God has been impressing upon me scriptures, messages from dear saints of the Lord and even the song “Broken and Spilled Out” to draw us as His true born-again children into a new level of humility, accountability, submission and repentance in preparation to be “salt” and “light” in this world of darkness. I was drawn back to a notecard from September 2014 handwritten by Betty Jo that said, “I AM is about to make an appearance in your realm that will be hidden from most devoted people but not from My special true love-in-depth children. Be watchful; be waiting; be ever looking up to Me. Selah.” The words of James 4: 6- 10 are key in this assignment from the Lord at such a time as this. “But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He said, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.” The words of the song by Steve Green jump out to us to beckon us to this call, “In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out and used up for Thee. Whatever it takes to be Yours, Lord; Whatever it takes to be clean—I just can’t live without Your sweet approval; No matter what it may mean! I throw myself at Your feet, Lord, broken by Your love for me; You gave up Yourself willingly; And You spared no expense for my pardon—You were spilled out and wasted for me! You were broken and spilled out and poured at my feet. In sweet abandon, Lord, You were spilled out and used up for me.” The Lord is our resource and help in time of trouble and He desires for us to run to Him in complete abandonment for His help and strength. This year is a time of great transition and change as God goes forth to expose, thwart, dismantle and refute the plans of the enemy. In James 5:16 he calls us to engage with God and operate in His Biblical power and authority as the fervent, effectual prayers of a righteous man/woman do indeed availeth much in an hour of confusion, tumult, turmoil, and darkness that attempts to blanket the people and nations. When we get in a right relationship with the Father and with others, we will experience God’s great power that far exceeds the enemy’s power. This power comes not from human strength, but from the alignment with God’s will through Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts! God’s Divine Plan always trumps a human plan!
The prophet Zephaniah in 2:3 gave this call to God’s people, “Now is the time to seek the LORD—to seek righteousness and humility.” Complacency is always dangerous, especially when considering our accountability to God. In Revelation 3: 17 we read, “Because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” We have become distracted by all sorts of things—some good, some not. From our point of view, it may seem as if God is inactive—that He neither detects the good nor the evil that we do. However, He observes, plans, waits, and acts. God has it all! Therefore, we must submit to Him completely because obedience always brings blessings. When we turn away from God and His Word, we turn away from His love and peace. God is going to render judgment against all who oppose Him—sorcerers, adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against all who oppress the wage earner in his wages, to those who traffic and abuse women and children and those who do not fear Him. In Zephaniah 3: 5 we read, “The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity; every morning he brings his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.” Zephaniah promises the LORD’s retribution to those evil doers who are not ashamed of their doings and their transgressions against Him and will take away those who rejoice in their pride and they will no longer by haughty.
The prophet Micah reinforces Zephaniah’s promises that says, “the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings” for those who fear God’s name. The verse contrasts judgment on the wicked with the joyful liberation of the righteous. When we choose to dwell on His provision and care God pushes back negative emotions, doubts and fear. In their place is hope, confidence and contentment. We aren’t going to be happy about a difficult situation, but we can be satisfied that God is in control and up to something good in the midst of trouble. When we are in a state of upset, we cannot hear from God clearly. The Bible promises us that God will lead us and walk us out of our troubles, but we cannot be led by the Spirit if we are offended and in turmoil. We can respond to offenses by saying “God, You are merciful, and You are good. And I am going to put my confidence in You until this storm passes over.” God goes before us to prepare the way. No matter how He chooses to handle the problem. His solution is always in our best interest.
A sinful state is a state of bondage; it is a pit, or dungeon, in which there is no water, no comfort, and we are all by the old sin nature prisoners in this pit. Through the precious blood of Christ, many prisoners of Satan have been set at liberty from the horrible pit in which they must otherwise have perished, without hope or comfort. While we admire Christ, let us seek that His holiness and truth may be shown in our own spirits and conduct. Christ is our stronghold, a strong Tower, in whom believers are safe from the fear of the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the assaults of spiritual enemies. It is in Him that we must turn to with lively faith; it is to Him that we must run, and trust in His Name under all trials and sufferings. His Name carries divine authority, power, and presence. As the incarnate Son of God, He is the ultimate fortress where believers find safety from sin, fear, temptation, and spiritual warfare. The righteous “run to Him through faith and repentance—by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection.” This is an ongoing act of trust, not a one-time event. In Christ, believers are safe, secure, forgiven, and empowered. Nothing—not death, not evil, not the gates of hell can separate us from His love. (Romans 8: 39) Paul assures us that believers are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3) and Peter, like James, calls us to resist the devil by standing firm in faith. (I Peter 5: 8-10) Christ is our strong tower because He is faithful, unchanging, and victorious. When storms come, we are not left to face them alone—we are held in the eternal safety of His Name. The gifts, graces and consolations of the Spirit poured out on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2 are present with us today! The more we are engaged, and satisfied with His goodness, the more we will admire the beauty revealed in our Redeemer. Whatever gifts God bestows on us, we must serve him cheerfully with them and with others. “In sweet abandon, let me be spilled out and used up for Thee.”
Let’s look at how this looks in our everyday life. God desires a personal relationship with Him—a deep, intimate relationship characterized by shared life, unity, and communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It means partnership, sharing, and spiritual oneness. (1 Jn. 1:3) This fellowship is not earned but is granted through faith in Jesus Christ, who reconciled humanity to God through His sacrifice. (Romans 5:10) This relationship begins at salvation when one is restored to a right standing with Him. Fellowship refers to the ongoing, intimate communion that flows from that relationship. It is maintained through obedience, walking in the light—in the truth of His Word, and continual fellowship with other believers. (1 Jn. 1: 6-7) It means confession of sin to maintain fellowship and so that there will be no hinderances to our prayers. (Ps. 66: 18) It is daily spending time in prayer and Scripture which nurtures spiritual wisdom and closeness with God to allow His Spirit to conform us to His likeness. (Ephesians 1: 17) Fellowship with other believers building one another up in the Lord. It is all about loving God and telling others of the love of God and about the atoning death of Jesus Christ. We are to testify about what He has done in our own lives, both with our words and by our example.
As I shared, God has put me on high alert to get into a right relationship with Him and help others to get into a right relationship with Him. He brought to mind Song of Solomon 2:15 that speaks of “little foxes” symbolizing small, seemingly harmless sins or habits that if left unchecked can severely damage spiritual life, relationships and blessings—such as gossip, pride, jealousy, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, laziness, lying, or secret sins—that gradually erode joyful intimacy with God and fruitfulness. Just as foxes can destroy a vineyard, these so-called “small” sins can ruin what God is cultivating in our life. The call is to heed the voice of the Holy Spirit to deal with these issues early and seek accountability. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us to guard our heart, mind, will and emotions by protecting the core of our being—our thoughts, desires, intentions, and emotional responses—because everything we do flows from it. The Hebrew word for “heart” encompasses the mind, will, and emotions. We must avoid harmful influences; be intentional about what we watch, read, and listen to; guard our tongue from speaking evil; renew our mind through Scripture; daily prayer and thanksgiving; align our choices and decisions with God’s will; allow the Holy Spirit to control our emotions and not the flesh; share our struggles with trusted believers to stay grounded in truth.
To sum it all up—What God wants is you! More than any achievement, more than your discipline—just you. God wants your full attention. It is all about abiding in God through Christ—God simply wants to be with you! “These are the days of the unprecedented to keep happening to wake up God’s children, so they take their places of authority on Earth, to usher in the greatest harvest of souls the world has ever seen. Stay alert, stay on guard for God is delivering us from our enemies!”