Tag: you and me

You Sought me

you_meYou Sought me

” Behold I stand at the door and knock.”

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I have been reading a book from 1859, by an author named Henry Ward Beecher, the book “Views and Experiences of Religious Subjects.” Henry who was a minister had written these small articles that were put in the New York Independent newspaper, he thought they would be more tempted to read an article rather than a lengthy book. How different would this World be if what you had just read was an article contained in every newspaper in America?

The Author of the book explains the metaphor of the urgency of Christ to every sinner.

“Christ comes to the soul-house, and stands there and knocks. On getting no answer, he goes away only to come and knock again. He waits at the door, and listens for a voice within, and goes away. He comes again, and waits, and goes away! He knocks, not at one door, but goes around to every door, and waits for an answer. As one who returns to his dwelling in the night, after a journey, and finding it locked, knocks at the accustomed door of entrance in the front, and getting no answer goes to the door in the rear, then to the side door – if there be one – and then to every other door, in order, if possible, to get into his house; so Christ, who longs to enter into the soul, goes to every door in succession, and knocks, and listens for an invitation to come in, and leaves not one chamber in the soul-house unsought, or one door untried! He knocks at the door of Reason; at the door of Imagination and Taste , of Benevolence and Love, of Conscience, of Memory and Gratitude! He does not neglect a single one!” – Henry Ward Beecher

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Just like He sought us, years ago before we opened that door of Salvation, when we finally stepped out of our dwelling, our houses of shame, burdened with grief and past failures that followed us into every room not letting the memory leave us. Where would we be if we had not opened that door for Him to come in and rearrange our dwelling, our life?

My years of having Him wait outside as I scurried in the inside trying to fix the broken parts that kept breaking before me; I gave up and let Him in. We all need that professional to take care of things that we are not able to do. Why should we attempt to fix what we are not capable of?

Pride

Every one has had pride or some still do I am sure of, pride is what leads to destruction. And for some, it’s so hard for them to give their problems to someone else, it’s the ego, the human nature saying “I can do this” no we can’t! it’s the words of Christ that assures us “I can do all things through Christ” by putting our faith in the finished work of the Cross.

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“If he be admitted, joy unspeakable is in the house, and shall be henceforth. The dreary dwelling is filled with light from the brightness of his countenance, and every chamber is perfumed from the fragrance of his garments. Peace and hope, love and joy abide together in the house – for Christ himself takes up his adobe therein. But if, after his long knocking at the door and patient waiting for entrance. his solicitation be refused or neglected, by and by there shall come a time when you who have denied him, shall be denied of him. For when you shall knock at the gate of Heaven for admittance into the mansions which he has prepared from the foundation of the world, he will say unto you, as you said unto him, Depart! But that dreadful day has not yet come, and he still stands at the door – his locks wet with the dews of the morning and waits to be invited into the chamber of your soul. Hear his voice once more.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him, and will sup with him, and he with me!” – Revelation 3:20

It was 1859 when this book was published. Who are we to think His coming is going to be 10, 20 or more years away, when Henry was anticipating His coming in 1859? This World has gotten so much worse since 1859.

I urge anyone who has not yet opened that door to Him, to not walk to that door but run. Some think the Christian life is boring, ha. Who is to think that when all you need is Jesus, you will find out that outside your dwelling after Christ has come in and re decorated your soul with his presence that none other can compare. He seeks the lost and finds the door of the soul, he knocks profusely until you answer.

Back slider – You had once opened that door to Him, He once was the center of your life, now due to complacency; little by little He has been pushed out of your life and onto the streets as He is fervently knocking at your door again.

Will you answer or ignore the Master?

Men who neglect Christ, and try to win heaven through moralities, are like sailors at sea in a storm, who pull, some at the bowsprit and some at the mainmast, but never touch the helm. – Henry Ward Beecher

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You Anoint me

 

You Anoint me

When you had that oil on you, you began to glow. It was those nice aromatic oils, those nice spicy oils that made a nice warm glow on your skin. If you rubbed it on your skin you began to feel warm, you began to glow. Why? Because God was using in the Old Testament, a type, a picture. The whole Old Covenant is a picture of what was to be fulfilled in the New. God was using a symbol, a picture in oil, of what He was to do with His Holy Spirit; that when His Holy Spirit would come upon people it would have that effect – a glow, a warm glow, a nice effect.

Anointing in the Old covenant

Judges 6:3 (paraphrased)

Gideon, this mighty man – the angel came to him to tell him that God had called him, and he was hiding away from the Philistines. The angel came and said, “God is with you, Gideon, you mighty man of valor.” And I think Gideon looked around and said, “Who are you talking to? Who me?”

“Yes you.”

“Me, a mighty man of valor?”

“No, you’re a little wimp, but I am going to make you into a mighty man of valor. Now the first thing you do is go down and cut down that idol that your father and his family are worshiping.”

So you know what this mighty man of valor did? He sneaked in at night when nobody was looking, and cut it down. But you see, he took a step in the right direction. And the Scripture says, “And the Spirit of God came down on Gideon.” Then he stood up and blew the trumpet! Well, you cannot hide when you blow a trumpet. Something happened to this little wimp when the anointing of the Spirit of God came on him. He had a new power, he had a new boldness. And he went and defeated the whole Philistine camp with 300 men. Talk about change! The anointing of God will do that to a person. It will bring change. It will bring power. It will bring strength, and it will bring wisdom and boldness.

Anointing in The New covenant

Jesus was speaking about a new kind of anointing. He was speaking about an inner anointing. He was speaking about an anointing that was for you, not for others but for you. It is for you to tap into yourself. It is for you to sink down your bucket and to draw from yourself. It is to tap into for your own needs; for your own thirst; for your own hunger, whatever your needs are. Jesus was offering a source, a power within that you can tap into yourself. He was speaking about a new kind of anointing. He was speaking about an inner anointing. How does that inner anointing come about? By the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within, not upon but within.

Differences between Old and New

Old Testament: Given to Select People Only

So we see there is a difference between the Old Testament and the New. In the Old Testament we see that they had an external anointing only. In the New Testament we see that believers still have the external anointing. But we have now a new power that has been placed within us that can gush forth from within.

In the Old Testament God gave His anointing only to selected individuals. In the New Testament, “Whosoever will may come.” Peter said, “This promise is to you and to all that are far off, and to your children, even to as many as the Lord our God shall call.” This promise is to everyone who accepts Jesus. This promise is to everyone who believes. This promise is to every single person who is born again of the Spirit of God.

New Testament: Given to all!

Acts 2:1-4 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

You don’t have to wait for God to say, “Well, you’re my favorite. I am choosing to give you this anointing.” You have a right to this anointing! Jesus paid the price. He shed His blood to give you this anointing. It is your right, it is your inheritance, and He has given you His robe of righteousness. And He has given you the right to reach out and to take what He has bought for you at Calvary. It is yours, believer. Every single one who knows Jesus as their Savior has the right to that anointing.

–          In the Old Testament the Spirit came upon. In the New Testament the Spirit is within.

Ezekiel 47

Ezekiel had a vision where he saw the temple and he saw from the threshold, the door of the temple and there was water pouring out, water trickling out in a stream. Everybody knows this passage so well, it has been preached so well. Everybody is talking about the river of God. “Get in the river.”

And the angel came and measured up, and each time he measured up the water became deeper. It started up to the ankles, then up to the knees, then up to the thighs. Then it became a raging river that you had to swim in. It is the river of God; it is the anointing of God. It is the power of God. It is the external anointing, the outpouring of God’s Spirit. You had to get in it.

A River in You

Well, the Old Testament saints had the river. They could get in the river. But I want to tell you something, if you are a New Testament saint you have a river in you! You can give out the river. You don’t have to go and get in the river; you can give out the river. “Out of his innermost being,” Jesus said, “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water.” John 7:38.

why live on yesterday’s anointing?

God wants to give His anointing to everyone. But have you stepped into your
fullness and potential? Don’t let your past ruin what God has for you today.
Don’t be too busy to hear His voice. Learn how to wait patiently for God’s
perfect timing and the promotion that will be here tomorrow. The fresh anointing
is available to you…right now.