"The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost... He came in mighty fullness then. His witness, through believers, won the lost and multitudes were born again. The early Christians scattered o'er the world... they preached the gospel fearlessly. Though some were martyred and to lions hurled, they marched along in victory. Come Holy Spirit... dark is the hour. We need Your filling, Your love, and Your mighty power. Move, now, among us... stir us, we pray. Come, Holy Spirit... Revive the church, today. Then in an age when darkness gripped the earth... the just shall live by faith was learned. The Holy Spirit gave the church new birth, as reformation fires burned. In later years, the great revivals came... when men would seek the LORD and pray. Oh, once again, we need that holy flame... to meet the challenge of today. Come, Holy Spirit... dark is the hour. We need Your filling, Your love, and Your mighty power. Move, now, among us... stir us, we pray. Come, Holy Spirit... Revive the church, today." These words, penned by John W Peterson, are very powerful and needful for this period in time... they can be and, probably, should be used, as a prayer for this generation.
For the past few months, I have felt that GOD has been and is preparing my heart and the hearts of many of HIS people with a deep stirring and yearning for a greater moving of HIMSELF in and among us - personally and collectively. Our hearts have been challenged to PRAY... pray more, pray often, pray specific, pray in faith, and to pray - believing that GOD can and will answer because we know that HE is the promise keeping GOD, who never lies... we have HIS WORD, written to/for us and passed down to every generation, as our surety. In our thoughts, we all may say... I hear this all the time or have heard it all my life, if this is TRUE/TRUTH, why are there not more "miracles" happening, today, and/or more souls being saved? Have we accepted the challenge and made prayer our lifeline to GOD? An acrostic for PRAY = Praying Requires A Yearning... do we have a yearning in our heart and soul for GOD to do "great and mighty things" that we have never seen or experienced?
In an earlier post, I shared this quote, "A prayer, without a promise, has no foundation." When concentrating upon our needs and desires before we come to GOD, in prayer, do we think about a scripture verse or passage of scripture that we may have read, heard taught/preached, or memorized that may speak to our hearts concerning those needs and desires, at the time, and can we find GOD'S promise there? How many of our prayers are or have been prayed in unbelief? We pray, for sure, but do we expect to receive an answer? Are our prayers sincere or half-hearted? 1 John 5:10 b, states, "... he that believeth not GOD hath made him a liar;" are we accusing GOD of lying? Oh, that we would realize the seriousness of totally believing, relying upon, and trusting GOD in every situation and/or circumstance. GOD deserves our respect and complete trust that HE can and will do what HE says. The Word of GOD is and always will be, as current as tomorrow's newspaper and it is for this present time and future generations, as much as it was for those past.
In praying, when we acknowledge our sin, we come to a place of being open and honest before/with GOD, with ourselves, and others; however, our sin is against GOD and HIM, alone... but HE is waiting for us to come before HIM, acknowledge our sin, and ask HIM for forgiveness and cleansing. We must pray... search me, show me, forgive me, and cleanse me of any and all things displeasing to YOU, and those things that would hinder my life from being useful or usable. The WORD tells us in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We are responsible for our sin - to confess and forsake it... HE is responsible for forgiving and cleansing us. As believers, we can be confident that GOD hears us and will hearken (listen intently, give attention to, & heed) unto our prayers. This manner of praying will draw our hearts and souls to seek a more intimate relationship with GOD and an intimate relationship will cause us to desire to please our beloved ONE, rather than ourselves or others.
A few days ago, my prayer verses were Psalm 24:3-6, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the GOD of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." These are some powerful verses... sobering and soul-searching. The questions asked caused me to ask myself a few, also. How is my heart before the HOLY GOD? Am I at a place to receive "the blessing from the LORD" and what, exactly, is this blessing? It must be something specific, but what does GOD want to give me... to give us? However, the underlined portion caused me to ask, "Is this generation the one that will truly seek the LORD or what would it take for this to be true?" My heart yearns to see and experience a true moving of the HOLY SPIRIT - in my life, in my family, in our community, and in our churches. We have heard and read about the "revivals" of yesteryear... they are past - just a moment and memory in history... good, yes, but gone. Those who experienced/witnessed those moves of GOD tell about it, write about it, but did the experience wane from their thoughts and lives? If so, what caused its gradual decrease? Did man step in and rob GOD of HIS glory? Did he add his programs and agenda to what GOD was doing? Duncan Campbell, a preacher who was well-known during the, 1949-1952, revival on the Isle of Lewis, stated that..."We must leave the work to GOD. May we remove our programs and allow GOD'S presence to be welcomed." (Emphasis mine.) Do we invite/welcome GOD'S presence in our lives and church services? HE IS ALWAYS NEAR, BUT DO WE WANT HIM TO BE INVOLVED IN THE FULLNESS OF HIS POWER AND GLORY???
We, all, have probably seen the picture of JESUS standing outside a door knocking... looking more closely, you will notice there is no latch/knob on the outside, so the opening of that door must be from the inside... it represents HIM knocking at our heart desiring to be asked and/or welcomed inside. This illustration can be for, both, the sinner and the saint... to the sinner for salvation and the saint for service, fellowship, and building an intimate relationship with HIM, but HE leaves the choice, of opening the door, to us. It's very sad, to say, but some will never open the door and others may open it for salvation; however, will never know or experience an intimate relationship with GOD. We are, actually, guilty of using GOD - just when we need HIM or when we want HIM to give us something and/or do something to benefit us... we are such a selfish generation. Oh, how this must grieve HIM!
WE ARE A GENERATION, DESPERATELY, NEEDING TO CRY OUT TO GOD TO HEAR OUR PRAYERS, TO FORGIVE OUR SIN, AND TO HEAL OUR LAND... but we must realize that HE will never intrude, so we have to take the initiative... do we want HIM to "come down", to work in and among us, to make a difference in our lives/churches or are we going to remain self-satisfied and complacent? When will we grow tired of being stirred with no change(s) - in our lives, in our churches or in our society? When will the "true Christians" acknowledge that we serve the GOD, who desires to walk with and among us to show us HE is capable of so much more than is accredited to HIM and when will allow HIM to be GOD - for WHO HE IS?
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:..." Jeremiah 29:12-14 a. When will we claim these promises? Our generation needs GOD, but most importantly, we need to seek HIM to see and experience what HE can and desires to do in/for us, in this generation.
"Oh, Heavenly Father... thank YOU, because YOU said that YOU would hearken unto my prayer. This is YOUR promise... my part is to seek and search for YOU, wholeheartedly. I know that YOU aren't lost, but I want to find YOU in the way YOU have written of here... YOU are enough and will continue to be sufficient for and in me... yet, YOU desire to meet with me and show me YOUR power and glory. YOU are the foundation upon which I am firmly and eternally established. With my physical eyes, I cannot and do not see YOU, only the evidence of where YOU'VE been, of what YOU'VE done, and continue to do, but I ask YOU to please, open my "spiritual" eyes to know/have the wisdom and discernment needed for this journey. My heart's cry is for YOU to "rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down," ... do YOUR work in my heart, in my home, in our church, and in our land. Show us YOUR power and glory. Hover over us and come near... let us experience the great and mighty works YOU promised to those who would call unto YOU. Please let there be a few brothers and sisters in CHRIST, who have the same desire, as myself ... and that we would pray, in confidence and complete trust, until YOU show up and show off, in YOUR MAJESTY. Father, before YOU, I am anxious and restless; nonetheless, waiting on YOU. PLEASE LET THIS BE THE GENERATION THAT WILL SEEK THE LORD... TO YOUR HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER... IN JESUS' PRECIOUS NAME, I PRAY... AMEN."
For the past few months, I have felt that GOD has been and is preparing my heart and the hearts of many of HIS people with a deep stirring and yearning for a greater moving of HIMSELF in and among us - personally and collectively. Our hearts have been challenged to PRAY... pray more, pray often, pray specific, pray in faith, and to pray - believing that GOD can and will answer because we know that HE is the promise keeping GOD, who never lies... we have HIS WORD, written to/for us and passed down to every generation, as our surety. In our thoughts, we all may say... I hear this all the time or have heard it all my life, if this is TRUE/TRUTH, why are there not more "miracles" happening, today, and/or more souls being saved? Have we accepted the challenge and made prayer our lifeline to GOD? An acrostic for PRAY = Praying Requires A Yearning... do we have a yearning in our heart and soul for GOD to do "great and mighty things" that we have never seen or experienced?
In an earlier post, I shared this quote, "A prayer, without a promise, has no foundation." When concentrating upon our needs and desires before we come to GOD, in prayer, do we think about a scripture verse or passage of scripture that we may have read, heard taught/preached, or memorized that may speak to our hearts concerning those needs and desires, at the time, and can we find GOD'S promise there? How many of our prayers are or have been prayed in unbelief? We pray, for sure, but do we expect to receive an answer? Are our prayers sincere or half-hearted? 1 John 5:10 b, states, "... he that believeth not GOD hath made him a liar;" are we accusing GOD of lying? Oh, that we would realize the seriousness of totally believing, relying upon, and trusting GOD in every situation and/or circumstance. GOD deserves our respect and complete trust that HE can and will do what HE says. The Word of GOD is and always will be, as current as tomorrow's newspaper and it is for this present time and future generations, as much as it was for those past.
In praying, when we acknowledge our sin, we come to a place of being open and honest before/with GOD, with ourselves, and others; however, our sin is against GOD and HIM, alone... but HE is waiting for us to come before HIM, acknowledge our sin, and ask HIM for forgiveness and cleansing. We must pray... search me, show me, forgive me, and cleanse me of any and all things displeasing to YOU, and those things that would hinder my life from being useful or usable. The WORD tells us in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." We are responsible for our sin - to confess and forsake it... HE is responsible for forgiving and cleansing us. As believers, we can be confident that GOD hears us and will hearken (listen intently, give attention to, & heed) unto our prayers. This manner of praying will draw our hearts and souls to seek a more intimate relationship with GOD and an intimate relationship will cause us to desire to please our beloved ONE, rather than ourselves or others.
A few days ago, my prayer verses were Psalm 24:3-6, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the GOD of his salvation. This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah." These are some powerful verses... sobering and soul-searching. The questions asked caused me to ask myself a few, also. How is my heart before the HOLY GOD? Am I at a place to receive "the blessing from the LORD" and what, exactly, is this blessing? It must be something specific, but what does GOD want to give me... to give us? However, the underlined portion caused me to ask, "Is this generation the one that will truly seek the LORD or what would it take for this to be true?" My heart yearns to see and experience a true moving of the HOLY SPIRIT - in my life, in my family, in our community, and in our churches. We have heard and read about the "revivals" of yesteryear... they are past - just a moment and memory in history... good, yes, but gone. Those who experienced/witnessed those moves of GOD tell about it, write about it, but did the experience wane from their thoughts and lives? If so, what caused its gradual decrease? Did man step in and rob GOD of HIS glory? Did he add his programs and agenda to what GOD was doing? Duncan Campbell, a preacher who was well-known during the, 1949-1952, revival on the Isle of Lewis, stated that..."We must leave the work to GOD. May we remove our programs and allow GOD'S presence to be welcomed." (Emphasis mine.) Do we invite/welcome GOD'S presence in our lives and church services? HE IS ALWAYS NEAR, BUT DO WE WANT HIM TO BE INVOLVED IN THE FULLNESS OF HIS POWER AND GLORY???
We, all, have probably seen the picture of JESUS standing outside a door knocking... looking more closely, you will notice there is no latch/knob on the outside, so the opening of that door must be from the inside... it represents HIM knocking at our heart desiring to be asked and/or welcomed inside. This illustration can be for, both, the sinner and the saint... to the sinner for salvation and the saint for service, fellowship, and building an intimate relationship with HIM, but HE leaves the choice, of opening the door, to us. It's very sad, to say, but some will never open the door and others may open it for salvation; however, will never know or experience an intimate relationship with GOD. We are, actually, guilty of using GOD - just when we need HIM or when we want HIM to give us something and/or do something to benefit us... we are such a selfish generation. Oh, how this must grieve HIM!
WE ARE A GENERATION, DESPERATELY, NEEDING TO CRY OUT TO GOD TO HEAR OUR PRAYERS, TO FORGIVE OUR SIN, AND TO HEAL OUR LAND... but we must realize that HE will never intrude, so we have to take the initiative... do we want HIM to "come down", to work in and among us, to make a difference in our lives/churches or are we going to remain self-satisfied and complacent? When will we grow tired of being stirred with no change(s) - in our lives, in our churches or in our society? When will the "true Christians" acknowledge that we serve the GOD, who desires to walk with and among us to show us HE is capable of so much more than is accredited to HIM and when will allow HIM to be GOD - for WHO HE IS?
"Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:..." Jeremiah 29:12-14 a. When will we claim these promises? Our generation needs GOD, but most importantly, we need to seek HIM to see and experience what HE can and desires to do in/for us, in this generation.
"Oh, Heavenly Father... thank YOU, because YOU said that YOU would hearken unto my prayer. This is YOUR promise... my part is to seek and search for YOU, wholeheartedly. I know that YOU aren't lost, but I want to find YOU in the way YOU have written of here... YOU are enough and will continue to be sufficient for and in me... yet, YOU desire to meet with me and show me YOUR power and glory. YOU are the foundation upon which I am firmly and eternally established. With my physical eyes, I cannot and do not see YOU, only the evidence of where YOU'VE been, of what YOU'VE done, and continue to do, but I ask YOU to please, open my "spiritual" eyes to know/have the wisdom and discernment needed for this journey. My heart's cry is for YOU to "rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down," ... do YOUR work in my heart, in my home, in our church, and in our land. Show us YOUR power and glory. Hover over us and come near... let us experience the great and mighty works YOU promised to those who would call unto YOU. Please let there be a few brothers and sisters in CHRIST, who have the same desire, as myself ... and that we would pray, in confidence and complete trust, until YOU show up and show off, in YOUR MAJESTY. Father, before YOU, I am anxious and restless; nonetheless, waiting on YOU. PLEASE LET THIS BE THE GENERATION THAT WILL SEEK THE LORD... TO YOUR HONOR AND GLORY FOREVER... IN JESUS' PRECIOUS NAME, I PRAY... AMEN."
