The Harvest Of The SPIRIT

                                         
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:5).

Paul says that God measures out the Holy Ghost to us and He does so Not according to our Works, But according to our Faith in Him.

Jesus is the only person who ever had the Holy Spirit without measure. Yet there have been many men and women throughout history who were given a great measure of the Spirit. Such believers have always known they do not have to strive to weep over a lost, broken world, because the Holy Ghost does the
weeping in them.

Our part is to pray: "Holy Ghost, You know everyone in my circle of influence who is under conviction because You are the one who convicts them. You see every tear that falls in the quiet of the night and You know everyone who is desperate and crying for help. I am Your instrument. Fill me with Your burden and LEAD ME to Those YOU have Prepared."

God wants to EMPOWER US for One Reason — to get us into the streets, filled  with His Word and led by His Spirit. He wants us to be able to speak a piercing, convicting word that has the unmistakable Fire of the Spirit!

Does something stir in your soul over the lost? Are you burdened for those in your circle of influence? Or Do YOU Focus Endlessly on Your OWN Needs? 

If you don't know Christ's heart and have His burden, you can never expect to be used of Him.

For many Christians, the work of eternity may not be in a faraway land but will  center on family, friends and coworkers. The requirements, however, are just the same. To reach the lost we must ask the Lord to move on them with conviction and to prepare our hearts with a timely word.

Fast and pray and then ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to those He has convicted and prepared to hear His Word. Then trust in His guidance and power to do the miraculous!

~David Wilkerson~



 

Divided Loyalties Issue In Disaster

                                     
Now take Jonathan. Even he can be involved at last in the awful tragedy of compromise. It is one of the saddest stories. We all want to shed tears when we read David's lament over Jonathan.

We remember the beginnings of the relationship between David and Jonathan, how their souls were knit together. Their story is always being taken as a kind of classic and model of friendship

And yet even there...there were divided loyalties in the case of Jonathan - loyalty to the realm of nature, to his father after the flesh, straining against his loyalty to David, and causing him to be a divided personality.

When he is with his father, his heart is with David. When he is with David, he feels the pull of duty to his father. He is a divided man. 

What a problem divided loyalties present!
 
Jonathan must have known all about that Amalek episode and what Samuel did; that in the Divine intent the kingdom was then taken from Saul and passed to David; that the Lord forsook Saul and was no longer with him.

He may have known of the consultation with the witch, the touching of that realm forbidden so strongly by the Lord. And yet, on natural grounds of some kind, Jonathan did not break with that whole system of things.

What a different story might have been told if he had taken sides wholly with David and been David's right hand man for the kingdom! But this divided loyalty involved him in the ultimate tragedy.

And even good people who have been blessed of the Lord, to whom He has shown His favour and whom He has used very greatly, may in the end be involved in spiritual tragedy if for some reason compromise has entered in. 

It may have come in because of policy. What a snare policy is! We tell ourselves we must be very careful that we do not do this or that because it may have such and such a result. It is all policy and diplomacy. 'We must be careful to avoid...what? 

Just what we seek to avoid betrays the whole case. Are we afraid of losing prestige with men, support, friends, position, opportunity? Do these things weigh with us as over against implicit obedience to the Lord? 

If so, there is divided loyalty; and if we allow it, we may at the end pass into terrible tragedy; the tragedy that always follows compromise.

~T. Austin Sparks~

Without Faith There is NO Pleasing GOD

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Becoming A GIANT With GOD

                                                     
Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us (Psalm 62:8).

You must consider your daily appointments with God more sacred and important than appointments with any other people no matter who they are.

How embarrassing it must be for heaven to see the way we Christians fail to highly regard the majesty of our God, the King of Glory. We are often flippant in the way we keep Him waiting. And at the drop of a hat, we will suddenly cancel plans to meet with Him in His courts, all for the most trifling thing!

Can you imagine someone keeping the Creator of the universe waiting while he lingers to view his favorite TV program? Yet that is what many of us do! Even worse, we often do not bother to show up in God's presence at all. It is not that we forget our appointment with Him but we willfully refuse to appear before Him!

Isaiah lamented, "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). When I allow interruptions to come between me and my appointments with the Lord, I am hiding my face from Him and not appreciating Him as I should.

The truth is, it is impossible to waste time when you are seeking God in  prayer. Furthermore, outside the secret closet, the praying man or woman accomplishes more in less time, with less hurry and less effort and sweat.

The most effective work for God we will ever do is on our knees. While the prayerless run helter skelter, to and fro, attempting great things, the praying Christian is hard at work moving kingdoms, shattering strongholds, doing great things and, in the process, becoming a giant with God.

~David Wilkerson~
 

LAMB

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 

Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?

Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 

Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. 

Rev 5:6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. 

Rev 5:7 And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. 

Rev 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. 

Rev 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 

Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;

Rev 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 

Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 

Rev 5:14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

When The LORD Moves The STONE

                                       
When the Lord moves for His own Son's sake, and has those interests governing, and when those interests have brought us into such a relationship with Him that we can say there is no stone so big to be removed, no problem so great for solving, no difficulty so intense, but the Lord will do what is necessary for His Son's sake.

When we have come to a position like that, the Lord is free to do a lot of things very quietly. As we say, they just 'happen'. Ah, but they have been the objects of the exercise of exceeding great power.

There was a great earthquake (Matt. 28:2). But here, in this aspect of the situation, it does not seem to be an earthquake at all. It has just happened. We must recognize that there is an aspect of activities in which the secret, quiet working of His immense power dismisses the greatest difficulties as though they had never existed.

Sometimes He may bring us into the presence of the working of His power that is manifestly terrific, but not often and certainly not always. For faith it is more like this: there is such power at work as to make possible the setting aside of the obstacle very quietly, so that we afterward wonder - "And they were amazed". And the angel said, "Be not amazed". It is good to have amazement, but let us recognize that a certain amount of our amazement is because we have not sufficient faith.

~T. Austin Sparks~

GOD CHOSE TO BE A FATHER TO ME

                                                    
I have chosen who I want to be to you, how I want you to see Me. I want you to know Me as your loving heavenly Father." I did not choose Him. Rather, this is the role He chose to be to me a Father.

Is God ruler of heaven and earth? Is He Almighty? Is He  Omnipotent? Does He sit  King of the flood? The answer to all these questions, of course, is yes. But in these last days, God wants us to have another revelation of Him: "I want to be a Father to you and I want you to be a son or daughter to Me."

Jesus walked the earth His whole lifetime knowing who the Father was, knowing  His will, hearing His voice. He lived every hour under the sunlight of His love, never in confusion or doubt. Therefore, He could face anything the enemy threw at Him any trial, any hardship because He knew His Father was with Him. He could say, "I know I have a Father who sent Me. He chose Me and appointed Me. And He is with me always. I am never alone!"

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they  also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me (John 17:21).

Jesus was saying, "You say you want to know Me, and that is right and good. But  now I want you to know My Father. I want you to know Him as I knew and enjoyed Him as Father!"

The Father tells us, "I want to hover over you, to be your protector, to drive  out all demonic attacks, to supply every need, to see you through all your trials. Let Me be your Father!"

Think of it: He chose you out of all the hundreds of millions of people on the  face of the earth. Yet He not only chose you, but He adopted you as His child. His Spirit tells you to cry, "Abba! You are my Father. You are not just Abraham's Father, or Peter’s and Paul's, but mine.

~David Wilkerson~

Is GOD'S Presence There?

Act 7:48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands as saith the prophet

Christianity has become a tremendous buildup of things which were not at the beginning. 

The Christianity which we know today is a very complicated thing. 

The hands of men have come upon the things of God, and men have tried to build this great thing according to their own judgment.

And so we have all the confusion, all the divisions, and all the complications.

It is really hard going in Christianity.

Christianity has become its own great hindrance.

You will go about this country, you will go about this city, and you will see these great religious buildings with a cross at the top. 

And when people enter those buildings, they bow themselves; they look very reverent. 

And they think that this is a sacred building. 

If you interfere with anything there, it is called sacrilege. 

To God that is all nonsense. 

It does not mean anything at all. 

The only thing that matters to God is not the wonderful building and all the wonderful things inside the building, and not even the cross on the top. 

The one thing that matters to God is whether He is there.

Is God Himself present in this place?
 

But what about ourselves, we hear Christians who come into a meeting like this speaking about coming into the house of God. 

Perhaps they say when they are going to this meeting place, "I am going to the house of God."

And when they pray, they say, "We are very glad to be in the house of God this morning; it is a good thing to be in the Lord's house."

What makes any place the house of God?

What makes this place sacred?

If it is sacred at all, what makes it sacred?

It is not the building, this is not a sacred building.

It is not a congregation gathered here.

The only thing that makes it sacred is that the Lord is present.

The Lord is not interested in our places or in our congregations;

He is only concerned that He may find a place for Himself where He may be present in pleasure.

I wonder where the tabernacle in the wilderness is now?

I expect it is buried somewhere deep under the earth.

I wonder where the great temple of Solomon is now?

I think you would be wasting your time to try and find it.

You see, God had buried those things.

Everything that is not of Christ is going to be dissolved.

Make no mistake.

This whole structure of Christianity is going to be tested according to Christ.

Christianity is just going to be tested as to how far it was the work of the Holy Spirit of God according to Christ.

~T. Austin Sparks~

REMEMBER What GOD Has Done

We have a tendency to forget every good thing God has done for us. When we face new challenges we often do not remember our deliverance from old ones.

When David stood before Goliath, he rehearsed his past victories in order to  build up his faith. He recounted, "And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36).
                                                                               
Moses reminded Israel of all their past deliverances and then he warned them: "Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons" (Deuteronomy 4:9).

The Bible says of Israel: "They kept not the covenant of God . . . and forgot  his works, and his wonders that he had shewed them" (Psalm 78:10-11). Like the Israelites, we have the same tendency whenever we face a new trial or affliction. We say, "Oh, God, this time it's too much for me to face." But God answers, "Simply look back and remember Me!"

If need be, keep a journal to remind yourself of God's great deliverances in  your life. Jot down a few notes at night before going to bed. Do whatever it takes to remind yourself of all the things He has done for you, all the heartaches you have been through and the deliverance He brought. Then, when your next affliction arises, open your notebook and say to the devil, "You're not going to deceive me this time. My God brought me out before, and He will do it again."

~David Wilkerson~

The Need For Persistent Determination

                                                                                                         Now~what the Lord says here to Peter is very indicative and I think very helpful. Thou art a stumbling-block (an offence) unto Me. The Lord had fought out this battle, had taken His ground put both His feet down upon this way of the will of God for Him, namely, by the Cross to the Kingdom; and it was for Him no easy way.

It was not just the being crucified and being killed, but being made sin and all that is involved of ultimately suffering the forsaking of God. It was no easy way, and He had to keep Himself rigidly in that direction, and anything that came along to influence Him otherwise only brought up the new demand for resolution and persistence. Thus it offended Him in the sense that it made it difficult for Him, it made it hard for Him, it was not helping Him.

It may have been intended to help, so far as Peter was concerned, not knowing what he was saying, but behind it the Lord saw that it only raised the old issue again, the old battle, and therefore it offended His sense of the will of His Father and stood across His path to make the way more difficult.

I think that does say to us that a position has to be taken inclusively and over many things where the will of God is concerned. We have to come very definitely and positively to such a position, and then realize that from time to time there will be, by one means or another, an effort of the enemy to change our minds, to weaken us in that course, to make other suggestions, to get us to reconsider it in the light of various issues and interests.

We shall meet this offending, this stumbling, this hindering thing and have to be very ruthless with it. The way the Lord dealt with Peter was, in a sense, ruthless. Really there was no weakness in His attitude over that. Discerning its true nature, He saw clearly that, if He yielded to this suggestion, then He would go neither to Jerusalem nor to the Cross. 

It is a question of whether we have settled that such and such is the way of the will of God, and then, will this or that arising mean in the long run that we never get there, never do that will? If so, it has to be handled very ruthlessly and put out of the way and put behind us. The Cross comes to us in many connections and different terms.

Then, if we are really going to come through to the place of spiritual power as did Peter, that ground of the enemy must continually be forsaken and refused. The enemy has to be robbed of that which will destroy us and give him power to destroy us, and we have to be very ruthless with anything that arises to give him that position and defeat God's intention where we are concerned.

This battle of heaven and hell, God and Satan, goes on in our souls, but there is for us this consolation, that we have a High Priest ever living to make intercession. We have a great asset in the continual intercession of the Lord Jesus for us. Let us close on that note of encouragement and assurance.

~T. Austin Sparks~

DOES GOD AFFLICT HIS CHILDREN?

                                                                                                           
Does God afflict His own children? Listen to the psalmist's answer: "For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place" (Psalm 66:10-12). 

The psalmist is saying, "Lord, You put me in waters so high over my head that I  thought I would drown. You put me into the fire, to try me as silver is tried. You brought me into a net, laid affliction on me, caused men to trounce on me!"

Why did God allow such afflictions? It was because He was bringing His beloved  child into a "wealthy place." In the original Hebrew this phrase means "a place of abundant fruitfulness." God is saying, "I'm taking you through all these hard places to make you fruitful for My kingdom."

Yet not all afflictions are from the hand of God. Many troubles come from the  devil himself, straight from the pits of hell. "For he [God] doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men" (Lamentations 3:33). God says, "I get no joy out of afflicting My children. That is not My purpose in allowing troubles." No, the Lord allows our afflictions only for His eternal purposes, to bring us into a "wealthy place."

I cringe with amazement as I remember all the sorrows, trials, deep waters,  flaming fires and powerful afflictions I have seen over the years. And usually when afflictions came, they came not just one at a time, but in bundles. Many times I thought, "There is no way I can make it through this." 

Even the memories of afflictions are painful — memories of slander, chastenings of the Lord, ministry trials, personal buffetings, family problems, bodily pains and aches. Yet, as I recall those years of suffering, I can say with assurance, "God's Word is true. He brought me out of every affliction that came upon me and I praise Him!"

~David Wilkerson~

I John 3:17-18.

                           Taking a look at I John 3:17-18 and what it means

1Jn 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

But whoso hath this world's good~The possessions of this world, worldly substance, the temporal good things of it; for there are some things in it, which are honestly, pleasantly, and profitably good, when used lawfully, and not abused, otherwise they are to the owner's hurt: or "the living of this world"; that which the men of the world give up themselves to, are bent upon, and pursue after; or on which men live, and by which life is maintained, and preserved, and made comfortable in the present state of things; such as meat, drink, apparel, money, houses, lands, & The Ethiopic version renders it, "he that hath the government of this world"; as if it pointed at a person that is in some high office of worldly honour and profit, and is both great and rich; but the words are not to be restrained to such an one only, but refer to any man that has any share of the outward enjoyments of life; that has not only a competency for himself and family, but something to spare, and especially that has an affluence of worldly substance; but of him that has not, it is not required; for what a man distributes ought to be his own, and not another's, and in proportion to what he has, or according to his ability:

And seeth his brother have need~meaning, not merely a brother in that strict and natural relation, or bond of consanguinity; though such an one in distress ought to be, in the first place, regarded, for no man should hide himself from, overlook and neglect his own flesh and blood; but any, and every man, "his neighbour", as the Ethiopic version reads, whom he ought to love as himself; and especially a brother in a spiritual relation, or one that is of the household of faith: if he has need; that is, is naked and destitute of daily food, has not the common supplies of life, and what nature requires; and also, whose circumstances are low and mean, though not reduced to the utmost extremity; and if he sees him in this distress with his own eyes, or if he knows it, hears of it, and is made acquainted with it, otherwise he cannot be blameworthy for not relieving him.

And shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him; hardens his heart, turns away his eyes, and shuts his hand; has no tenderness in him for, nor sympathy with his distressed brother, nor gives him any succour: and this shows, that when relief is given, it should be not in a morose and churlish manner, with reflection and reproach, but with affection and pity; and where there is neither one nor the other,

How dwelleth the love of God in him? neither the love with which God loves men; for if this was shed abroad in him, and had a place, and dwelt in him, and he was properly affected with it, it would warm his heart, and loosen his affections, and cause his bowels to move to his poor brother: nor the love with which God is loved; for if he does not love his brother whom he sees in distress, how should he love the invisible God? 1Jo_4:20; nor that love which God requires of him, which is to love his neighbour as himself.

1Jn 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,.... Which though it holds good of love to God, and to Jesus Christ, yet here is to be understood of love to the brethren, as the context shows; and so the Syriac version reads, "let us not love one another in word", &c. that is, without the heart, or with a double heart; speaking one thing with the lip, and designing another thing in the heart; speaking peaceably with the mouth, and with the heart laying wait; or we should not love in this manner "only"; and so the Arabic version of De Dieu adds. It is very lawful, and right to express our love to one another, and to all men in words, to give good words, and use courteous language, and speak in a kind, tender, and affectionate manner, and especially to persons in distress; but this should not be all, it will be of no avail to say to such, be warmed and filled, and give them nothing but these good words, nothing to warm and fill them with; see Jam_2:15;

But in deed and in truth; for true love is a laborious and operative grace, hence we read of the work and labour of love; it shows itself by the saints serving one another, in spirituals; as by bearing one another's burdens, forbearing with, and forgiving one another, praying for each other, and building up one another on their most holy faith; exhorting each other to the duties of religion, and not suffering sins upon one another, but admonish in love, and restore with meekness; and in temporals, distributing to the necessities of the saints, ministering: to them of their worldly substance, and supplying their daily wants: and this is loving "in deed", or "in work"; this is actual love, love in fact, and what is apparent and evident: and it is "in truth", when it is in reality, and not in show only; and when it is cordially and heartily done, with cheerfulness, and without grudging.

Psalm 91

HE WHO DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH SHALL REMAIN STABLE AND FIXED UNDER THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY WHOSE POWER NO FOE CAN WITHSTAND. PSALM 91 AMP

The LORD Is My ROCK And FORTRESS

Psa 18:2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
 
Psa 18:3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.