(Good Morning and Happy Friday! My week has been a little busier than normal and school starts Tuesday so I decided to drop my postings to 3 times a week. Mondays will continue to be about work related issues, Wednesdays about weight loss and self-esteem, and Fridays will be anything goes.)
I was in a fantastic service last night with Reverend Travis Worthington. He taught that humility and servanthood is what brings the spiritual authority in our lives. For those of you who may not know, God promises He will give us power to tread on scorpions, to stamp out the powers of darkness, to pray for the sick and they will recover. Reverend Worthington says that we can only access this kind of power when we are humble servants of God with no traces of pride in our hearts.
Reverend Worthington is right! I have experienced this first hand. When my life is fully surrendered to Christ, I can operate in a dimension of Godly power that blows my mind. But when I am full of self and personal irritations, my ability to speak to the mountains in my life vanishes.
Nona Freeman, in her book In The Bag confirms this. She tells of an angelic visitation she had, that convinced her once and for all the importance of keeping ourselves broken before God. Here is an excerpt:
I opened my eyes to see a being clothed in exquisite light standing by my bed. I trembled, immobilized by fear. “Do not be afraid,” a soft, yet vibrant voice answered, “I am a messenger sent from God to give you the secret to revival…. I am here in response to your outcry for a Pentecostal outpouring…”
[The angel] unrolled a large parchment scroll before me containing the words of Jesus in John 7:38: “He that believeth on me, as the scriptures hat said, out his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” … The angel said, “You preach about drawing water out of the wells of salvation with joy. You know you do not comprehend the limitless scope of the gift of God. Jesus wants to deluge you and the thirsty world with rivers of His Holy Ghost power. The will of God is not mercy drops or showers or even buckets full of blessings. It is torrential rivers of blessings flowing through you.” … [I asked the angel] What prevents the flow of the Spirit in me? The answer came gently. “A guise of spirituality and a mere profession of salvation are empty vanities without the flow of the spirit. I will name in everyday language the most common hindrances for you:
UNBELIEF. DISOBEDIENCE. FEAR. REBELLION. JEALOUSY. BITTERNESS. HATRED. STUBBORNESS. LUST. MALICE. GREED. ANXIETY-WORRY. JUDGING-CRITICISM. GRUMBLING-COMPLAINING. PRIDE-AMBITION. TEMPER. SELFISHNESS-COVETEOUSNESS. IMPATIENCE.
[The angel continued] “These are the evils that block the moving of the Spirit through you. When the flow stops, you usually fall back on your own resources… ask forgiveness often. Only the cleansing blood of Jesus can remove the barriers of your soul…. get the flow, get the flow… get the flow….”
I don’t know about you my friend, but as for me, I want the flow of Jesus in my life! Operating in the free flowing power of Christ is a very important part of living every day with Jesus. Won’t you pray right now for God to remove the barriers in your own life? It really is the secret to having bubbling over joy. Know I will be praying for you, and I hope you’ll do the same for me.
What are the obstacles that hinder the flow in you? For me, at least one area is ambition. I am a firstborn and over-achiever by nature. So I’m always wanting to be the best. God has been working on me with this a lot lately, and in return I’ve been putting a lot of energy into helping my peers succeed. This pleases Jesus, and it keeps my own self-drive in check.
Let’s live today for Jesus… and tomorrow and the next day. And let’s share with one another our struggles to get and stay in the flow because bearing one another’s burdens is also a part of living every day with Jesus.
Wow Sister Goff, this really spoke to me! How powerful! This is sooo true. My struggle is worry. When I completely trust God and don’t worry, it’s amazing what flowing power I feel in the spirit. Jesus won’t have use for us if we are not willing surrender. 🙂
Worry is my biggest struggle to Stefpinto…! It’s so easy in our frail, humanity to think we are without power and strength. But I’ve learned that the more we practice drawing from God’s strength, the easier it becomes to let go of worry and walk in the confidence tht God gives us. Keep ‘practing’ not worrying, and soon you will amazed at the strength that surges through you!