Spiritual New Beginnings

Spiritual new beginnings often begin with a wilderness experience in the privacy of our personal relationship with the Lord. Here, separated from all else, we interact with the Lord, alone. John the Baptist was called apart into a desolate place for a very specific purpose. Later, when asked who he was, his response reveals the deep work of preparation that had taken place during his time in the wilderness.“He said, I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said.” John 1:23 NASB

Those that are being separated for such a purpose, must understand that the "pressures, the dealings we are now faced with" are the tools God is using to prepare a "voice crying in the wilderness" for this generation. Those who are hearing the Voice of the Lord are coming out of the "much done for God" religious mentality to be separated unto God for a higher purpose in the heart of God.

Everyone is called to this place, but few will find it. Why? Because religious activity can satisfy a man's heart more than obedience and surrender to the full Lordship of Jesus Christ. When the Lord says to His servants "well done," he is not speaking of the "amount of work we accomplished," but the Quality of the work that was done with the Lord. Did it come from His heart, was it a working that came from the will of God, or from our own ideas." This is why the day of fire is so important.

The Baptism of Fire has come to "examine and try" the very motives of our hearts The very reason why we are doing what we do in the name of the Lord. Are the motives pure? Are they truly from the heart of love from God, or a human fleshly love that uses the "things of God" to meet our own satisfaction. This is not easy for any of us discern, that is why we need the day of fire. The Baptism of Fire is to refine us like Gold and Silver Malachi 3 tells us. It is to purify the priesthood to serve the Lord and bring to Him offerings of righteousness. Offerings that come from the birthing of God's heart in total surrender and obedience to His will.

Beloved, that is why God is bringing His remnant into the wilderness and the "alone" place in Him. In this place the Lord can remove the "baals" from our lips and replace it with my Ishi, or my husband. Hose 2: 14 to the end speaks of this wilderness work the Lord must do in His Bride and the overcomer. I encourage you to read these verses and ask the Lord to bring you into this time of separation unto Him so He can make the necessary changes He must make to be ready for His end time purposes.

In our early walk with the Lord we are "itching" to do something for the Lord to "prove our love" for Him. We often do these things without the 'quickening" or a "present word" of the Lord to do them. We think by our "much done" God will be pleased. In the wilderness God choose the empty us of the heart that wants to do the "much done" to a heart where it is "well done" because it came from God's directions alone.

I often have said that our Christian life must reflect the old Ford commercial of the 70's. There slogan was the "quality goes in, before the name goes on." This is exactly why God brings us to the wilderness. He takes us there to empty of us of our own strength, power and ability. Few Christians will allow the Lord the right to do this like Moses did. It took 40 years to empty Moses until He could finally see the "burning bush." 40 years to empty this man who was well trained in the ways of Egypt until He would tell the Lord, "who am I, that I should go, I can't even speak."

It is one thing to be called, but it is another to be sent. The first time Moses tried to deliver his brethren, he knew that he was called, but utterly failed. Now he is being sent. Notice that the Lord said to him, “Come, I will send you.” Our personal relationship with the Lord, and the time that we spend in His presence, are of primary importance and foundational to all that we do.

As we turn aside to “wait” upon the Lord, seeking to better recognize His voice so we can respond to His presence and learn obedience, we will gain experience in following Him. Only then will we receive the necessary divine enabling to fulfill the calling that we have received.

When the Lord told Moses to take off his shoes, He was saying, “You have gone as far as you can go in your own strength and ways. Now you must walk in My shoes with My strength, and by My Word alone.”

To all those of you in that place, don't quit now in the pressure. Let the Lord pour out a second grace to you, a deeper portion of divine ability to stand and walk through the flames to bring you forth like pure Gold and Silver. Amen!