THE PATHWAY TO RELEASE THE POWER OF GOD
Christ told us numerous times to FOLLOW HIM… Then we read in Gods ETERNAL WORD, how Christ qualified as to what FOLLOW HIM looks like…
John 20:20,21 …He shewed unto them His hands and his side. Then said Jesus to them … As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
Christ made it abundantly clear on numerous other occasions as to the CONDITIONS of what FOLLOWING HIM involved…
Luke 9:23 - 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.
Luke 14:27 - And whosoever doth not bear his cross,
and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:33 - So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh
not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
The Power of God is not a commodity to be stirred up and utilised at our leisure. Quite the contrary, The Power of God is THE HOLY RESURRECTION LIFE OF CHRIST.
It’s the Risen Christ in us. Its Christ and none other that carries the POWER OF GOD.
God will NOT anoint uncrucified, unconsecrated, unsanctified proud egos.
He moves in power for HIS GLORY never ever for our promotion or exaltation…
What does this path look like? From point of salvation, the Holy Spirit begins leading us in the ways of truth, in the ways of the Lord. The Shepherds psalm tells us that…
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
There is a way to receiving and moving in the POWER OF GOD, Christ told us in John 14:6 that ‘HE IS THE WAY”. And that way is called THE HIGHWAY of HOLINESS. It’s a way of separation from the world and in to the deeper the things of God. That He will lead everyone that is truly hungry for Him into that way…
Christ also called it the NARROW PATH.
Christ explained this NARROW PATH as the ONLY PATH TO ETERNAL LIFE & POWER! And clearly explained that MANY desire to enter that gate & path but FEW ever find it…
Matthew 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many,
I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Like all paths in life, CHRISTS NARROW PATH has a beginning and an end. However, there are a few imperative stops along the way. Just as Christ must visit Gethsemane, so to, we must FOLLOW HIM there.
Gethsemane – The garden of tears. The garden of the valley of the SHADOW OF DEATH, not actual death, but a shadow of it. The actual death will follow soon after.
Our Pursuit of God will unavoidably and ultimately lead us directly to the garden of our heart, the place of Fathers choosing for OUR PERSONAL absolute surrender. God met Adam in the garden. Christ surrendered ALL in the Garden and He will meet you there also.
Matthew 26:36 - Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane,
and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
The garden period of our lives IS NOT A SEASON OF JOY … This unavoidable ordination of God, is known to the mystics of old as THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL. You won’t avoid the occasion but you may well avoid the surrender that occasion demands…
Matthew 26:38 - Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
There in that valley of the shadow, we see that Christ actually, and astonishingly, for the FIRST & ONLY TIME displayed that He actually had a different will to that of the Father…?
Matt 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
Luke 22:44 - And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was
as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
An aspect that many seem to overlook regarding the ABSOLUTE SURRENDER of Christ is that He sweats as it were drops of blood. This dynamic alone should make it extremely obvious to us that TOTAL SUBMISSION to the will of God is an ENORMOUS EVENT. It’s a day like no other for you. It is surely no walk in the park. It’s not a passport to a simple life. But rather an awful, soul wrenching, tearful episode of our lives, to say the least…
Point being … ABSOLUTE SURRENDER TO THE WILL OF GOD, is not the end of piercing conviction in our lives, but in reality, it’s the beginning of the worst phase of our life imaginable. But when over, it’s followed by the most magnificent phase imaginable … Oneness with Christ.
Consider Christs path, that same one that He has called us to follow … Did it get better for Him after surrender to the Fathers will, OR did it get worse? IT GOT MUCH WORSE. Do you hope that it will be different for you? Do not deceive yourself beloved follower of Christ. The death of the OLD MAN is a critical requirement before the resurrection life of the NEW MAN can manifest. AND IT WILL COST ALL THAT YOU HAVE.
Jesus speaking to the rich young ruler…
Mark 10:21 - Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
No man has ever committed suicide by crucifixion, it is IMPOSSIBLE to take your life that way. Crucifixion is surely an assisted demise. Regardless, the Father rightly demands and waits patiently for our willingness TO LET HIM bring us to our appointed Calvary and therefore end of the OLD MAN. He personally, will oversee the details and Christ is praying that your faith fail not… (Luke 22:32)
This can only happen where, when & how He chooses. No one knows better than our Maker how best to personally nail our vain egos PERMANTLY to His Sons cross.
The likelihood is you will neither know, nor will the details of your personal demise be clearly revealed to you. Everything is in real time. What you will know is the contradictions made against you, the false accusations, the seeming misunderstanding, the humiliation of being stripped of any reputation… All the negatives that are essential for the Father to put the old man to death.
You cannot avoid that, but if you look at Christs example you can both expect and manage the pain of that. It helps immensely if you quickly dispense with all SELF PITY, that is a demon whose sole purpose is to get you to quit your journey. Don’t wail … Worship!
Much chopping of the tree of our pride must take place before we are brought to realise that actually … our pride and egos are not worth fighting for. Capitulation only comes after years of exhaustion trying to build or defend a name for ourselves.
The Father asks that you endure with joy and weep worship as He puts to death our unsanctified dreams and un-consecrated preferences. Our secular outlooks, love of self. All must bleed out and die. Get ready, it’s called the DEATH OF THE OLD MAN for a reason. There are no marshmallow crosses. The cross is an instrument of execution.
Then, once the cross has completed its work. And you can and have reckoned yourself indeed DEAD UNTO SIN … Then do not be surprised that the soul will find itself in a wilderness of unimaginable aloneness “My God My God why hast thou forsaken me”? In truth, It’s the BEST of times, but you won’t know that yet, what you WILL identify with is that it is the WORST of times…
Hosea 2:14 - Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak comfortably unto her.
The Tomb … After the cross we know the story, thankfully there IS AN END to the suffering of the cross. Note, Not the end of suffering, but the end of THAT PHASE of suffering. `Once we have learnt the death of the cross, we begin to LIVE IT DAILY. Learning also, that we live and breathe moment by moment for Christ and His will … THEN and ONLY THEN, are we able to say with Christ “IT IS FINISHED”. As far as the life of the old man is concerned.
A deep work is done, we no longer seek to live for self but ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER.
Its usual, predicable even at this time for the Lord to give us a season of NOTHING. The crucified soul will most certainly enter an indefinite season of NOTHINGNESS.
It’s the time in the tomb. We must rest there and not seek to stir up Christ to pander to our spiritual attention deficit demands. We must not seek relevance, significance or the admiration of men ever again. The cross should have rendered us dead to EVERY projection of self by now.
In fact, if the cross HAS REALLY done its work, we would fear the praises and ignore the abuse of men. A dead man has no reaction to either flattery or disdain.
Roll away the stone – In Gods good time, without consulting our preferences, when he alone chooses … He will quicken us with Holy Ghost power and HE WILL ROLL AWAY THE STONE!!!
Only then does the SON OF GOD arise with healing in his wings?
Why, how does that happen??? It happens because you have decreased and He has INCREASED. You are dead and HE IS RISEN! And His agenda for your life will be able to manifest.
Galatians 2:20 - I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
How long does it take - From our Gethsemane to our resurrection life & power?
Only God knows … We cannot shorten that valley of the shadow. But we certainly can delay it and extend it. Tragically, many will not even reach that valley, far less survive the demand of it.
Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.
It may take the Father decades to eventually drag some kicking and screaming to the Garden, and even then, they will not submit their soul to UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.
It surely seems now that we live in a Christian culture of CROSS AVOIDANCE at all costs. How strange, when quite clearly from the entire warp and weft of New Testament theology, THE CRUCIFIED LIFE is spelled out again and again as the ONLY form of believerism acceptable to the Father. No alternative options are offered.
Quite the contrary, we are well warned that if Christ is not our FIRST LOVE, He will quickly remove His light from our lives. Many walk-in darkness now and do not even know the lights have gone out. Their relationship with Christ is dormant, historical, non-active. Ignorance is one thing, wilful ignorance, or worse arrogance is entirely another thing … The prophet Hosea warned “My people are destroyed by lack of knowledge”.
The warning to the Laodicean church is equally clear and alarming … “If you are anything other than fervent in your love for Him, then YOU MAKE CHRIST SICK. Do you think there will be vomit in heaven?
Without that deep annihilation of the vain self we are doomed as virgins without oil in our lamps Matt 25:1-9). We are numbered among those that have buried their talent
Do we come forth from the tomb as perfect? Perfect in our surrender perhaps, but the beginnings of the crucified life are surely not the perfection of character. That will take till the day Christs calls or comes for us. However, and thankfully so, separation from the world and sanctification of the NEW Man is a much simpler process for the crucified man. Compared to the exhausting and shame filled struggle of the uncrucified man.
The work of the cross is progressive – Post cross, Trust that Christ is now in control of ALL aspects of your life. No place for fretting, worry or anxiety about your walk with Him. Only peace & joy.
Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
We die daily – I’m very thankful that Christ told us in Luke 9;23 that we are to take up our cross DAILY. I am ongoing astonished and saddened as to how quickly the old man that was crucified yesterday may be in an instant quickly resurrected today.
Romans 8:36 - As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long;
we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
In Conclusion: The path to the POWER OF GOD is not well trodden. It is not busy with saints walking the same way as you. Because it’s the death of the old man or nothing. And as Christ said FEW THERE BE that find it.
Failure to, or more accurately, refusal to be led this way of the cross is actually, worse than nothing. The consequence of resisting Christs invitation to the SURRENDERED LIFE and appearing before Him on that day as an UNPROFITABLE SERVANT IS scarily unimaginable …
Matthew 25:30 - And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Quite simply FATHER WILL NOT ANOINT UNCRUCIFIED FLESH
And any you see masquerading AS IF they have a superior anointing, that they are an elite among the elect are most likely one of those we have been warned to watch for
False Apostles, False Prophets, False Teachers, False Brethren,
Hirelings, Tares, Chaff, Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
True servants of Christ walk in meekness and humility…
In closing, understand this beloved seeker of Christ. He already knows the plans He has for you. He is SURELY willing to use your life FOR HIS SONS GLORY …
BUT He will only release His glory & power through a consecrated, crucified and resurrected life sacrifice – and if such consecration includes a brutal martyrdom, then HALLELUJAH so be it.
ALL FOR JESUS
Best Regards
George