Eph 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Eph 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Most people think to deny the Lord is to do as Peter did, deny you know Him. The Lord stirred this Scripture up in my Spirit and showed me that it's much more. If I confess Him with my mouth, but deny Him the right to be Lord-i.e., director, instructor, and controller of my life, which He alone holds in His hand, then I deny Him. If I refuse His Lordship, and refuse to deny my flesh it's carnal ways and wants in favor of the rightful and reasonable demands of the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit, then I deny Him. I am not to deny Him at any time. I am not to deny Him quality time. I am not to deny Him the use of my vessel. I am not to deny Him when He stirs me up to pray. I am not to deny Him when He deals with me about something. I am not to deny Him anything. I am not to contradict Him or His Word by the way I live my life. It is to be HIM that lives in me in control, not me, myself and I.
Whatever He deals with us about, we need to be willing to deny ourselves but never Him. He has requirements of the vessel He dwells in, and uses. We must yield to the Holy Spirit and let Him make us what the Lord wants us to be. We must be willing to lay our lives down a living sacrifice for the use of the Master. IF we refuse, we deny Him.
Mat 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which isin heaven.
Luk 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
Luk 21:35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
Surfeiting is the result of over-indulgence. Regardless of what it is, over indulging in anything not spiritual will slow you down, make you dull, hard, heavy and slow. This is why too many church goers don't respond to the Word and the Spirit with the sensitivity they should and need to. Too many things are spotting them up. If your mind is filled with earthly things, heavenly things have no room. He will not force His way in. He stands outside and knocks, seeking entrance. It us who need to hit our knees and cry out for mercy and forgiveness, and ask Him to come and take His rightful place as number one. What a change we would see if we separate ourselves as much as possible from the things of this world, turn off the TV and computer, for a time, and read nothing but His Word. Take a set time as soon as possible and fast your mind and your body from as many worldly influences as you can, including food. Don't read the paper or watch TV for a few days. Get off the computer and out of the debate forums, and get alone with HIM. We can't reject ourselves, our ways, our desires, unless we are able to see One we want more than ourselves. That is the whole point of what the Holy Spirit is trying to do in our lives. He seeks to show us there is One who is better, who is right, who is everything we aren't, and yet He loves us. He wants to lead us to the cross Jesus said we must carry daily, nail our self will to it, and crucify us, so then the One who is more, who is better, who is Everything, can live in and through us and many can be saved and delivered from a perishing world. He is the love and life every hungry heart is searching for, whether they realize it or not. It will be an awful thing on that day of judgment when we all will have to stand before Him, and see the love and pain in His eyes. Many will stand there in awe, and finally understand that here is the love, here is what they spent their whole lives searching for only to find it is forever beyond their reach. Those who deny Him in their lifetime will be denied when they stand before Him. If we reject Him in life, He will not accept us in eternity. He will give us in eternity what we demanded in our life: His absence. It will hurt Him to do so, but He will not violate our free will. That's what is going to make hell so awful. Millions will mourn they were deceived-and you can't be deceived if you truly love the truth and pray for Him to help you not be deceived. To spend eternity realizing He was what we longed for and we missed Him will be horrible. The devil has many deceived into believing things of this life, such as getting ahead, having money, reputation, beauty, popularity, or position, are what is important. People are always grasping, because self is never satisfied. That inner emptiness is never filled. Only God can fill that void and make us complete. Only His love can heal our wounds and hurts. Only His peace can calm our troubled hearts. If all this sounds too hard, too difficult, too impossible, just pray and admit honestly that you can't do this. You wouldn't even know how to begin to try to do this. God already knows that you can't. But He can. Trust and commit yourself, your life to Him and He will bring it to pass. He can make you what He wants you to be. Time is short, don't delay any longer to run to Him. Please. The one who listens and obeys, to him shall be given life. He is our life.
Psa 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Psa 138:8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
Luk 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
Consider that the name "Christ" means the anointed one of God. Of course there are those who are deluded and claim to actually be Jesus Christ, but those are not the primary threat I believe He was warning them about. Those are easily identified as frauds. But how many today are on the religious stage proclaiming they are the anointed of God? Many of the religious celebrities travel around holding their conferences, and they boast and deceive all in the name of the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ and God. They put on a show, and glory in the flesh and multitudes throw their money at these showmen and women, order their cds and dvds and books, and feed their minds on deception because it's by and large a prosperity gospel, without mention of any cross in the life of a believer. Go ye not after them, He said. Don't listen to them, don't give them your money, don't buy their leaven. The truth is, if they really possess the anointing of God, they will also possess a healthy fear of God, and recognize where the real power is-in HIM not them. They will love Him and not dare touch the glory. They will not point people to their ministry but to their Christ! If anything or anyone except Jesus Christ is at the center, beware.
I've been thinking about this word 'anointing'. It was a custom among the Hebrews and other oriental nations to anoint themselves and when there was no anointing, it was one sign of mourning. To anoint was to put oil on the head or body. They anointed the head, the hair, the beard, and at their feasts, the whole body, but sometimes only hands and feet. Anointing dead bodies was also practiced to preserve them from corruption. Anointing visitors was also an act of hospitality. It was a means of refreshing their bodies. But the common uses for anointing were not to be confused with the special anointing decreed by God. Leaders were anointed and so were high priests at their inauguration. This signified they were set apart for God, and it was a costly and fragrant mixture of oils-forbidden for all others. Jesus Christ was the Anointed One, the anointing was the Holy Ghost working in Him and through Him. This is why I fear to use this word anointing very much-when you speak of the anointing, you speak not of a thing or a condition, but of a Person.
God would only allow the holy anointing oil to be put on that which was sanctified, set apart totally for Him. Common things nor strangers were never allowed to be anointed. They were not allowed to make this oil for themselves and their own personal use, either. This isn't a selfish thing. Its use was always to be governed by God. Whatever was anointed was for God's service. Any vessel used in the ministry in the tabernacle had to be anointed. This is the pattern the church of God was meant to follow. In the book of Acts, they had to be full of the Holy Ghost and faith just to minister to the widows' earthly needs, such as food and housing. Any one who was not filled was not allowed to minister or operate in the Sanctuary. My God. How far we have fallen. This requires a sacrifice of one's time and will but to be granted private, intimate audience with the Lord God Almighty, to be able to sit at His feet and eat His Word and learn FROM Him, not about Him...oh my..what could be better? Nothing can compare with being in His presence, hearing His Voice..
For those in leadership, this is the standard. They should give themselves to prayer and the Word of God else they will have nothing of lasting value to give the people of God. Instead they will have only their basic understanding which is vague at best of Scripture and won't reproduce life in the congregation. Those who would really know God, who want to go deeper, whether in leadership, behind the pulpit or just someone who loves God and sees the need to be an accurate witness of God, this is the way to know Him....get alone with Him, seek Him, search the Scriptures, bring them to Him, ask Him what it meant and dig and dig and pray and pray. Oh, what rich rewards of His presence, to learn from Him instead of about Him. It is necessary for the leadership to be alone with God, to be filled with God, yielded, and know when to step out of the way and let God move because that congregation is naked only before God. He knows each need, each hidden sin, each one who is holding too tight to something they need to let go and too loose to what they need to hold fast. He alone is able to perfect us. The more we decrease, and the more He increases in us, the more perfected we become.
By James Burns
To the church a revival means humiliation, a bitter knowledge of failure, and an open and humiliating confession of sin on the part of her ministers and people. It is not the easy and glowing thing many think it to be, who imagine that it fills the empty pews, and reinstates the Church in power and authority. IT COMES TO SCORCH BEFORE IT HEALS; it comes to rebuke ministers and people for their unfaithful witness, for their selfish living, for their neglect of the Cross, and to call them to daily reunciation, to an evangelical poverty, and to a deep and daily consecration. This is why a revival has ever been unpopular with large numbers within the Church. Because it says nothing to them of power such as they have learned to love, or of ease, of of success; it accuses them of sin, it tells them that they are dead, it calls them to awake, to renounce the world, and to follow Christ.
It the church today ready to hear that voice? Is she bowed down before God in prostration of need, in conscious dejection of unworthiness, in passionate self-abasement and desire for that renewal which comes through renunciation? It may well be doubted. It is upon the hearts of the few that the agony falls. Revival are not usually preceded by the awakening of the Church to a sense of need, but by the awakening of devout souls here and there, who feeling the need, begin to entreat God in prayer for a revival. Gradually this deepens and spreads until the sense of need becomes a burden, until the cry, "How long, Oh God! how long! becomes an agony. This is the cry which God cannot deny. It is for that cry that we must intently listen. Is there, then today a disposition to pray for a revival? Are devout men everywhere becoming alarmed, not for the success of the Church, but for the glory of Christ, lest it be lost altogether? Is there a sense of a burden lying upon men's hearts which will not give them rest, but which makes them agonize in prayer? If not, then the night is not far spent, a deeper darkness still awaits us. Of what use would a revival be if we are not prepared for it? It would pass over us without doing its work.
Reference: Revivals Their Laws and Leaders by James Burns
By James Denney |
A true revival is preeminently the work of the Holy Spirit, and the depth and magnitude of the work depends largely on the number of people who are in perfect union with the Holy Spirit. In times of revival all spiritual forces come to a crisis, both good and bad. Satan is on hand to muster all his children against a thorough work of grace. He will also be busy in society, devising all sorts of social matters against revival. He will influence all weak, half-hearted believers in every way against a thorough work. He will do everything to discourage workers. He will make them sick or cripple their zeal, or tempt them in some way to grieve the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is more frequently grieved by hidden things than by things which are outward and visible. In times of revival it is almost impossible to get six persons out of a large community, who in heart perfectly agree. There may be an outward profession of unity, and no one may detect any definite sign of disharmony, yet the human heart is so deceitful, and the interior conditions of perfect harmony require such utter unselfishness and transparency of spirit, that very few persons ever comply with them in the sight of God. The following are some of the things that grieve the Holy Spirit and hinder Him in revivals:
1. A CRITICAL SPIRIT. I do not mean the open rebuke of sin, for this is commanded in God's Word. Neither do I mean the just rebuke of ill-behaved persons in a meeting, for this is a necessity, and no company of worshipers should be disturbed by misconduct. But I mean those who claim to be in sympathy with God's work, yet they have a critical spirit against the leaders of the meeting, or the methods of work that may be adopted. Even though this criticism is not outspoken, it greatly hinders the Holy Ghost. There is often in the church a whimsical stubborn fault-finding disposition. A watching for defects among God's children, a picking out of blemishes in the singing, or the praying, or the preaching.All this forms an enormous barrier to the flow of the Holy Spirit. Such persons are deceitful, hard to please, and whatever excellencies they may have they are a definite hindrance to God's work. There is always a company of evil spirits that cluster around such persons to neutralize all the good they attempt to do.
2. THE SPIRIT OF FEAR. Timidity, moral cowardice, the fear of public opinion, the fear of relatives and friends, which prevents persons from taking a bold, decisive part in the church. Which prevents them from leading in prayer, or giving public testimony, or speaking to souls on personal salvation, all this fearfulness of spirit greatly grieves the Holy Ghost. Some are afraid that God will overburden them with work, or make demands of consecration beyond their strength, and so they fail to yield themselves fully to the Lord. While they may try to busy themselves in the church and think they are helping wonderfully, yet by that HIDDEN, miserable fearfulness of heart, which is the very essence of disobedience in the sight of God, they greatly hinder the power of the Spirit!
3. SELF-OPINION GREATLY GRIEVES THE SPIRIT. Many a revival is utterly prevented because prominent ones in the meeting stubbornly hold on to a wrong education, or to old theological notions. Some may have anti-scriptural views concerning inbred sin, or growth into heart purity, or the annihilation of the wicked. Others may be prejudiced against the manifestations of the Spirit, or divine healing. These things are unseen hindrances to the operation of the Spirit. Teachableness of mind, a perfect willingness to have only scriptural views, is a prerequisite condition for the descent of the power of God.
4. A SPIRIT OF RESERVE WITH GOD IS ANOTHER GRIEF TO THE HOLY GHOST. In every revival there are so many whose inner nature is tied up with a cautious conservatism, that persistently holds them back from a full abandonment to God and His work. They will boast of wanting such wonderfully great things. Yet there is an unexpressed unwillingness to be and do all the Lord wants, or to suffer all the Lord wants them to suffer. They are consciously holding themselves back, lest they should slide down some steep place and get drowned in the ocean of God's will. This internal checking of themselves not only prevents their own full salvation, but hinders the Spirit from using them for the blessing of others.
5. SELF-PLANNING AS TO GOD'S WORK. At the beginning of most every revival, it is almost a universal thing for those who are most interested to form some plan in their own mind as to how God ought to come and how the work ought to be done. Each one forms a standard as to who should lead the work or how it ought to be conducted, or what divine demonstrations should occur. So there are a large number of mental schedules which are invisible to mortal eyes, but which bristle like antagonistic bayonets before the all-seeing eye, and the blessed Holy Ghost who reads the thoughts and interests of the mind, finds Himself dictated to, by the very people who outwardly profess that they want God to have His way.
6. THE SPIRIT IS GRIEVED BY OUR HAVING LIMITED VIEWS OF CHRIST'S POWER. Oftentimes God wants to begin with the leaders of a meeting and lead them into a fresh baptism of fire or into a new depth of self denial. But their rigid and narrow views of God's saving grace is a definite hindrance to the Spirit's power. As a result, the people under such leadership often suffer with limited views of Christ's saving and sanctifying power.
7. THE SPIRIT IS OFTEN GRIEVED WHEN TESTS OF OBEDIENCE ARE SHUNNED. It may be a question of restitution or reconciliation, or the confession of a backslidden state, or the giving up of some indulgence. There have been meetings where two or three conspicuous persons utterly failed to obey God on some test point, and the work was a failure; the Spirit was grieved away, Satan and his black angels triumphed and the work of God was put back for years.
8. THE SPIRIT IS OFTEN GRIEVED BY OUR UNWILLINGNESS TO GO BEYOND OTHERS. God often wants some of us to go out into His will on lines of prayer and faith and obedience, even beyond what other professors of holiness will consent to. When He calls, if we stop to measure ourselves with others, and compare ourselves among ourselves we may greatly hinder a work of grace. God can overcome the open and recognized hindrances to His work a great deal easier than He can the hidden barriers in the hearts of His people.
-G. D. Watson
Mat 13:11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
No one can know or receive anything unless it's given them from above. Carefully consider what He's saying here. He's talking to His disciples. The word disciple means pupil, someone who spends time with the Master, learning from Him directly. It's a personal, intimate friendship where secrets are shared. It's been given-it's been made available to us by Him. To you it's been given the chance to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. To know the heavenly life of Christ rather than the earthly life of man, through prayer, the Scriptures, which point us to the Source-a living, breathing, almighty Creator who loves us so much and wants to infuse His life into us. He doesn't want us trying to accumulate wisdom or things, for He is our wisdom, He is our provider, He is everything.
It's given to you to KNOW-(G1097) to know with absolute certainty and understanding the secrets of the heavenly kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God? Peace, righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost. We can be at peace with ourselves, and God, covered with the righteousness of His Son, and have fellowship with Him through the ministry of the Holy Ghost in our lives.
If we've been given this, why is so much of the church so ignorant and so powerless? There is too much carnality, to much strife, disagreement. Why? Because self rules instead of the Holy Spirit. When self rules, there will be disagreements within the church, there will be envying, striving, and division. This is how carnal, unregenerate men live. The natural man cannot understand and will not accept the ways and truth of God. (1Co_3:3, 1Co_2:14) He can't know these things. Why?
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
"What!?! Deny myself? Die to what I want and think? You've got to be kidding. Why would I want to do that? I work hard, I pay my bills, I am a good person, I don't use drugs, I don't beat my wife and kids. I've never killed anybody. Why don't I deserve a few nice things? What's wrong with me making it and having money and nice stuff? Why would I give all that up? I've worked hard for it! What kind of message is that?"
You see what I mean? But this is the message, the testimony of Jesus Christ. It's the sacrificial life and example He lived. He didn't tell us to do something He didn't do. Are we any better that we should escape the cross? No, we don't have to be beaten and nailed to a wooden cross, though some have been, He would much rather us yield to His spiritual cross. This one cuts off self effort, renders it useless and all it accomplishes. The cross means suffering for the sake of others and total dependence on God to do what must be done. This makes no sense nor is it an appealing message to those who prefer darkness to light. This why Jesus said it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man. The camel is dependent on another, the rich man is not. The word for "rich" in that Scripture means who has an abundance of possessions and resources. It doesn't mean millionaires, billionaires, etc. It means one who has more than they need.
The preaching of the cross-deny yourself and let Me live My will and My way through your body, using your hands and feet and mind and mouth to accomplish My purposes. Say goodbye to what you want and embrace Me and My will. Of course this sounds foolish to the carnal, those at ease, comfortable in their own little place. They like where they are and have no desire to launch out in to the deep things of God. To do so requires a sacrifice and to sacrifice requires more love for Him than they have. Oh, God help us. How is self denial the power of God which saves? Because when we get self out of His way then He can take over and do the work that needs to be done. We can't save ourselves. We can't with human wisdom and resources accomplish divine and eternal things. We can't give salvation to the lost. We can't set them free from the grip of sin and Satan who will most certainly destroy their lives.
Paul said I'm determined to not know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Jesus Christ, totally dependent on the Father for the work of the Father to be accomplished, and it was. He did nothing of Himself, He said only what the Father told Him to say, went where the Father said go, do what He said do. The miracles He did were the work of the Father in Him, the power of the Holy Spirit. I don't understand how it all works, I just know it works. He said He did nothing of Himself, that what He did was the result of the influence, direction and power of the Father in Him. He was a container for the Word made flesh and Spirit of God. Paul said I was with you in weakness, (whether in body or mind), with the same moral frailty you have, the same disease of the human nature you are infected with. I was with you in fear and trembling. What was he afraid of? He said his preaching was not with elegant or enticing men's wisdom, but He spoke the truth of God, relying on the Spirit of God to make it real to the hearts and minds of the people. He was willing to hide behind the cross, in nothingness, that Christ could be manifested through and in Him to the people. Then no one could say, "Oh, didn't he preach a nice message? Didn't he speak well? What a strong, powerful preacher!" NO!!!!! A thousand times no! He was so full of the life of God, they were left with "What a powerful message! How mighty God met me and ministered His life and hope to me today!" The Spirit, knowing Paul would not dare exalt any facet of his own personality in an attempt to persuade the people, was unhindered, unfettered, and able to move mightily in a demnostration of the power of God among them. This can happen when men are willing to be seen as nothing, that God can be seen as what He is-everything. He will not give His glory (or the credit) to another. If a minister steps up to speak His Word, flesh has to be crucified, so it won't get exalted when the Spirit starts moving and lives are changed, yokes of flesh and sin and darkness are destroyed by His anointing. How easy it would be to get exalted in ourselves and think ourselves special recipients of God's power instead of what we really are. He requires a prepared, sanctified container to pour His life and power through to others. But we must realize we are just the container. He alone is the Source and as thus He alone deserves the glory and honor. What amazing things God could do when He finds a person willing to be nothing so He can be everything. THEN people's faith will not be in men or what men say about God but in GOD Himself.
Col 1:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
Col 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Paul says I'm a waiter-an attendant. I wait on God, learn from Him, and what I hear from Him I share with you. Isn't that what Jesus did? Even the secrets long hidden through out the generations of mankind but now He is taking the cover off and showing these things to His saints. He desires to make known the riches of the glory of the mystery-which is Christ living in you, His life, His anointing, His power, in an earthly container, sanctified for His purposes, set apart for His use, and that is our expectation, our confidence, our hope of glory. His life being lived out in and through us for the sake of others. What an invitation and privilege He is offering us.
|
