Preparing The Way
Mr 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Mr 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
Mr 1:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (AV)
The Psalmist prayed -
Ps 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. (AV)
Do you remember when you were first saved? Remember how happy you were? How excited you were about salvation?
Do you remember how Jesus was more important than anything else? Do you remember how precious that relationship was to you?
Do you still feel that way?
Mr 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ . . . Prepare ye the way of the Lord
The beginning of anything is preparation. Prepare the way for the Lord to move.
Last Sunday night - revival is at the door, but there is disobedience in the house. We must cleanse and prepare our vessels - our hearts - for revival. People crowded the altar.
Revival stuck its big toe in the door Sunday night. Our response and subsequent follow-though will determine whether we have a 'visitation' or a 'habitation'. Do you want Him to stay, or just come in for a 'tickle'?
Let me read to you again the words of a prophecy that came across my desk recently:
7-26-99
This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis ([email protected])
Take My Hand
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Children, you desire to see Me move in My power and in My glory and that is a good thing, for I also desire this.
Some of you desire very much for Me to use you in this capacity…*in physical healing…*in deliverance…*in the working of signs and wonders
Again this is a good thing.
But know this, that you must walk holy before Me if you desire to do these things with Me.
Many of you have prayed, "Lord, Here I am, please use me." And you expected the glory to come forth. But instead testing and tribulation have come forth; and trials have increased about you on every side. And you have been wondering what has been happening.
Children, don't you know I must prepare you before I can use you? I must work My holiness in you. I must transform your character to be more line Mine.
Do not shrink back from this time of refinement. Allow Me to remove the chaff and to purify you. The flesh must die, the carnal desires and motivations must be replaced with a sincere seeking to do **only** My will.
Do NOT resist me if you desire for me to use you. For I cannot use you in a carnal state. I am going to bring forth a wave of HOLINESS and that which is unpure will not be able to stand as I begin to manifest Myself in this manner.
Children, I want you to be able to stand.
That means that self-seeking must go. That means that complaining and murmuring must go. That means that assuming evil of your brothers and sisters must go. That means that seeking your own welfare above My kingdom must go. That means that you must stand in the light and speak only truth. That means you must not react based on your emotions, but based on My spirit. That means that you must put MY agenda and MY plans above your agenda and your plans.
Children My hand is outstretched to you.. I am looking for volunteers. Understand that the road to were we are going is not an easy road. It is never an easy road to be prepared to walk with Me in My glory. But I invite you; I stretch forth my hand to you. I will take any who are willing. We will start right where you are at and we will walk down the path of Holiness together. We will walk down the path of purity and transformation and I will work my glory in you if you will allow Me to.
Who will take my hand and come with me?
God must prepare us before he can use us. Preparation requires repentance. Some things must come to the surface in order that God can remove it from us.
Charles Finney tells us when we can expect revival:
God spoke this to me recently - "As the glory increases, so will sinfulness." As we move closer to him, the flesh will rise up in opposition. Little things will start surfacing in your life. Troubles will come; bad moods will come; disputes will come.
Revival will bring out the worst in you 'before' it brings out the best in you. If you give in, the devil will cheat you out of revival.
I heard the other day that someone had left the church because someone else in the church was living in sin. At that rate the church will be given over to sinners, backsliders, and hypocrites, while the saints wander around looking for the perfect church.
I have decided that there are some people we need to put out of the church. But when I got through making the list, my wife and I were the only ones left. Then it hit me that if I thought we were good enough to be the only ones left, I must be full of sinful pride, that disqualified me.
I guess we're just going to have to learn to live with each other.
Jesus said,
Mt 13:47 " . . . the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish.
Mt 13:48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
Mt 13:49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous (NIV)
In the end, God will judge all things. Meanwhile, there are good fish and bad fish in the bunch.
I want you to know today that I love this church family more than you'll ever know. But I'm probably going to hurt your feelings today, and yes, I am talking to you.
Today, I want to set you free - free from the things that have you bound and set you free for revival.
Listen to the words of the Apostle:
1Co 11:17 Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse.
1Co 11:18 For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1Co 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
1Co 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
1Co 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.
1Co 11:30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. (AV)
The Lord's Supper is symbolic of our fellowship together. He's talking about 'carrying on' church in a wrong attitude, and because of it, some are sick and some have died.
Some of you are struggling and suffering because you have sown things in your life that you are now reaping. Some of you are trapped in circumstances, but God has a way out. What's the problem?
Heb 12:15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; (AV)
Unforgiveness is deadly. It will kill you! Many are sick today, and medical science testifies of this, because of pent up hostility, grudges, and unforgiveness.
I sincerely believe that we would see some miraculous healings in this church if some of you would start forgiving one another and letting go of some past hurts.
Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. (AV)
Let me confess something to you. I have been wanting revival in my life for years. I have been wanting a new freedom in the Spirit for a long time. I have been diligently seeking these things. But I also know that some church people have been wanting me to have that, too. At times, I have felt the pressure to perform in order to prove my spirituality, which is something I will not do. If it comes, it has to be real.
Well, lately God has been sovereignly moving in Patti and me, and we have found a new freedom in Christ. But here is the danger: I have noticed some people going around patting themselves on the back like they finally did it.
It upset me so bad, I almost lost my revival. But I have decided that I don't care who takes the credit. I'm free from all that. But you'd better be careful that you don't steal God's glory here. Only he can do these things, and only he will get the credit and the glory.
This kind of spiritual pride can wet your wood, and you'll never get your own fire lit.
1Ch 16:22 . . . Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. (AV)
Miriam, the sister of Moses, was smitten with leprosy because she criticized the man of God. Be careful! I'm not perfect, but don't you criticize me. God put me in this place, and if you want to mess with me, you're gonna have to go through Him to do it.
Don't you criticize Benny Hinn, or John Hagee, or Jan Crouch, or any of God's ministers. I don't like some of them either, but I sure don't want to rile God up by attacking his servants.
Pr 26:20 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. (AV)
Pr 16:28 A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Pr 22:10 Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended.
God hates gossip. I said, God hates gossip.
Ga 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Ga 5:15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.
Ga 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (AV)
To gossip is fleshly and carnal. It is never worth what it costs you. To be quiet is spiritual. Hold your tongue and get revived.
Php 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (AV)
Ga 5:26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. (AV)
Remember, the greatest in the Kingdom is the servant of all
. I said it Wednesday night - If you think you're more spiritual than most, you just proved you're not.Mt 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. (AV)
Mt 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (AV)
Isn't it amazing how somebody else's sin looks worse than our own?
I wonder who is worse, the ones living in sin or the ones who are talking about it. Let God do the judging!Some spouse, kids, and family members not serving God because of what has been sown into their lives.
Your example, your words, your attitude all affect the people around you. Are you reflecting Jesus? Are you winning them with a Christ-like attitude?
(Story of insane son - fried preacher and saints for lunch every Sunday.)
If your attitude or actions have turned someone sour, change it now while there is still time. And remember, God can redeem our mistakes.
There is this pattern in scripture -
Israel was tested in the wilderness before they entered into the Promised Land.
Jesus was tempted, or tested, in the wilderness before he began his ministry.
You must enter into a deeper walk through the wilderness. There will be testing. There will be obstacles, but the obstacles are what bring you into the Land. Overcoming obstacles is the process that brings you in. You grow in Christ through overcoming obstacles.
Now, REVIVE! REVIVE! REVIVE! REVIVE!
It's time to enter in.
Lazarus was in the grave 4 days and he revived. The flesh had already started rotting.
Ezekiel spoke to a valley of dead, dry bones and they revived.
Elijah was dead and his bones brought revival to a dead man.
REVIVE!