THE FATHER HATH SET US APART

INTO A NEW AGE WE'RE COMING
(BY DEBBIE MUSICK)




WHEN WE COME INTO THE HOLY OF HOLIES, WE COME INTO REST. GOD DESIRES US TO QUIT STRUGGLING AND STRIVING AND JUST ENTER INTO PERFECT PEACE, EVEN HIS REST, WHICH IS NONE OTHER THAN JESUS CHRIST. WHEN WE COME INTO REST, WE CAN BE BIRTHED INTO HIS PURPOSES WHICH IS TO BE CHANGED INTO HIS IMAGE. JESUS SHOULD BE WHOM WE TRUST AND HUNGER AFTER MORE THAN OUR OWN PHYSICAL NEEDS. O TO BE LIKE HIM! TO BE IN HIS ANOINTING AS EACH STEP WE TAKE LEADS US DIRECTLY INTO HIS GLORIOUS PRESENCE, HIS GLORIOUS TRUTHS! TO BE BIRTHED INTO HIM IS TO DIE TO SELF. EVERYTHING WE HOLD DEAR TO OUR HEARTS MUST NEVER TAKE PREEMINENCE OVER OUR SAVIOUR JESUS. HIS NAME BRINGS REST TO OUR SOULS, OUR SPIRITS, OUR HEARTS. TO KNOW HIM IS TO WORSHIP HIM. WE LONG TO BE DRAWN INTO HIS HEART AND BECOME ONE WITH HIM.


O HOW WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON KNOWING GOD AND BEING LIKE HIM! HOW WE LIFT OUR HEADS HIGH THINKING WE KNOW ALL ONLY TO TRIP OVER OUR FLESH AND FALL UPON OUR FACE REALIZING THE MORE WE KNOW THE LESS WE REALLY KNOW. O GOD DELIVER US FROM SELF AND CAUSE US TO BURN WITH YOUR HOLY LOVE CONSUMING EVERYTHING WITHIN US THAT IS ANTI-CHRIST. CAUSE US TO BE LIKE THEE, O GOD! SAVE US, AND WE SHALL BE SAVED; HEAL US, AND WE SHALL BE HEALED; FOR THOU ART OUR REDEEMER. EVEN AS WE UTTER THE NAME OF JESUS IN WORSHIP TOWARD HIM, HIS NAME BEGINS TO WEAKEN THE WALLS OF SELF THAT WE HAVE HIDDEN BEHIND FOR SO LONG. AS THOSE WALLS BEGIN TO CRUMBLE UNDER THE POWER OF THE ANOINTING WE BEGIN TO EXPERIENCE A VUNERABILTY WITHIN OURSELVES DUE TO THE GAPING HOLES LEFT BEHIND WHERE ONCE SELF STOOD. WHEN WE FEEL EMPTINESS IN OUR HEARTS, WE SHOULD PRAISE GOD AND BEGIN TO BUILD UPON OUR FOUNDATION JESUS CHRIST WITH THE ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS. WHEN WE BEGIN TO TAKE ON THE MIND OF CHRIST, WE EXPERIENCE THE TRAVAILING PANGS OF BIRTH, AND THAT PROCESS BRINGS DESPAIR TO OUR FLESH. BUT, PRAISE GOD, FOR HE IS FAITHFUL AND HE WOULD NEVER STOP UP THE BIRTHING PROCESS WITHOUT BRINGING TO BIRTH HIS SON.


OUR LOVE FOR HIM HAS TO GO FAR BEYOND OUR LOVE FOR OURSELVES. GOD'S LOVE WILL TEST US AND TRY OUR HEARTS TIME AND TIME AGAIN. WE NEED TO REMAIN OPEN AND CONTRITE IN HEART FOR ONLY THROUGH CONTRITION OF SPIRIT WILL WE TRULY HEAR FROM GOD. HIS VOICE WILL NOT BE HEARD OR RECOGNIZED IN THE MIDST OF CLAMORING TONGUES AND PUFFED UP HEARTS. WHEN JOSEPH WAS IN PRISON, AFTER BEING FALSELY ACCUSED OF RAPE BY THE WIFE OF POTIPHAR (A CAPTAIN OF PHAROAH'S GUARD), IT SAYS IN SCRIPTURE THAT, "UNTIL THE TIME OF HIS WORD CAME, THE WORD OF THE LORD TRIED HIM." BEFORE WE CAN TRULY WORSHIP, WE MUST BE WILLING TO BE TRIED AND TESTED BY THE WORD OF GOD FOR IT IS ONLY BY HIS WORD THAT WE WILL BE SAVED. WE MUST COME TO THE PLACE IN OUR DAILY WALK WHERE NO THING OR PERSON WILL SATISFY OUR HEARTS LIKE THE NAME OF JESUS. THERE IS POWER IN THAT NAME. THAT NAME CAN SET THE CAPTIVES FREE AND RELEASE US INTO THE DEPTHS AND HEIGHTS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THAT IS WHERE OUR TREASURE SHOULD BE, IN THE HEART OF GOD. FOR WHERE OUR TREASURE IS THERE WILL OUR HEARTS BE ALSO. ARE OUR HEARTS YEARNING FOR HIS TOUCH IN THIS HOUR?


BECAUSE GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE, WE ARE MEN WHO WILL ALWAYS SEEK OUT A HIGHER REALM. EVEN PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SAVED ARE SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING BEYOND THEMSELVES. IT IS IN MAN'S NATURE TO BE UNSATISFIED AND UNFULFILLED UNTIL FINALLY THAT LINK IS RECONNECTED, BACK TO GOD THE FATHER, THROUGH SALVATION. RECONCILIATION THEN BRINGS US BACK TO THE BEGINNING AND WE SAY, "YES, THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR MY WHOLE LIFE. JESUS HAS BEEN THE MISSING LINK THE WHOLE TIME." THINK ABOUT IT, DEAR PEOPLE; GOD BREATHED HIS SPIRIT INTO MAN. HE GAVE OF HIMSELF TO CREATION. THE CREATOR BECAME THE CREATION. SHOULD WE NOT PRESENT OUR BODIES TO HIM WHICH IS OUR REASONABLE SERVICE AND GIVE BACK TO HIM OUR LOVE AND OUR DEVOTION? ISN'T THAT A SMALL THING TO DO CONSIDERING WE HAVE NO LIFE OUTSIDE OF CHRIST?


GOD IS VERY JEALOUS OVER HIS PEOPLE. IF INDEED, HE HAS CALLED US, WE WILL SHORTLY COME TO REALIZE THAT. SOMETIMES IN OUR ZEAL FOR GOD WE TRY TOO HARD TO UNDERSTAND HIS PURPOSES FOR US. GOD DOES NOT HAVE A NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD LIKE WE DO SO MUCH OF THE TIME. WE ARE ALWAYS STRIVING TO PLEASE MEN IN ORDER TO GAIN FAVOR OR BE ACCEPTED OR UNDERSTOOD. GOD IS NOT IMPRESSED WITH OUR KNOWLEDGE OF HIM EITHER. ANYONE CAN HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD BUT KNOWLEDGE WILL EVENTUALLY FALL AWAY AND THEN WE ARE LEFT WITH A BIG HOLE WITHIN OUR LIFE. THIS SALVATION WALK IS LIKE NOTHING WE HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED OR EVER WILL EXPERIENCE AGAIN. GOD IS NOT INTERESTED IN OUR KNOWLEDGE, OUR PRAYERS, OUR DEVOTION, OUR WORSHIP, OR ANYTHING ELSE WE GIVE HIM IF WE ARE LEAVING OUT WHAT IS MOST PRECIOUS TO HIS HEART, HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST. JESUS SAID, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE." THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH THE SON, JESUS.


SOME HAVE DREAMS AND VISIONS, SOME HAVE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY AND STILL OTHERS CAN INTERPRET DREAMS. BUT THESE THINGS, THOUGH THEY MAY BE OF GOD AND ANOINTED BY HIS SPIRIT, WILL NEVER, NEVER SATISFY THE HEART OF A BORN-AGAIN, SPIRIT-FILLED CHILD OF GOD, WHO HAS BEEN ENLIGHTENED TO GOD'S LOVE. FALLING IN LOVE WITH GOD MEANS TO LOSE YOUR MIND. GOD MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT WE ARE TO PUT OFF OUR MIND AND PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST. DO WE HEAR THIS? OUR MIND HAS TO GIVE WAY TO THE MIND OF CHRIST. IN ORDER TO DO THIS WE HAVE TO HAVE FAITH IN GOD'S REDEMPTIVE WORK AND TRUST HIM AND GIVE OUR HEART TO HIM CONTINUALLY. WHEN WE ARE CONSTANTLY QUESTIONING GOD, WE ARE SLIPPING IN UNBELIEF. WE HAVE TO BE AS THE BLIND MAN WHO CRIED, "LORD I BELIEVE, HELP THOU MINE UNBELIEF." DO YOU REALIZE THAT EVEN JESUS HAD TO HAVE FAITH IN HIS FATHER IN ORDER TO BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD AFTER THE CRUCIFIXION? JESUS COULD NOT RAISE HIMSELF AND HE NEVER TRIED TO DO THAT, UNLIKE SO MANY OF US. WE MAKE SALVATION AND REDEMPTION TOO COMPLICATED TO WALK IN; IT THEREFORE, BECOMES A STUMBLINGBLOCK TO US, RESULTING IN OUR EVENTUAL DESTRUCTION. TO BE REDEEMED IS TO BE WASHED ANEW, TO BECOME A NEW CREATURE IN CHRIST JESUS. IT IS TO BE FILLED WITH THE ENABLING POWER OF THE HOLY GHOST TO WALK AS AN OVERCOMER, AND JUST BELIEVE GOD'S WORD. OUR OBSTACLES MAY NEVER GO AWAY, BUT THAT SHOULD NEVER BE AN INDICATION TO US THAT WE HAVE FAILED. FAITH IS NOT SEEN, IT CANNOT BE HANDLED, YET IS VERY SECURE DUE TO CHRIST'S REDEMPTIVE WORK FOR ME AND FOR YOU! PRAISE GOD!