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)