The Lord spoke these words, "Hope for the future", and then reminded me of promises that He has made to me over the years. There are three words in particular that He quickens to me on a fairly regular basis. Like many of you, I've maintained my faith and hope in these promises, knowing that "what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Romans 4:21). However, the Lord showed me that I had actually lost hope for these words, and I found myself crying out for Him to revive my hope!
Hebrews 6:11 - "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end."
Vines defines this full assurance of hope as expressing the completeness of its activity in the soul (mind, will, emotions). Thus, there's a completeness required of hope in order for it to become the substance of faith in Hebrews 11:1. The Lord showed me that when our promises haven't yet materialized in the natural, there's a remaining work of Holy Spirit in our souls.
When I prayed for the Lord to revive my hope, I was asking Him to cause it to become active again! Hope had become passive in my soul without my even realizing it.
Hosea 6:1-3 - "He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him."
NUGGET OF GOLD: Let us come before the Lord and cry out for Him to revive the hopes and promises for the future that have already been spoken over our lives. Then, fully trust Him who is able to bring these words to pass in our lives in His perfect time.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Two Baskets of Figs
The Lord had me turn to Jeremiah 24 and then spoke a very sobering word. He said that the separation in the body of Christ has already taken place between those who serve Him with a whole heart and those who don't. He said that those who have given Him all of their hearts will now receive ALL OF HIM!
JEREMIAH 24:1-10 - "The Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten due to rottenness."
The Lord says in Jeremiah that He will set His eyes on the "good figs" to plant them and build them up. He will fully enter into covenant with those who have completely given themselves to Him. We will have unparalleled access to all that He is and all that He has in a way that has not been available before this time
What's the verdict for those who have not yielded to the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudgings of the Holy Spirit over the past number of years? Following are some of the things I believe the Lord has shown me through His Word:
1. According to Jeremiah 24:8, the Lord will abandon (give up) the bad figs. He will remove His presence and His blessings.
2. According to Isaiah 22:8, He will remove their covering.
3. According to Hosea 4:17, the Lord will "let them alone". Thus, these Christians will be left to their own devices, reaping from the ways of the world and the world system as "darkness covers the earth and deep darkness the peoples" (Isa.60:2).
JEREMIAH 24:1-10 - "The Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! One basket had very good figs, like first-ripe figs, and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten due to rottenness."
The Lord says in Jeremiah that He will set His eyes on the "good figs" to plant them and build them up. He will fully enter into covenant with those who have completely given themselves to Him. We will have unparalleled access to all that He is and all that He has in a way that has not been available before this time
What's the verdict for those who have not yielded to the gentle (and sometimes not so gentle) nudgings of the Holy Spirit over the past number of years? Following are some of the things I believe the Lord has shown me through His Word:
1. According to Jeremiah 24:8, the Lord will abandon (give up) the bad figs. He will remove His presence and His blessings.
2. According to Isaiah 22:8, He will remove their covering.
3. According to Hosea 4:17, the Lord will "let them alone". Thus, these Christians will be left to their own devices, reaping from the ways of the world and the world system as "darkness covers the earth and deep darkness the peoples" (Isa.60:2).
Thursday, October 7, 2010
FIRE and GLORY!
I heard the Lord speak the words, "Fire and Glory", and I knew that He was speaking of a particular work of the Holy Spirit in the season/new year we've just entered. I perceived Him saying, "These are the best of times and the worst of times!"
EXODUS 24:17 - "And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top."
Over the past months, the Lord has been making "glory deposits" in His people. These deposits have had a purifying effect on those who have submitted to this work of the Holy Spirit to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).
We're actually being clothed in His glory as we allow the fire of the Lord to cleanse and sanctify us.
MALACHI 3:3 - "And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness."
This new mantle of Glory will be our protection in the times just ahead. But for the unrighteous (beginning first with the household of God), the fire and glory of His presence will bring judgment and loss. Every work that has not been built according to His Spirit will be revealed (1 Cor.3:10-15). Everything that does not bear fruit will be cut off (Luke 3:9).
MALACHI 4:1 - "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff, and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
NUGGET OF GOLD: These are indeed the best of times and the worst of times. The hour has come for those who have been baptized with Holy Spirit fire to shine like the sun. The Lord is sending us forth to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, with signs and wonders following! He has "clothed us with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), and we are His witnesses. Let us be bold and confident, knowing that His Glory is upon us!
EXODUS 24:17 - "And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top."
Over the past months, the Lord has been making "glory deposits" in His people. These deposits have had a purifying effect on those who have submitted to this work of the Holy Spirit to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).
We're actually being clothed in His glory as we allow the fire of the Lord to cleanse and sanctify us.
MALACHI 3:3 - "And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness."
This new mantle of Glory will be our protection in the times just ahead. But for the unrighteous (beginning first with the household of God), the fire and glory of His presence will bring judgment and loss. Every work that has not been built according to His Spirit will be revealed (1 Cor.3:10-15). Everything that does not bear fruit will be cut off (Luke 3:9).
MALACHI 4:1 - "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff, and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
NUGGET OF GOLD: These are indeed the best of times and the worst of times. The hour has come for those who have been baptized with Holy Spirit fire to shine like the sun. The Lord is sending us forth to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, with signs and wonders following! He has "clothed us with power from on high" (Luke 24:49), and we are His witnesses. Let us be bold and confident, knowing that His Glory is upon us!
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