Preparation for Revival (6)

Preparation for Revival (6)

After praying that prayer for two years, the Lord answered by giving me a revelation of what I have now come to know is His requirement for our first step of preparation for revival – having the Father’s heart for the lost – both those who have not yet come to know Christ Jesus as their Savior and those who have come to know Him as such but who have, for this season, entered into a prodigal lifestyle, who, due to their rebellion and wandering, have become ensnared once again by the lusts of the world (the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life – 1 John 2:16), and, therefore, enslaved once again to the Enemy.

This revelation came to me in a most unwelcome form (I prayed, remember, that the Father had permission to do whatever was necessary to make of me the man of God that He wanted to be, in His way, whatever it took) – the worst nightmare that I have ever experienced in my life!

In this nightmare, my oldest granddaughter had been kidnapped. At this time, Ashley was only 7 years old and truly a most precious little girl. In the dream, I could see that these evil men had taken Ashley to a dark and filthy basement somewhere in the heart of the very worst part of the city and had physically tied her to a bed in a small room with a dim light. They injected my precious child with heroin in order to begin the process of making her a slave to them.

In other rooms I saw other little girls who had been captive for some time and were totally under the demonic control of these evil men. I was horrified to see perverse, evil and violent men paying these kidnappers money to sexually assault these poor little girls, none of whom could have been more than ten years old! I came to realize that these beasts were preparing my precious little girl to be there next sex slave, and for the first time in my life I knew what the true meaning of insanity is.

I knew not only the brand of insanity of these vile, demon-possessed men, but I now began to realize that I, too, could experience another kind of insanity – a total break with reality to escape a horror that my normal mind could not manage to live with.

At that moment of realization, filled with grief, fear, anguish and emotional pain the likes of which I had never before experienced in my life, I cried out to our Father from the very depths of my soul! I cried out for His help, for deliverance for my granddaughter. I cried out to Him, because I felt so totally and completely helpless. I begged Him, screaming in my anguish, “Please, Father, please, in Jesus’ Name, help me! Show me where my precious granddaughter is! Father, please, help me! I must rescue her! I cannot bear to endure this horror!”

I heard, I felt deeply, the Father’s response to my anguished pleas. He asked me simply, “Son, if I were to show you exactly where Ashley is held captive, if I were to give you the exact address of that house, what would you do?”

I screamed with all the strength within me, “Anything! I will do anything and everything necessary to free my baby! I will break down any door to reach her and set her free. I will destroy any man who tries to stand between me and that child. God help me, but I would, without hesitation, kill anyone who dared try to keep her from me! I must rescue my precious little girl!”

Then I heard the deepest, softest, yet most powerful resonance within my soul as I heard the Father speak once more: “Now, My son, now you have just a taste of how I feel about My children who are in bondage to the Satan. Now you have just begun to understand the Passion of My heart!

Beloved, I awoke from that nightmare shaken and broken, a very different man than the one who had gone to sleep just a few hours before. After two years of praying, of crying out to the Father for Him to do in me whatever it took – I was transformed in my understanding of what the Lord requires of us! Even now, I am still learning how He is working out in me all that it takes for me to live and minister in the ways that conform my prayers, behavior, use of time and energy, resources in order that I can be used of Him for His purposes in order to fulfill the desires of His heart.

I believe that the Father has made it abundantly clear to me that He will not even begin to move in our midst with a true Revival until we corporately, as the Body of Christ, begin to function in such a way that we, together, are seeking to fulfill His will, the very desires of His heart!
Will you join me in praying that we might seek His face to this end?

It is our necessary First Step!

Preparation for Revival (5)

Preparation for Revival (5)

Seven years ago I took a hard, realistic look at myself and realized that the answer was, “I really wanted to, but obviously I didn’t, or I would have already been “paying the price.” I would have been living more sacrificially, utilizing my time, energy and resources so as to live in such a way, intentionally, to be doing what I know to be His will. I wasn’t. Like many other Christians, I was too comfortable!

Paul hit the nail on the head in Romans 7: “I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members” (vv. 21-23). Sounds harsh, doesn’t it? In reality, however, it is just gut honest without all of the excuses and rationalizations that we make for ourselves when we choose to gratify the flesh rather than to do that which would cause us to participate in the sufferings of Christ. “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him” (Romans 8:16-17).

Remember, when we rationalize our behavior, we tell ourselves (and others) “rational lies!” The problem is, we think we can get away with telling such lies to the Father! Remember, saints: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). When these thoughts hammered their truths home to my heart, I began to pray in a radically different way, and I continue to do so to this day. I believe this is absolutely necessary, because if we say that we want Revival, then it must begin with us!

I began to pray, “LORD God, You know me far better than I know myself. You know everything! You know my every fear, conscious and subconscious; You know the weaknesses, the frailties, and the wickedness of my heart (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, Father, I am asking You to do what You need to do in me to conform me to Your will. Do whatever it takes to change me into the man of God that You want me to be and prepare me to do Your will, no matter what the cost, whenever You call upon me to act. If there is pride, break it, Father! If there are subconscious resistances, overwhelm them. If there are fears, give me Your Holy Ghost courage. Whatever it takes, Father, please!

I will do everything in my power to willingly yield and submit to Your refining fire, no matter the pain, the cost or the loss! Father, I will not stop praying this prayer. This, O LORD, will be my prayer to You every day that I live, in Jesus’ Holy Name ~ Amen!

Back from Baltimore and Preparation for Revival (4)

Thank you so much for your prayers for our trip to Baltimore! The time spent with my Mom was truly precious for both Mary Jane and me (and for Mom, too, I hope! :). We also had a wonderful responsed from the congregation of the Middle River Assembly of God in both the Sunday morning and evening services. Praise God for the moving of His Spirit in the hearts and the lives of His saints. We were also able to serve s dear Sister in Christ in the nursing home where we had a special "service" just for her and her precious room mate.

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Preparation for Revival (4)

Our Father God has made His will abundantly clear to us in His Word. Prior to enumerating upon this further, it will be helpful to first make one important point clear. We have a tendency in our “Greek” mindset to compartmentalize and delineate everything scientifically. For example, we make a clear, definitive distinction between our will, our mind and our emotions. While this is certainly valid in one sense, the Biblical perspective is more of a “flowing together” in the expression of who we are. For example, think of one thing that you truly desire more than anything else. Don’t be generic in your thinking here, please. Rather, be very specific about something that is critically important for your life, for your future. If there were no limitations or hindrances to you having that which you desire, what would it be?

Have you got it clearly in mind? Good! Now, in order for that desire to become a reality, you must choose to set your will, your volitional power, to do that which is necessary on your part to bring your strongest desire into being. There may be other factors involved beyond your control, but you must commit yourself to doing your part to bring about what you say you desire, don’t you? In so doing, do you see how powerfully one’s will and one’s desire are intertwined? This is another example of how “the two become one!” Sounds like a good marriage doesn’t it? When we add the dimension of physical action (the doing) to the cognition and volition (the thinking and the doing) with the emotional component (one’s desires), we have a “threefold cord” that reminds one of the Trinity (the Tri-Unity) that “Three-in-Oneness” that is God!

Remember, 1 John 5:14 promises us that “. . . if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” What is God’s Will? He expresses it in 1 Timothy 2:4 – (God our Savior, v.3b) “who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (So, first we have the emotional component – the Father’s desire, His passion!) He expresses it in 2 Peter 3:9b, for He “. . . is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (Now we know the volitional component of the Father’s heart!)
We have also been supplied with the final component: We have the power of His dynamic action in the most often quoted and memorized verse of the Bible: John 3:16. Note that Love is not an emotion! Rather it is a covenantal commitment to Act! “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (emphasis added)

So, we now have the Father’s will clearly revealed to us without question! Ah, but here’s the rub: do we have the Father’s heart? That is, do we truly desire what He desires? Are our wills set to motivate us to the action required to accomplish His will in the earth? Are we willing to “pay the price,” to “put our money where our mouth is” by doing what it takes on our part to bring His desire, His will to pass?

(To be Continued)