Luk 10:33  But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 

A minister friend of my parents back in Scotland was Pastor of a church in a small Scottish town. One of the “characters,’ of this town was “Dundee Annie.” No one really knew how she got her name, but everyone knew she must be avoided at all costs. She was always drunk and cursed and abused anyone that happened to come into her path.

The townspeople knew to avoid her and keep their heads down as they passed her on the other side of the street. The Pastor friend had learned to cross to the other side of the street well in advance of passing her and to keep his head down, thus avoiding a verbal onslaught.

The Pastor received news that he was to have a young minister in training from Australia come and stay with him for about a year. He was glad to have the company and on his arrival he made him very welcome. The day after his arrival the young minister said he would like to walk into town and perhaps meet some of the townspeople. The Pastor said he would accompany him but the young minister asked if he would mind if he went alone. Several hours passed and there was no sign of the young minister. It was only a couple of miles into town and he should have been back long ago.

So the Pastor, slightly irked for it was raining hard, got his raincoat on and headed into town to find the young minister. He arrived in town, and walking down the main road, saw in the distance two figures sitting on the sidewalk, or the gutter as it is called in Scotland. As he got closer he realized that it was his young minister with his arm around the shoulder of Dundee Annie. When he got there she was weeping. She was weeping, it turns out, because the young man had shared with her that Jesus loved her very much and that He had come to earth to save her. She looked up at the Pastor and then back to the minister and said “nobody has ever told me that before.”

In a famous parable, the Lord tells us of the good Samaritan. We all know that the religious men hurry on by and it is the “Samaritan,” that aids and comforts the unfortunate man that lay bleeding and beaten and robbed beside the highway.

Who is your “Dundee Annie,”? Who do you go out of your way to avoid because they are nasty or unapproachable? It is a spiritual fact that we are surrounded by those who are bleeding, beaten, dying, victims of this world. Seriously wounded men and woman are all around us, in the world and in the church. What spirit do you have?

Is yours the spirit of the religious men? Do you hurry on by, not wanting to get involved? We are here on this earth, to aid and comfort those who need it. In the darkness of a wounded world, we are the light which brings comfort and healing to those who are wounded.

Perhaps you walk on by because you are wounded yourself. To touch the pain of others is to touch your own pain. If you seek to save your life, Jesus says, you will lose it. If you lose your life you will gain eternal life. The word life here in the Greek is not “bios,” meaning our actual life, but rather it is ,”psyche,” which is referring to the soul or our very heart.

If we are to be people of God, we must let go, let die, the image that we have created for the world, and discover ourselves at the very heart of our being. Our own wounds will be exposed in the process, but as we allow ourselves to be vulnerable to Him, then He will change us from the inside out. Next time your tempted to walk on by the guy nobody likes in the office, die to yourself and be bold in your love and just see what unfolds. This will require His wisdom and love. It will carry with it risk, but everything worth fighting for carries danger, go on, take a chance today and in doing so, your own healing will begin to take place.

Isa 57:15 For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, even with the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Shall we cast our eyes upwards? Shall we lift our eyes and holy hands to the Lord our God who is high and lifted up? Who dwells in a high and holy place? Brothers and sisters, Christendom has lost its reverence and awe of its most Holy God. We have striven so hard to make known a personal God who has called us friend that we have lost the awe-full majesty and glory that is He. In the above Scripture we see the correct balance. Yes He is high and lifted up, yes He is majestic and glorious and awesome.

I use that word in its proper sense, not the modern word which could apply to a hamburger, I mean ” full of awe,” yet here He dwells with the contrite and the humble heart. And those who dwell there, those who enter into this magnificent court, this throne-room, they are revived. Is there any other way to be revived? And by revived I mean able to run and not grow weary, able to walk and not faint, able to rise up with wings as an eagle in the updrafts of His presence which carries us higher and higher into the lofty place of eternity.

Who else could “inhabit eternity?” Think about that phrase. Just stop for a moment and think and ponder what it means. It is a place that is outside of time and space. This is where God “dwells.” We dwell in house that can accommodate us, a place where we can live and lay down to rest. Sometimes we dwell in small houses where we are cramped, other times we dwell in larger houses where we have our own space, but God, He dwells in eternity. Where else could God dwell but in a place that has no beginning neither has it end, it simply is perpetuity.

And it is into this place He bids us join Him. Not after we die, now. Jesus says that those who drink of the waters of life shall never die, and so the life that we now live, albeit in this body, shall never end. What life is this? It is the abundant life of the kingdom of God that already dwells in us. You see the above scripture talks about the humble and the contrite spirit. And we know that the spirit within us is eternal and its proper place is dwelling with God in eternity, His dwelling place, a place where He inhabits, just as He inhabits the praises of His people.

Brothers and sisters, there are two competing realities that we struggle with in the flesh. One is the true reality which is the kingdom of God, the eternal, that dwells in us. And the other is the reality of this world and it’s very physical and emotional demands upon us, bolstered by our senses. It takes a very deliberate act to bind the reality of this world, to set it aside, and to allow the reality of the eternal world, the place that God dwells, to come forth. It takes a deliberate focus where we must take our eyes of the things of this world and cast our eyes upon the kingdom of God.

What we see with our eyes floods our souls. What do you see? What is your soul flooded with? The cares of this world? Circumstances? Or, in your situation do you see God, high and lifted up? This is spirit and flesh. This is our path of sanctification, taking up our cross, walking the narrow path. To humble ourselves in the sight of God, to have a contrite heart which the Lord loves, so that we may dwell and walk in a high and holy place. Come brothers and sisters, He bids you come.

Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High

There is much noise in the land brothers and sisters. There is much professional worship that makes a great noise. In the world’s eyes it sounds great and is somewhat familiar to their ears because much of it is fashioned after the music of the world. It is designed to entertain. Yet can I suggest, that if the Lord does not inhabit it then it is merely noise and it actually drowns out the still small voice that would whisper to us “He is beautiful beyond description, too marvelous for words, to wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard, who could grasp His infinite wisdom, who could fathom the depths of His love. He is beautiful beyond description, majesty enthrones above.”

As God gathers His people together, a hush will fall upon their hearts. They will catch their breath as the King of glory comes in, comes in in all of His fullness. As He begins to flood the dry creek beds with a mighty rushing river then the saints will begin to rise up and minister in the overflow of His presence. There is a fresh wind beginning to blow in the hearts of Gods saints. There is a fountain rising in their hearts. And the source of this fountain is God Himself in all of His majestic glory. And out of this river flows an everlasting abundant love. It fills us with light and this light is the life of men. Look unto God and see what it truly means to live an abundant life in Christ.

Perhaps you can relate to the dry river bed? Perhaps it has been a long time since you have experienced the river of God that makes glad the hearts of men? Is the Lord calling you today in that still small voice? Will you call down the weight of His glory on your life today? Can you seek Him out in the silence? Remove all of the distractions of life, the noise and the clamor and the demands. In the end, without His presence, what does any of it mean? Outside of Jesus and His presence all we are doing is marking time until our final day. The Kingdom of God is found when we seek it first above all things. Seek it out today brothers and sisters. The horse must go before the cart, God must be first and when He is then everything that we do finds purpose. Make Him first today.

Eph 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

Each whisper, every God-ward thought, every word spoken, each moment of silence spent in His presence is like a musical note to the Lord. The Scriptures refer to the Lord as “He who sits above the circle of the earth.” And so He who sits above the circle of the earth, sees each and every one of these musical notes from around the world from the Body of Christ, rising up in a majestic symphony of love and worship and it is a sweet, sweet sound in His ears. This day, become part of that symphony, let your days be filled with thoughts of Him, release whispers of love to add to the music of prayer.

Simply whisper the name of Jesus all throughout the day, remind Him of how much you love Him, thank Him for the day, no matter what kind of day that you’re having. Rediscover that bond of love and joy and peace that comes simply by being in His presence. When you do this brothers and sisters, your prayer life will change dramatically, but not only your prayer life, your life itself. For when we walk in continual prayer we begin to see the beauty of the Lord everywhere. If it rains, we see His beauty in the raindrops.

If the sun shines we see His beauty as the flowers turn themselves around to face the glory of the Son. If it is cloudy we see his beauty break through the clouds in beams of light that remind us that despite the momentary darkness, He is not finished with us and that His light is ready to break through. Pray without ceasing brothers and sisters, it is not a bondage, rather a glorious privilege that enables us and empowers us to be over-comers in a dark world that is desperate for a manifestation of the light and the love of our Lord Jesus.

1 Sam 17:48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.

For Christians, victories are won in the depths of the valley for this is where strongholds are broken down and conquered. This is where the fight is taken to the enemy. This place is his dark domain. This is a place that we would never voluntarily go to. We would never come to this place willingly. Yet this place is where we see the gates of bronze broken down and the bars of iron cut in two. Perhaps you are in the depths of a deep valley today and surrounded by darkness? Be of good cheer and be encouraged, for this place where the enemy would see you destroyed is actually the place where you will see victory in Christ. Your mourning shall be turned in dancing and He will put upon you a garment of praise and this spirit of heaviness shall flee before His presence.

The Christian walk is a violent one spiritually speaking. There is nothing passive about what you have been called to. There is an enemy of your soul and the Lord is the Lord of your whole life. Under no circumstances will He allow a stronghold of the enemy to exist in the depths of who you are. Consider young David as he runs towards Goliath. David runs to where the enemy is and destroys him. The Lord takes us to places that in the natural we would not go. Confrontation is the way of the Lord. It is no surprise that most folks hate confrontation yet the Lord leads us into confrontations.

Will you confront your fears today? Will you stand for the truth today? As Christians we are spiritual soldiers. We have been called to battle. And even although much of modern Christianity has been feminized this does not change the true nature of who we are. There can be no co-existence between light and darkness, whether that is inner darkness in you or in the world. Light will have its way and in this place there can be no room for darkness.

Rev 12:11 ” And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

Brothers and sisters, are you ready to wash your robes and make them white by the blood of the Lamb? How shall we overcome the wicked one? Rev 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” The devil has a short time left. The Son of man, the Bridegroom is coming back shortly for His bride and the devil knows it. This is why a worldwide persecution of the saints is coming upon us soon.

Yet the devil is going to run head-long into a people prepared by the Lord through many trials and afflictions, refined by many fires, having been brought through many deserts. They are shining bright and they love not their lives unto death. Imagine an army of saints who would rather die than give one inch to the devil. They will reflect, in the very midst of the great tribulation, the glory of God in every nation. Out of every tribe and every tongue and every peoples God has called His remnant so that in martyrdom they will be a witness to every single person on the planet of God’s glory.

In this sense, God’s glory will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea in the very midst of judgement. For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14) How many of us know that when the sea moves it moves with incredible power? The waves rise higher and higher as the wind blows stronger and stronger. Can you see it saints? Can you see walls of incredible water rise up like the glory of God rising as the winds of the Holy Spirit roars. One can only look on in awe, nothing can stop these waves.This is our calling. We were born for such a time as this.

Joh 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

God has called His children out of darkness into His marvelous light, the light of freedom. Religion is the deadliest enemy of Gods freed children. It spies out their liberty and seeks, with much patience, to again enslave and control them. In these days God is releasing a generation to come forth and live in the freedom that He has called them too. The shackles of the old religious systems are being exposed and broken down.

It can be scary to begin to think for oneself and to walk into open fields of freedom having been so restrained for so long. So confined by that pew that you sit on, year after year nothing but a spectator. Brothers and sisters you were called into a royal Priesthood. He who the Son has set free is free indeed. Free to walk with Him, free to be taught by Him, free to hear Him, free to be directed by Him. Our call is a radical one and it is to Jesus and Jesus alone. This is where freedom begins.

Many years ago I was walking in the suburbs of Kansas where I live. Walking through a wealthy neighborhood I saw gardens with meticulously planted flowers. A lot of work had obviously went into them. They had a design and had undoubtedly been measured exactly, every flower planted the exact distance from each other. Each home-owner knew what they wanted and it had been achieved. There was a regimentation in these gardens and they certainly had some kind of beauty. Then I heard the Holy Spirit telling me to look across the street.

There was a large field. At the far end of the field was an open drainage system for water run-off and a large culvert. All around this area was full of wild flowers of all kinds. No hand had placed them where they were. They were wherever the wind had blown their seed. It was truly a magnificent sight and had a beauty that was unmatched by the little regimented soldiers all standing to attention, watching from across the street, now seemingly entrapped and longing to breathe free.

Brothers and sisters, where are you? Did the wind of the Spirit blow in your life? Did He lead and guide you to where you are now? To be where the Lord wants you to be and to be part of a garden that the Lord Himself planted is to have ridden the winds of the Holy Spirit. Can you just stand and let go? Can you let the updrafts of His presence and Spirit carry you? Can you breathe free today? It is your birthright and that freedom from a crushing religious system of control and man centered activity was wrought for you on the bloody battle field of Calvary. To live in anything less than that freedom is a tragedy.