Rev 3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Sue

These verses carry a heart cry that we all should long for, the desire to see the true move of God in our midst as we gather in His name. There is no wondering as to why we do not see His power and Glory like we used to see it in by-gone days. It is simply a matter of prayerlessness. Ravenhill once wrote, “The reason for so much weakness in the pew was directly related to so much wickedness behind the pulpit”. I like to change that, ‘the reason for such apathy in the pews is that there is so much prayerlessness behind the pulpit’. If we would see a true move of God in our churches, we must get back to praying the Glory down. Our hearts must cry out as David’s’, O God, I am hungry and thirsty in this dry and barren land, I long to see a manifestation of your presence sweep through our midst as we have seen in times past. Over the years, we have all but forgotten the power that used to come down when the assembly of saints gathered. The world used to look in the windows of the church with curiosity and amazement, today the world sits in the church without feeling the necessity for repentance or any desire to change. In place of a direct word from God, we have prayerless men discerning with the flesh then dictating to the self-seeking multitude that everything is going to be ok with them in spite of their sin. If George Whitfield or John Wesley or Jonathan Edwards had been soft spoken and prayerless none of the Great Awakenings would have ever occurred. If this generation will ever see another Great Awakening, it must be birthed in the prayer closet. It must be driven by a hunger that supersedes the complacency that is so commonplace in today’s church. If we do not get hungry and long with intensity for more than we presently have, we will be no more than a dim flickering light in the midst of a dark chaotic world. My prayer is that in this coming year God will birth a hunger in us so great that we can no longer be satisfied with our humdrum church life. Will you join me in this prayer? God is calling us to an intensity of spirit and to constant prayer. He wants to move and show forth his glory, but how can he if our hunger only craves the things of this world and we remain contented with our complacency. These are days that call for more than just a ten-minute Bible read and “Just a Little Talk with Jesus”. These days call for fervency of spirit and enthusiasm with His written word. O God set our hearts aflame with a Holy passion such as we have never known before that you in all things may be glorified.

Sue

This was probably not the night Jesus was born but it is the night that we acknowledge that His presence invaded the world and forever changed history. I know no other man whose life determined calendar years. I know no other man whose life so drastically affected the course of human events or whose life has given so much hope and good will. When Paul was writing to the church at Galatians, he impressed upon their minds the importance of realizing the element of the Fathers timing. Jesus came at just the right moment in history and He will return at just the right moment in history. The Lord foreordained before the beginning of the world that a certain young Jewish woman would be overshadowed by the power of the Holy Spirit and conceive in her womb the Savior of the world. When we ponder the life of Mary, we can glean some things from her life that we can apply to our own lives. Her simple child-like faith that readily received the words spoken by the angel of the Lord. Her willingness to sacrifice her agenda to marry Joseph, (she was willing to loose who she loved the most to fulfill the divine commission of the Father). She knew the reproach she would endure when she began to show signs of being with a child while being without a husband. She knew that under the law she could have been taken to the town square and stoned. She knew that her own family would question her purity and sincerity. She knew the mockery that would come from the disbelief of others when she shared her sacred truth. She also knew that there was a Holy thing working on the inside of her that caused all else to seem irrelevant. She was willing to sacrifice all to bring forth the life of Christ in the natural. When we completely believe that a Holy thing is going on inside of us nothing else will take pre-eminence over the significant. We have not been called to bring forth the life of Christ in the natural that has already been done. We are called to bring forth the life of Christ in the spiritual and to count the cost. Paul prayed for the Galatians; “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Looking at Mary’s life helps us to count the cost. Are we willing to loose what or who we love the most to fulfill the divine commission assigned to us? Are we willing to bear the reproach of being misunderstood because of the hope that is alive and kicking in our spiritual wombs? Are we willing to be taken to the town square and stoned for being considered a liar? Are we willing to be obedient to the Lord to the point our own family members might question our sanity? Are we willing to endure the mockery of the world because of the sacred truths our precious Lord has deposited within us? Does all else seem irrelevant compared to the significant work the Lord of Glory is doing on the inside of you? If we can answer with an affirmative, ‘Yes’, then we are without question sold out to our Blessed Lord and ready to display to this world the most wonderful life that has ever entered this earth.
Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Your Friend and Sister in Christ
Sue

The word of the Lord will never return unto Him void. It shall accomplish in our lives the thing that He has ordained to happen. This verse gives us an interesting comparison with His word being as the rain or the snow that comes from Heaven to water the ground and bring forth the herbs of the field. If the rain or the snow fulfills its mission, how much more will the infallible word of God bring forth the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives and cause us to bud forth and bloom. In the Old Testament men waited a long time to see the fulfillment of the promises the Lord had spoken to them. Oftentimes when we get a promise from the Lord the manifestation is not immediate but the promise remains sure. His word cannot return to Him without producing the work He has sent it forth to accomplish. If God has spoken something to you concerning a healing or the salvation of a loved one or a personal promise, be still and wait patiently, it will come to pass. We have a sure word of prophecy, verified by two immutable facts, it is impossible for God to lie and He has sealed His word by an oath and swore by himself through the blood of the everlasting covenant. Therefore, we can go out with joy and be led forth with peace knowing we have a promise given to us by the Author and Finisher of our faith. No situation is to difficult for Him to change, no loved one so lost that he cannot be found and no personal word so overwhelmed by circumstances that His word cannot transform. Be assured that if He said it, He will perform it.