PRAYER JOURNEY
Day Forty
Brothers and sisters in Christ…
This presentation concludes our current 40 Day Prayer Journey…but the truth is, living in the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is the entire focus of our life-long Journey of Faith into the Holy of Holies. Brethren…it is a life-long journey!
I want to present the following personal testimony of what God has done in my life; it puts into perspective the intensity of this life-long Journey of Faith, and the magnitude of what God will do for those who hunger and thirst to ever plumb the depths of God.
Whenever a born-again child of God places their entire life an the altar of sacrifice… wholly surrendered unto God, wholly given for the blessings and salvation of souls…and walks in the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit the path that our Blessed Christ Personally walked and dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…the path of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial, death to sin and death to self…you can be sure you will become a target of Satan’s fury! All Hell will break loose against you!
During the latter part of June, 2020 and continuing unceasingly to July 23rd, the Lord allowed Hell’s onslaught to take place in my life. I was tormented and terrorized with overwhelming evil thoughts, images, and imaginations in my heart over continual stretches of time, day and night…beyond anything I had ever experienced before! It became clear that Satan’s intent was to destroy me!
I had known in my mind, and written about, that in my physical life, maturity is growth from the utter dependence of a baby to the complete independence and self-reliance of an adult. In my spiritual life, however, maturity is growth from independence and self-reliance to utter dependency upon God. He is most spiritually mature who lives a life of unreserved child-like dependence upon God. Just as a baby opens its mouth and cries whenever it has physical needs, so I open my mouth and cry whenever I have spiritual needs. Just as a baby is utterly and hopelessly helpless to satisfy its physical needs… and will surely physically die if no one hears its cry and comes to satisfy its needs…just so am I utterly and hopelessly helpless to satisfy my spiritual needs…and will surely spiritually die if God my Father does not hear my cry and come to satisfy my spiritual needs.
It is one thing to know this truth in your mind, but it is quite another to know this experientially! My Father allowed me to experience in my soul the horror of realizing that unless He came to rescue me…I was going to surely spiritually die! There was absolutely no question, no hope, not the remotest possibility of my being able to do anything about it! And I was frightened and scared…continually crying out for my Father like a little child…ABBA FATHER…WHERE ARE YOU!! I was experiencing something of the emotional agony that Jesus Himself experienced in the Garden that night when He began to be deeply distressed and troubled at the prospect of the cross. The Greek verbs used in the Biblical text described an extremely acute emotion, a compound of bewilderment, fear, uncertainty and anxiety, nowhere else portrayed in such vivid terms as here: shuddering awe; deep distress; overpowering mental distress; full of terror and distress; surprised and terrified; fright and anguish.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sin-enslaved human nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I end up doing is not the good deeds I want to do; no, the evil deeds I do not want to do…this I keep on doing! Now if I so often end up doing what I do not want to do, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is the enslaving power of sin living in my human nature that asserts itself and does it. So I find this law at work in me: when I want to do what is right and good, evil is right there with me subjecting me to its insistent demands. For in my inner being I delight in God’s Law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law embraced by my regenerated mind and making me a prisoner of the indwelling principle of sin at work within the members of my body. So then, to sum up this whole matter, such is the unchanging conflict of these two principles within me as a child of God: I myself in my regenerated mind am a willing bond-slave to God’s Law, but, in the sin-enslaved human nature that still remains a part of me, a wretched slave to the rule and reign of the indwelling principle of sin. What a wretched man I am! Who, then, shall deliver me out of bondage to this indwelling law of sin and into moral freedom, where my body shall no longer serve as the seat of this shameful death? Thanks be to God…He has delivered me and set me free through my living union of oneness with Christ Jesus my Lord! [Rom 7:18-25]
Brethren…it was Thursday evening, July 23, 2020, when the Spirit of God led our weekly Home Bible Meeting Group that I host into a discussion on these verses, and began to illuminate our minds to understand the rich eternal treasures that are above, in the Heavenly realms. We talked about…
- It wasn’t this way in the very beginning, Abba Father, when You first created Mankind in the person of Adam, to be the father of the human race. He had the capability and capacity to bring great glory to Your name…far greater glory than all else in the Created universe…by using his free will to freely choose to be what You created him to be, rather than to be something other than what You created him to be. And what did You create him to be… what did You create Mankind to be? A being that would freely choose to do Your will rather than its own will…a being that would live in absolute obedience to Your will, by choice. And so Adam was given the opportunity to bring great glory to Your name through the exercise of his free will to freely choose to obey Your one command…Your one and only restriction placed on his life. Unfortunately, he chose to exercise the free will You had given him to do what seemed best to him…to do what he wanted…rather than to obey Your will through obedience to Your one command clearly outlined in the Garden to him. As a result, the pure and holy human nature he was created with became tainted by sin, and would forevermore be enslaved by sin…human nature now a prisoner held captive by sin. Through Adam, all of Mankind has now inherited a sin-enslaved human nature…and I have no power whatsoever of my own to set myself free. I am hopelessly powerless, hopelessly impotent, hopelessly helpless to do so.
- My human nature is enslaved by sin. I have a sin-enslaved human nature that is a prisoner of sin, held captive by sin, in bondage to sin, enslaved by sin…and has no power whatsoever to free itself from sin. Nor does it even want to! I am hopelessly powerless, hopelessly impotent, hopelessly helpless to free myself from sin. I have no power to stand against temptations and sins in the power of my sin-enslaved human nature; it loves sin and desires to satisfy its own self-life and self-interests. Why, then, would I ever think that in reliance upon my human capabilities and capacities, by my own efforts and strength, I can free myself from sin? The overriding characteristic of my sin-enslaved human nature is that it is enslaved by sin. If I had the power to be free, then it would not be a sin-enslaved human nature in the first place, and I would not be a prisoner. I could free myself and walk away from sin. But that is obviously not the case; my sin-enslaved human nature has no power to do so. It has no power to free itself from sin, and no desire to do so. For my sin-enslaved human nature has a strong desire to suppress the Holy Spirit Who dwells in me as a born-again child of God, and the Spirit constantly has a strong desire to suppress my sin-enslaved human nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that I am hindered by my sin-enslaved human nature from freely doing what I desire to do in obedience to God. [Gal 5:17]
- Life in the power of the flesh is characterized by trying rather than by trusting. It is a life requiring my continual striving and struggling; all of my efforts, redoubled efforts, and strength; all my commitments and resolutions; all my pledges and promises. Even then…the absolute weakness of my sin-enslaved human nature guarantees I will utterly fail, because by doing so I will have blocked the Holy Spirit and His Power from working through me, with me, in me. Beloved child…a life of trying in the power of your flesh ignores My Eternal provision for your living a holy and righteous life: the gift of My Holy Spirit given to dwell in you, and His eternal Power made available to you. It disregards My command to keep on being continually filled with My Holy Spirit, giving Him free reign over the conduct of your everyday life. Even just trying by your own efforts and in your own strength to live a holy and righteous life is in itself presumptuous..it presumes that you are fully capable of doing so, and do not need Me. It presumes that you can be well-pleasing in My sight in the power of your sin-enslaved human nature. It is an assertion of your self-reliance and self-sufficiency, and that you have no need for dependence upon My Holy Spirit. It is not well-pleasing to Me; it is a life of utter failure and spiritual bankruptcy! The truth of the matter is…apart from Me you can do nothing that is good, or pleasing, or acceptable to God! You can only live your life either in the Power of the Spirit or in the power of the flesh. You cannot live in both at the same time; it is either one or the other. You cannot serve 2 masters. So I say, live out each day in accordance with your new life in the Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since you are now living by the Spirit, follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of your life. Always remember: Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD Almighty. [Gal 5:16, 24-25; Zech 4:6]
As our discussion continued along that evening under the guidance of the Holy Spirit’s leading, we were discussing Scriptures concerning how the Lord Jesus sets a believer free from the bondage of sin…that all human beings by nature have a sin-enslaved human nature…and can only be set free by Christ through His atonement for sin by virtue of His death on a cross on our behalf. When I am born again, it is as literal and real a birth as was my physical birth…and I become a new creation…a new person, whereby my former moral and spiritual condition has passed away, and all things have become new. I no longer live my life out of my sin-enslaved human nature, but now live my new life out of the Divine nature of God’s Holy Spirit dwelling within me by virtue of being born again. That is why only those born-again can know, and have, and experience, the indwelling Holy Spirit.
During our discussion, the Holy Spirit swept over one of our group members and so opened up his mind and heart to this truth…in a depth he had never seen before… that he literally, visibly, was filled with a fullness of joy! He could hardly contain himself! He was wired in the Spirit, and began to testify with power about what God had done, and was continually doing, in his life! He testified that when he is tormented and terrorized with overwhelming evil thoughts, images, and imaginations in his heart [and he knew nothing about what I was going through], his God and Father reaches down and plucks His child out of Satan’s grasp and into safety, declaring with determined purpose, No! You can’t have My child; he belongs to Me! He was anointed…and continued to testify about the utter weakness of his flesh and how helpless he was to resist by his own efforts and strength, and that if he tried to do so it would only guarantee his failure! He testified how the Power of the Holy Spirit in his life was the source of his strength, and apart from Him he could do nothing! He just went on and on, carried away in the Spirit into the heavenly realms for the remainder of our meeting, continually praising God, proclaiming the Word of God with boldness and power! I just sat there and listened, thanking God for how He was touching this brother whom He was calling, and using, as the “pastor of Walmart!” And it brought to his mind a song that had so touched him…a powerful song with a powerful message…so he pulled it up on his phone and played it for us. The link is below, if you want to hear it. It is not my particular choice in Christian music…but I put myself in his place, and could embrace its powerful message as we all listened to it! The song is by CASTING CROWNS, entitled SET ME FREE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2HwtWLokSc
I myself was so blessed by the manifest Presence of the Holy Spirit in our meeting that evening that I never realized that God had quietly touched and anointed me as well with the “anointing of promise” that I had been desperately crying out to Him for. Over the past several weeks [actually, for a number of years…but now with an intense desperation] I had been pleading with Him for this anointing that I had been granted once before, in the Fall 1984 when I was just a 3 year old in the Lord child of God, that I had lost because I had carelessly let it slip away, not appreciating in my spiritual babyhood how precious this treasure really was. I was pleading with my Father…that I could not live without this anointing…that I could not serve as His messenger, His ministering spirit, His watchman with boldness, freedom, and confidence, with spiritual power and authority, unless I had this anointing of promise. I wasn’t asking for an anointing of privilege; that is God’s prerogative. No; I was asking for the anointing that was promised…that I had been granted once before. I knew what it was; and I knew I no longer had it. The anointing of promise is the full blessing of Pentecost…and it is only granted to those who hunger and thirst for it…to those who are wholly surrendered unto God, wholly given for the blessing and salvation of souls…to those who by faith abide in the Holy of Holies in the unclouded Presence of the Father. Blessed Jesus, You assured me: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…a purity, holiness, and righteousness of my own in living out my everyday life. You assured me that I will be filled…that my longing will be completely satisfied, and I will be filled up to the measure of all the fullness of God, to the richest measure of Your unclouded Presence, a soul wholly filled and flooded with God Himself! [Mt 5:6] That is the anointing of promise! And even more beyond that… Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. [Mt 5:8]
On that evening God my Father heard the desperate cry of my heart, and quietly, silently, granted me the anointing of promise. From that evening forward, the evil thoughts, images, and imaginations in my heart still came a number of times expecting to torment and terrorize me as they had always done… but now they had absolutely no power over me at all, were of none effect, and weren’t even the least bother. The anointing is not just a greater power than what had been coming to torment and terrorize me; no, the anointing completely neutralizes their power so that they are meaningless and have no affect whatsoever. The anointing of promise is the second greatest gift granted by God…second only to the gift of eternal life. No child of God should ever be satisfied without having it; but as you can see from this testimony, there is a cost to the anointing. Child of God…are you willing to pay the price?
I don’t know whether in the depths of your heart you really believe there is a God in Heaven or not, but this I do know…both Al and Jackie were dead in their trespasses and sins, but the Spirit of God knew what would draw each of them into a saving relationship with Christ Jesus, and He knew that I would follow His leading to participate with Him in that work. Mine was the blessing of being used as a ministering spirit, sent to serve those who are inheriting salvation! As a result, both received the eternal gift of salvation…one on their death-bed, the other hopelessly lost at the age of 67!
I proclaim to you Christ Jesus…the One Who existed from the beginning, from Eternity Past, Whom I have heard with the ears of my own inner being, and have seen with my own spiritual eyes. I have gazed upon Him and have spiritually touched Him with my own hands. He is the Word of Life. His Life is continually being revealed to me; I have seen it and testify to it, and I proclaim to you that He is the One Who is Eternal Life. He always existed with the Father, and is now continually being manifested afresh and anew to me. I proclaim to you what I have personally seen and heard in the depths of my soul, so that you also may enjoy this same fellowship together with us. The fellowship I continually enjoy is with the Father and with His Son, Christ Jesus. I am writing these things so that you also may fully share together with me in this fullness of joy! [1 John 1:1-4]. It is our birth-right as a child of the Most High God!
Friends, brothers and sisters…
There is one absolutely necessary preparation for every living soul on the face of this Earth, for the soon coming and imminent return of Jesus Christ…the one preparation that will irrevocably determine in which neighborhood you will spend all eternity, whether in Heaven or in Hell. You must be a born-again child of God. I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot be in God’s Kingdom. I tell you the truth, no one can ever enter the Kingdom of God unless you are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at My saying you must be born again. [Jesus…John 3:3-7]
The truth is that there are just 5 foundational principles underlying human existence…5 principles determined and ordained by God that are the framework for human existence.
God’s framework in creating Mankind:
- ETERNAL REASON for my existence: Love.
- ETERNAL PROVISION for my existence:
Gift of My Son
Gift of My Holy Spirit - ETERNAL PURPOSE for my existence: Relationship.
- ETERNAL PLAN for my existence: I know the plans I have for you.
- ETERNAL PROMISE for my existence: A promised rest for My children.
The Gift of My Son makes it possible for you to appropriate My Eternal Purpose for creating you and bringing you into existence…Relationship… through becoming His bride, the bride of Christ.
The Gift of My Holy Spirit makes it possible for you to embrace and be engaged in My Eternal Plans specifically and personally ordained for you in bringing you into existence…I know the plans I have for you.
Entrance into the Eternal Blessings I have for Mankind…a Promised Rest for My children…BEGINS with your solemn vow before me to become the bride of Christ My Son in a divine spiritual marriage.
If you have never been born again,
or you are not sure whether you have been born again,
or you have been living your life as a lukewarm Christian and would now like to recommit your life and enter into a deep and intimate relationship with Christ Jesus in preparation for the soon coming marriage supper of the Lamb…
then I counsel you to get alone with God, read the solemn marriage vows presented below you must make to become the bride of Christ and thereby be born-again, and with sincerity of heart from within the depths of your being, acknowledge before God, “I DO.”
MARRIAGE VOWS
SPIRITUAL BRIDE OF CHRIST
- Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Divine Son in the Triune God, the Lamb of God Who came into this world to become the One only, all-sufficient, atoning sacrifice through His death on a cross and subsequent resurrection, thereby securing forgiveness for your sins and restoring your relationship with God that had been severed by sin?
- Do you now solemnly vow before God to give yourself to be the bride of Christ, receiving Jesus the Christ into your life in a spiritual marriage, promising to honor and obey Him as both Lord over your life and Savior of your soul?
- To be joined inseparably together with Him in a Sacred Covenant relationship…an Eternal living union of oneness through the new life to be conceived in you by the Holy Spirit…
- To have and to hold Him, above all others and above all else this world has to offer, as the choicest, most precious treasure of your heart…
- To love and to cherish Him, above all others and above all else this world has to offer, reserving for Him alone your sweetest, most tender affections…
- For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of your life, until death of this body brings you to be together with Him in Heaven for all eternity?
Now this is eternal life: knowing You, Father, the One True Living God, and knowing Jesus Christ Your Son, the Messiah Whom You have sent.
God Himself has given this testimony concerning His Son: I have granted you eternal life, and this life is given through union with My Divine Son Jesus. Whoever is joined together with My Son in a living union of oneness
possesses that life;
whoever is NOT joined together with My Son in a living union of oneness
does NOT possess that life.
I have written this to you so that you who place your trust in Christ My Son will know, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that you do now indeed have eternal life.
BLOOD OF CHRIST
I stand in awe of the Sacrificial Lamb of God…You laid aside Your Divine Majesty, Glory, and Almighty consuming Power, and came into this world clothed in meekness, lowliness, and humility. You loved me with an everlasting love and You voluntarily lay down Your life for me, even unto death. No one took Your life, Lord; You were free to lay it down, and free to take it up again. You stretched out Your arms on a cross on my behalf, and declared, “IT IS FINISHED”…for all time, and for all Eternity… available to any soul who would freely and wholeheartedly choose to appropriate as their own the rich eternal blessings of the finished work of Christ on that cross at Calvary, through their solemn marriage vows to become Your eternal bride, Blessed Jesus…the bride of Christ.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has forever freed me from my sins, and has guaranteed and secured my Judicial Status of Eternal Righteousness before God as an accomplished and finished fact.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured my Eternal Union with You, Lord…now joined inseparably together with You in an Eternal living union of oneness as the bride of Christ in a divine spiritual marriage…flesh of Your flesh and bone of Your bones.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured that the Eternal Purpose for which God created me…to be joined together with the Triune God in a Sacred Covenant relationship…stands eternally fulfilled.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power and Eternal Worth of the Blood of Christ has guaranteed and secured my Eternal Access into the Holy Of Holies, and into the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father…as my birth-right.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Holy Spirit was indeed given as God’s Eternal Gift to dwell in me, never to leave me, never to forsake me…to be the Power in me Who continually guarantees and secures my capability to live my everyday life faithful to my solemn marriage vows as the bride of Christ in our Sacred Covenant relationship.
- IT IS FINISHED…The Eternal Power of the indwelling Holy Spirit is now made continually available to me, Whose Power in me continually guarantees and secures my capability to live my everyday life faithfully within the Holy Of Holies, in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father, in our Sacred Covenant relationship.
Brothers and sisters in Christ…
Here is a concise summary overview of God’s purpose and intention in bringing you into existence, as He Himself has clearly set forth in Scripture, expressed clearly and accurately in the Westminster Shorter Catechism: The chief end of Man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.
- I made you for Myself, in My Own image and in My Own likeness, Divinely crafted with the capabilities and capacity to be joined together with the Triune God in a Sacred Covenant relationship…a living union of oneness…the very crown jewels of My Creation, and that, as a mirror of the Almighty, you would reflect My Glory to the Created Universe.
- I purchased you, by Myself and for Myself, with the precious and priceless Blood of My Divine Son Jesus, that you would declare My praises…the praises of the One Who called you out of darkness into My marvelous light.
- I made you to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, consecrated and set apart to the worship of God…consecrated and set apart to worship Me!
Brethren…God’s high calling for His royal children is hereby clearly set forth:
The story of my entire every day life…every thought I think, every word I speak, every thing I do…must be WORSHIP in Your eyes. WORSHIP is not a part of my life; WORSHIP IS my life. My only true worship is a life wholeheartedly embracing: NOT MY WILL in anything; BUT THY WILL BE DONE in everything…the life of a bond-slave, wholly surrendered unto God, wholly given for the blessing and salvation of souls…solely, only, and always surrendered unto God.
My life…my heart, my soul, every fiber of my being…consecrated and set apart to the WORSHIP of God is what glorifies God and fulfills the chief end of Man…which is to glorify God and to enjoy abiding in the Holy of Holies…in the inaccessible Light of the Glory of Your unclouded Presence, Father… continually and unceasingly even now all the days of my life on this Earth, and then throughout the endless unfolding ages of all eternity.
Brethren…this is why my God brought me into existence; there is nothing else. Period.
Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22] Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1] Hallelujah!
Are you prepared to go into the Garden that Jesus went to that night of His betrayal, and to walk along the path He was called to walk in demonstration of His love for the Father? Our Lord Jesus asks of me…of each one of us…“Do you love Me with an agape love?” Have you set your heart to walk along the path of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial, death to sin and death to self? It is the path Jesus walked and the way which He Personally dedicated for me…a new and living way to God, through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of the flesh…my sin-enslaved human nature. It is the veil of my flesh that is an impenetrable curtain prohibiting entrance into the Presence of God in the Holy of Holies; it must be rent in two from top to bottom for me to enter in and abide there.
It is not humanly possible to walk that path; only the Holy Spirit can set me free to walk that path, in His Power and in reliance upon His strength. I can’t do it apart from Him. Even so…If only I would just give Him free reign over the living-out of my every day life, He will Personally live out this life of Christ Jesus in me to also walk that same path. And He will Personally work out the death of Jesus in me…death to sin and death to self…conforming me ever more deeply into the likeness of His death, in order that I may thereby attain, more and more, to the power of His Resurrection life out from the dead…the power to walk through each and every day as more than a conqueror and with overwhelming victory. It is the ONLY path that leads up to the Gate that opens into the Heavenly Sanctuary and into the Holy of Holies…into the inaccessible Light of the Glory of my Father’s unclouded Presence. The Gate bears on its header the inscription “THY WILL BE DONE.” No one can walk through that Gate without first checking his/her own will there with the gatekeeper in absolute and unconditional surrender.
Beloved child of God…The power of My enabling grace can not…can never…be manifested and exercised in you by your sin-enslaved human nature. Only My Holy Spirit can make My enabling grace effective in you. Don’t you understand? It is My work, not your work; your place is to cooperate and to respond. [Father God…1 Cor 12:6-11; Day 217]
God is calling you, and desires to anoint you, to be part of His holy remnant. Whether you are a pastor, a Christian leader, or a member of the congregation…this is what the Lord says: To the pastors I have placed in charge of My churches concerning your congregation and each individual member, write: This is the last call. I have wooed you so many times. This time, I say to you, in great love…there is a cost to an anointing; this is not a light, frivolous matter. The anointing is not cheap. If you say in your heart, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it,” if you pay the cost of the anointing, I’ll open doors for you, I’ll speak through you, and I’ll use you again like you have never conceived. The church and any members of the congregation embracing My call will move in the Power of My Holy Spirit, and bring great Glory to God! The time of being pumped up is over. I am tired of your solemn assembly’s, I’m tired of your sacrifices…they’re not from the heart. Don’t miss what God is about to do. The time has come; I need you, and I love you…but if you ignore this trumpet call…if you say in your heart, “We will not listen,” I am going to remove your anointing. You’re not going to have anything to say to anybody; you’re going to be dry. You are going into the desert…I will love you there, and I will keep you in My care, but you can’t go with Me, and I won’t go with you.
Beloved child of God…let My Holy Spirit open your heart, and say from the depths of your being, “God, once again, use Your church; use Your child. Now…not another time…tonight, let something in my heart respond to Your call.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vmE2nbVctE [Note: this video opens in the middle of a worship song, which continues to the 2:15 minute mark before Pastor Wilkerson is introduced as the speaker]
When our God shall come, even Christ, to set up His Kingdom on the Earth…a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. Only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. We will enter Zion with singing, our heads crowned with everlasting joy! Gladness and joy will overtake me, forever free from sorrow and grief! [Isa 35:8-10]
This is what the Most Holy, Most High, Triune God declares:
The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire. Since everything on the Earth will be destroyed in this way, you ought to live a holy and godly life as you look forward to the coming Day of the Lord! Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as He is pure. So, beloved, since you are expecting these things to happen, be eager to be found by Him at His coming living a pure and blameless life and at peace…in serene confidence, free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts. Let me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked persons. I don’t want you to lose your own secure footing. But grow in the special favor and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He Who called you is Holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am Holy.” [2 Peter 3:3-4, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ezek 12:22-23]
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in Heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him. [Matt 24:36-39, 42-44]
“Behold”, says the Lord Jesus in His last warning for the last opportunity offered to mankind to be among His redeemed, “I come for the last time like a thief in the night to gather those who would be among the elect! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, in watchfulness, prayer and readiness for the summons when it comes, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed, eternally without remedy.”
PREPARE YOURSELF
We are in the Last Days; time is moving very quickly, and we are drawing near! And so, my brothers and sisters, first of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of Creation.”
Son of man, you’ve heard that proverb they quote in Israel: Time passes, and prophecies come to nothing. Tell the people, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will put an end to this proverb, and you will soon stop quoting it. Now give them this new proverb to replace the old one: The time has come for every prophecy of Mine to be fulfilled! [2 Peter 3:3-4, 10-12, 14, 17; 1 John 3:3; 1 Peter 1:14-16; Ezek 12:22-23]
God is calling a holy remnant to Himself…to personal revival…a holy remnant of His children who will not bow down, who will not shrink back, who will not compromise, who will remain steadfast and immovable in their commitment to follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes. God’s holy remnant is called to a life of obedience and suffering, self-sacrifice and self-denial…to walk along the path that Christ Jesus dedicated for us, and to follow in His footsteps as our Forerunner. You cannot become part of My holy remnant without being willing to sacrifice your desire for anyone & all others, and for anything & all else this world has to offer. Obedience is what characterizes the life of My child…obedience continually and unceasingly day and night. You are called to a life of obedience. Obedience is better than sacrifice; rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as evil as worshiping idols. [1 Sam 15:22,23]
Wherefore brethren, having now boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus, by the way which He dedicated for us…a new and living way to God through the veil, that is to say, through the veil of His flesh…let us then without further hesitation or delay draw nigh in fullness of faith; here let us continually abide in the fullness of faith. [Heb 10:19-20, 22] Those who abide in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [PS 91:1]
Arise My bride, and prepare to see My Face
Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
Then the angel said to me, “Write this down: Blessed are those summoned to the marriage banquet of the Lamb…all true believers who are members of His Universal Church. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with Power and great Glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect…God’s holy people…from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” And he said to me further, “These are the True Words of God.” [Rev 19:9]
Blessed Jesus…I rejoice and shout triumphantly for joy! I celebrate and ascribe to You glory and honor, for the marriage of the Lamb draws near, and Your bride, the Universal Church and each of her members, has been preparing herself and has made herself ready! [Rev 19:7] Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! For our Lord God, Sovereign All-Ruler, reigns! Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him Glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. The finest linen, dazzling and white, was given her to wear. Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage banquet of the Lamb!” [John…Rev 19:6-9; Luke 14:15-23]
The washing of one’s robes and the keeping of one’s garments relates to this very attitude and habit of looking for the return of Christ as an imminent event. Brethren, as you hope to walk those golden streets, and eat of those immortal fruits, see to it that you have your garments clean and your loins girded about like unto men waiting for their Lord. [Seiss…Rev 21:9-22:5]
Then the king said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding garment. “Friend,” he asked, “How did you come in here without putting on the appropriate wedding garment?” The man was speechless. Then the king told the attendants, “Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are invited and summoned, but few are chosen.” [Matt 22:8-14]
ENDURE TO THE END
Behold, I am coming quickly. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will deprive you of your crown. Everyone who overcomes by means of their faith…I will make a pillar in the Sanctuary of My God. Never again will you leave it. I will write on you the name of My God and you will be a citizen in the city of My God…the new Jerusalem…which will come down out of Heaven from My God; I will also write on you My Own new name.
Holy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcx2O9WXvn8&feature=youtu.be
Preserve Christian Family 