Appalled At Sin.

     Then everyone who trembled at the words of the  God of Israel on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles gathered to me, and I sat appalled until the evening offering.
                                                                 Ezra 9:4 NASB


     The Lord said to him, "Go through the midst of the city, even through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are being commited in its midst."
                                              Ezekiel 9:4 NASB

     Throughout the history of the people of God, there have been times of sin and backsliding. In the days of Ezra, the people who returned from the Babylonian exile were quick to intermarry with the foreign people inhabiting the land. The danger was great. This was a step that would lead to idolatry, as the religious practices of these foreigners would be adopted by God's chosen people. These exiles had spent seventy years in captivity due to God's judgement against the idolatry and sin that they allowed to exist in their midst. Now they were playing with fire once again.
     The priests and religious leaders in the day of Ezekiel were a corrupt and idolatrous people. They worshipped God as a pretense, but in reality the worshipped the false gods of the nations around them. They were even so bold as to set up idols in the temple itself, believing that what they did was done in secret. Judgement begins in the house of God, and judgement was coming.
     It seems that God always has a few individuals who know what it is to walk in the fear of the Lord. there are always those who grieve over the sin that they see in the house of God, those who mourn over the lukewarmness of God's chosen people, those who sit appalled at the sin and compromise found in the church in all generations.
     Ezra mourned over the intermarriages occuring among the Israelites. He was appalled at their blatant disregard for God's command to remain separated from the people of the land. As he sat in silence, others who feared God, and trembled at his word, gathered to him. Ezra offered a heartfelt prayer of confession, weeping before God. As he prayed, God began to move. The people broke down and wept. You could say a revival occured. The people repented of their sin to the point of putting their foreign wives away, thus avoiding God's judgement.
     There are those today as well who mourn over the sin and compromise among God's people. They understand that God is a holy God, and will judge sin among His people first. They, like Ezra, cry out to God for a fresh move of the Holy Spirit. A move bringing conviction and a heartfelt repentance. They desire to see God glorified in His people once again. They cry out for revival.
     Are you one of those who tremble at the words of God? Are you appalled at sin among the people of God, or do you give hearty approval to those who sin (Romans 1:32)? Will God use you to bring revival?
    

Awake Daughter of Zion.

This message on revival must be heard! Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaa1N13rwW8&feature=youtu.be

The Illumination of the Holy Spirit.

     It is the Holy Spirit who takes the word of God and illuminates it for us. It is the Spirit who quickens it giving it life. The Spirit uses it like a surgical tool to probe the inner depths of our hearts, laying all bare before us. The Spirit gives it the power to change lives.
     What will you do with the Holy Spirit? Will you allow Him to transform you into the image of Christ?

In the Power of the Spirit.

     We need to get back to the way God intended our lives to be lived, and our witness shared!
     http://contendforfaith.blogspot.com/

An Interview With Leonard Ravenhill.

     Here is a link to an interview with Leonard Ravenhill. It is convicting, as well as inspiring. We need to see revival as he describes it, once again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwtiw7UTj4o
    

Grieving the Spirit.

     Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
                          Ephesians 4:30 NASB

     As Christians, we are called to maturity. We are not to be like children, falling for everything that we hear, but we are to grow up in all aspects of our lives, into Christ, who is our head (Eph 4:14,15). We are to live our lives according to the truth, the truth that is revealed to us in the word of God. It is one thing to know and study the truth, but unless we allow it to shape and mold our lives, unless we become Christlike in our behavior, it is useless knowledge.
     It is the job of the Holy Spirit to take the truth and reveal it to us. The Holy Spirit will take the word of God and illuminate it to our hearts and minds so that we can understand it and know how we need to apply it to our lives. It is His job to sanctify us, or to make us holy, set apart in every aspect of our lives. To be holy, is to be separated from sin, selfishness, and all the ungodly ways of this world, and be devoted to the service of God. The Holy Spirit will convict us, promt us, lead and guide us, and empower us, to the end that Christ is formed in us.
     Those who follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, exhibit lives filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, are all marks of the Spirit filled life (Galatians 5:22,23).
     Paul exhorted the Believers in Ephesus to put off the old man, the corrupt way of life that they once lived, and to put on the new man who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness, and holiness of the truth (Eph 4:22-24). This involves a renewal of mind, a looking at life through the lens of scripture with a determined willingness to obey God in everything at all times. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit, or we will grieve Him. The Spirit is filled with sorrow when we go against Him. It grieves Him when we are dishonest with one another. He is grieved by anger, theft, vain and foolish conversation, bitterness, wrath, clamor, and slander (vss. 25-31). All of these sinful behaviors are the fruit of yielding to our fleshly, selfish desires. These are the results of failing to follow the Spirit, and this grieves Him. A loss of the fear of the Lord, a lack of respect for Him and His presence grieves the Spirit. This only shows that we are living for ourselves, and not for Him.
     To grieve the Spirit is to lose communion with Him. It is to lose that peace that comes from a right standing with God. It is to lose the inner witness that the Holy Spirit bears with our spirit. If persisted in, it leads to spiritual death (Gal 5:21, 6:8).
     The only remedy is found at the cross of Christ. True confession of sin, confession to God, and confession to those we have offended, and a honest repentance, are needed. When sin is dealt with, and dug out from the root, when the blood of Christ has been applied by faith, we will once again enjoy the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

A Lesson From A Late Spring.

     We have had an unusually long winter. It is heading towards the end of April and we are still getting snow. The ground is covered, and everything is a mess.
     The other day I looked out the window at work and saw it snowing again. At first I was annoyed, but then I paused and prayed "What are you trying to say, God?".
     I thought about it for a minute and sensed God was showing me that He has been longing to pour out His Spirit upon His people, but they are unwilling to receive Him. Just as this is the time for rain, and things to green up and grow, but it has been too cold, likewise the Church has in a great measure grown to cold to receive the rain of the Holy Spirit. Many like things the way they are. They do not want change. Others hold on to sin, and do not want to feel conviction.
     The remedy is repentance! The rain will only come and fall upon the ground that has been plowed up. The sleet and snow will only turn to rain as the temperature warms up. Likewise the Holy Spirit will only shower upon those whose hearts are warmed up to receive Him. We must lay aside our complacency, selfishness, and sin, and return to Christ once again. He stands ready to restore and revive. He longs to fill us with His presence. It is spring, the time for new life to begin!