Fall Lord, Fall!

Acts 10:44

“While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.”

I want to focus my attention on one word in these verses, “fell,” which is the word that captured my attention while studying these verses last night.

“The Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word.”

The first thing I see here is that what is happening is the work of the Holy Spirit.  

First, the Holy Spirit was the initiator of what was happening. It doesn’t say they grabbed it or reached out and seized the Holy Spirit; it says, "The Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word."

Second, the Greek word for “fell” (epepesen) means to come upon suddenly, with power, grip, seize, or take possession of. One of the definitions for this Greek word even says, “To strike or to hit.”  In other words, the Holy Spirit came upon them in an undeniable manner, and it was a visible manifestation of the power of God.

They were visibly and physically affected. They felt it, and anyone present could see the effects of the Spirit upon them. As I was reading this scripture, my mind went to other passages in the Word where the power of God fell.

1 Chronicles 21:26 - “And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.”

This was also an undeniable, visible manifestation of the power of God. The example that stands out was when Elijah squared off with the false prophets of Baal upon Mt Carmel. 

The false prophets and the Man of God agreed. They would both build an altar and offer a sacrifice but put no fire under it. They would call on their respective gods, and the God that answered by fire would be recognized as the one true God. The false prophets built their altar, laid the sacrifice on it, and called upon Baal from morning till noon without an answer.

Elijah began to mock them, and then they became violent and went into a frenzy and began to jump on the altar and cut themselves until the blood gushed out upon them. They continued from noon till the evening sacrifice. Then Elijah took over the stage.

Elijah repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down; he put the wood in order and arranged the sacrifice on the wood. Then he had them pour 12 barrels of water on the sacrifice, and then he prayed a short prayer. The Bible says that the fire of the Lord “fell” (the same Greek word in the Septuagint) and consumed the burnt sacrifice and the wood and the stones and the dust and licked up the water in the trench.

What happened upon that mountain was so powerful and undeniable that it turned a nation back to God. They experienced a visible, tangible manifestation of the power of God. They had a God Encounter. The Fire of God, the Power of God, fell upon that Mountain on that Altar and that Sacrifice.

Then my mind goes to Acts 2:1-4: “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

·         The fire of God Fell on David’s altar and burnt offerings

·         The Fire of God fell on Solomon’s offering and sacrifices

·         The Fire of God, The power of God fell on Mt Carmel

·         The Holy Ghost Fire fell on the day of Pentecost

·         The Holy Ghost Fire fell on the Gentiles in Cornelius' house.

In each case, Old and New Testament, it was a visible and undeniable manifestation of the Power of God. In each case, those involved experienced a God encounter.  

I remember when I was a child, having these types of visible and tangible God encounters regularly in the church services where I first came to "know of Jesus," it still happens in the church I now attend where I came to "know" Jesus.

What am I getting at with all this background? What is it that is weighing heavy on my mind this morning? I am seriously concerned that we may be raising a generation of young Christians who have never had a God encounter. A generation that has never experienced a tangible and undeniable manifestation of the power of God. I am concerned that many of the old Pentecostal denominations are becoming Pentecostal in name only because of the current generation of believers:

·         Know God in theory

·         Know God religiously

·         Know God mentally or intellectually

·         They know of God

But have they ever had a Mt. Carmel, a Day of Pentecost, or a “House of Cornelius” encounter with the Fire of God falling on them? I wonder to myself, have they ever experienced the power of the Holy Ghost seizing them and taking possession of them? Have they ever experienced the supernatural fire of God burning in their hands and feet? To so many in this generation today, the fire of God is just a concept; it’s just an idea, and an encounter with God is when they get goose pimples listening to a worship song.

But my mission today is to tell you that the fire of God is not just a concept; it is not just an idea; it is not a theory or philosophy to be studied. It is not the figment of an overactive imagination or religious ramblings. The fire of God is the manifestation of the Holy Ghost; it is a God encounter, and it is:

·         The same fire that fell on Mt Carmel

·         The same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost

·         The same fire that fell in Cornelius' House.

·         It is Real, Tangible, Alive, and it is Contagious!

·         It is still the mighty power of God

Why is this power so important? Because the fire of God can heal cancer, it can flush drugs out of your system, take the desire all at the same time, deliver you from alcohol, pornography, lust, and perversion, it can destroy jealousy, pride, criticism, bitterness, and unforgiveness, it can heal your broken heart, it will restore joy and peace, it will heal your marriage, and the fire of God will heal your mind.

My prayer, no, my cry today is, God do it again! Let the fire fall! That same fire that fell on the day of Pentecost, that same fire that fell on the gentiles in the home of Cornelius, do it again, Lord, do it again!

·         Let the fire fall!

·         Come suddenly, come forcibly, and come with power!

·         Rush in on us and take possession of us!

I’m not satisfied just reading and singing about it; I want to experience it! Jesus said: “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…” 

 

This power is not a theory or a concept; it is the same power that caused the sun and moon to stand still, the same power that divided the Red Sea and caused water to flow out of a rock like a river. The same power made the three Hebrew children fireproof, gave Daniel's lions lockjaw, and shook Paul and Silas’s prison off its foundations. Let it fall, Lord, let it fall!

This power is the same power that was upon Jesus' life. It opened blind eyes, unstopped deaf ears, and made the lame walk and the dumb talk, and it is the same power that raised the dead, including the Lord Jesus Himself. Let it fall, Lord, let it fall!

It is this same fire, anointing, and power that God wants to send upon your life right now. God is waiting, and He wants to fall on your life with a tangible, undeniable, irrefutable, and indisputable manifestation of the power of the Holy Ghost.

Hunger is a magnet; it will draw the anointing and open the door for the manifestation of God's power. The great Apostle of Faith Smith Wigglesworth said, “Every Soul touched by Pentecost should be a live wire.”

I believe there are some hungry and thirsty people who refuse to be satisfied or appeased with anything less than a personal encounter with the true power of God. The power of God is going to seize your life, take hold of your life, and set your life on fire.

The God we serve still answers by fire. Wherever there is an altar, wherever there is a sacrifice, wherever there is anointed prayer, wherever there are hungry hearts, and wherever there is desperation for Him, the God who answers by fire is available right now.

His power is waiting to fall on you:

·         He is ready to save you

·         He is willing to heal you

·         He is waiting to deliver you

·         He is waiting to restore your marriage

·         He is here to revive and resurrect you

Fall, Lord, fall on us now! Fall on our hearts, fall on our lives, fall on our marriages, fall on our ministries, fall on our visions and dreams, fall on our attitudes, fall on our families, fall on our finances, fall on our minds, and fall on our bodies.

Fall, Lord, fall! Consume us, burn up dead religion, burn up carnality, burn up dead traditions, burn up everything that is not of you, and set us on fire!

The Word of Our Testimony

Joshua 4:1-9, 20-24

And it came to pass, when all the people had completely crossed over the Jordan, that the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying:  2 “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.’”

4 Then Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the children of Israel, one man from every tribe;  5 and Joshua said to them: “Cross over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel,  6 that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’  7 Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.”

8 And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.  9 Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant stood; and they are there to this day.

20 And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal.  21 Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’  22 then you shall let your children know, saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land’;  23 for the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over,  24 that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

In the text it says that Joshua chose twelve men, one from each of the twleve tribes of Israel and commanded them to take every man a stone.  These stones were to become a memorial to the miraculous power of God that divided the Jordan and delivered the children of Israel. These stones were to be a reminder for all the ages of the power of God to deliver His children from circumstances when it appears to everyone that all hope is lost.  The stones were their testimony to the world.

Don’t ever think that your testimony isn’t important, according to the Word of God you are made an overcomer by the blood of Jesus and by the word of your testimony. (Revelation 12:11)

Romans 8:37

“Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

I am more than a conqueror: More because I didn’t just get delivered, I didn’t just get healed, I didn’t just make it through the Jordan waters, I didn’t just make it through the fire and through the flood, but God gave me a testimony.  It’s the blood of the lamb coupled with my testimony that makes me more than a conqueror, it has made me an overcomer!

It is our testimony that makes us valuable to the Kingdom of God.  Our testimony is what makes us dangerous, because our testimony makes us a threat to hell.  You see it’s not just what you came through, and what you made it through that makes you a threat to hell, it is the fact that God brought you through it all.  Your personal victory benefits no one except yourself until you open your mouth and declare the faithfulness and the mercy of God that delivered you, restored you, and set you free.  Then your testimony becomes a weapon, it becomes a sword in your hand, it becomes an instrument of power to set the captive free, and it becomes a lifeline to someone who is sinking.

So many of Gods people have been shamed into hiding their testimony, some are afraid to give their testimony because the devil makes them believe that if they talk about it, it might open the door for it to come back, or they might fall back into the pit they were delivered from.  This is nothing but the spirit of fear manipulating and intimidating you because the devil knows the power of your testimony.

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

Satan wants you to keep your mouth shut because he knows your testimony has the power to bring life, to bring hope, to bring joy and peace, and to bring restoration and deliverance.

It is my story now, it was my heartbreak, and it was my confusion and fear, and my loss. It was my fall, it was real, it was hot, and it hurt.  There were times I felt like I wasn’t going to make it, times I felt like I was going to lose my mind, and times I felt like I was going to die.  But I am here today and I made it.  My mistakes didn’t kill me, I was bitten but I didn’t die, the alcohol and drugs didn’t kill me, the sickness didn’t kill me, the motorcycle wreck didn’t kill me, my marriage survived, and I found my way back to God.

My ministry was destroyed, my reputation was destroyed, but it didn’t kill me. I walked through the valley of the shadow of death, but I’m still alive.  I walked through the fiery furnace but I didn’t burn up.  I waded through deep waters but I didn’t drown.  I heard Satan whisper time and time again, “I’m going to kill you.”

But I’m still here, healed, delivered, set free, and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ once again!  I’ve got a testimony! 

For years I fought hell every day and there were times when I felt like giving up, there were times when I felt like I wouldn’t make it, there were people who said I wouldn’t make it, and there were people who had written me off.  But Jesus gave me a testimony, He raised me up, He healed me and He delivered me from the mouth of the lion!

I should be dead…

·         But God has healed me.

·         But God has delivered me.

·         But God has promoted me.

·         But God has protected me.

·         But God has anointed me.

Has anybody got a testimony?  The three Hebrew children had a great miracle when God delivered them from the fiery furnace. But the most valuable thing that they received that day was not the miracle, it was the testimony.  Because the miracle was theirs alone and only benefited them, it was just for that day and for that problem, but their testimony is still bringing hope to the hopeless, it’s still bringing strength to the weak, healing to the sick, and deliverance to the captive.  We overcome today by the blood of the lamb, and by the word of our testimony.

I believe now that somebody is going to be delivered because of my testimony, to be healed because of my testimony, and somebody is going to receive boldness and strength to try again because of my testimony.  Somebody who was going to quit the ministry is going to stay, somebody who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown is going to find peace, and somebody who was ready to quit on life is going to keep on living because of my testimony.

No wonder the devil is trying so hard to kill us, no wonder we’ve been going through the fiery furnace. He wants to shut us up; he wants to kill our testimony.

Psalm 9:13-14

David tells how God lifted him up from the gates of death, so that he could testify to the people of his deliverance, and tell how what the enemy sent to destroy him, backfired in the enemies face and destroyed them.

God is going to make the devils plan backfire in his face, if you will hold on God will deliver you and he will put the enemy's sword in your hand and you will cut off your enemy's head with his own sword and God will give you a testimony.

You need to know that there is…

·         No miracle without a problem

·         No victory without a battle

·         No crown without a cross

·         No resurrection without a death

·         And no testimony without a test

Somebody reading this today is going through the fire right now.  You’re in the fight of your life, for your life. You’re walking through the valley of the shadow of death.  You’re being attacked physically, spiritually, and financially.  Your family is under attack, your marriage is being attacked, your ministry is being attacked, it seems like all hell has been unleashed against you.  But the Lord told me to tell you, “You’re going to make it!  You’re not going under, you’re going over!  You’re not going to burn up in the fire, but you’re coming out with victory and you’re coming out with a testimony that will shake hell, and will break down walls and set captives free.”

When the children of Israel crossed the Jordan River, they set up two pillars.  One was in the middle of Jordan and one was on the other side of Jordan.  The first one in the middle of Jordan was a midway praise, “I’m going through it praise.”

I’m going through sickness, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through a divorce, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through financial problems, they’re threatening to foreclose on my house, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  I’m going through it with my children, they’re on drugs, they’re rebellious and hateful, but I’m going to praise him anyway.  You may be in the darkest times of your life, but give God praise.

Paul and Silas were beaten, and humiliated publicly, and they were bound and cast into the inner prison.  They could have murmured and complained, they could have been angry and bitter, or they could have slipped over into self-pity, but they didn’t.  The Word of God says that at midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises unto God, and God shook that prison off of its foundation, shook the doors off their hinges, and broke the shackles off of every prisoner.

I just want to tell somebody, God works the night shift, in fact He does his best work in the dark.  You may not see it, but He’s working, you may not feel it, but He’s working.  He doth work, He’s working on the left hand and He’s working on the right hand and when He gets through with what He’s doing, He’s going to flip the light on and you’re going to see what’s He’s been working on in the dark.

When the children of Israel got to the other side of the Jordan: Joshua said, now take those stones that you carried out of the Jordan River and build a pillar here. This is your Thank God I made it Praise.  This is your thank God I made it testimony.

Is there anybody who has a thank God I made it Praise? A thank God I made it testimony?  Is there anybody who knows it’s a miracle you’re still here?

Psalm 119:92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.

Psalm 40:2, 3 He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.  And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.

David said: I was stuck in a horrible pit, I was sinking into the miry clay, all joy and all peace was fading from view, it looked like I was going to die, it looked like I would never be happy again, It looked like the devil had won, but God reached down into that horrible pit and he pulled me out of that miry clay, and he set my feet upon the rock, and he gave me back my joy, and he gave me back my peace and he gave me back my song,

What David was saying is that God has given me a testimony and when people hear my testimony they will honor God and put their trust in him for their own deliverance, and their own miracle.

Do you have a testimony?

Do you have a midnight praise?

Do you have a thank God I made it praise?

Does anybody know how to give God Praise?

Then open your mouth and give God praise, and tell the devil he’s a liar, and tell the devil he’s a loser.  Tell the devil your God is greater than divorce, your God is greater than cancer and heart trouble, Your God is greater than sugar diabetes and high blood pressure. Your God is greater than arthritis, and deafness and cataracts.  SCREAM IT IN THE DEVIL’S FACE!

My God is greater than drug addiction, He’s greater than homosexuality, He’s greater than perversion.

Now testify…

·         I was sick but God healed me.

·         I was lost but Jesus found me

·         I was bound by drugs and alcohol but God delivered me

·         I was oppressed by a spirit of fear but God set me free

·         I was about to lose my marriage but God brought restoration

·         I was about to lose my mind but God stepped in and spoke peace

There’s power in your testimony!

Survive or Thrive

“Survivor”: It is the theme and title of one of the most popular television series of all time.  Survival is our most natural human instinct, and it is our strongest fleshly driven desire.  When all is said and done there is something in us that makes us want to be, “The last man standing.”  But as Christians we are supposed to die to ourselves, we are to have “taken up our crosses” and followed Jesus, and we should have been “crucified with Christ,” and should no longer live for ourselves, but for the one who died for us.  Yet, this seems to be a conflict for a lot of believers, much of the time.

The desire to survive, and keep “self” alive, keeps us from experiencing the power of God in our lives that He intended for us to walk in because:

·         It keeps us at a mediocre level.

·         It eats away at our convictions until we are willing to compromise.

·         It leads us to make decisions that will please people rather than God.

·         It drives us to excuse our ineffectiveness and lack of fruit.

·         It robs us of the freedom and joy that are in Christ.

·         It hinders us from complete obedience to God.

Luke 9:23-24

23 Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

Galatians 2:20

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Are you a survivor or a dead man? 

Survivors look after themselves, dead men trust God.

Some examples of people who looked after themselves rather than trusting God:

·         Genesis 25:29-34 – Esau sold his birthright to satisfy his belly

·         Genesis 13:8-18 – Lot chose to live among wicked men for the sake of wealth and lost it all

·         1 Samuel 13: 11-14 – Saul violated the Lord’s commands for his own purposes and the anointing was taken from his life

·         Matthew 19:20-23 – the rich ruler opted for wealth over eternal life

·         Acts 5 – Ananias and his wife chose the honor of men over the honor of God and forfeited their lives

What all of these have in common is that they lost the very thing they were trying to keep.  Survivors take on a philosophy of life that says, “I want to stay alive at any cost,” even if it means they must deny God.  Are there areas of your life where you are looking out for number one and compromising the principles of God rather than trusting Him?  Let go and trust God!

Survivors follow the crowd, but dead men follow God.

The survivor is always seeking the path of least resistance, the wide road, the easy way.

·         Are you a survivor at work?

·         Does anyone know you have taken a stand for righteousness?

·         How about at school young people?

·         Do you bow to the crowd when the heat is on?

Matthew 10:32-38

32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. 34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to turn " ’a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ 37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Daniel 3:10-12

10 You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down and worship will be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon-Shadrach; Meshach and Abednego-who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."

A young man applied for a job as a farm hand. When asked for his qualifications, he said, "I can sleep when the wind blows."

This confused the farmer, but he immediately liked the young man and so he hired him.  A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all was secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farm implements had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn had been properly locked. All was well. Even the animals were calm.  It was then that the farmer grasped the meaning of the young man’s words, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the farm hand had performed his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. Consequently, when the wind blew, he had no fear. He was able to sleep in peace.

If you follow God you can sleep when the wind blows!  Are you going with the flow and following the crowd on issues that you believe God has instructed you differently about?  Forget the crowd and follow Jesus.

Survivors run and hide; dead men stand to fight.

When you don’t have to survive you can stand and fight and even endure a losing season because you have no place else to go, you don’t have a plan “B”, there is no safety net, and no hiding place.

2 Corinthians 11:23-29

23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.  24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.  25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;  26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;  27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness—  28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.  29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?  30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.  31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.  32 In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

West Point’s "Harder Right" This quotation is from the "Cadet Prayer." It is repeated every Sunday in chapel services at West Point: "Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be contented with half-truth when whole truth can be won. Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when right and truth are in jeopardy."

Are you a quitter just because the path God leads you on is difficult? Do you envy the idle masses that seem to have an easy life?  Come out of hiding and face the challenge of real Christian living!

Survivors all eventually die; dead men find eternal life in Christ.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,  6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 12:10-12

10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. 12Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!

In the first part of the fifteenth century a French peasant by the name of Joan of Arc was called to save her country from its enemies. On one occasion she said to one of her generals, “I will lead the men over the wall.” The general said, “Not a man will follow you.” Joan of Arc replied, “I won’t be looking back to see if they are following me.”

Are you clinging to a life that does not satisfy you for fear of failure or ultimately death?

Let go of your life, release it to God and find what living really is.

A life filled with power, is a life lived in the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Every professing Christian should be experiencing the Spirit filled Life.  Jesus didn’t shed his blood just to save you from your sins. That blood is the introduction into the life of the Spirit.  How it must grieve Jesus, for us to stop short of what He paid so high a price for us to have.  To be filled with the Spirit was not a mere suggestion, but rather a command to His disciples, which we are if we continue in his word.

Luke 24:49

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Ephesians 5:17-20

17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,  19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,  20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The will of God is that you be filled with the Spirit.  The will of God is actually that we become the channels through which his spirit flows through, that we become ministers of that anointing.

2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

John 7:37-38

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Ezekiel 37:7-10

Here we find the picture of the New Testament believer, the power filled Christian life.

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone.  8 And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them.

9 Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Notice how everything from a natural standpoint may look perfect, but from God’s perspective it is dead until the Spirit has come upon and into. It is the Spirit that turns these bones into an army.

Too many people sit in the pews of churches week after week who are dead in the spiritual sense.  Everything looks great on the outside, everything appears to be in order, and it seems as though they have it all together.  But they are dead because the Holy Spirit cannot blow upon their lives because they refuse to die to “self.”

They have some kind of beef with someone that they just can’t seem to let go of.  Some man or woman in the church has hurt them, someone has stepped on their feelings and they just can’t seem to get over it. 

My grandfather wouldn’t go to church because when he was a child the pastor of his parent’s church blamed him for something he hadn’t done and he got a whipping for it.  He never got over it.  He used it as an excuse to stay out of church for the rest of his life.  He detested men of God and spoke ill of them whenever given the opportunity.  And eventually at the age of 100, he died without Christ.

Has someone hurt you?  Do you have an issue with your brother or sister in the Lord?  Maybe you have a problem with your pastor, whatever it is you need to get over it and die to yourself if you want to experience the power of a Holy Spirit filled life.  God cannot pour His Spirit into vessels that are already filled with envy, strife, slander, gossip, or greed. 

Empty yourself of “self” today and be filled with the Holy Ghost.  Then where now flows poison that drives men from God, He will cause streams of living water to flow that will draw men unto Him. 

Christ’s life, His blood, is the only life and blood that has room to flow in the life of a true follower of Jesus.

Blind Beggars

Mark 10:46-52

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.  47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”

50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?”

The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”

52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

It says that Jesus came to Jericho and left Jericho, there is no narrative of His visit there, because most likely nothing significant happened during this visit.  This is a very good illustration to show us that if we do not prepare ourselves for His presence, He will come and go, and we will not receive anything.

One man, who had been born blind, by the name of Bartimaeus was willing to reveal his emptiness, he was willing to endure the persecution for admitting he had a need.  It says that Bartimaeus heard the Crowd.  He couldn’t see but he could hear, and he used what he had. He couldn’t see but he had good vocal chords, so he used what he had.  God always gives us something to work with.

When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth he began to cry out for mercy.  Bartimaeus had been contemplating his condition and the spirit of desperation had been cultivating inside him. His plea for mercy was a cry of desperation for deliverance.  Jesus followers tried to get him to shut up and told him that he should hold his peace but he cried out even more, louder than before.  It was this cry that stopped Jesus in His tracks and made the Son of God stand still.

Jesus told His followers to bring the man to him.  Now the ones who had been telling Bartimaeus to shut up, now said, “Be of good comfort rise he calleth for thee.”

Isn’t it amazing how fast people can change when it will make them look more spiritual?  If they had cared about Bartimaeus they would have took him to Jesus

Mark 10:50

“And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.”

This garment was symbolic of his lifestyle, He had lived in this garment the life of a blind beggar. It was a representation of all the restrictions, and limitations and impossibilities that had defined his life.  It symbolized the lies of the enemy that he had believed and that held him captive, that had defined and had determined his actions.

This garment shouted to everyone coming by, “I am blind therefore I am helpless and cannot provide for myself, and so I must beg.”

I wonder today how many are spiritually blind to the things of God, and are beggars in the kingdom?  There are too many in our churches who know nothing of the spirit of revelation, and truth that can be made alive within their spirits. There are many who choose to live as blind beggar and to receive everything second hand.  Many in the church today are blind by choice, because to see carry’s the responsibility to change.

Bartimaeus knew that to receive his sight would end his right to beg, he would now have to labor for himself, and he publicly made that decision.  What Bartimaeus heard of Jesus called him beyond his condition and convinced him the possibility of an abundant life. This faith in his heart created a spiritual sight, and he began to visualize his healing.

He casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.  Bartimaeus made a decision to be different, he made a determination to be different. He made a declaration to be different.  In standing up he was leaving the position that defined him as a beggar, in coming to Jesus he was leaving the condition that defined him as blind.  In coming to Jesus, he was stepping into the unknown

Every phase of growth in the spiritual life requires that you step into the unknown, go where you have never journeyed before and leave your comfort zone.  When God called Abram He obeyed and went out not knowing where he was going to be.  As the children of Israel prepared to cross the Jordan into their inheritance, they were told to leave a space between them and the ark so they could see which way to go because they had never passed that way befor

Many of God’s people are missing what God has for the

·         Because they are not willing to trust him where they cannot trace him. That is to say that if they cannot see or make sense of what he is requiring they refuse to follow.

·         Because they are not willing to cast away the old garment, Jesus said you can’t put new wine into old wineskins, or put a piece of new garment into the old.  That means we have to be willing to turn loose of the old to receive the new.  As Elijah’s mantle fell to the ground Elisha took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. Why?  What was he doing? He was removing the old to make room for the new.

·         Because they are not willing to admit spiritual poverty

·         Because they are not willing to change, they would rather be blind and beg.  They would rather eat the crumbs from the floor when they have been invited to the feast.  They would rather sit at the gate and beg when they could have a place at the table of the King.

Come and dine, the Master calleth, come and dine!

Where Is Your "There"

I have just returned from a week on the road with my wife, riding through the south on our motorcycle and just enjoying the beauty of the South, and I have to tell you it was a much needed time of rest and relaxation.  I really needed a break, not just from work, but from my daily routine.  I was getting weary and I needed a time of refreshing.  I wasn’t sure where all we would go, people asked me and I simply answered we are going to tour the south.  It wasn’t until the night before we left that I finally sat down and came up with a route I thought would be enjoyable.  I wanted to see things that I had never seen and go places that I had never been.  I wasn’t 100% sure where that would be, but I knew I needed to go there.

1 Kings 17:2-4 (NKJV)

2 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 3 “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.  4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

The Lord gave Elijah very specific directions for his protection and his provision, He could only expect these provisions if he obeyed and went to the place where God said that He would provide.  God said, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”

Where is “there” for you? “There” is the place where God has led you, or has directed you to go. “There”, most of the time, is not a place of our choosing, it’s a place God has chosen for us.

For Jeremiah it was the Potters house:

Jeremiah 18:1-2

1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear my words.

For Naaman it was the muddy waters of the Jordon River:

2 Kings 5:12-14

12 Are not the Abanah[a] and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.  13 And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”  14 So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

For Moses it was a cleft in the rock when Moses desired to see the glory of God:

Exodus 33:21-23

21 And the Lord said, “Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock.  22 So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by.  23 Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.”

For Joseph’s father and brethren it was the Land of Goshen:

Genesis 45:10-11

And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near unto me, you, and your children, and your children’s children, and your flocks, and your herds, and all that you have: 11 And there will I nourish you; for yet there are five years of famine; lest you, and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty.

Remember it is possible to be in church yet be in a far country, and not have the nourishment of God.

Exodus 24:12

And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.

“Be there”: Bring your whole being to me, not just the parts we want to surrender, He wants us to be all there.  God asks for a total surrender, even when we don’t want to go there, we must go there, and we must remain there, to receive all that He has for us and to be used as He wishes.

For Joseph “there” was a prison: Betrayed by his brothers, and falsely accused of sexual misconduct and forgotten.

Genesis 41:9-14 (KJV)

9 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day: 10 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me in ward in the captain of the guard’s house, both me and the chief baker: 11 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.  12 And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man according to his dream he did interpret.  13 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he hanged.  14 Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

“There” is a place of obedience, it is a place of Preparation, it is a place of humbling, and “there is a place where we can draw near to God so that we can receive revelation, cleansing, and reviving.

This week my “there” was a small country hwy. between Savannah, GA., and Valdosta, GA.  I didn’t want to go that way, my GPS program kept routing me that way regardless of the options I put in.  I had been through that area before, and there really isn’t anything to see.  It’s just a whole lot of flat farm land and it’s hot this time of year because it’s open and there isn’t any shade.  It was toward the end of our 2400 mile ride and I wanted to use the Interstate, but my wife hates riding the interstates.  It was the only option.  So I reluctantly headed that way.

I decided to do something I hadn’t done all week, I put my ear buds in and put on some worship music.  I began to listen to the words of a song on the album:

You take what is

And you make it beautiful

When love floods in,

We're restored forever more

With breath that brings the dead to life,

With words that pierce the dark with light

Only by the blood are we set free.

With mercy strong to carry shame

and nail it to a tree You alone

hold the power to redeem.

No guilt competes

with innocence crucified.

No grave can hold what your grace has justified.

With breath that brings the dead to life,

With words that pierce the dark with light

Only by the blood are we set free.

With mercy strong to carry shame

and nail it to a tree You alone

hold the power to redeem.

As those words pierced my spirit tears began to flow down my face, I began to praise God, exclaiming over and over again the only words I could manage to say, “Thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus!”

Then I found myself speaking in tongues as he refilled me with his Holy Spirit, remember there were two of us on the bike together.  I felt His sweet presence on that old country road, in spite of the heat, in spite of my weariness, God responded to my need for refreshing and sent His Spirit “there” to meet my need.  Thank you Jesus.

Later that night I had an opportunity to converse with a homosexual man via Facebook because of a comment I made on someone else’s post.  20 yrs. Ago the conversation would have been way different, because I would have had no compassion for this man, I would have just been ready to stone him.  But God, by the power of His Holy Spirit allowed me to respond in a more loving way.  Let me share the dialogue:

 

Chaplain Clayton Hall: Well then since Billy Graham said it, I guess the Apostle Paul had it all wrong.

Susan: Chaplain Clayton Hall Explain please?

Chaplain Clayton Hall: First of all let me say I am a great admirer of Rev. Graham, he never hesitated to preach the truth regarding man's sinful condition, second that quote is taken out of the context in which it was made, it wasn't made in any public forum, it is from an article quoting his daughter, quoting her father in regard to his graciousness toward President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, since no one would ever try and convince people that BG approved of President Clinton's behavior, he never meant to say we are not to judge the sinful behaviors of men, just that we are to treat them lovingly in spite of their sin

Barry: Chaplain Clayton Hall on what basis would you say we are to judge someone's behavior?

Chaplain Clayton Hall: The sole basis for any moral judgment must be the Word of God, if the Bible says it's sin, it's sin whether it is gossip, drunkenness, or sexual immorality:

The claim that Christians are not to judge is often made when dealing with issues such as abortion, adultery, homosexual behavior, and same-sex marriage. When a Christian says, for example, that homosexual behavior is a sin and that same-sex marriage is wrong, he or she is often met with objections like the following:

“Who are you to judge two people who love each other?”

“Who do you think you are, telling someone who they can and cannot love? You’re a sinner, too!”

“Someone’s private life is none of your business. Don’t judge them.”

Some people will even quote Matthew 7:1, where Christ said during the Sermon on the Mount, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Of course, when they quote this verse in regard to such situations, they take it out of context to support their fallacious claims. When we consider the concept of judging, especially as it relates to the Sermon on the Mount, Christ tells us to be discerning, not condemning.

There are significant logical problems with the claim that believers should not make judgments. The first becomes evident when we read the context of Matthew 7:1 - “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Matthew 7:1–5)

Here, Christ is warning believers against making judgments in a hypocritical or condemning manner. That type of judging is a characteristic often associated with the Pharisees during the ministry of Jesus. Many people who quote “judge not” from Matthew 7:1 fail to notice the command to judge in Matthew 7:5, when it says, “Then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” The point Jesus emphasizes here is to judge yourself first before you make judgments about others. (Also, notice the discernment and judgment required in Matthew 7:15–16, (20).) In the broader context, Jesus is telling believers to be discerning when it comes to false teaching and false prophets because they “look” Christian, but their goal is to lead the flock astray (Matthew 7:15–20; Luke 6:43–45).

As Christians, we should be living godly lives so that we can first concentrate on our own repentance of sin. Sanctification is a lifelong process of being transformed every day into the image of Christ. Without this, we have no place in helping another brother or sister. What Christ teaches His believers in Matthew 7 is that if we ourselves are not personally repenting of our sins, we are in no place to tell others how sinful they are acting. But the Bible does tell us to preach the gospel—and part of the gospel message is that people are sinners in need of salvation.

Barry: Chaplain Clayton Hall that is probably the most articulate argument for judgment I have seen.

Chaplain Clayton Hall: I am two years sober as of June 26th, I am by no means judging, I simply try to preach the gospel of repentance in hope of reaching those trapped in the bondages of sin. I'll leave you with the same response I always give when asked by others if their lifestyle offends me, no it does not, the only life I have to answer for to God is my own. My bondage was alcoholism by the grace of God I am free, I only wish to see others freed from whatever sin holds them in its grip. God Bless

Susan: That certainly was articulate, and I saw no judging there, in fact, quite the opposite. Simply stating the facts, which all are free to examine. Out of the mouths of 2 or 3 witnesses, dear Barry.

Barry: I agree.  You have given a lot to think about.  I still think it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, but I see today chaplain the Holy Spirit is in you.

It was only by the grace that God has shown me that I was able to have compassion for this man, I understand what it means to be in bondage to sin, and by God’s love and grace I know that God can set me free from any bondage.  Maybe on a different day I wouldn’t have bothered, or even cared, but on this day God had prepared my heart to be of service to Him and to show His love while speaking the truth.

It was at a place called “there” that Elijah was prepared for Mt Carmel, and it was a place called “there” that God prepared my heart to do His will on that day.

Many times we miss our Mt. Carmel experiences because we won’t go to the “there” that God has prepared for us.