us, so that He could be our propitiation for sin. While He serves as our Advocate, He also served as our Sacrifice, our Lamb of God who took away our sins.

So today, the Church is marked with power and life in Christ Jesus, because He fulfilled the mission of Aleph, and became the complete salvation of our lives by rescuing our Tav. Hence, our language of nonconformity is complete, our lexicon of adoration is replete with Truth. In fact, Tav the last letter of the Hebrew word emet, which means: Truth. The midrash explains that emet is made up of the first, middle, and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet (aleph, mem, and tav: אסת

Truth condescended from heavenly glory, to remove the wall of separation sin had constructed and recovering the wall sin could not breach. The narrow boundaries between the border of love and hate, enmity and grace; between the broad wall of salvation and broad way of destruction is thin crimson river that runs like a scarlet thread. It’s called the highway of blood that leads to the Celestial City of First Love.

This is your finest hour. You were made for this day. Stand up in your strength and begin to pray. Pray bold. Pray loud. Pray long. Pray through. Pray believing. Pray receiving. Pray until… the broad wall of freedom, of prayer, of meditation, of salvation are fully recovered in your life and has become the thoroughfare for the Kings’ Cry. “You are a citizen of a new and better country, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them” Hebrews 11:16WEH. John, in his apocalyptic wonder wrote, “And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and it had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” Revelation 21:10-12

Today believer, you have every right to stand up on the walls of salvation, for you have an inheritance before you, you have the keys to this city given you, you have the citizenry of this city within you. Be conformed to this City called Heaven, and value the blessings you enjoy by not conforming to this present world.

Wendell Hutchins II