A poem for all the people who grew up in less than perfect households . He who walks upon the sea of tears. I am fragile I can be broken Broken by the words spoken Can't you see your words are clawing me apart? Can't you see how you're crushing my heart? How my heart longed to hear warm words spoken To be warm and whole and not to be broken Why didn't you just reach out and touch me? And cover me and hold me in love. The broken child in you Now breaks the child that you can see Two broken children collide Only wanting to be free I am fragile I can be broken Broken by the words left unspoken And this brokenness is now a void in me That is deeper and wider than the deepest sea What can fix a broken heart? And fill this vast expanse in me What can fill an endless void? That's deeper than the deepest sea So many tears, enough to fill an ocean Shed by all the children, broken A Saviour comes and walks upon this sea of tears He calms the stormy sea and quells the fears I have come to mend the broken heart To heal the wounds where you were torn apart I have come to set the captive free To dry up every tear that fills the deepest sea I hold the universe in the palm of my hand I cause the blind to see and the lame to stand And all the stars in the heavens, I know them all by name And I will touch you and you shall never be the same The words I speak they are life and they are love I know every sparrow that falls from above I created the sun and the moon and the pouring rain I still the stormy seas and I take away the pain Come and bring your emptiness to me And I will fill you with a love that's deeper than the sea Come all you that are broken and contrite And I will heal you and set you free this night And so I came and took my Saviour's hand Out of the pit on the solid Rock I stand A broken heart replaced and reconciled Standing whole and new, I am my Father's child And every word spoken, they are life to me Your love and Your kindness, they have set me free And by thy Spirit my eternity is sealed And by thy love my broken heart was healed.
Archive for the ‘spiritual growth’ Category
He who walks upon the sea of tears.
Posted by appolus on April 18, 2021
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christian poetry, Christianity, church, church of scotland, Devotions, God's love, God's voice, healing ministry, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, manifest presence, new wineskins, pentecostal, poetry, religious, revival, spiritual growth, spiritual poetry, Spirituality, testimony, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, The presence of God, The Psalms, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
A wrong turn.
Posted by appolus on April 14, 2021
1Co 10:12 Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
I have a GPS system in my car. I simply put in the address and follow the blue line and I inevitably end up at my destination. Yet even with this system in place you can take wrong turns and the system will automatically βrecalculate,β and give you new directions to get you back on track. This almost always involves βtaking the next exit,β or doing a βlegal u-turn when possible.β Sometimes when you take the wrong road but it runs near to or initially parallel with the correct road, the system still believes you to be on the right road.
As the wrong road slowly veers away from the correct road, the system at some point finally figures it out and re-directs you. Much of Christendom has taken the wrong road. Initially it runs almost parallel to the correct road and, without discernment it is almost impossible to know that you are on the wrong path. Most will simply plow ahead down the road they are directed and itβs at a point of getting lost that the person realizes that they have went astray.
When Amelia Earhart attempted her epic flight, it is reckoned that she only had to be a tiny fraction off in her calculations to miss the Island that was in the middle of the vast Pacific ocean, by hundreds of miles. To continue flying and being slightly of course, would take her ever further away from her destination. Today, Christendom is moving further and further away from its destination.
When the destination ceases to be God Himself, and the destination becomes something other than His presence, His Tabernacle, His alter, His throne room, then we simply get further and further away from Him and the narrow path that leads to Him. Only by getting off at the βnext exit,β or doing a βlegal u-turnβ can we get back on the narrow path. The address, the destination itself must always be God Himself. Are you headed in that direction, is that what is plugged into your spirit, is He alone your destination?
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Church history, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, inspirational, pentecostal, religion, religious, revival, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
The long narrow path home.
Posted by appolus on April 9, 2021
We hear a lot about the glory of God and encountering God. I have written much about it over the years and it has radically transformed me. His manifest presence is overwhelmingly glorious and jarring, and powerfully transformative. No one can encounter God in such a manner and not be fundamentally changed. If you are not changed, you did not encounter God. Every saint must encounter God and His manifest presence.
Yet, in the span of this life and by the way we measure our lives, these encounters make up a very small part of our time on the narrow walk home. They are vital, but they are like landmarks along the way. The vast majority of our time as saints is spent in the wilderness, the deserts, the high mountain plains. We journey through trials and tribulations. We spend seasons in silence. We have many times when we cry out to God. We pass through doubts and fears and deep flooded valleys.
I watched a documentary once about the Pacific Crest trail. It runs for 2640 miles from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington State. One of the hardest and most arduous parts of the trail is right at the beginning where hundreds of miles of desert have to be traversed. You will be hungry, thirsty and very cold at night and then suffer the heat of a blazing desert sun through the day.
When you eventually come out of that terrain, you will hit the mountains. The hikers stated that if they had not been conditioned by the harsh desert hike, they would never have had the stamina to make it up and over the mountain passes. Can you see how that works brothers and sisters? Without the great spiritual trials of our lives we would not be conditioned to make it up into the mountains and over them.
In a show called “Running with Bear Grylls,” the host takes celebrities on two day hikes through very difficult situations. On one of the shows they were in Norway, a very cold and rainy country, not unlike my home country of Scotland. He wanted to show his guest an exercise they do in special ops training. He made him create a burning ember on some bark from a tree. He then had to enter a freezing lake up to his neck and tread water for several minutes with this burning ember held aloft.
Now this is a test of endurance. The fight is against the body which is beginning to shut down. The burning embers will be his salvation when he gets out of the freezing water. When he gets out, he needs to have the wherewithal to take that burning ember and make a fire. After he makes the fire he has to get his compass out and set his bearings so that he knows which way to go when he is warmed back to life.
All of this is to test the ability to continue to think when all around you is in chaos, when your mind and body are in full rebellion against the circumstances that it finds itself in. Saints, we are regularly tested like this. I put it to you that the ember that is held aloft is the burning Holy Spirit and the Word of God. No matter what, it has to be held aloft. The compass is the same. No matter what the circumstances are we have to be able to set our compasses and know which way to go, the compass is the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
And then, all of a sudden, we encounter the Living God again. It can be on the mountain top, but it is just as likely to be in the depths of the valley. The Mountain will manifest itself in the valley. Suddenly the Sun rises in the depths of the darkness and warms our cold hearts. Suddenly I know He is there. Suddenly I feel strength coming back into tired and worn out limbs. My waiting has not been in vain. Like a long lost lover, He returns. The one for whom my heart ached for is there.
And for some glorious moments I am revived in every part of who I am. The journey which I thought I could not complete suddenly becomes possible again, all things are possible when my Lord visits me. And from that place I take the lingering embers of His presence and they are life to me. The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path, the long narrow path home. And I keep going, knowing that there will come again this oasis of His glory. Again and again, until I am home. Keep going saints. I love my fellow sojourners.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, inspirational, intimacy, Jesus, manifest presence, new wineskins, pentecostal, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
The heavens declare His righteousness.
Posted by appolus on April 7, 2021
Psa 97:5-6 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
No one stands in the presence of God, all are silent before His majesty, all are hushed as awe descends like a blanket upon the heads of His people and their heads are bowed and their hands raised up and trembling. Not because they were instructed to bow their heads or raise their hands , sit , stand ,or jump . No, no, not in the presence of God. One assumes a position before the living and the mighty God just as a natural instinct. No instructions are required as one is prostrate in His holiness. Every part of who you are is penetrated by light. It is glorious and traumatic all at the same time.
And the oil that dwells within your chest is set aflame by this light, this fire from the throne itself. βDid not our hearts burn within us as we walked with Him?β Yet we are not walking now, we are in the throne room itself, God has come down. Our whole body burns with a beautiful warmth. All things are possible, eternity stretches out before us and we never want to leave this place. The candlestick burns. God speaks, sin melts like wax, refining, yes refining. We offer ourselves and the dross that lies within and the Lord says βCome.β
What we have today bears no resemblance whatsoever to what God initiated. We have man centered church. Programs of men. Teachings of men. Musical programs. None are bad in and of themselves, they are just not God ordained. Religious social clubs. I believe that shortly, Godβs people will come out of the social clubs because they will be desperate to rediscover the glory and the majesty of God and they will seek Him where He can be found.
Posted in bible, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, gifts of the spirit, inspirational, intimacy, leaving the church, pentecostal, praise and worship, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The Psalms, the remnant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Loving a world in darkness.
Posted by appolus on April 5, 2021
Mat 14:14 And Jesus went out and saw a great crowd, and He was moved with compassion toward them. And He healed their sick.
There is a great multitude today who are desperately hungry and thirsty. All over the world the people dwell in great darkness and the darkness increases every day. Hell has opened its vaults and is beginning to spew out evil with increasing speed and urgency because it knows its time is short. There is desperate darkness coming and it is coming at us with alarming speed. Yet, as in the time of Noah, the world is mostly ignorant of the impending disaster about to befall it. Like the children of Israel when Jesus cries β O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!β
How do you feel about the world? Do you fear the world? Do you avoid the world? Do you deliberately keep your distance from a people you know are plunging headlong into darkness? Perhaps you fear the confrontation that would take place if you challenge the world or even just stand your ground? There are a couple of things I know about the world. God so loved it that He gave His only Son for it so that they could find deliverance from their captivity and their darkness. Jesus had compassion toward the multitude, the crowd. The very same crowd He knew would be calling for His blood soon. The very same crowd He knew that were hurtling towards destruction.
Only a mere 35 years after the crucifixion Israel was destroyed as a nation. Do you love the world as our Father in Heaven loves it? Will you demonstrate that love today if the Lord points one of the crowd out to you to minister to? Be ready, the Lord is looking for wiling hearts who want to walk in divine appointments. If we hate and despise the world because of its wickedness then we will never be ready to share the good news of the Gospel. It is the heart of love, ever steadfast in the truth, that is ready for divine appointments. We can be fierce in our stance for Christ, but it must flow out of a loving heart. Lord, increase our love this day for what you love.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, religious, revival, sanctification, spiritual growth, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
A fire of coals, some fish and bread.
Posted by appolus on April 2, 2021
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, inspirational, Jesus, Ministers, new wineskins, pentecostal, religion, revival, sanctification, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
Conscience
Posted by appolus on March 30, 2021
Conscience diminishes a man as he pushes against it. It is like the turning of the lathe. The turning is the circumstances of life. You are the wood and your conscience is the blade. It will whittle you down to the nub. A man becomes less of a man in every way when he ignores his conscience. You cannot run from it and you cannot hide from it. You can try, and many men have tried, all have failed, all have been diminished in their efforts. Great loss sweeps over a man like the raging waves of a storm tossed sea. You can sear it and you can drown it out with alcohol and drugs. When you sober up, it will still be there. You can fly to the uttermost parts of the sea and you will find that it is there. You can travel lands and traverse mountains and there it is. You could even make your bed in hell and hide in the shadows of darkness and the voice of your conscience will still speak to you.
It will be the High prosecutor as you stand before God or it will be your Chief defense. When the books are open it will, with great clarity and eloquence, speak for you or against you. Your conscience is your greatest gift outside of Christ Himself, although many men find it to be a curse. To the man of God it is a blessing. It holds him steady within the veil. It is like an anchor for his soul. It is mysterious , no doubt, but the voice of God speaks to every man and therefore every man is without excuse and on that great an notable day it will be a very familiar voice you will hear as you stand before God almighty. The voice of God that has echoed through your soul all of your conscious life. Listen today and live.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Fresh Fire, god, pentecostal, scripture, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the remnant, Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Be of good cheer
Posted by appolus on March 30, 2021
There is a growing movement around the world of hungry and thirsty children of God that He has driven into the desert. I believe this will be the last great move of God. There will be new wine poured out, but not into old wine-skins. This remnant saints will come from every kind of background. The common denominator will be their hunger and thirst for the genuine presence of the Living God which promotes a prayerful obedience to the revealed will of God.
If you are a saint in the wilderness, hang in there, God is teaching you complete dependence upon Him by stripping away every form of support that you know . Do not be discouraged by your situation or your circumstances, yield to them. You know that you are lonely, you know that you do not seem to fit in anywhere. You get no pleasure from anything anymore. You have lost your interest in the things of the world. What passes for βnormal,β church has become a foul stench to you.
You can see with your spiritual eyes that there is a crisis, but few seem to see it. Business as usual is no longer an option for you, but you do not know where to go. No one seems to understand you. When you try and explain they just look at you like you are mad. You are not mad. God is calling you out. God is calling His people out. The Lord is beginning to gather the saints together for His purposes. So stay close to God, stay in His Word.
If you can find like-minded brothers and sisters, that is good, because even where two or three are gathered, He is there in our midst, but do not be discouraged if you cannot, just wait upon the Lord. He is doing a new thing. Read all of Isa 43, but know this. Isa 43:19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, Christianity, church, church of scotland, god, God's love, inspirational, Jesus, Ministers, new wineskins, pentecostal, religious, revival, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »
Without love, what would I have?
Posted by appolus on March 29, 2021
What is nearness to God? We hear that a lot dont we …”are you close to God?” Well we know it has nothing to do with time or space, the Lord transcends both time and space. Time and space cannot contain Him for if it did, He would not be God. A certain Scripture tells us that men can draw close unto God with their mouth but their “hearts are far from God.” If far in this context is not distance then what is it? Another Scripture tells us that David was a man after Gods own heart. In this context the word “after ,” means like or touching.
So, if your heart is far from God it can mean that you are not like Him. There is no communion, no touching, no encounter, no emotion, no joy, no love. The words may be there but the reality of the love of God is not present. A heart after God is expressed by obedience and by love, primarily love. Primarily love because love is the primary motivation for obedience. We can be obedient to God, at least outwardly and with our our words but our hearts can be “far from Him.” But we cannot love Him to any degree and be disobedient to Him.
Dont get me wrong, we can be disobedient to God and still love Him and be like Him, King David may be the perfect example of this, but we cannot stay in that place of disobedience for long. It will not be what we are known for. On the grave of King David they would not write ” here lies a disobedient man,” because even although he had certainly been disobedient to God in many of the things that he did, ultimately that was not who he was and he proved that by having a broken and contrite heart. In 1st Cor 13 we see all the things that we can have. We can speak with tongues, we can have the gift of prophecy and understand all mysteries, I could be mighty in faith so much so that I could speak to a mountain and it would crumble and fall and yet, all of these things would be without meaning if I did not have love.
I could give every penny I had to the poor and even become a martyr for God yet without love none of it would profit me. Yet, if I am close to the heart of God then I will gladly suffer long, I will not envy my brother or sister, I will not think highly of myself but rather regard others higher than me, I will not be easily offended and I will think the best of others.I will rejoice in the truth and be saddened at my enemies downfall, their downfall will promote love in me for them and forgiveness. If I am moving in these areas then I am close to the heart of God because the Lord Himself came down and humbled Himself and took on the likeness of man and walked in all of these truths because He was acting according to His nature. If we would be close to Him we shall endeavor to be like Him.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, god, God's voice, inspirational, intimacy, pentecostal, revival, sanctification, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Eating meat.
Posted by appolus on March 24, 2021
In the things of the Kingdom,progress is not automatic,for a man may only be fifty weeks old in grace even though he was saved fifty years ago. Maturity in grace has nothing to do with years but rather with prayerful obedience to the revealed will of God.
Leonard Ravenhill-Meat for men.
Can you see what Ravenhill is saying? We make forward progress in the Kingdom by prayerful obedience to the revealed will of God. What is the revealed will of God? First and foremost it is the Word of God, the Scriptures. Secondly it is the still small voice of God, the Holy Spirit. And of course, one will never contradict the other, there will always be perfect harmony between the Holy Spirit and the written Word of God. He is the author.
In 2nd John 1:4 John says that he rejoiced greatly to have found some of the saints walking in the truth having received the commandment from God. In 3rd John 1:4 John says that he had no greater joy than to hear that his children were walking in the truth. Imagine that, the great Apostle’s greatest joy was the saints walking in the Truth. Why was this his greatest joy? John knew that if we walk in the Truth, then and only then will we make forward progress in the Kingdom, overcoming trial and temptation and becoming more like Jesus. Obedience is the key to this.
Imagine you are in a small boat in the middle of a vast ocean. You have no sail and you have no motor to power you. What will happen? Without the thrust of forward momentum you will drift. The power that will move you will be the current of the ocean. It will take you where it will take you. I want to suggest to you that without obedience to the Word of God and to the Holy Spirit you will not make any forward progress on your spiritual journey.
Obedience is the outboard motor that will propel your forward. The Holy Spirit is the fuel in the motor. Obedience is the raising of the sail that will catch the wind, the Holy Spirit is the wind that will propel you forward against the forces of the current.. How mature are you? How many weeks old are you in the Kingdom? In Ravenhill’s example a man who has been saved for fifty years may be less than a year old in the Kingdom, a mere babe. God is looking for mature saints, men and woman who can dine on meat.
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Posted in Charismatic, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Church history, church of scotland, churches, pentecostal, Ravenhill, religion, revival, spiritual growth, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the gospel, the persectuted church, the remnant, theology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »
To walk in the Truth.
Posted by appolus on March 24, 2021
Heb 4:10 For he who has entered into his rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His.
In 2nd John 1:4 John says that he rejoiced greatly to have found some of the saints walking in the truth having received the commandment from God. To walk in the Truth is to rest in the peace of God. In 3rd John 1:4 John says that he had no greater joy than to hear that his children are walking in the truth. Imagine that, the Apostle John’s greatest joy is to see the saints walking in the Truth. And why? Walking in the Truth is how we overcome the flesh and walk in peace and in victory.
There is a people in every generation, a remnant people, who choose to believe God and in doing so find themselves in a place of rest, a place of peace, a place of joy that is quite apart from their circumstances. These people have walked through fields of fire. These people have suffered great loss. They have traversed the deep waters and they discovered that the Lord was with them as they passed through these waters. In their suffering they have discovered a peace that surpasses understanding.
God taught Job the truth in the midst of the most dire circumstances. He took the children of Israel into a place of death, the desert, the wilderness, to show them that what is truly important in this life is to walk hand in hand with their Lord Their great war cry was the war cry of Job “Even if He kills me, yet shall I trust Him.” Life, true abundant spiritual life, flows from a place of βbelieving.β Believing what? Believing that God has called us and that we are His servants. And that no matter if it be fire or flood, that God will be with us and that eternity awaits.
If our relationship with God is tied to our physical circumstances, we can never enter His rest. We can never truly walk in peace and joy. If we cannot find God in the desert, we will never truly find Him in this life. If, like the world, our joy is tied to our circumstances then all we really have is the joy of the world and not the joy of the Lord. If our peace is determined by our circumstances, like the world, then all we have is the peace of the world and not the peace that surpasses all understanding.
In every generation, God has His witnesses. And so, when the accuser of the brethern comes, and the Lord said β Have you considered my servant Job,β likewise our Father in heaven can say in our day, to the accuser, β have you considered my remnant?β If you could close your eyes and hear this conversation between the Lord and our accuser, could you hear the Lord say to the enemy of our souls βhave you considered my servant ( fill in the blank with your name)?
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, Daily devotional, Devotions, inspirational, pentecostal, religious, revival, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the persectuted church, the remnant, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »
Mystic or rationalist?
Posted by appolus on January 22, 2019
“A definite difference exists between the evangelical mystics and the evangelical rationalists. An evangelical mystic like the apostle John stands in the presence of the awesome God and cries “Holy, holy, holy,” and falls down at His feet as dead. The evangelical rationalist figures it all out and says “We can understand it;we know how it is,” then writes a long learned book about it, describing exactly what it is like. The evangelical rationalists are trying to educate themselves out of the miry pit, but they will never fully get out. God will never allow man, while the world stands, to think his way out of this horrible pit. You are going to have to have an open vision, an open door, an illuminated heart, and then you are going to have to stand, looking through that open door at that awesome throne, saying “Oh Lord God, is it I?” (A.W.Tozer)
In this scenario from Tozer, who are you? Are you a mystic or a rationalist? The above passage is speaking of the vision John has of the open door to heaven’s throne in Rev 4. Jesus tells us through John in Rev 3 that “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.(Rev 3:20) Just a few sentences earlier, he tells this group of people who are neither hot nor cold that although they think themselves rich, they are poor, although they believe themselves to be clothed, they are naked, though they think they are in need of nothing, they have in actuality nothing. Though they believe they can see they are indeed blind, blind to their own condition.
What is the remedy to such a condition? The Lord’s counsel is to buy from Him gold tried in the fires. Jesus Himself is our treasure. The Lord our God was tried in the fires of Calvary and everything we need can be found in Him. Yet how does one purchase anything from the Lord? What do we have to offer God? Ourselves. Those who try to save their lives shall lose them, but those who lose their lives for His sake, they are the ones who find eternal life. Can the rationalist give up what he has? Can he empty himself and come humbly to the Lord seeking to see what only eyes that have been opened by Him can see. The start of this process is to repent.
Right away John says “And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.”
(Rev 4:2) He was in the spirit, a phrase that will be unfamiliar to the rationalist. And yet one must be in the spirit if one is to gaze upon the very same throne that John gazed upon. One must be in the Spirit to be able to cry out “Holy, holy, holy is our God.” In this moment, the lukewarm is burned up by the refining fire of the gold of Christ Himself. It is by the power of the Spirit that we are transformed, renewed, sanctified. It is by the Spirit of God that we can cry Abba. We can do none of these things clothed by our own minds and wisdom. If that is all we have, then we are naked indeed. If this is our condition we must repent. God Himself is waiting to open the eyes of our heart. To the heart that longs to see Him in all His glory He awaits, He stands, He knocks. Will you open the door?
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, end times, Jesus, manifest presence, new wineskins, pentecostal, revival, spiritual growth, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 6 Comments »
When your heart is a city without a wall
Posted by appolus on November 16, 2017
Jesus was a man acquainted with sorrows. It is not something that we like to dwell on too often but there it is. When we are physically attacked, at the very least, we throw up our hands to protect ourselves. Yet when our heart is open, as it must be to walk with and serve the Lord, then it is utterly vulnerable to attack. It is like a city without a wall. It is so tempting to allow our hearts to begin to close down, to construct a moat around our hearts and make it difficult for people to ” come in.” I have cried out to the Lord many times to fill my heart with love even when I had not the slightest desire to. This is the Word of God doing itβs work, when our own love fails, when we come to the end of our emotions, when anger and bitterness and melancholy seek to drown us or perhaps apathy sweeps down like an avalanche and smothers everything, then we cry out to God for what we know is right and we wait.
We are told to wait upon the Lord, to believe that He is a rewarder of those diligently seek Him. If you are tired and weary, cry out to God and wait. Cry out for what you know to be right no matter what your heart or your emotions tell you. Then suddenly the presence of God will lift you and carry you beyond and above, high above the cares and pain of this world. He will make you lie down for a while in green pastures, He will lead and guide you and comfort you.He will do it. He feeds our hearts and waters our thirsty souls.
He prepares a table before us right there in the midst of our circumstances and we are strengthened to carry on. Every time we walk through the fire or the flood and walk out the other side there is a growing realization that surely goodness and mercy has followed us and will follow us all the days of our lives. This is the joy of knowing Him on this all to often painful journey. We persevere and overcome because our hand is outstretched to His and that outstretched hand reaches high into the heavens and touches His outstretched hand and we find ourselves before the throne of mercy and grace.
Posted in Christian, christian blog, christian living, church of england, church of scotland, Daily devotional, New World Order, revival, spiritual growth, Spirituality, the crucified life, the deeper life, the remnant, the state of the church, theology | 10 Comments »
When simple Truth clashes with our common experience.
Posted by appolus on February 29, 2016
In Galatians we see an encounter between Paul and Peter at Antioch. It has to be remembered that the initial Church was all Jewish. And even at that time the Jewish teachings and traditions were well over a thousand years old. Imagine for a moment, a thousand years of history, teachings and interpretations and ritual. You were special, Gods own called out people and everyone else were Gentiles, apart from God.
In Acts 10 we see that Peter encounters God in a vision on a rooftop. A sheet comes down with every kind of unclean animal that Jewish people were forbidden to eat and God tells Peter to rise and kill and eat. Now, this would be something like Abraham being told to take his son up the hill and burn him to death. How could this be God? This is the mental and emotional anguish that Peter must have wrestled with as he defies God three times, three times brothers and sisters. At that very moment, the servant of Cornelius the Gentile arrives. The answer to Peter’s vision just knocked on his door. How would you like a question to God to be answered so quickly? And we know what happens next, he goes to Cornelius’s house and witnesses the Holy Spirit come down on that household just as it had come down on them at Pentecost.
Now back to the Galatians. We see that Peter and others including Barnabas were taken up with hypocrisy. The revelation had been given by God Himself about the Gentiles yet Peter and the others were still afraid of those who came down from Jerusalem and insisted that the Gentiles must be like them if they were to be part of the Body of Christ. Thank the Lord that Paul, quite apart from any leadership in Jerusalem, had been taught himself by vision and revelation about the nature of the Body of Christ and so he withstood Peter and the leadership of Jerusalem and insisted that they were being hypocrites by insisting that the Gentiles must live like Jews in order to be part of the Body of Christ, they were adding to the Gospel and Paul would have none of it.
Now, before you are too hard on those early believers who were Jewish by birth, I want you to consider how your own common experience may clash with simple truth. If Peter was so bold and conflicted as to say ” not so, Lord,” ( and this is an impossible phrase is it not, how can He be the Lord of our life and we say no to Him) three times then could this not happen to you? Now what is the simple truth that I am talking about that the vast majority of Christendom say ” not so Lord?” Here it is. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, Daily devotional, Devotions, end times, End Times Eschatology, Jesus, pentecostal, prophecy, religious persecution, revival, signs and wonders, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the deeper life, the gospel, The presence of God, the remnant, The State of the Chuch and Manifest presence, the state of the church, theology, Uncategorized | 7 Comments »
Is Obama really the problem?
Posted by appolus on September 4, 2009
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Years ago a friend of mine, Robert Holmes, saw a vision of Christians
leaving the Harvest field to go and join in with a “Civil War”. They were
leaving their primary mission (the gospel) to go and make war against their
own countrymen. What does it mean and why would they do such a thing? -This
was unclear.
Posted in C. Peter Wagner, Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian blog, christian living, church of scotland, end times, IHOP, Jesus, Kobus van Rensburg, Mike Bickle, pentecostal, politics, spiritual growth, the state of the church, theology | 7 Comments »
God is calling His Remnant out of the established church
Posted by appolus on July 30, 2009
Today we are witnessing an interesting phenomenon where many – God knows the
numbers – are leaving the relative structure and security of organized
churches, denominations and memberships, to follow hard after their God, to
a wilderness of sorts, a strange and unfamiliar place little understood by
establishment Christianity. Perhaps the Lord is calling His remnant to
Himself in simplicity and purity at the end of this age? Perhaps the
prophetic ministry from outside the walls has begun, or at the very least is
being perpetuated at this time? Perhaps a time of final testing for the
church and Israel is poised to begin? Whatever the ultimate reason, many are
coming out, and almost immediately they will need to adapt to this new and
strange environment where the Lord alone is all that they have.
Posted in bible, C. Peter Wagner, Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian blog, church of scotland, IHOP, Jesus, Kobus van Rensburg, manifest presence, Mike Bickle, pentecostal, revival, spiritual growth, the state of the church, theology | 165 Comments »
The Danger of your Holiness
Posted by appolus on July 19, 2009
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Men are so determined to do it themselves that when a man is saved, that is not the end. He now has to be broken, he has to know that everyone of his efforts will lead to nothing but defeat. It may take one year, it may take fifty years, but every genuine follower of Christ will be broken and when the brokenness comes and total surrender comes, then, and only then do they realize that it is all God and none of them. We are the recipients of mercy and grace, not of wages. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in C. Peter Wagner, Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, faith, God's love, IHOP, Jesus, Kobus van Rensburg, Mike Bickle, pentecostal, religion, revival, spiritual growth, Spiritual warfare, the gospel, theology | 8 Comments »
Are You a Lonely Christian?
Posted by appolus on May 7, 2009
The man who has passed on into the divine Presence in actual inner experience will not find many who understand him. A certain amount of social fellowship will of course be his as he mingles with religious persons in regular activities of the church, but true spiritual fellowship will be hard to find.Β Β Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in bible, C. Peter Wagner, Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian blog, christian living, Christianity, church of scotland, IHOP, Kansas City Prophets, Mike Bickle, pentecostal, religious, revival, spiritual growth, the deeper life, theology | 70 Comments »
There is Therefore now no condemnation!Let the Sleeping army of God arise!
Posted by appolus on December 17, 2008
Oh what a glorious freedom. Free indeed, free indeed , free indeed. Free indeed to stand and fight. To battle even unto death, with my fellow freed men. I pray today that those whom the Son has set free will push the doors of their captivity of wretchedness, that they would realize their freedom, that they would reckon their freedom and walk out of their cells into the glorious sunlight of no condemnation and join the Lordβs army in these the final days of the battle, one more battle in the war that is already won. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in C. Peter Wagner, Charisma Magazine, Christian, christian living, Christianity, church of england, church of scotland, Extreme Prophetic, Jesus, Kansas City Prophets, Kobus van Rensburg, Mike Bickle, pentecostal, religion, revival, signs and wonders, spiritual growth, the state of the church, theology, Tod Bentley, warriors for christ | 4 Comments »
