Letter sent to a home group experiencing revival (1-8-09)

Posted: 2009-01-08 10:59:50

Letter sent 1-8-09 to a home group experiencing the beginnings of revival in Missouri

 

To whom it may concern (name deleted):

 

I have been thinking about ideas to share with you since yesterday. Here is some of what I have been thinking since you asked for some advice.

 

(1)      Keep seeking for a higher and purer level of the flow of the Spirit. (the goal being that the Lord is guiding and inspiring 100% of what takes place).

(2)      If the flow of the Spirit gets de-railed or if someone shares that brings things down to a “human” level don’t get too nervous. The Lord wants this thing to work more than we do and will allow us to get back on track if our motives are pure and we seek and rely on Him alone.

(3)      Our individual prayer lives are very important so that we can say we are sincerely and diligently seeking the Lord alone and for Him to do in His church again what He has always planned and desired. Hopefully some or all in the group are drawing near to the Lord for more of Him (not just “church” success). The Lord will draw near to the “some” who are making a place for Him to come and preparing themselves for Him to come.

(4)      Be prepared for whatever works at one meeting may not necessarily work at the next meeting or even any future meetings. Our God is a God of great variety and in reality never has to do anything the same twice. On the other hand, He may do things the same many times, but what we want is that we know in our hearts “this is the Lord.”

(5)      Never give up for real revival, revival that will remain and will increase. Hold on, He wants this more than we do, He is calling us to it, and if we will diligently seek Him we will (in time) find Him (not just gifts, or feelings, or exciting experiences).

(6)      Meeting more often will hopefully come as the Lord leads. Try not to move a step ahead of the Lord and hopefully you won’t be a step behind as the Lord moves you all together. I know this may seem far out and possibly way beyond the near future but my long range heart (or short range if the Lord accelerates things) is that there will be people gathering every day and possibly things happening 24 hours a day??? I always look at Azusa Street as a higher move of God and think that maybe things could be equal, similar, or even better if we can believe for it.

 

Hopefully we can talk more and get to know each other better with time. Also, when the time comes that I can actually come and join with you, more insights will come out. Regardless the Lord will show you all what to do. Bless you so much in your adventure and journey with Him. I love to see and experience too all that He is doing.

 

Your friend in Christ and in His revival,

 

David N.

 

P.S. Also attached is a very precious account of some of the things that happened at Azusa Street. Note the seeking in prayer and the holiness of God when He comes more fully to a group. Could we lay this sheet of paper with Azusa Street experiences before the Lord and all say to Him, will you bring us some of this, all of this, something equal or similar, or something even better, Lord???

 

Excerpts from  Azusa Street, Frank Bartleman, Bridge, 1980

(6-8-00)

 

 

p.13- There were two hours of prayer in church before the service began, meetings were every day and every night, we were not looking to man to perform but we expected God, the meeting started on the church steps before the doors were opened, love and unity were key, the doors were never closed or locked (like the Temple, always open) (later at Azusa St. it was 24 hours a day).

 

p.14- Seeking and needy people filled the church at all times, most Christians don’t pray, it is hard on the flesh, my burden was increasing night and day.

 

p.15- This particular man was destined to become my prayer partner in the future (he had the same burden as me), we prayed together till 2 :00 a.m., my life was literally swallowed up in prayer (prayer night and day), the meetings went on no matter who was there (no preacher), we became linked with the Welch (Wales) revival, a letter from Evan Roberts reads as follows:  “I am impressed by your sincerity, bring the people together who are willing to make a total surrender, pray, wait, hold daily meetings.”  People were shocked when I shared what God had put in my heart, they did not want me back to speak to them anymore. 

 

p.16- Wesley and Fletcher were not allowed to speak a second time at certain churches, few people really know God in any time, already these meetings are beginning to “run themselves,” the meetings sweep on unguided by human hands, the fear of God is coming upon the people, a very spirit of burning.

 

p.17- Went to prayer, my prayer partner was there ahead of me, we prayed for revival till the burden became well nigh unbearable, I cried out like a woman in labor, then the burden left us, then quiet waiting, suddenly, without warning Jesus stood before us, we did not move, I could not look, we were afraid to speak or breathe, the Lord said nothing to us but only ravished our spirits by his presence, the sun came up, the night seemed like ½ hour, God eliminates all time, all is eternity.

 

p.18- For days that presence stayed with us, I could scarcely take up normal conversations again, they seemed so empty, earthly fellowship was a torment.

 

p.53- Conviction came on people as they walked down the streets, they fly to pieces on the street for no reason, when we came within 2 or 3 blocks of the place (Azusa St.) people were seized with conviction.

 

p.54- The papers criticized but this only drew the crowds more, soon the meetings were running day and night, divine love ruled, no unkind words against opposers or other churches were allowed in the meetings, we knew the moment we had grieved the Holy Spirit by an unkind thought or word, we lived in a sea of pure divine love, the Lord fought our battles, we never sought to defend the work or ourselves, nothing contrary to the pure Spirit was allowed there, the false and the real were clearly seen and distinguished by the Spirit of God, it was no joke or light thing to join that company, “no man dared join himself to them” unless they meant business to go all the way through and die.

 

p.55- “No talking above a whisper” (was written on a placard in the prayer room), don’t try to “jazz” them through, an unquiet spirit or a thoughtless talker was immediately reproved by the Spirit, the atmosphere was unbearable to the carnal spirit, those in the upper room had paid for Pentecost with the highest price, can we see how that company was utterly lost to this world, completely despised, rejected, outcasts (their leader had just died by hanging at the hands of the Roman government).

 

p.56- In the beginning manifestations were wonderfully pure and powerful, we feared to reproduce them (like tongues are), but now they are imitating the gifts (they have largely lost their power and influence).

 

p.57- We had no human program, p. 58- Pastor Seymour usually had his head in a shoe box during the meeting in prayer, services ran almost continually, seeking souls could be found under the power almost any hour day or night, we were never closed or empty, the people came to meet God, he was always there, hence a continuous meeting, we did not depend on human leadership, God took strong men and women apart and put them back together as he desired, for his glory, all things like pride, self-assertion, self-importance, self-esteem, self-plans could not survive there, no one knew what was coming, what God would do, we wanted to hear God through whomever might speak with no respect of persons, we only recognized God, all people were equal, no flesh could glory in his presence, all came down together at his feet.

 

p.59- When we first came into the church we avoided as much as possible human contact and greetings, we wanted to meet God first, we got our head under a bench to pray and wanted to know no one “after the flesh” anymore, the meetings started themselves spontaneously, did not have to push things through but a dozen people would be on their feet trembling under the power of God wanting to speak, we did not have to have a leader cue us or encourage us, someone anointed for the message would finally get up, all recognized that it was God and would give way (child, woman or man, back seat or front seat), the atmosphere forbade (except for occasional fools) pretending to have a real anointing but if it did happen it did not last long.  I would rather live 6 months like this than 50 years or ordinary life.  God wants this now (today) for he is the same today as yesterday, but we have changed.  Someone would be speaking and suddenly the Spirit would fall on everyone, and people would fall all over the house.  God gave the altar call.

 

p.60- Such as this cannot be imitated, there were no formal altar calls, God himself called them, the preachers knew when to quit.  God was in his Holy Temple, it was for us to obey and be silent.  I stopped more than once two blocks from the place (Azusa St.) and prayed for strength before I dared go on to the building, the presumptuous would sometimes come in among us, especially preachers who wanted to show off.  “But their effort was short-lived.  The breath would be taken from them.  Their minds would wander, their brains reel.  Things would turn black before their eyes.  They could not go on.  I never saw one get by with it in those days.  They were up against God.  No one cut them off.  We simply prayed.  The Holy Spirit did the rest.  We wanted the Spirit to control.  He wound them up in short order.  They were carried out dead, spiritually speaking.  They generally bit the dust in humility, going through the process we had all gone through.  In other words, they died out, came to see themselves in all their weakness, then in childlike humility and confession taken up of God….The “old man” died with all his pride, arrogancy and good works.  In my own case I came to abhor myself.  I begged the Lord to drop a curtain so close behind me on my past that it would hit my heels.  He told me to forget every good deed as though it had never occurred, as soon as it was accomplished, and go forward against as though I had never accomplished anything for Him, lest my good works became a snare to me.”  “Even very good men came to abhor themselves in the clearer light of God.  The preachers die the hardest.  They have so much to die to, so much reputation and good works.”  “That was one reason they fought so hard.  Death is not at all a pleasant experience.  And strong men die hard.”

 

 

All About Love by David Nelson

Posted: 2008-12-31 12:08:58

All About Love     by David Nelson    (12-31-08)

 

God is all about love. Yes, He is about justice, life, death, future judgments, prophecies, spiritual gifts, healing, power, joy, praise, music, etc., but His highest attribute, His heart, His highest goals for man have to do with love for Him, love for others, and His love for us. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and strength (this is the first and great commandment), and you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself, upon these two commands hang all other commandments God has given us. God is love. If it were not for love for God and love for man all other commandments would be meaning less. (they all relate and depend on these two principles).

 

Yes, there is much to talk about concerning the economy of the world, winning the lost, surviving these last days, the end of this age, the coming of the anti-Christ, what we should do in our church gatherings with the Lord, revival, etc. But the Lord wants love to be in us and He wants us to know what love is and how to walk in it above all things. If we do not have love we are nothing, though we may have many revelations, prophecies, and give all we have to the poor, if we have not love we have and are nothing. Paul says after talking about spiritual gifts, “Yet, I show you a more excellent way (which is love).”  (I Cor. 12:31-13:1-3)

 

And here is the surprising thing, love is not what we think at first glance. We often think of love as deep feelings or emotions or things like this. (you love your spouse, you love someone, you love God with feelings and emotions and the like). Let me give a brief description of love that may not be as you would have first thought. (Actually I Cor. 13:4-7 describes love as how we treat people and how we think about people. Do we think negative or evil of them? Do we give them the benefit of the doubt? Are they guilty in our eyes before we have proven them guilty? (even our worldly, secular system says that people are innocent until they are proven guilty). Even if they are guilty will we forgive them and erase their wrongs?)

 

Are we kind to people, are we courteous with people, are we fair when others aren’t fair, are we courteous when others aren’t courteous, do we excuse people when they offend us and they don’t even ask to be excused? Do we forgive those that purposely hurt us and they don’t care about our forgiveness, do we give them the benefit of the doubt about their motives or appearances of wrong doing? (the benefit of the doubt means, can you think of the possibility that they didn’t mean what they did, or what appears as wrong might not have really been wrong in God’s eyes but only as we saw it? Maybe what appears to be wrong they didn’t mean, or they didn’t know it was wrong, or their motive in their heart was something different than we were able to see or understand). Also, even if we could prove their motives, intents, and actions were pure evil, we are to forgive them for wrong whether we imagined it or it was real. (we are to forgive friends, acquaintances, and enemies alike).

 

All this seems so impossible. We live in a time where the love of many is growing cold. There is more rudeness, lack of natural affections, distrust, hatred, anger, betrayal, bitterness all around us, and it could rub off on us and make us more cynical and feel what hope is there for love? Can I have any strength to do these ways of love?

 

The Lord has promised that He will teach us about love and give us the strength to live it. But when and how shall this be? “I am at work in you (says the Lord) both to desire and to do my good pleasure.” We must desire love and pray for it to reign in us, and then the Lord will guide our steps and show us what to do and put love in our hearts as time goes on. Cry out to Him for more love and see that what He wants may not be more feelings for others but things like patience with others. Long-suffering (patience) means suffering long with the imperfections of others. Forbearance means bearing with the faults of others. Love covers (or forgives or bears with) a multitude of sins (faults and weaknesses in others). Col. 3:12-14 says, “Put on the garment (of love), tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering, forbearing one another (and loving your enemies), forgiving one another, for Christ has forgiven you of all you have done”, surely you can forgive others of the few things you see them do. “But above all these things put on love, which binds everything together in perfection.”

 

We are not able to do all this in ourselves but He can and will teach us. It is His character. He wants us to be like Himself. He would rather have us be big in love than big in prophecies, revelations, knowledge, big activities but being without pure love for the least of the brethren and to all our enemies. All these things are true teachings of the Scriptures and take a pre-eminence which we must se more clearly. This is our God. These are His ways for us and He wants us to be in this Holy Way that pleases His heart so much. Isn’t it interesting that this comes as the last word of 2008 and the first word of 2009? I did not plan it this way, it just came to me this Wednesday morning as a word to us all. I wish you all blessings in this coming new year!

 

*(To learn more about these things please see and read this book (Book page on our web-site), “Without Love We Are Nothing.” This is very rich with good teachings that will change our lives to be closer to the heart of God.)

Prophetic Ministry News-March 2009

Posted: 2008-12-30 12:06:37

LOCAL MEETINGS:

• Weekly Prayer, Saturday evenings, 7 p.m.
• Des Moines Ministry Base Church, Sunday evening, 6:15 p.m.

UPCOMING EVENT(S): 


Christian Gathering
Perryville, Missouri
Spring 2009

His School of Preparation for the Last Hour by David Nelson

Posted: 2008-12-28 16:29:48

His School of Preparation for the Last Hour   by David Nelson    (9-17-08)

It is an interesting and trying journey we have been on from the first day we began to walk with the Lord till now. Each of us who has committed his life to be a follower of Jesus Christ and who has been born again has experienced wonderful times with the Lord but also some degree of suffering along the way. I’m sure I could write a whole book on the subject of the benefits for us of suffering in our Christian walk (with much Scripture to support my ideas). God uses suffering (or troubles) in our lives to mold our characters in His crucible.

The good times and the “bad” times that we have experienced in our walk with the Lord is like a school that has been preparing us for what is now coming upon us in the world. I have 3 primary goals in writing this and these 3 concepts are: (1) Even though our God does not change and is always the same past, present and future we are on a journey of discovery to learn to know who He really is. Our ever expanding comprehension of who He is taking us on a journey of discovery that is very exciting and rewarding but at the same time is very frightening (at times), with unexpected sufferings and troubles as our flesh and our ways must die. We must discover more and more of who He is, His many facets (that are innumerable), His ways, and always it seems our life is changing as we grow in Him. (2) The people that God wants to come into our lives to change us (both Christians and non-Christians) are as diverse as we see the diversity in nature. And that great diversity in people in our lives is meant to teach us more how big He is and that He is greater than we know. As the Body of Christ is diverse with its numerous kinds of people and their spiritual gifts we will receive truths about who the Lord is in His many-faceted diverseness. There is much we can learn from each other. (3) The school we have been in as we have walked with the Lord has included very good experiences with the Lord but also very trying experiences meant to kill the flesh to change us and make our old ways die. This school has been preparing us for the last hour that is coming on the earth and for an eternity with the Lord in heaven. God is leading us on a path to know Him better, to die to self, and to discover through joys and sufferings who He is and who we are to be. We must learn to love not our lives even unto death and follow Him to heaven. Of course, He is our Shepherd and He will lead us and strengthen us for this journey from beginning to end.

We cannot grasp completely who our God is. We are learning more and growing in Him. From what we knew at the beginning of our walk with Him some things have not changed but other things about God have deepened and expanded. The death of old, worn out, no longer needed ideas has at times been a painful process because at times the Lord has had to cut out of our lives things that we loved or felt comfortable with to show us what was better. We are always stepping into new territory with the Lord that requires His stripping and changing of us. As we are coming into a darker time upon the earth we will need all that He has been training us in for the times ahead.

Our relationship with the Lord is now richer, sweeter and deeper than it once was. We see things about Him we never knew before. He also wants to show us that we need other people to show us His diverseness, depth, and richness. God has formed the Body so that we can receive from others to show us who He is better than if we stayed by ourselves alone. Just like there are many types of birds or flowers (birds songs, colors and shapes, and flowers colors, shapes and fragrances) God’s people will show forth the many aspects of His character and ways.

Just as it is in the natural realm, with natural man, men and armies are prepared for war and combat by the basic training period they must go through. So too, God from day one with us has been preparing us for a greater war ahead with the enemy of our souls, for a great revival He has planned for us and for eternity in heaven. The joys and sufferings we have experienced in past years have all had a purpose, to make us ready for the last days ahead. We are also being prepared for a glorious revival and a restoration of all the Lord has planned for us. We are being prepared for harder and more trying times ahead that may require more suffering, but He will make us ready. (Please be assured all that we have experienced up to this point has been by God’s plan and design and His love for us, and nothing will happen in the future without being under His watchful eyes and perfect plan and love for each of us). Yes, there may be very trying economic, physical and spiritual stretching times ahead. We live in very dark times and it is getting darker. But the glory of the Lord will rise upon us during these times. And as the day of the Lord draws near and the storm clouds gather in these darker times we are to gather together more (do not neglect to gather together and even more as the day draws near). We will need each other. We will need all the training we have been receiving in these past years. The training has been rich in revelations and truths, wonderful experiences with the Lord and with each other. The suffering we have gone through has pulled us through to His higher ways and a closer walk with Him.

He loves us. All has been for our good and His glory. We will make it. He will be sure of that. We may think, will I finish the race, fight till the end, finish my course? But He is the author and finisher of us, and He will keep us from falling, we must look to Him, we must look up. Bless you brothers and sisters! I too am in His school with you. He is building His Church to stand cleansed of spots or wrinkles. We may be weak but He is strong. All glory be to Him forever. He is our righteousness and our strength!

Spiritual Gilgal-2008 by Clay Sikes

Posted: 2008-12-26 12:24:05

SPIRITUAL GILGAL - 2008
-by Clay Sikes.

What is really happening today spiritually? The depth of what we
are seeing was unimaginable only a few years back. There is a
tearing, a clear an obvious separation and exposure of flesh that
is being purged from the Body of Christ individually and corporately.
God is preparing a true remnant; men and women who are dead,
yet live only for His cause in the earth. The fires of affliction have
been very hot, as God's true remnant church is reaching the final
stage of preparation before being released into divine, power-filled,
God ordained destiny. The common thread running throughout
this remnant company is their lack of being bound by tradition,
and a true existence of living by faith.

The dynamics of being on earth today are perhaps like no other
time; as the world's system is falling apart at the seams and
failing its many suitors; minister and ministries are being revealed
for their true intentions, as true prophetic ministries (no-name
nobodies) are finding their fit with those to whom they are called.
Many big name prophetic ministries are being called into question
as to their true discernment, monetary motive, and less than
accurate prophetic words. Still, many in the Body are blinded by
the blight of big ministries, big ministers, big meetings, and big
money; yet, I believe God will use the prophetic ministry in a big
way, but not through those who call and title themselves as such.

There is a movement in the earth today that you will not see on
'God TV', read about on the Elijah List, nor see on what is
commonly called Christian TV. This move of God is coming about
in the hearts of men and women as God is directing us to truth
and connecting us with others of like faith. A spiritual DNA is
coursing the veins of those 'called together;' that recognize this
is not in a geographical joining, but rather a joining in a deep
abiding understanding of the times and hour in which we live.
This is unlike any time in the earth as the wheat is surely being
separated from the chaff, the sheep from the wolves, and the
Kingdom from the world's system. With this understanding, think
it not a strange thing to see the collapse of the real estate and
financial markets, the exposure of the events of Lakeland, and
the blatant separation between the 'sleeping church' and those
who are awakening.

We are sitting in a spiritual Gilgal, awaiting our next command;
and yes this circumcision is painful, but the journey we are about
to take will make it all 'worth it.'

(My own thoughts (David Nelson) on Gilgal. In Gilgal the people were circumcised in the promised land and the Lord said, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And they kept the Passover there too. (Josh. 4:19, 20 and 5:8-10) In I Sam. 10:8 Samuel the prophet says to Saul the king, “Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what to do. As Saul waited Samuel did not seem to come during the 7 days and the people were scattering from him. (I Sam. 13:8) (It does not matter how many follow what the Lord is saying now, we must continue on in what we have heard from the Lord. And we must wait for the Lord to come and show us what to do and not do our “own thing.”)  I Sam. 13:12 says, “I (Saul) felt compelled (or pushed) to offer the sacrifices myself before Samuel came.” “But I the Lord am seeking a man (or men and women for this day) after my own heart.” (I Sam. 13:14) At Gilgal when Saul said to Samuel, “I did the Lord’s command,” concerning killing all the people and animals as commanded by the Lord, Samuel said, but you did not do the Lord’s command. Saul finally admitted, ”I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” (I Sam. 15:3 and 24)

~Clay Sikes,
 Lighthouse Prophecy.

 

Edward Payson-Prayer makes History by David Smithers

Posted: 2008-12-25 12:20:10

EDWARD PAYSON - PRAYER Makes HISTORY
-by David Smithers.

E. M. Bounds in his classic little book "Power Through Prayer",
wrote, "What the Church needs today is not more or better
machinery, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but
men whom the Holy Ghost can use - men of prayer, men mighty
in prayer."

Edward Payson was just such a man; a man mighty in prayer.
"He prayed without ceasing and felt safe nowhere but at the throne
of grace. He may be said to have studied theology on his knees.
Much of his time he spent literally prostrated with his Bible open
before him pleading the promise; "I will send the comforter and
when He, The Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into all
truth." Payson's advice to his fellow ministers was, "prayer is the
first thing, the second thing and the third thing necessary to a
minister. Pray then my dear brother, pray, pray." It has been well
said that the secret of Edward Payson's ministry was that he
prayed much in secret. The scars on his bedroom floor testify to
this fact. Next to Payson's bed were deep grooves in the hardwood
floor were his knees had pressed repeatedly in times of travail.

To read "Praying Payson's" diary is to be touched by his heart
longings and tender love for Jesus and the lost. On January 4,
1807, he wrote, "I was favored with a spirit of prayer beyond all my
former experience. I was in great agony and wrestled both for
myself and others with great power. God seemed to bow the
heavens and come down and open all His treasures, bidding me,
take what I would."

January 29th, "I never felt such longings after God or such a desire
to depart to be with Christ. My soul thirsted for more full
communion with my God and Savior. I do not now feel satisfied as
I used to with the manifestations of the divine presence, but still
feel hungry and craving." February 18, "I was enabled to lie at
Jesus' feet and to wash them with the tears of contrition. No
pleasure I have ever found in the Christian life is superior to this."
February 28, "I was favored with great enlargement in prayer. I
seemed to be carried out of myself into the presence of God."

Like all true men of prayer, Payson understood the need for true
humility. "It was the burden of his secret prayers that he might be
delivered from pride, from self-seeking, from preaching himself
instead of Christ Jesus the Lord." Through humility and fervent
prayer he was always in hopes of seeing a fresh wave of revival.
"The revivals which took place under his labors were numerous and
were characterized by a depth and power seldom seen." Often
Payson congregation was overwhelmed with a sense of Christ's
presence and power and irresistibly brought to tears. Mr. Payson's
diary testifies of the power and necessity of prayer for revival.
September 27th, "In the evening I was favored with great faith and
fervency in prayer. It seemed as if God would deny me nothing,
and I wrestled for multitudes of souls, and could not help hoping
there would be revival here." September 28, "I was favored with the
greatest degree of freedom and fervency in interceding for others. I
seemed to travail in birth with poor sinners and could not help
hoping the God is about to do something for His glory and the
good of souls." Within days, "Praying Payson" saw his prayers
answered through a fresh work of revival power.

On April 23, 1808, Edward Payson wrote, "My heart seemed
ready to break with its longings after holiness." Such longings for
heart purity, revival power and the person of Jesus are the marks
of a healthy and normal Christian life. The lack of these precious
things in the modern Church reveal a nominal Christian life. Truly the Church's
greatest need is for men and women, mighty in prayer. We need
men and women who will pray and yearn for revival. Lord make us
a praying people! 

References Used:

Memoir, Select Thoughts and Sermons of Rev. Edward Payson
Compiled by Asa Cummings

Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to Prayer  by S. B. Shaw

Power Through Prayer  by E. M. Bounds

Comments on David Wilkerson article- The Most Important Issue of This Hour

Posted: 2008-12-03 15:19:57

Comments on the following Article by David Wilkerson

The Most Important Issue of This Hour by David Wilkerson (6-2-08)

(For the complete article please write and request it)

 

“In this time of mounting crises and growing fears…for every follower of Jesus, the question of the hour is this: “Will my faith endure what is coming?”

 

In Matthew 24:13 it says, “He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” When Christ spoke this, he had just described the frightful trials to come upon his disciples: false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, nation pitted against nation, upheavals in the natural world, earthquakes and pestilences, persecutions…. (see Matt. 24:4-12) Jesus also said, “Many will come in my name and shall deceive many.” (Matt. 24:5) Also, because iniquity shall abound (increase), the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12)

 

Even with all the economic collapses all around us, according to David Wilkerson, for the Church of Jesus Christ, the real issue is not economic collapse. It isn’t even about who will preside over the nation. Rather, it is all about our faith enduring. David Wilkerson asks every true believer: do you at the present have an abiding trust in the Lord (and a living relationship with Him) that is holding up and that will hold up when the world descends into chaos? (Which he predicts is still coming). As the fearful things Jesus said would come begin to appear on the earth will our love for the Lord, our confidence in Him and our relationship with Him endure? Or will we grow cold, as Jesus predicted would happen to so many believers?

 

Christ asked, “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

 

We must not be like those whose faith “endures for a while” but when tribulations and persecutions arise, by and by he is offended (or stumbles). (He has no root in himself” Matt. 13:21).

 

(Our root must be that we know our God, we walk with Him, we know His voice and hear His voice. Ask the Lord to give you that kind of relationship with Him that you know when He speaks, you know Him and hear Him and love Him. The Lord will speak to you clearly if you want Him to. If you draw near to Him He will draw near to you. If you seek Him with your heart of hearts you will find Him and He will come near to you. Do you believe these verses and see them coming true for you? I believe you are hungry for Him and want Him more and that is why you are even reading this!)

 

Don’t just “endure for a while.” “When your prayers are not answered- when the deadlines for your requests are not met- do not fall into unbelief.” This is a testing which the Lord has been sending upon all of us to see how much we will endure and keep on going with Him.

 

In Heb. 10:32-36 it says that even though “we must endure a great struggle with sufferings or must joyfully accept the plundering of our goods, etc., we will have need of endurance so that after we have done the will of God then we will receive His promise.”

 

As David Wilkerson shares, “Too often when afflictions begin showing up in believer’s lives, they become offended. They have read God’s Word, they have claimed certain promises, they have prayed earnestly, but still the trial continues. And, over time, because they haven’t seen an answer to their prayers, they become offended by the Word they’ve been clinging to. At some point, a seed of unbelief is planted in their heart. They can’t shake the nagging thought that the Lord has failed to keep His promises to them.

“Lord, why haven’t you intervened for me? Why have you allowed such confusion in my marriage, my family? You have put on me more than I am able to bear.”

(All of us have felt this way. The Scriptures are full of honest hearts crying out to God. In the Psalms many times it says things like this, “How long will you forget me, O Lord? How long will you hide your face from me, O Lord?” (Ps. 13:1) Certainly Job had family problems, death, and sickness too, with no immediate answers coming).

 

In II Chron. 16:9 it says that the Lord is looking to and fro through the whole earth for someone (whose heart will not fail in adversity and who will continue to trust Him and believe in His love through all troubles allowed by Him). “God is searching diligently for a man or a woman of faith who is wholly given to Him in trust (through all things). (Of course, this is not easy, we are in a crucible of fire to purify our faith which is much more precious than gold (to us and to the Lord).

Maybe you have had some great victories of faith in the past. And you have made it thus far. But one or two or even 30 years of glorious victories of faith are not enough. We must endure to the end, finish the race, fight the good fight until the Lord is through with our time on the earth. Do not think that this is too much for you, do not be discouraged. The Lord has always made you equal to the trials at hand and He will continue to make you equal to every trial ahead.

 

Is it not true that more trials have come to pass for you as time goes on? It is true of every believer.” Indeed, the more you seek the Lord, the greater your call, the deeper your walk with Him- you’ll encounter further afflictions and sufferings, for ever-increasing tests (and purifying) of your faith. These will continue until the end, the Scriptures assure us of this.

 

We must not be shaken in our faith when even greater tests come upon us. God is shaking all things and we must stay close to the Lord. You may say, I can’t do it, I’m afraid, I am shaken! Well, I (David Nelson) have felt all this which I have spoken above. Also David Wilkerson has experienced all these things. What David Wilkerson is teaching (and what I am sharing) has been born from his own personal crucible of great sufferings, hard times and crushing trials of faith. He watched his wife Gwen and his two daughters come close to death from cancer. His own grand-daughter died from cancer. He has seen all his children and grandchildren under attack at various times and he has gone through personal fiery trials. I too (David Nelson) could share with you so many hard times for myself. But are we not all going through these same things? Yes, I (David Wilkerson) have experienced eclipses of faith where the Lord’s face seemed completely hidden from me during my ordeal. But are we not still standing even to this hour by His grace?

 

So what we must do now when the enemy of our soul says to us, “Now, how are you going to make it through this crisis? What will you do now? If God loves you so much, why did He let this happen to you? What is going to become of you, your family, your job, your ministry? I will answer these nagging questions with, the Lord has brought me thus far by faith (and His grace), I will trust all future events to Him (He has brought me safe thus far by His grace and grace will carry me home too). “He has proved Himself faithful time after time, He can be trusted with my future.”

Is not our confidence (and enduring faith) in our God and Father, is not such faith and His grace capable of making us ready for whatever the present hour brings? Amen! So be it!

Please realize that I (in myself) nor any of us are equal to all that is to come. But this we must do and must pray, “Lord, I am weak but you are strong, Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so, and I have tasted of it again and again.”

Keep having times of prayer (to stay focused on the Lord and allow Him to speak to you), whether 15 minutes or an hour, keep asking the Lord to help you and speak to you. Show me what to do, Lord. Give me strength, Lord. Speak to me, be my Comforter, be my Shepherd, be my Friend, be my Father, let me walk with you and you with me. Let me thank you every day for the little and the big things you do for me every day. This living relationship and walk with the Lord will be all you need, and His grace will be sufficient for you when bad things don’t go away or when things don’t go the way we had hoped.

As the coming of the Lord draws nearer and nearer let’s keep encouraging each other and also drawing near to each other. As the world gets darker and darker the Lord has promised that His glory will rise upon us (like the rising of the morning sun). (Is. 60:1,2) His changes in our lives with all of our growing pains will be worth it all, and the glorious life He is creating in us will far outweigh all the hard pains we have felt. The Lord be with you all!!

 

My thoughts after reading the book "True and False Revival"

Posted: 2008-08-12 11:53:30

My thoughts after reading the book “True and False Revival” by Andrew Strom

(Excerpts are given with page #s from the book)

Truth has fallen in the streets. The Tabernacle of David has fallen, but it is being raised up in our day. The raising up of the Lord’s Tabernacle is the beginning of Revival for this time. We also are raising up a standard of truth that the Lord is now giving us that will be seen by many as it is lifted up. They may not accept what God is saying but at least the truth is being sounded forth as a trumpet or a horn sounding forth with clear notes. The Bride is hearing the call.

What is the Lord saying? Clear and concisely He is saying, “Stop all that you are doing in the flesh and come to Me (the Lord) and I will show you what I want in this hour.” “Come out of all that is not of Me and I will teach you to walk with Me and learn the new things and the old things that I want to do to restore My people to all they were meant to be.” Of course, there is much more than this, but do you hear His call to come out of what is not of Him and to know Him and come into what He wants to do now? What He has been showing us here at Prophetic Ministry and what He has been showing many others around the world are precious truths and revelations that are changing our hearts and lives. We are being changed to think and be more like our Lord, and a standard is raising in our hearts that we will speak out to whoever has an ear to hear what He is saying.

Just as it says in Acts chapter 2, “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, the young and the old, men and women, anyone who has an ear to hear, visions, dreams, and prophetic words.” What we are hearing from the Lord is anointed of the Holy Spirit, and it puts an anointing on our lips, and the revelations we hear are prophetic and cause us to know and give forth these prophetic insights to others. We are being changed by Him and all who will hear us will hear what God is saying.

So, please know how important you are who are seeing Him more clearly and hearing Him more clearly. We are being made into precious vessels (of gold) to carry His special new wine. We have been given the responsibility to carry the Holy things of the Lord. But many will not welcome us with open arms. Some will. They will know that God is speaking and they will hear His call through us, even as the Lord himself has been drawing them into a deeper walk with Him. In their heart they will know the voice of God when they hear it. They will know who is of God, who has a kindred spirit with God, and we will touch each other’s hearts, all who have been seeking Him.

Here is what the Scriptures say concerning these “prophetic people” (you are included as a “prophetic person” because you are hearing from God). The following is an excerpt from “True and False Revival” by Andrew Strom, which I think speaks very accurately concerning how the “prophetic” will be rejected/accepted. (Pages 83-84 “Receiving” a Prophet)

"RECEIVING" A PROPHET

It is interesting to note that throughout Scripture there is a tremendous blessing attached to "receiving" a true prophet and his message. Likewise, there is a real curse attached when we reject the one whom the Lord sends. We see this on both a small scale and a large scale, right through the Bible.

This concept of "receiving" a prophet was so important to Jesus that He said: "He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward" (Mt 10:41). He told his disciples that when they came into a new town, "whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" (Mk 6:11).

To Jesus it was a very serious thing that Jerusalem and Israel were not only rejecting Him and His message, but also the "prophets and wise men" that He would send to them. (My own addition: Matt. 23:37, 38 says, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you!....Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”) The mistreatment of these messengers was in itself a cause for the most severe judgment. If you read the entire passage of Jesus' outcry over Jerusalem in Matt 23:34-39, you can clearly see that this was a major reason for the judgment that was about to come upon them. And indeed, less than forty years later in AD 70, Jerusalem was surrounded by armies and utterly destroyed – just as Jesus had prophesied. It is estimated that over one million Jews were put to death, and the historian Josephus records that so much blood was flowing in the streets at times that it was putting out the fires. 

Jesus ends this passage in Matt 23 with a very significant statement: "You shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'" Again, this is all about 'welcoming' those whom God sends, rather than rejecting them. Jesus is saying here that He will not come to this people again until they are welcoming of Him and His true messengers. And the same applies to us today. (My own addition: This particular verse, Matt. 23:39 may mean other things also. Please note these passages Matt. 21:33-44 and 22:1-14: In Matt. Chapter 21 the Father in heaven sent servants to those who were entrusted with the vineyard but the “leaders” of the vineyard rejected them. More servants were sent but they were rejected also. In Matt. Chapter 22 the Father in heaven sends out servants to call those who are invited to His wedding feast but they were not willing to come. So He sent other servants to say, “all things are ready, come to the wedding.” But they made light of it and went their own ways. Then the Father said to His servants, the wedding is ready but those who were invited are not worthy. Go into the highways, and those who have an ear to hear, did come, both bad and good.

One of the major questions that arises about America in our day is whether or not she is willing to "receive" the true prophets that God sends to her, like in times past. For prophets are "difficult" people. They always come with an uncomfortable message, and they are not easy to hear or receive. There is always a cost to welcoming a true messenger of God. But has America now grown too comfortable to receive such ones? Has she become too used to having her ears tickled? Is she now so sated with soft words and gentle speeches, with mass entertainment and selfish pleasures, that she will no longer hear the ones who cry “Repent”? If so, then judgment is at the doors. This is one of the greatest fears I have for America today - that she will not receive a true prophet – only one who is false and tickles her ears.

Now let us consider some other excerpts from “True and False Revival” by Andrew Strom to see what kind of Revival the Lord wants to bring and what kind of Revival we as the Bride are hungry for. Are we looking for miracles, manifestations and healings? Or are we really hungry for a close relationship with the Lord? Maybe you say, you want both. But if we are hoping for exciting fireworks when in truth the reality of knowing God intimately will require a dying to self, then we should expect this: “True Revival is not the top blowing off but rather the bottom falling out.” “The early stages of Revival will be characterized by a depth of spirit of repentance where Christians will realize that they have been harboring sin of some kind in their lives (that is keeping them back from God’s best) and that there will be a need for deep cleansing and change in us. There will be godly sorrow, weeping and mourning over our condition. (My own: After all, is not revival to revive back to where we need to be as Christians and pure servants of the Most High God?) “Is there anything in our lives that is doubtful, anything you are not sure whether it is good or evil? Away with it! There must not be a trace of a cloud between you and God.” (Pages 37-39 from “True and False Revival”)

In Pages 51-57 Andrew Strom describes how “false manifestations” in past great revivals and today have side-tracked people from the real purpose of revival. (And he feels these are very deceptive and dangerous). There will be true manifestations of God and false manifestations which will attempt to bring down, discredit, or side-track (maybe destroy) true revival. To safe guard against deception by false teachings, false prophets, and false manifestations in these last days and in the Revival the Lord is bringing Andrew Strom encourages us to “Know our Holy God intimately.” (My own: If we are seeking Him and Him alone, we will find Him and He will reveal Himself to us). When we have seen His glory, His holiness, His love-by drawing close to Him in prayer then this will help us to see through any counterfeits because we know the “real thing” so well. Purity of heart and humility are very important too. If certain things appeal to us we may “want” these things in our revival (for the wrong motives). But we must search our hearts (and see why we are wanting or doing something). We must also listen to the inner witness of the Holy Spirit that “still small voice” (that sometimes says, something isn’t right here). (Pages 59-60 of “True and False Revival”)

“The essence of true revival is-GETTING DEEPLY RIGHT WITH GOD….” (Page 100) (My own: If this is not our 1^st and primary goal then we may be deceived by “signs and wonders” from the enemy of our soul. The goal of my own life and the major thrust of Prophetic Ministry is to draw near to God and have Him draw near to us and to really know Him and know His voice so that we might follow Him wherever He leads in this hour. Of course, where He leads will be in perfect harmony with the Scriptures and not in any way out of sync with what He has already said in His Word. (We will always honor the Scriptures for it is what God has already said to us if we will rightly understand them). But there will still be a new adventure for each of us to personally follow Him wherever He leads.

Please read these last two sections of Andrew Strom’s book “True and False Revival” and then I will make some concluding remarks.

GETTING THE CHURCH "SAVED"  (Pages 92-94)

It is an interesting fact that Charles Finney spent his entire ministry preaching to professing Christians. And yet he was called the greatest 'evangelist'! What he was doing was evangelizing the church people – because he found that most of them were not living in a state of true salvation at all. The church was 'unsaved'! Thus his first calling was to the believers of his day – to see them converted. Just like Jesus and the apostles were called first to the Jews – the 'believers' of their time. Finney found himself preaching piercing salvation messages his whole life in church buildings, Bible Colleges and so-on. The "Christians" must be saved.

Actually, you see this pattern in most Revivals down the centuries. In many cases, what Revival was, was the church coming into true SALVATION for the first time. They THOUGHT they were saved before, but they had been under a delusion. When the 'Revivalist' arrived and preached to them, suddenly they saw that they were undone and in a lost state, and multitudes were converted. Revival almost always begins with the church.

As we have seen, with the hugely lukewarm state of today's Western church, it is very easy to believe that a large percentage of our churchgoers are not walking in a state of true New Testament salvation at all. One evangelical pastor told me that he thinks perhaps 5% or 10% of his congregation is truly saved. I can well believe it – and we need to multiply that by literally thousands of churches nationwide. Remember, church attendance in the US is quite high (over 35%). But everyone agrees that there is an enormous amount of 'nominal' Christianity and 'social' Christianity going on – as well as a large number of people who attend churches where they are told they are 'saved' when clearly they are not.

It is difficult not to come to the conclusion that many of these churches are like "holding pens" for the damned – telling people that they are 'OK', when in reality they are headed for destruction. Personally, I find this very hard to take. What will God do to the preachers who are lulling the flock to sleep in this way? And when will preachers be found who will dare to tell the "Christians" that most are not saved at all – but still in their sins? Such is the role of the true prophet of God. Such is the role of the coming "John the Baptists".

Of course, Finney was hated and despised by churchmen for saying such things. How DARE he preach in such a way that implied that many 'fine church members' were unsaved? How offensive and ill-mannered! But Finney had such a passion and a burden to REACH THE 'CHRISTIANS' with the gospel. And this was exactly what God had called him to do.

Today we see exactly the same thing in the West as Finney saw in his day. We see a "church" that is very largely UNSAVED. A truly "saved" church (in the New Testament sense) behaves and looks and sounds utterly different to what we see today.

Even in ‘Spirit-filled’ circles we often find many "previously-saved-but-no-longer-walking-in-it" believers. Friends, this is not a state of 'salvation'. The Bible is very clear that only those who CONTINUE in New Testament Christianity and who "overcome" will be saved. These people are lost. You are either walking as a 'new creature' filled with love for Christ or you are not. If you are not walking in it then do not assume you are "saved" – no matter what some preacher tells you. It is all or nothing with God. The Bible tells us to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling". I would be very surprised if more than a quarter of the West's so-called "Spirit-filled" believers are actually walking with a clean heart before God. What on earth do they think will happen to them on Judgment Day?

Added to this, we have millions upon millions of 'old mainline' believers who literally NEVER get the opportunity to find out about "FULL" salvation. The Holy Spirit is never made real to them, and many have never been fully BAPTIZED in water, either.

So how on earth do we reach all these vast millions who are being duped with this half-Christianity – and who never get to hear the full gospel? What on earth can be done to get this message through to them?

This is a burden that is very much on my heart. And I am convinced that only the coming "John-the-Baptist" ministries will have the anointing to break through the walls of 'Religion' to reach these people with the truth. We are talking about millions upon millions of precious souls here. And they are people who DO BELIEVE in God. But they have been lied-to, and the real truth has been denied them.

I am convinced that a vital part of the coming harvest must begin with the CHURCH. It must begin with converting the "CHRISTIANS". This has often been God's order. "First in Jerusalem, then in Judea...."

I am deeply burdened for the church in the West. Let the new Charles Finneys arise! Let the trumpet sound go forth! The message of PIERCING REPENTANCE must be heard in the land once again. And the idol of 'Mammon' must surely be one of it's key targets. "For the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword." May this mighty sword be brought to bear on the walls of Religion and false 'assurance' in our day.

Andrew Strom’s CONCLUSION  (Two Revival?) (Pages 100-102)

In this book, we have looked at true and false manifestations – and how to tell the difference. We have looked at the essence of what true Revival is – primarily GETTING DEEPLY RIGHT WITH GOD, and also becoming filled with His Spirit of ‘HOLINESS’.

We have also looked at how badly we need TRUE PROPHETS in this generation – and the kind of piercing message they will bring. We have looked at how compromise brought forth deception, and deception brought forth invasion. Yet God is still in control.

We are in a time of testing and separation. There is an end-time “sifting” going on amongst the people of God. That is why the Lord is allowing this invasion. Out of all this shaking and dividing He will bring forth a purified and set-apart Bride – “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing”. Strange fire is not to be offered on the altar of God. This is a separating of the holy from the profane. It is a testing of hearts. And the Lord is deliberately allowing it. Will you pass the test, my friend?

God is looking for a people who will “wait” and not run after Ishmael. This has been one of the greatest causes for the rise of the False in this hour – men who could not WAIT for God. They preferred to run after false fire than to pay the price and wait for the true. And oh – how they will come to regret their hastiness.

There is another thing that I believe is about to plunge the Western church into the fires of trial and purging also: It is a great economic depression. I believe God will use this to drive the “love of money” out of the church. No longer will the worship of Mammon co-exist side-by-side with the worship of Christ in the church. A great separation is coming. The idol of Mammon is coming down. The money-changers will be driven forcibly out of the temple. And this will bring about even greater separation between the true and the false.

These two events – the rise of great Last Days deception alongside great financial crisis – will bring testing and purging to the church on an unprecedented scale. Judgment truly begins at the house of God – and my friends it is beginning NOW. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken. A great dividing is upon us. And God is going to use all of this to bring one last ‘Great Reformation’ to His church.

TWO REVIVALS?

There have been a number of prophecies over the years that speak of “two Revivals” coming in the Last Days – one big and popular, soulish and shallow – while the other is smaller yet full of holiness, truth and love. Could these Revivals take place almost side by side? I believe this is very possible. In fact, I believe it is to be expected.

Some may think that because the picture I have painted in this book is so terrible regarding the state of the Western church, that perhaps I have "lost hope" for real Revival in this generation. This is not the case at all. I still have tremendous hope for Revival.  

I truly believe that God can still find His Finneys and Wesleys in this late hour – a true company of John-the-Baptists. I think there are many who have "not bowed the knee to Baal." They are hidden in the wildernesses and the caves, waiting for the hour of their showing forth. As we have seen, such preachers MUST be found if we are to see real Revival in this generation. All we can do is pray and pray that God will find them and raise them up before it is too late.  

I believe it is very possible that we stand today at the beginning of the greatest "shaking", the greatest Reformation, and the greatest moving of God in the history of the church. Surely, for many, this will be the church's finest hour. But it will also be the hour of greatest peril. Many who looked to have the greatest potential will be found to have fallen at the final hurdle, or to have shrunk back from taking their ultimate stand with God. It is only those who are prepared and praying who will have a part in true Awakening.

The Scripture, "Many that are first will be last, and many that are last will be first," will come into play at every level in this Revival – even in the order of NATIONS. For as always, God will use the little and the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, the powerful and the mighty. There is coming a great tidal-wave of "CHANGE". The old order is about to be overthrown, and the 'new' is to be established by God. He is about to wrest back control of His church by force.

Sadly, in many ways the current situation reminds me very much of the parable of the 'wise and foolish virgins'. When those who were truly ready had entered in, the door was slammed shut, and the unprepared were locked out of the very marriage that they were supposed to be a part of. No wonder there was "wailing and gnashing of teeth"! We are about to see this parable quite literally fulfilled in our day. Tragically, like Esau, it seems clear that many in these times are going to be found to have sold their birthright for a mere "mess of pottage".

If we are truly close to the end of the age, then surely we live in the most momentous and yet dangerous days in the history of the church. How we respond to the opportunities and the dangers of this time is entirely over to us. I believe that we are about to see an army of preachers arise who will bring down many of Satan's strongholds of sin and compromise – both in the church and in the world – and who will go forth, 'destroying the works of the devil' in Jesus' name, with great daring and resolve.

It is truly time for the John-the-Baptists to come forth – hidden and prepared by God for years for this last, dark hour. I believe that the Lord is about to once again be seen as a 'God of war', shaking the nations and scattering His enemies to the dust. As I said, everything that can be shaken will be shaken. And Jesus Christ will gain for himself a glorious bride that is truly "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing."

My concluding remarks are this (from David Nelson): 

I too am very concerned that there are many who think they are saved in the Church and are not. As I have spelled out in the book “The True Meaning of Salvation” our relationship with the Lord from the time we enter the narrow gate till the end of our lives here on the earth is essential. We will follow Him and become like Him. Yes, there will be bumps in the road, doubts, fightings against sin, weakness in us but we must keep our relationship with Him through it all, believing what He has said, with our eyes on Him, waiting on Him always. He will be our Shepherd to the end and will guide us. The top and bottom line of Jesus’ message to us is, “If any man wants to be my disciple, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” We must die to self and forsake all (as He shows us what to do) or we cannot be His disciple. This message is a radical life changing message that must be preached clearly and boldly again. Yes, we are forgiven by His sacrifice on the cross and through His blood alone, but there is a walk with Him that results from all the Lord’s forgiveness and mercy from the beginning of our salvation to the end of our walk. Without this it is not the true gospel and not true salvation. 

The sifting and separating and shaking that is taking place now is meant to create a Bride for Christ without spot or wrinkle. There will be much false teaching and false prophets and deception. But there will also be an emerging pure Church, built by the Lord, fit for the King and fitting us for heaven. Andrew Strom speaks in his conclusion about a company of preachers coming but I would like to say there will also be an emerging Body where everyone and all the gifts will be needed for this Revival.

I claim no corner on the truth or that I am super strong. I am only what I am by the grace of God and will only make it to heaven by the grace of God. So, we are all needing Him more than ever before and He is calling us near to Himself. He will help us through it all. We will make it and what glory we shall see in the earth and yet to come in heaven! Bless you all in your adventure with the Lord, in Jesus’ name, and with good success in your seeking and finding our great God. As we all join together for wonderful things ahead.

Message for July 2008 by David Nelson

Posted: 2008-07-30 12:07:32

Message for July 2008  by David Nelson

I would like to talk with you all heart to heart. There is a message in me that has been formulating and growing in my heart since 1996.

I have a chance with this website to speak a message to all the nations of the world and especially the Church for anyone that might hear. We must hear from God! We might hear Him in a sermon or a book or the Bible itself but then again we might not hear Him in sermons or books or even if the Bible is read if it is the letter only and not Spirit and life. We must ask, “Where is the Lord!” “I must hear Him!”

Now, you may say, of course we hear Him all the time. No, I really mean, “I must hear Him and know it is Him, nothing else will do, and I will know when He speaks to me.”

Many people in the Bible heard from God very clearly and it was recorded what He said to them. They, or most of them, are in heaven now and it is our time to hear from God. The Lord wants to speak so clear and strong to each of us (more than ever before) but we must want to hear Him and nothing else will do. He is even now honing your desire to hear purely from Him and give you treasures if you will sincerely say, “Where is the Lord, I must hear Him alone?” “In these last days I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh and they will see visions, dreams and hear and receive prophecies (from Me).” But we must hear His call to draw closer to Him, be serious about it, seek Him with serious intent, in hopes that we find Him. Of course, He doesn’t want only to speak to us, as wonderful as that is, but He wants to have an intimate relationship with us and to walk with Him as Enoch, Moses or Paul did.

So, we all know that the Lord is wanting us to draw near to Him as He is desiring to draw near to each of us. What will be the result is our true spiritual gifts coming forth, a new love for God, a newly appreciated love for others growing, and the supreme treasure of knowing Him as never before. To get this, as you probably have already found, is quite an adventure, with many risks, many sacrifices, much suffering, rejections by others, misunderstandings by others, a pioneer mentality, a wilderness walk alone in search of Him. If you don’t like these last things mentioned please be assured they are the lot of many who have walked before you and for many who are seeking Him now. There are many Scriptures to verify that this truly is the lot of all those who seek Him diligently and who find Him.

This new fire that will burn in your heart cost something but you will gain a great and rich treasure that will grow in you as you have entered in to what the Lord is calling you to. Sometimes you will feel so alone and even at times abandoned by the Lord but it is all part of the personal walk with Him that will produce rich fruit (eventually). And remember, have and are now going through the same things.

If this was all I had to say we could rest (or learn to rest) in our new adventure on this path that leads to eternal life as we learn to walk with Him. But this is not all. My message to the world in this hour is also that we must learn to come together corporately and become the Bride and the Church that the Lord is longing for. What must happen is we must not continue to walk alone (just me and God) but connect with others who are being melted and forged with kindred spirits to our own. This will take a supernatural love to walk with others, get to know others, meet with others, and maybe even work with others. Slowly but surely (and sometimes suddenly) the Lord is connecting people like living stone to living stone, building us together into a temple that He can inhabit. How will all this unfold? Is it happening now?

It might be that you just meet one person who seems to have the same heart as you and you will begin to share with each other. Then Satan could work to keep you apart or break up your relationship. He has many tricks. I wrote two books titled “Without Love We Are Nothing” and “The Knitting of our Hearts” which I think captures some of the ideas of what real love for one another will be like and what it will take to keep loving each other when Satan attacks. So, if there comes a break in these new relationships either the Lord will teach us how to heal them or they were not meant to be at this time. But people who are learning to walk with Him will eventually come together to share their lives with one another and meet together with the Lord in their midst.

This is my dream. Not just me walking close to the Lord, which of course is not always easy and is sometimes a lonely trek (although it is a glorious and rich treasure), but the Lord wants His beautiful children to get to know each other. He will be even more glorified in this. He wants them to come together in gatherings where their gifts can shine to one another, where the Lord’s presence is in our midst, where He can speak to us directly, kind of like a party with precious brothers and sisters getting to know each other and the Lord there manifesting Himself through us! He will be there, He will be seen, and we will be there with each other, with love for Him and each other growing way beyond anything we have ever tasted before. He is giving us glimpses of what is to be, and really they are tastes of heaven, and we are getting more and more hungry for these things and seeing what He wants more and more clearly.

I know there are many out there who see these things too because this is where God is going and what He wants us to see. Bless you all my brothers and sisters who I have never met face to face. The Lord is building His Church. He will do it. And just like at creation when He looked at what He had made (light, lands and seas, plants and animals, and man and woman), “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good,” He is also making a Church and a Bride for Himself that will be very good.

I give you this message for July 2008. I have many ideas as to how these things can come to be. Please let me know your ideas. This is my heart to you and I believe this is in the Lord’s heart also. I believe it is in many of your hearts too. Bless you my brothers and sisters!

Excerpts from "The Doctrine of Delays"

Posted: 2008-07-30 12:07:31

Excerpts from “The Doctrine of Delays”   (Author unknown)

....There are myriads of creatures who are born and dance and die
in the short span of a bright July day. No one in watching them
would ever dream of charging the Creator with delay. But a nation
of men which is to serve the high ends of heaven is never fashioned
hastily like that. Through pilgrimage and war and struggle and
blood and tears, by heroism that oft seems unavailing and sacrifice
that is like water spilt, it becomes the polished instrument of God.
Delay, then, tends to become more marked, the higher you rise in
the Creator's purposes. Great delays in the mystery of providence
are the highway for the chariot of great blessing. The joy that
cometh in the morning might be far less thrilling, had not the
weeping from which it springs endured all night.

Had Jesus forgotten Mary and Martha? We see this very clearly in
the raising of Lazarus-that tenderest and most touching of all
miracles. When Lazarus was ill - when his state had become critical -
Martha and Mary, you remember, sent word to Jesus. Now Jesus
loved Lazarus and his sisters, and the happiest memories
encircled that village home; yet the Gospel tells us that when
Jesus heard the news, He abode two days still in the place where
He was. There are seasons when two days seems like a moment;
there are seasons when two days seems an eternity. When a life
is in the balance half-an-hour is endless; twice four-and-twenty
hours is unbearable. What did it mean? Had Jesus quite forgotten
them? Was He deaf and dead to the prayers of the sisters' love? I
think that Martha and Mary, with their eyes on dying Lazarus,
knew the burden of divine delay. They knew its burden then; they
know its meaning now. They see it irradiated with purpose and
with wisdom. A little boon might have been granted instantly, but
the great actions of God have tardy wheels. The greater and richer
the blessing that we pray for, the more must we reckon on the
delays of God. Nor should we forget-for this is very important-
what I might call the moral training of delay. Did we get everything
we craved for in the very hour of asking it, I think it would be a long
farewell to manhood. The one sure way to ruin a young child is to
give it immediately all for which it asks; and to the Ancient of days,
whose hairs are white as wool (see Dan_7:9), I fancy the oldest
readers are but as little children.

Think of Christ's treatment of the Syro-phoenician woman when
she came to Him praying for her daughter. All her motherhood was
on her lips and in her eyes as she pled and interceded for her child.
Do you think it was cruel of Christ to answer her never a word?
Do you think it was harsh to speak about the dogs? How much
we should have missed, and how much Christ Himself would have
missed, had it not been for that practice of delay! It was that which
called out in her fine persistence, her faith, her wit, all that was
brightest in her. She might have been anybody when she began,
but she was a woman among women when she ended. And many
a person has begun by being anybody, and ended by being a
woman among women, because they were kept praying and
pleading long for something that was to be granted by and by.

There have been men
of genius who could only work irregularly; for long periods they
seemed to do nothing at all. Then suddenly, and as if by inspiration,
their powers took fire and they wrought at a white heat. You may
be sure of it that the periods in between were not so idle as the
world considered them. By thought, by reading, by communion
with glad nature, half unconsciously they were preparing for their
work. And when the kindling came, and the fire burned within them,
when they were divinely swept into utterance or action, they owed
far more than we should ever guess to the silent preparation of
delay. As it is with men of genius, so with God, only in loftier and
nobler ways.

It takes a million years to harden the ruby, says the poet, yet
through all the years the hardening goes on. It takes a century
for the sea to wear away one cliff, yet every night when we sleep
the breakers dash on it. So when we pray and strive and nothing
happens, till we are tempted to say "God does not know, God
does not care," who can tell but that, behind the veil, infinite love
may be toiling like the sea, to give us in the full time our heart's
desire?

 I was staying the other week with some friends in
Ireland, when word came that our friend's place of business had
been broken into. It was a holiday and he was away in Galway,
and was not to be home again until that evening. Well, he came
home, very tired and famished, and a foolish wife would have
rushed out to meet him with the news; but his wife was not foolish,
she was Scotch and sensible, and she let him wash and eat and
rest himself a little; and then when he was ready to see things
rightly she broke the news, and I saw there was wisdom and love
in that delay.

You who are mothers here, and who look back on those sweet
years when your innocent children played about your feet, had you
never some great news to tell your children, yet you deliberately
withheld it for a time? "If we tell them tonight there will not be one
wink of sleep; if we tell them when they waken, there will not be
one bite of breakfast"; and so deliberately you held back the
blessing, and you did it just because you loved them so. If ye
then being evil, act like that, is it incredible that God should do
the same? Is it fair to distrust our Father, to say He has no pity,
to charge the heavens with being brass above us? I think it is
wiser to pray on, strive on, casting all doubts to the devil who
inspired them; believing in a love that never mocks us, and that
will give us our heart's desire in His own time.