Ultimate Reality

Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits (Pa. 103. 1,2)

Today, we're almost past the holidays. We head into the time when the worldliness of day to day living can become wearisome: Work, bills, auto repairs, those things reminding us we are on the earth, more bills, etc. We can say, "it is the dead of winter and I sense the pressure of a world against me."

I make no escape from reality or responsibility. I prefer to look to whom is the ultimate reality. To do otherwise is idolatry. Dare I be consumed in the mundane when God commands us to seek His face (Ps. 27.8)? God declares He is God, "beside me I know no other Savior (Is. 43.11)."

The Psalms is a book rich, among other things, in theology. We read of His might:

For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD (Ps. 89.6)?

He is a God to be feared and revered:

God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him (Ps. 89.7).

He is immutable:

For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.

Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth (Ps. 119. 89,90).

He is holy:

But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel (Ps. 22.3).

Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever (Ps. 93.5).

With such a wonderful God, we must say:

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it (Ps. 118.24).

The Altar of Incense

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (Ja. 5.16).

As I read passages on prayer, I recognize what great power we have therein. Yet I find it quite difficult to get to the place of fervent prayer. It makes so much sense (difficulty in prayer). Prayer deals utter defeat to the devil. If he can keep us from effectual, fervent prayer, we are diminished in damaging his efforts. When I pray diligently in secret, those seasons of prayer shared with such mundane activities as jogging, walking the dog, processing firewood, making breakfast, etc. are so much more meaningful. Quite simply, also, diligent, fervent prayer in private is underscored by the most powerful prayer I have with Linda.

Prayer in a believer's life is offered on a heavenly altar. That prayer ascends as incense to our Lord. Shouldn't we keep much incense continually ascending before Him?

And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

⁴And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

⁵And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake (Re. 8.3-5).

I would like to be responsible for an appreciable amount of incense in that golden censer.

I've noticed a few things about most houses of worship, lately. There are neither altar nor encouragement to pray. I believe the altar is symbolic of the furniture in the holy place where our prayers are offered as incense, a sweet smelling savor to our Lord. Prayer is not effectively encouraged nor taught by those whose lives are not immersed therein. Should time with our Lord be not compromised, indeed, recognized and practiced as the most important activity in life? Sadly, I find few who share that belief. Truly, what better thing can there be than an audience with the Most High God? Hence, we no longer see the altar existent in many churches. Neither do we hear messages burning from the heart concerning prayer.

There is, however, an altar our Lord put in your heart. That altar is in the holiest place and in heaven too.

Beloved, walk in the Spirit (stay on the mercy seat, underneath the protection of His wings) and ye will not do the deeds of the flesh.

Thorn in the Flesh

In 1993, I was gathering firewood, in the rough, off the edge of my lawn. Eventually, in reaching down, I would get a pricker in my finger. Tough as I am, a few of those by the end of the day caused me to not ignore them. After extracting them, I thought, so small a piece of wood, lodged where it ought not, caused so great a discomfort.

I knew God had a prophetic message concerning this beyond the wisdom of wearing gloves though I was unable to articulate it.

²I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

⁴How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

⁵Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.

⁶For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

⁸For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

"Of such an one I will glory . . .(v. 5a)"

This is where I run into problems: Thinking too much of myself, even glorying in the work God has done in me leaves me open for the attack of the enemy. I must quickly catch my error and focus on the Mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Paul catches himself and writes, ". . . yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities (5b)."

Paul was caught up into the third heaven and, no doubt, saw glory, perhaps his own. Consider how unthinkable it is for a man in Christ to utter such things. The glory of Christians to come belongeth not to us now. What belongs to us now is life on this terrestrial plane while seeking Him who is Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes.

Should I seek after my own glory, comfort and gratification, I should, in God's infinite mercy, become more aware of the weakness of the flesh as the discomfort of something of the world lodged therein.

Things of the world have no place in my flesh. Seeking the glory, gratification, and comfort of the world have no place in the life of the spiritual man.

We will be glorified. That is a promise. We are to seek not our glorification but the glory of God. In seeking God's glory, we begin to see His goodness. We begin to see His mercy and everlasting kindness.

Though the flesh desires to glory, we are always brought back to the weakness of it in comparison to the goodness and mercy of God. That is our place as we learn to reign with Him. We are with Christ in the School of Prayer (I refer you to the work of Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer, 1887) as long as we stay on the mercy seat.

The cross! The place the Prince of Glory died. 'Twas there my sins were crucified. Then buried He with all my sin. From the grave He arose leaving thence my sin. The cross and mercy seat are the place where I receive mercy and grace to help in a time of need. Over the mercy seat, with wings out stretched are the cherubim that cover.

Should I depart from the mercy seat, it would be to glory in my flesh. Yet I am purchased by God and will be brought back to the mercy seat, if indeed, by the messenger of Satan. The lesson is painful, a thorn in the flesh, yet because of God's grace I may return to the mercy seat and abide under the covering of His wings.

He Attends our Prayer

But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me (Ps. 66. 19, 20).

God does not turn the prayer away of those who pray according to His will. We have the promise of having the mind of Christ. Our thoughts will be as His very own thoughts as we seek His face, behold and draw nigh unto Him. Our affections will be as the affections of Christ and thus, we will pray for those things He would pray for.

The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit maketh intercession for us in groanings which cannot be uttered. We are further told Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us. So as we attempt to draw close to God, He is perfecting our prayer by the Holy Spirit, interceding for us and transfiguring us into His likeness and glory.

Thus, He attends to our prayer in mercy. He will not turn our prayer away for we have become unified with Him.

The Cross be Gain

All I owe

to Him who died

who saved my soul

Christ crucified

No Saviour known

but Jesus Christ

I'll take the cross

for He's my life

the world be loss

the cross be gain

Jesus my Lord

who bore my pain

And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father's, and of the holy angels. (Lk. 9.23-26)?

Let my motivation, O Lord, be correct. May I be crucified with you and truly live. I take up not my cross to obtain heaven, but because thou has written my name in glory, I take up my cross. You lead me, O Lord, to serve you for I, of myself, know not how to serve you. In me, I have no good thing. Thus, service of my own contrivance is fleshly work and certainly dead.

Since what is in me is no good, I need the cross and must die daily. As I crucify the flesh, you, O Lord, take over causing me to become more like you.

Thank you, Lord, for your Word and your Holy Ghost who dwells in me.

We Must Bless the Lord

Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (Mt. 21.9).

I was greatly blessed, one day, to pray with Pastor David Davis. What a man of prayer! The Lord works mightily through those vessels who allow Him.

Of the things he said, "Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near (Mk. 13.28)"

The fact is the tree, Israel, has put forth leaves, her branch is tender and there is fruit thereon. In Israel and all over the Mideast, men are shouting, "Hosanna to the King!"

That is a fulfillment of prophecy in particular. Now the Lord tarries only that more may be saved and enter into His Kingdom. We, therefore, must do all He will lead us to do, yea, even plead with Him, the Almighty King to cause us to do His will for His Kingdom to come. My prayer is for the salvation of those around me. "Help me, O God, to intercede for all those I see and speak to. It is your business, O Lord, to answer prayer and see to it the angels are dispatched to minister to those for whom I pray. Father, you are the One who draws all men to Jesus, so I ask you to draw those whom I have prayed for unto the Lord Christ. It is your will, Heavenly Father, none should perish but all come to righteousness. I have prayed for them and you promised to give me whatsoever I ask in prayer. I believe you have given them as my inheritance for you said, 'Ask of me and I shall give unto thee the heathen for thine inheritance.' Thou, Almighty God, will work all things together for the good of them that love you and are called according to your purpose. Use my voice, words, and acts to win the lost for thee. May all those I pray for proclaim, 'Hosanna, in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

C.T. Studd wrote, "I met with a track written by an atheist. It read as follows: "Did I firmly believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labour in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its grief's, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone, and on the Immortal Souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season and my text would be, "WHAT SHALL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOOSE HIS SOUL?"

I asked the question of a church, “How can I be a blessing?” I pray, “Lord, help me be a blessing to your Church?” This morning, as I awoke singing, “Glory to the Lord God Almighty, the earth is filled with your glory,” I thought, “We are to bless the Lord. How can we be blessing to the Lord?” We are to sing, “Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord.” Yet that statement comes from Jesus’ prophecy about Israel, which is now being fulfilled. That thought brings me to the scourging tract above.

Once again, my question, “How shall I bless the Lord?”

The most perilous journey

The most perilous journey is that which is embarked upon from a neglected or non existent prayer closet.

The enemy will stop at nothing short of keeping men from the prayer closet.

The enemy may suggest you should depart for a time and approach such an important matter with a fresh mind.

He may convince you that prayer is best approached later in the day. Certainly, when that time arrives, there are too many matters that must be attended. Prayer is best done when all is quiet and relaxed. When bed time arises, tiredness will do prayer no justice. Prayer would be better accomplished with a fresh mind in the morning.

The enemy had successfully convinced me to stay away from the prayer closet for 14 years.

That was the most perilous journey.

It was God's grace and mercy I had not been killed in that time. Indeed, I had several brushes with death. I nearly lost my family and everything I owned. Certainly, I lost my integrity.

God, who loved me, in spite of me, humbled me.

In humility and contrition, I may now frequent His presence. That is the most important thing to me . . . His presence.

Don't neglect the prayer closet. Doing so sets one on the most perilous journey.

Thy Precious Blood

Thy precious blood

that crimson flood

cleansed me within

of vilest sin

Nailed to the tree

Thou cursed of me

And there crucified

Thy blood applied

Praise Jesus' name

His matchless name

Lamb on the throne

whose blood atoned

We can draw nigh

His pierced side

Fire Upon the Altar

The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out (Le. 6. 13).

I was studying Leviticus and came to the above Scripture. Verse 13 struck me. A solemn duty of those in leadership is to keep the fire fed. The fuel is wood. What relation that has to fear of God, prayer and worship, I don't yet understand. To be sure, those are choices; disciplines in which intellectual understanding and agreement, first, must be made. Perhaps academic intellect is as wood.

The important thing, here, is the fire's existence in our lives and Church. It is the responsibility of every believer to keep the Holy Ghost burning in his life. The only way to provide the correct fuel is our constantly praying, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." Seeking of the face of Christ and being transfigured from glory to glory as by the Holy Ghost. We must know His Word, we must do His will (to seek and to save the lost). We must believe we have the mind of Christ and let Him fill our minds with His.

As we keep focused on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, we are changed into His glory and image. The continuation of this discipline causes the fire to continually be fed with the wood of intellect (study), prayerful agreement with Christ, and godly determination.

Should we decide to resort to good music, skillful musicians, much academic teaching and good works without staying before Christ in prayer, fasting and repentance, the fire will go out. All programs, activities and services, no matter how loud we sing, no matter how we try to work it up will simply be dead. It will be our kindling with our own fire (recall Nadab and Abihu used strange fire before the LORD and were destroyed in the anger of the Almighty) which is not authorized. The fire must be started by God Himself.

Here is how to have the fire rekindled:

Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye [even] to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
			Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
			Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where [is] their God? - Joel 2. 12, 15-17 God, have mercy on me, as I write this message. I tremble before thee for this seems to hit those who are in leadership, those who I tried to submit myself to yet I have been frankly ignored and cast off as some annoying pest. I know your intentions for me, O God, that I am not a pest but one to exhort the Church and move your hand on the behalf of the Church and the lost. My prayer is for those in leadership to have that unhindered, uninterrupted, solitary time with you, in which they can gaze upon your face and be with you, obtaining that glow as Moses who dwelt in your presence. Right now, as I write, O God, post your angels about those saints I know and love who are in leadership of your bride, the Church, enabling them to be in your awesome presence. Please, O God, bless and provide for those ministries who are doing your work, esp. House of Life Ministry, The Smallest Seed, Times Square Church, Heinrich and family, Scott and family, Petra and her disciples and the pastors and ministers of the Church.

Thy face, O Lord shall I seek

With great urgency, I seek thy face, O God, for the sake of the Church who focuses not on thee but on things terrestrial. We, O God, must set our eyes on Jesus, the Author and finisher of our faith. It is no crime that we should be consumed with thee all day.

When thou saidst unto me, "Seek ye my face." Thy face, O Lord shall I seek. Lord, what greater thing is there we can put our focus on? There is none. Thou art God.

Thou, O God art the blessed and only potentate. The King of kings and Lord of lords.

Thou only hast immortality, dwelling in inapproachable light. Man cannot approach unto thee save by the blood of Jesus and the Mercy Seat.

To thee, O God, be honor and glory and power everlasting, amen.

I thank you, O God, for those in House of Life Ministry who are praying for my family and me. Post your angels about them. Abundantly bless them. Draw them into your presence and endue them with your power and grace.

I pray also for the Smallest Seed, Inc. O Lord, bless that ministry and all involved. Help them to draw nigh unto thee. Provide them with every good thing to do your will, I pray, in the name of Jesus, Amen.

O God, I Exult in Thee

In the last two weeks, I have been so thoroughly blessed in fellowship with saints and missionaries from Times Square Church. I am pleased, also for the presence of my son at Pastors' Prayer at Times Square Church and my ability to introduce him as my disciple. Lord, help me equip others to cause thy Kingdom to come.

This weekend I am visited by a precious sister who is in the U.S. for a brief time before returning to Durban, South Africa. To my wife and me, she is as having Jesus Christ, Himself, in bodily form, in our home. Little wonder, as she is the temple of the Living God.

How can I contain such blessing?

My prayer, O God, is to help your work in South Africa and around the world to the extent I am able.

For those who have been redeemed by those ministries I pray your complete blessing of grace and peace. O Lord, thank you for them as they pray for us.

For the most part, it seems, O God, we are rejected by the church in Connecticut. You give me a word yet that word you give me, O God, is arrogantly despised. I am not too surprised, Jesus, as you told me I will receive from men the treatment you receive. The saints in NYC and Africa receive me as if I am you, in person. Bless your holy name, O God.

O God, I exult in thee.

Thou hast revealed thy glory.

In vessels of clay shalt thou be.

How wonderful thou art to me.

Lord, my God and King,

you set my heart to praise and sing

I wait on you who art most holy

Be still, my soul, for the Lord of Glory

I bow in worship, most righteous Lord

who for me, thy blood outpoured

my ransom bought upon that tree

there, you became sin for me.

Where you died, I died with thee

Sin has now no hold on me.

The mind of Christ given me

To walk in thy Spirit, truly free.

Not by flesh nor man's devise

But by the Spirit of the Lord

The Shadow of the Almighty

Four and twenty elders fall down before Him

He that sat on the throne

They worship Him that liveth forever and ever

Cast they their crowns before Him

Say they, "Holy,

"Holy, holy, art thou Lord God Almighty

"Which was and is and is to come."

Yehovah doth reveal His glory to those who frequent His secret place,

yea, those who abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

Worthy is the Lamb

Who bled and died

Enduring the cross

Who bore our shame

Worthy is He who is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Deeper Things of God

I knew a man who wanted to draw so much nearer to YHWY as to be distressed with being confined to living in his earthly body on this terrestrial ball. Though reading the Word of God and listening thereto, prayer, fellowship with believers, ministry to others and worship effectively brings one into the presence of God, he still felt this carnal life to be a "ball and chain" preventing him from experiencing fully the presence of Christ.

A question he asked, as do all honest believers, "What is the Lord's will?"

The model of our prayer is, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done."

In answer, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Pe. 3.9)."

In Psalms we read, "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Ps. 2.8)."

We are truly expected to ask of the Father: And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive (Mt. 21.22).

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight (1 Jn. 3.22).

It seems pretty conclusive, we are to remain here as long as YHWY wills. While here we are to do our part that His Kingdom come. We are to do His will, while we have breath.

I knew a man who found no way of drawing nearer to Yeshua than to spend time in secret prayer and be led of the Holy Spirit to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, who became our curse that we might live, to many at any opportunity made available.

In this he found the deeper things of God.

Depth and Root

A word of knowledge can only be received by one who has depth of root. Since the Word is a double edged sword, it will cut that which is on the surface. If there is too little root, the plant can no longer live after being cut.

The depth of a man's spirit is directly related to the unseen time of meditation on the Word and prayer in his life. A life of much time in secret prayer creates a depth in a man's spirit that cannot be attained through ecclesiastic activity, academic knowledge nor work related experience. Such a depth produces an undeniable aroma of Christ in a person.

Without the depth called for by our Lord, those in the ministry perform a great disservice in the Kingdom of God. A minister without depth must repent of the sin of being too busy. Many activities have trumped the prominent place Jesus must take in our lives. We call Him, "Lord." We either deny the true meaning of Lord or are simply disobedient to Him supplanting His lordship with our own concerns. After all, most Christians have made Him only a lord so no one will notice when one with much doctrinal knowledge makes him only a lord. It's like everyone wearing a ball cap for the same team. For too many years had I kept Jesus off the throne as Lord. How horrible a life without the wonderful presence of Christ.

Repentance is the only step for the churches now as the sin is allowing ourselves to be too busy to seek the face of Almighty God. Our Lord lovingly caused me to see the sin I had been blind to, repent and once again, seek His face as if my next breath depended thereon. His presence produces depth of root allowing us to receive more of His Word.

Godly Thirst

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God (Ps. 42.1).

In 1978, I had been brought to the Lord. I grew in the knowledge of the Lord. About 1995, I started to compromise my beliefs. In 2004, I had to realize I and the whole church had become lukewarm and were no longer the savour of life unto life to them that were saved nor of death unto death to them that were perishing. On February 21 & 22, 2005, I decided to fast and pray for two days for the nation, the Church and for me to draw near the Lord.

In the months following, even to the present, I have had an incredible thirst for the Lord. That thirst is only satisfied with His presence. At once, from private prayer, the study of His Word, and fellowship with saints who hunger and thirst after Him, I find great satisfaction.

My wife and I find ourselves as deep calling unto deep.

The Well of Eternity

My brother said to me, "God is deep and expects us to be deep, so let's be deep." This from someone who always had much to say about man's relation with our Lord, yet had a history of not sounding profound. Yet his statement has stuck with me, as driven with a pin, for many years. To this day, neither he nor I understand the full implications, though we tremble before God, who may cause us to understand and help others to come to such depths of knowing our Lord.

We have all been born into carnal life. Our first sound is to command satisfaction. We tend to crave satisfaction all our lives while our Lord commands us to take up that which will put a cruel end to all we believe comforting and satisfying. We have been born into a carnal life but we are called to pass into eternal life. A life which requires nothing less than despising all our worldly pleasure to enter the joy of our Lord.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Mk 8.34).

Though our carnal lives must exist, we don't have to live in a carnal way. We are called to live in a spiritual way. We are called to ask of the Lord a new, spiritual life that exalts Yeshua and worships Him, as God, who must be approached and worshipped in the spirit. God is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth.

Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again (Jn. 3.7).

If we are honest with ourselves, we must recognize our spiritual bankruptcy. A bankruptcy which causes thirst and hunger for the One, True God, our Maker. He calls us to come to Him and receive of Him the sustenance we require:
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Is. 55.1)."

So beautifully, Yeshua stated to a Samaritan woman the carnal water we drink provides temporal quenching while His water places a spiritual well within us:

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (Jn. 4.13,14)."

To have depth, I must have that infinite well within me producing limitless quantities of Living Water for myself and those I come in contact with.

Enter His Gates with Praise

Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing (Ps. 100.2).

O God, my Saviour, my Helper
Lover of my soul.
Help me to praise,
Help me to sing,
Help me, Lord, to worship you.
The trees shall bow down in the hills and the fields.
The brooks and the streams thy honor doth raise.
The skies and mountains show forth their praise.
All creation worships your name.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name (Ps. 100.4).

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms (Ps. 95.2).

Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name (Ps. 100.4).

Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God (Ps. 147.7):

You taught us to pray, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. O Lord God, how great is thy name. Yours is the name above all names. Every knee shall bow and tongue confess, Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father.

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you (Ex. 3.14).

I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins (Jn. 8.24).

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (Jn. 8.58).

Yeshua, that holy name, Yeshua.
How can I do anything but worship thee
at the sound of thy name?
I lift up my heart to the sound of thy name
my soul makes her boast only in thy great name
Nothing of me shall get in thy way
when it's time to worship and pray

Today's Prayer

I am amazed at the goodness of our Lord. He who loves us most inspired these words: "The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee (Je. 31.3).
"We love him, because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4.19)."
Our God has lavished His grace toward us.
In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself (Eph. 1.7-9).
His grace is not something we have to qualify or work for. His grace is freely given unto us. It is His divine pleasure to pour His favor out to us who have deserved exactly the opposite; it is, indeed, in spite of us.
How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for those who fear Thee, which Thou hast wrought for those who take refuge in Thee, before the sons of men (Ps. 31.19).
It's a simple message: God is good. But what wonderful things happen in heaven and earth when those words proceed from the mouths of those who love Him. I love going to places where those are the initial words from the lips of His people.
Praise ye the LORD for He is good and His mercy endureth forever. Try saying that everywhere you go for 21 days and note the difference.
When you go to any meeting, proclaim, "Let all that hath breath praise the Lord."
It is obvious very few people care to acknowledge the Lord in speech, even at churches. Listen, the next time you go. See if anyone voluntarily extols the virtues of the Lord. When you notice the obvious start proclaiming that all who come praise the Lord.
This is my prayer today, "May my presence, actions and words express thy amazing grace, O God, thy goodness and thine everlasting love. Thou has sent the Holy Ghost to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement. Let me be a pure vessel of your goodness, grace and love, O God, Most High."

Having Prayed for you to Pray

After having spent a good time in prayer and intercession, I would like you to know what is happening in the heavenlies.

First, your most urgent need is God’s protection. Yeshua shed His blood to cleanse you and make you approved before God, the Father, making you a partaker in His glory. Next, you must be guided and directed by His Holy Spirit. You believe His Spirit will guide and lead you.

Our Lord wants to be glorified in your life and work, in all you say and do. All of your ministry must proceed from His throne. Since His ministry in and through you must come from your communion with Him in diligent, focused, solitary prayer, you must get to that time and place of prayer (your prayer closet) every day.

Please know it has pleased the Father to post angels at your place of prayer for you to come before Him unhindered for that time in which you, as Moses, draw near into the thick darkness where God is. Those angels have been posted because of the work God is pleased to do through you for His kingdom to come. Through your times of prayer, you will behold His glory with open face, as in a glass. As you spend time beholding His glory He will transfigure you into the glory and image of Jesus Christ. As you are transfigured into that holy vessel, nothing will prevent you from doing His will.

As you perform His work, your ministry, His angels will be posted about you for your protection.

When Christ, [who is] our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory (Co. 3.4).

God’s blessing you.

Your servant in Christ,

Christopher Dart

The Father Calls You

You are being called by the Father to daily get alone with Him in prayer.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Mt. 6.6).

It's good to pray on the move, at prayer meetings, etc. Paul wrote, "Pray without ceasing (1 Th. 5.17)." And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Lk. 18.1)" Here Jesus speaks of prayer with importunity. Secret, devoted, fervent prayer.

Oswald Chambers spoke of wrestling before God in prayer. John Bunyan said, "It is so wretched a thing to be without God that one may gladly dare any calamity in venturing to approach him." I would suggest getting up two hours earlier for prayer is a nearly non existent calamity in comparison to what some saints have endured. Charles Spurgeon said, "Take at once firm hold of God." E. M. Bounds wrote, "Prayer may well be defined as that force which vitalizes and energizes the Word of God, by taking hold of God, Himself." Isaiah wrote: "There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of Me," is God's sad lament. "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make peace with Me," is God's recipe for prayer.
There is a promise in the Counsels of Eternity you will be drawn into the presence of Christ by the Father. You do best by calling on Him right away and establishing a regular relationship with Him. He will draw you, but if you wait, it may be under circumstances you won't like. Leonard Ravenhill said, "It's very simple, either concentrate in prayer or pray in concentration camps."

Revival must be an individual experience. We will each become obedient to His call to get alone with Him in prayer on a regular basis somehow. I believe that revival is slowly spreading throughout this Laodicean Church age with some saints. I believe suffering will be the lot of many in order to get the Church in unity. In other words, the revivals of Fulton and Azusa Streets are a thing of the past. Revival will hit each individual in the Church until its flames are as many logs thrown on the fire.
The question is, will we be obedient to the call of God to extricate ourselves from the world and come up to the top of the mount, as Moses, now?

Behind the Veil

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
And [having] an high priest over the house of God;
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water (He. 10. 19-22).

Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there. - A. W. Tozer

Jesus Christ, the first born among many bretheren, was essentially the first saved. It is true He was sinless in life, which made Him the Lamb without spot or wrinkle, capable of being a sacrifice sufficient for the holy demands of the Counsel of Eternity, yet He became sin for us, He became a curse for us, so we don't have the curse be upon us when we approach the Judgement. In the grave, the greatest miracle occurred: The resurrection! O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Co. 15.55-57).

Right now, as we live and breathe the present air, we have not the curse, enabling us to enter into the presence of Almighty God, that is if we have responded to the call of Christ to repent and believe the Gospel. It is impossible to enter the sacred place of the Most High God without having been washed in the blood of Jesus. To the question, "What can wash away my sin?" The answer,
"Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

In all the trappings of religion, activity of evangelicalism and gifted work of those seeking signs, the work of our LORD on the cross of Calvary still remains a stumbling block to the religious and unbelieving while too simple to evangelicals and sign seekers. Yet the preaching of the cross remains foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Co. 1.18).

It is by grace we can get over that stumbling block. The smallest amount of faith will enable us to receive grace needed to enter into the Holy of Holies.
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded (Ja. 4.6-8).
There, in the secret place of the Most High, we find even more grace. There we are able to move the mighty hand of God in prayer. There we become transfigured into His glory and image. There we gain that glow Moses had when he left the mount. There we reckon the beggarly things of the world as dross and to have the abiding presence of God as the greatest gain.

Having been there, we agree with the elders of Westminster who said, "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." As such, we begin to understand the four and twenty elders who fall on their faces to worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, saying, `Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' (Rev 4:11)

Must I Go to Church Today?

Times Square Church receives letters from all over the nation, by the thousands, "Pastor Dave, I hate to wake up Sunday mornings; I hate to go to my church."
What a tragedy! Persecution is not needed to keep those seeking the One True God from meeting together. The direction of the churches are doing that job well.
I make entries in my journal when going to prayer meetings, teachings and church services. Last Sunday I wrote. "The speaker has resorted to jokes for he has nothing from thy throne, Almighty God, to speak. Please forgive those who regard that pulpit as a place to entertain. The words proceeding from that place are not to be idle but the very keys to life and death to the listeners. Please forgive me, O God, if I am missing you in these entertaining words. I find nothing being said to be pertinent to what is happening in the world today.
"O God, break through and use those spoken words to cause the listeners to be chosen by you and caused to approach unto you. Lord, pour out your oil for the lamp which seems to be extinguished. You promised, 'I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy lampstand out of his place, except thou repent (Re. 2.5).' Lord, cause the words spoken to move the listeners to seek your face diligently on a daily basis so they may have pure oil olive to bring for the tending of the lamp that it may burn continuously."
The oil signifies the Holy Ghost. The lampstand signifies the angelic vessel for the oil. The flame represents the presence of the Lord.
Now, Lord, I pray for the speaker today, to be even in your presence now, receiving of you a message to resound in the halls of eternity. I pray those leaders, elders and music ministers of the church be before you in humble prayer that their ministry may be of you, O God, and not of the flesh. Let all of us pray without distraction or disturbance. Cause us, O God, to get into your presence without compromising our time with you. Cause us to fear you to the extent that we will not expect our intimate time with you to be shared with our mundane activities throughout the day.
Forgive me Lord, where I feel church leaders neither care nor believe my intercession for them is any more than breath lost in the wind. Forgive me for regarding leaders as uncrucified with you, alive to this world, its prince and his watchers.
Forgive me. Lord, for finding every church in this state as vastly unconcerned for the coming of Thy Kingdom.
Lord, must I go to church? I even wrote the question last week, "What am I doing here?" The speaker even said, "I am worried about my lack of results."
O God Most High, please cause your Church to understand she must simply be faithful to you as your bride? We must be contrite and of a humble heart, let the Word dwell in us in all wisdom, seek your face and pray.

Goodness and Mercy of God

Looking at my life, I realized I had become more vile than most people I knew. YHWY would have been just to end my life any time. YHWY, who is rich in mercy, wherewith He loved me, brought me from the depths of sin and shame to the most wonderful position where I can boldly come to His throne for grace and mercy in a time of need. I can come to the mount now, where once I could only worship afar off, my heart full of sin. In His goodness I am now free to go up to the top of the mount and be with Him.

As I stay out of the place of defilement (and that's only by His grace and mercy) and seek His face first, He will send a pillar, a cloud and speak face to face with me. Because of His goodness and mercy I, with open face, as in a glass, behold the glory of the Lord and am changed into His image from glory to glory as by the Holy Ghost.

Good and upright [is] the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way (Ps. 25:8).

Thou [art] good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes (Ps. 119.68).

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (Ja. 1.17).

I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mt. 9.13).

And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem (Mi. 4.2).

Lack of God's Presence

I believe it true, all men truly desire to know the Lord. I don't know if there is a single person who has not desired an encounter with Him. Too often, however, people have been caused to believe, "You can't experience God."

Jim Morrison of the Doors said, "You can't petition the Lord in prayer."

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull said, "God is not the kind you wind up on Sundays."

Because men in the churches have chosen to not wait on the Lord and follow Christ's example of departing to a solitary place (as was his manner) well before dawn to pray, the Holy Spirit has left the churches. If someone goes to a church to find an experience with God, he finds only religious structure. The Holy Spirit has left. God's presence is not there. God can't be wound up on Sundays.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in a man's life can only be evident as he spends intimate time with Him. It was said of the disciples, "they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Ac. 4. 13)." Follow His example, watch and pray as He said, "Can you not watch with me for but one hour?" God's presence will become undeniable in you.

Jim Morrison had it wrong. You CAN petition the Lord in prayer. You MUST petition the Lord in prayer and be contrite and repentant before Almighty God. Living that way will cause you to move the hand of God in prayer. To any person who stays out of the place of defilement and regularly waits on the Lord, will the Father send a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The presence of the Holy Ghost will be undeniable in his life.

Since this is an individual event, all those in each church must similarly wait on the Lord every day for the presence of God to be evident in their lives and in their church once again. I pray, O God, those leaders in the churches will live this way and teach the people accordingly. Your message to the churches is, "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Re. 2. 5)."

Cause them, O God, to see the candlestick (from which comes the presence of the Holy Ghost) has been removed. Cause them to remember from whence they have fallen. Grant them, O God, repentance. May each individual be of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Every day, O Lord, you remind me how far I had fallen, the shame of choosing the pleasures of Egypt and you show me your mercy. I'm no better than anyone. I'm simply a beggar who has found where there is food.

My presence will not be taken lightly.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (De. 5.11).

The name of the LORD is representative of all He is. Without Jesus having been on the cross, becoming sin for us, the best experience we could have of God's existence would be academic knowledge of His name, which He commanded to be kept holy.

Now, after the cross, after Pentecost, we have the presence of the Holy Ghost. The command is still the same. We, however, realize His presence is, indeed, represented by His name. His presence is not to be taken in vain.

We are called to be taken into His presence. Jesus said, no man cometh unto me, except the Father draw Him. Psalm 65.4: Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts. Having been with Him is the only way the World will hear our message because His Truth cannot be revealed in the flesh. It must be revealed by His Holy Ghost which dwells in His holy temple. Our bodies are His temple. Our flesh resists the Spirit. The only way His Spirit can be recognized is from intimate fellowship with Him.

His Word to us, "My presence will not be taken lightly." We are to become less like the world, that is, transfigured into His likeness from glory to glory, as by the Holy Ghost. Our lives are to be a living sacrifice. Not a blemished offering half devoted to the world and half devoted to Him, an impossibility, yet ever attempted among us.

Our call, as with Moses, is to come near. And he said unto Moses, Come up unto the LORD, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses alone shall come near the LORD: but they shall not come nigh; neither shall the people go up with him (Ex. 24. 1,2).

You have been chosen. You are called to come near, to be shut in with God, to shut out the world. It takes time, determination and effort, as Moses had to ascend the mount, giving no concern for time, food and water.

As the presence of the LORD was obvious on Moses, afterwards, so the presence of the Lord will be obvious on us. Beloved, this is up to each of us individually, not for us to expect the pastor and music minister to have it. Tragically, a blemished sacrifice and strange fire before the Lord seems to be all we get anymore.

We come casually into the place designated as His House of Worship. Conversation is seldom of the Lord but of all things other than our Lord. We choose, in our flesh, who we like and dislike. Are we not the temple of the Living God? How can it be that we ignore some, disdain others and love whom we will? It seems the presence of the Lord is not considered or will be considered at 10:00 o'clock, maybe 10:01. I'm pleading with you, beloved, let not our entry to His House be casual. Almighty God will meet with us but we must expect Him to be there and not grieve His Holy Spirit.

Lev. 24. 2: Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

By entering into the presence of the Lord daily, we obtain oil (the presence of the Holy Ghost) to tend the lamp (the evidence of the Holy Ghost in the church). Jesus gave us the example: And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed (Mk. 1.35). Luke indicated rising early and departing to a solitary place was His manner. We ought not think we can do what Jesus would not. He received His power for ministry from the Father by departing to a solitary place. Jesus said, "I do nothing but that which the Father giveth me." As temples of the Holy Ghost, we should present nothing in the church, to one another and to the world but that which the Father gives us. By entering the presence of the Lord, we receive that which the Father will give us.

Preach it!

I pray for the leaders of the church to get into the prayer closet daily, regularly to diligently seek the face of God. Week after week all I see are jokers in the pulpit, those who have borrowed messages, sermons dry, lifeless and nothing to touch the soul.
I haven't seen people saved in most churches in 31 years.
Truly, we live in the Laodicean church age.

A Mighty Army

The Church is a mighty army. It is in her power and authority to call on God the Father to fabulously help man on earth. As the Laodicean church sleeps, evil will prevail. God, however, has a mighty Church throughout the world calling on Him, He hears our prayers and is acting in response.
Thank you for your comment.

Fast and Pray

Beloved, the time is perilous. The fields are white and ready for the harvest.
The enemy is at work in all facets of humanity with his intent to steal, kill and destroy.
The above seems as generalities taken from scripture. Jesus said, “When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times (Mt. 16. 2,3)?”
I don’t suggest, for an instant, any form of hypocrisy in the readers nor any spiritual ineptness. As I read the passage, I am reminded how obviously we are approaching the end times.
Heating oil is $2.85/gal., the production of ethanol is depleting grain supplies causing the cost of food to skyrocket, abortion is epidemic and will become even greater with the next administration, today’s generation of youth is the most unevangelized ever to live in this nation. Even more alarming is the Church is irrelevant and powerless to do anything about it. Every denomination is moving toward interfaith apostasy.
The question begs an answer, “What shall the true Church do?”
Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:
Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God (Joel 2. 12-17)?
I’m one person, just a guy on the street. I can only speak to one person at a time. Those who are capable of speaking to hundreds seem only interested in leading their congregations in Purpose Driven Apostasy; the church services seem to have driven the Holy Spirit away. The leaders never seem to address the true issues but are content in keeping people on an ecclesiastical treadmill that keeps the paycheck coming.
There is no anointing on the sermons; nothing to stir the spirit; nothing to convict the conscience; no impetus to follow after God. Just a dose of dead religion for the week.
Every week I enter church expecting and leave disappointed.
Where am I wrong?
I believe we must pray for those in leadership, including music ministers and Sundie Skool teechers to not beat at the air anymore; forsake the gratification of self and seek God as never before. Every one of them should be out of bed by 4:00 a.m., seeking the face of God diligently, every day for their ministry is not a treadmill but that which should be an oracle of the eternal destiny of those they face every Sunday. There is no anointing because men are not serious about prayer. When was the last time you or I heard of the ministers of the Lord weeping between porch and altar?
Don’t even begin to tell me they are. If they were, the churches would not be so dead. The messages would affect the hearts of men. The young people would not be so impatient to get out of church and into their worldly activities. Divorce would not be rampant. Men would be getting saved.
If you have any interest, at all, in the souls of men, you will fast and pray, give up hours of precious sleep, call on God to have mercy and get those leaders into His presence, however He may (even by brokenness, persecution and misery), so that the Holy Spirit return to His church and make her relevant again.

A Question

Did God, yet, call for a man who chose to watch rather than sleep? Would God rather have a man who is consumed with His heavenly kingdom more than simple human pleasures? Would God use such a man who believes he is to seek first the Kingdom of God?
Do yet those who lead the church prize baby sleep more than intense prayer with YHWY?
I pose these questions rhetorically because the readers knows the answer. To say otherwise is the reason the vast majority of the population have found no reason to ever return to church. There were no answers on 9/16/2001, at the greatest test. How could there be answers now?
Oh, God, I continue to intercede for those in leadership, yet they seem to be aborting all attempts to draw them into regular communion with thee.
The question about morning prayer is this: If a person does not pray first thing in the morning, aren't the chances of him having that intense time of private prayer greatly diminished as the day puts ever increasing demands on his attention, his strength and stamina, which is waning every hour? Does an hour or two of intense, private prayer with you require increasing discipline?
A pastor, as a ship's captain, must take his watch on the bridge, that is, private prayer. To not do so is to allow the ship or church be taken over by every wind of doctrine. Currently, strangers have boarded the ship, disguised as crew and officers, to lead her astray.

Draw Near to God

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you (Ja. 4.8).

YHWY's love for you is tremendous. His call is, "Come away with me, be intimate. There are great and mighty things I want to show you."
The fact is, we must make the effort to be with Him. We must make the time and take the step. Becoming intimate with Our Lord takes time: Our time in being intimate and our regularity in meeting with Him.
To consider this time forward, we may say, "It takes 40 days of consistency to develop a habit. Or we may say, "It'll take so many days to build an investment or to build a wall." After having passed those days with consistency, we can say, "In those days of meeting with Him and waiting for Him, I have made an investment which will show dividends in time. I can see now, how I must maintain regular, intimate time with my God to see the fruit of the seed I have been planting in prayer."
When we make that decision to spend time with our Lord, we have decided, as Moses, to draw near unto the thick darkness where God is (Ex. 20.21).

You Must Have Oil

25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

25:2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,

25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

25:6 And at midnight a cry was heard:
'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'

25:7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.

25:8 And the foolish said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'

25:9 But the wise answered, saying,
'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you;
but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'

25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding;
and the door was shut.

25:11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying,
'Lord, Lord, open to us!'

25:12 But he answered and said,
'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'

25:13 Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.

As you know, oil is representative of the Holy Spirit. This is obtained by spending time with Jesus. There is no other way.
Little time, little oil. Much time. Much oil.
Little time in the Word results in little indication of the Truth of God in your conversation and life.
Little time in prayer results in little manifestation of Christ in you.
Notice Jesus uses this parable as an end time passage. We are warned not to be caught these days without sufficient bathing in the Water of the Word and spending time in the presence of Christ in solitary prayer.
Oh, you who lead in the church, please lead in the example of maintaining much oil in your lamp.

More on the Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

More on the Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Ph. 1.19)

The time is coming very soon when we will be asked to give account for the use of the talents the Lord has given us. Will we say, most assuredly, we gave Him first priority and sought to faithfully invest in the Kingdom the talents he entrusted to us? Even now, I put myself at the Master’s feet asking how to lovingly and effectively do His will and be used of Him for His Kingdom to come.

I recall, not too many years ago, when I seemed to be one who had no supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to the extent that the ungodly expected me to agree with them how worldly Christians were equally deserving of Hell as anyone else. How perverse! I, a Christian, backslidden to the point that there was no indication I had ever received any grace which saves and confounds the unbelieving.

I was just a beggar on the street, now forgiven and commissioned by Christ, Himself, filled with the Holy Ghost, humbled before Almighty God, simply writing about where I found food. I found an abundant supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Though, at one time, I recognized the ungodly as more righteous than I, I now see many in the Church as not too different from what I was. How can that be?

It’s simply a matter of the will. Where will I put my priority? Family? Work? Hobby? Being with Jesus Christ? In only the last of these will we experience the Supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. There is no other way. Someone wrote, “There is no shortcut around the prayer closet.”

In the prayer closet, we may behold the face of Jesus, as in a glass, being changed from glory to glory, as by the Holy Ghost. To compromise that devoted time of communion with Christ is to put ourselves in short supply of the Spirit.

In putting ourselves in the place of private, concentrated communion with Him, we become, also, the supply of the Spirit for others.
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (Jn. 4.14).

As I started writing, I was in prayer for those who would like to be better witnesses for Christ, yet it just doesn’t seem to happen. The words don’t come forth and anything that does come forth seems only to add confusion to the truth of the Gospel. It came to me in simplicity: Drink deeply of the water of life and you will become that supply of water (the Spirit of Jesus Christ) springing up unto life eternal for others.

The Supply of Christ

Recently, I met a young lady who had a fish symbol on her necklace. Not to single her out, I will also comment on the use of Christian symbols very skillfully painted on a motorcycle. I also recall a young man who had a large sign on the back of his car indicating, "JESUS SAVES, Jn. 3.16." He had a reputation for traveling at excessive speeds even on narrow streets.
I am convinced at least two of these people were saved. There was no indication two of the three ever broke the law or were offensive to others.
One thing for certain, they all used symbols to let others know of their faith.
The question comes to mind, "what is the conversation of these or any of those who claim to be Christian? Is it only about things of the world or is it about the things of Jesus Christ?"
When confronted with the Holy One of Israel, two of the above were unable to engage in conversation, as if such conversation is only allowed between 11:00 a.m. and 12:01 p.m. on Sunday by the pastor. I could almost sense one saying, "I keep my faith to myself" and the other seems only interested in ministry related activities and ice cream.
The Lord Jesus said, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me . . ." To be a witness is to provide proof, by conversation and deed, concerning what Christ has done. That proof will be with power since the Holy Ghost has come upon me. There should be no question. In Acts. 4.16 we read, "they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."
If someone has been with Jesus, it has not only been written in the Book of Remembrance, but a metamorphosis has occurred, which can not be humanly manufactured nor can it be hidden. One who has not been with Him simply cannot manufacture His presence.
This is the result of the promise of Jesus, "ye shall be witnesses unto me." This is conclusive and absolute. Paul spoke of the supply of the Spirit in Ph. 1.19, "For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ."
We have the promise. We potentially have the supply, if we choose to accept it.
My prayer is for that supply to be truly existent in the Church (the fact is, many have no reason to return due to the lack) and the witness of Christ be in power of the Holy Ghost.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches

I believe the Church will have to endure some suffering. We read
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand (Da. 12.10).

This purification can happen now, voluntarily, or later, to our shame.

We read abundantly about the Church departing from the truth. This happened on an individual basis. I returned to where God wanted me to be shortly before Bible Rock Church broke up. In 2000, I had a rough time of hard pursuit after the world when God used Linda to shock me into repentance and back into the Kingdom. On February 19th, 2005, I made up my mind to return to the Lord with fasting and prayer. I fasted on the 21st & 22nd and prayed for my family, church, President, nation, military and local govt.
Later I set out to find a church which believed in and practiced prayer. Having found none, a year later, I ended up in Manhattan on 51st & Broadway in the quest for a praying church.

The fact is, if we don't return to the Lord with all of our hearts now, while we can see the nation being destroyed, it'll be very difficult for us by the end of the year. We have got to hear from the Lord. Our pastors are content to take our tithes and offerings, provide some entertainment and intellectual stimulation but are not giving any insight on what is at hand. Times Square Church pastors, however, are faithfully sounding the alarm.

Beloved, the Lord has promised, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets (Am. 3.7)." We must frequent the prayer closet and He will keep us ahead of the world system. We also have to warn the Church.

I had a picture of the Church on a showboat above Niagara falls. The water was perfectly calm. In the water were people, who were not part of the Church and unaware the boat was there. The people on the boat were oblivious to the people in the water headed toward the fall. Someone had released a dinghy from the boat and was going about rescuing souls. His partner with binoculars had noticed the peril ahead and was shouting at the boat to warn of danger. The band played on and the captain and crew continued dancing. Some were on the railing telling the two in the dinghy not to be so extreme, "This boat is a sturdy, powerful vessel with a dynamic pastor and great band," someone said.

The wet towel treatment is the religious response of those who have been studying scripture many years. They seem to be the "pit bulls" of the Church preventing oil from entering the lamp that the flame be not re ignited.

Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually (Lv. 24.2).
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent (Rv. 2.5).

Isn't it amazing how those "pit bulls" want to keep the Holy Spirit from returning to the Church?

Nonetheless, our job is to seek the face of God, warn the church and win souls. Some will listen. Maybe there will be an influential person in some church, somewhere, who will listen, seek God's face and lead the church into repentance.

We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments: 6 Neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, which spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O LORD, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you. 8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him; 10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets (Da. 9).

I don't know about you but I am sickened by the notion that many churches are perceived by the members as so great, "Isn't this a great church, how'd you like the service?". The Church needs to repent like Daniel (one of the three most righteous men in the Old Testament).

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (Da. 12.10).

This verse is for this time, the time of the end. It is about those who will be obedient to Christ in this present darkness. We will be those righteous who pray effectually and fervently. We will be those who preach the Word, being instant, in season, out of season. We will be the wise for the winners of souls are wise. We, also will be those who sound the alarm, keeping clean hands.

Back to the question of the century, "When will the Church wake up?" Maybe later in the year, when the economy is in complete collapse. Many will be dumbfounded as we were at 10:00 am e.s.t. on 9/11/2001. But the wise shall shine as stars in the firmament.

His Presence in Us Undeniable

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; In those days [it shall come to pass], that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard [that] God [is] with you (Zec. 8.23).

We, who hold the banner of Christ, have a tremendous responsibility therein. The existence of Christ in us must be recognized by the lost as an undeniable reality. There must be no question we have been with Christ.
"and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus (Ac. 4.13)."

There is an entire generation of youth who know nothing of Jesus (save the few who reluctantly go to church at parental insistence). They are entirely secular, yet, Jesus died for them. I, simply, am not willing to let them slip off into eternity to suffer Hell and the Lake of Fire. The youth are not the only folks facing eternal damnation, where the flame goeth not out nor doth the worm cease. East Hampton and Marlborough have a combined population exceeding 20,000 souls. They all must see the Christians as those who have been with Christ. Christians must present the gospel believably.

The presence of Christ cannot be manufactured in a person’s life. It doesn’t come from academia nor from the insistent demand that it is there. His presence is there only as we spend time shut in with Him in the secret closet of prayer. The defense of hasty time in prayer has been made several times in my listening, “I spend quality time, not quantity time.” Beloved, we’re human. It takes time to quiet the soul, meditate on His word and be still before the throne of God Almighty.
"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him (Ps. 37.7a)"
"Be still, and know that I [am] God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth (Ps 46.10)."

And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? (Mt. 26.40)

If there is any question as to how much time we should spend before the Lord in prayer, we may use Jesus’ examples and His sayings. How could we go wrong with a minimum of one hour in prayer? That, by the way, will make prayer walks (in which our prayer time is divided with our inability to be still before the Lord of Hosts) much more meaningful. Starting with less time is helpful as prayer requires endurance. We, simply, must diligently seek the Lord in prayer in these days for our own sakes and to effectively be witnesses of Jesus Christ to a world going to hell.

On May 17, 1792, the New York Stock exchange came into being. Since then, our experience has seen the ever increasing strength of the U. S. economy. Our tendency is to believe in the economy more than the Bible. It is now becoming apparent the economy is nothing to put trust in. Presently, a perfect storm is developing in which the economy is being undone. The storm consists of dismantling of the constitution, the destruction of our currency through massive printing of paper money and the pressure toward interfaith tolerance, i.e.: many ways to heaven. If we but watch, as we are called to, we will recognize the forces of evil and rejoice in the appearing of our Lord Jesus. In the meantime, we have the task of being intimately involved in taking part of the coming of His kingdom.

Victory Over Destruction

I heard, some time ago, a curse from someone in high places, "Your nation will be destroyed from within." It seems, that was an astoundingly accurate prophecy.
Those who know biblical prophecy know the last chapter in the Book:
And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads (Rev.22.1-4).

But now, many places of worship seem to have a certain spiritual deadness. There is no expectancy of God, there is little belief He is present nor is there belief He will live in His people to do His will that His kingdom may come.

From the outside one may observe the approach of people to the place of worship as in a common or profane manner. In other words, I go there wearing the same clothes I work in. Inside, my manner and conversation is the same as if I just walked into a coffee shop, not as if I entered the presence of a holy God. As a minister of music, I play in the same way I would at the night club, even some of the same material. I go not having sought the face of the Lord so that my ministry may provide something from the Throne Room of Almighty God. In fact, if I took it seriously, I'd seek God diligently every day for that hour of ministry in the building or room designated as the place of worship. Yet, I merely bring my earthly talents before God and men, expecting God to receive my common display and make it holy.

Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, that they separate themselves from the holy things of the children of Israel, and that they profane not my holy name [in those things] which they hallow unto me: I [am] the LORD (Le. 22.2).

I still serve the same God who does not accept a blemished sacrifice. Service to him is to be holy. Those who minister are to be holy. Our approach to the Lord is to be holy, not entering as a common place talking about things of the world but entering to meet corporately in the presence of a holy God.

In my next post, I will discuss our falling for a season followed by God's "recovery" in which, we are made to shine as stars.