by G. D. Watson
If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. Matthew 16:24-25
If God has called you to be truly like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility. He will put on you such demands of obedience that you will not be allowed to follow other Christians. In many ways, He seems to let other good people do things which He will not let you do.
Others who seem to be very religious and useful may push themselves, pull wires, and scheme to carry out their plans, but you cannot. If you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent.
Others can brag about themselves, their work, their successes, their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing. If you begin to do so, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works.
Others will be allowed to succeed in making great sums of money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but God may supply you only on a day-to-day basis, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, a helpless dependence on Him and His unseen treasury.
The Lord may let others be honored and put forward while keeping you hidden in obscurity because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade.
God may let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him and get the credit, but He will make you work and toil without knowing how much you are doing. Then, to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done; this to teach you the message of the Cross, humility, and something of the value of being cloaked with His nature.
The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch on you, and with a jealous love rebuke you for careless words and feelings, or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over.
So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and that He may not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you.
God will take you at your word. If you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love and let other people say and do many things that you cannot. Settle it forever; you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue or chaining your hand or closing your eyes in ways which others are not dealt with. However, know this great secret of the Kingdom: When you are so completely possessed with the Living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven, the high calling of God.
My Brethren,
I have watched this short video about 5 times this afternoon. After the third time through I could not stop weeping. Why? For several reasons I suppose. I was weeping for those professing Christians who are false, but won’t listen to the truth. I was weeping for my own sin and how I have learned to live with it. Oh forgive me Lord as I turn from it! Let us never compromise on our God’s truth for any reason for He is Holy, Righteous, and Just!
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
This has been pressed upon my heart of late as you know brother Mike. Praying for those who have not yet come to repentant faith in Jesus as their LORD and Savior to do so now. Was salvation forthose reading , “take a ticket” emotionalism christianity or true repentant faith? “Jesus is the only way, Jesus is absolutely everything!”
amen and amen Praying that I may forsake compromise and may He continue His sanctification in me until that day of glorification. Come Lord Jesus. amen.
Amen Denise!
Legalism or Antinomianism is what I’m conflicted about here lately. I have a high regard for the word and for that reason I’m keen to The Spirit, and the leading of it.
Grace or Law (rhetorical) because only one could fulfill The Law. But to hear some folks talk, it’s as if anything goes. Now I know that the balance of the freedom wherein we stand, is about holding dear what we know to be right without an imposition on the beliefs of others.
This is why I hold to this when dealing with others; 1Pe 3:15
Thank you Mike for posting this. It made me reflect on my life. Am I ready to lose my life for Christ sake? May it be dear Lord. As I survey the happenings in our Country–a culture where right is wrong and wrong is right I can not help to believe that God is winnowing His church in America (and the West) in a major way. We have been so unfaithful for 150 years and while God is merciful and gracious, God is also just. Judgment begins with the household of faith. May we all truly cling to the cross–to the Rock that is higher than I. Soli Deo Gloria!
You are very welcome Fred and amen brother!
Vaughn, I suggest that you abandon this sort of thinking entirely, but to do so you must drop everything, all the baggage, and come boldly to the throne of grace. Spend some deep and long quality time with the Lord. Pour out your issues to Him, but understand this, the world and the heretics out there will tell you that it is wrong to be precise and obedient to God’s commands, but what they do not understand or ever will is that those who are truly in God’s will are so because God has changed them so that the carrying of the burden of obedience is now a joy. This is NOT legalism, but true discipleship brother. I have prayed that God would pull you aside and shine His purifying light into your heart to totally do away with the garbage the heretics and apostates are using to try to put you into their bondage.
In Christ
Mike Ratliff
I listened to this message just a half an hour after spending some time with My Lord..I was surprised, and yet encouraged that He had just spoken almost the same words to me. All He told me He was asking for was my heart, my will. He then said He would take care of everything else…now I think I understand what He said when He said “everything else”…the sorrows, the hard and steep roads really & truly will be worth all He asks of me now. Listen guys, because He is crying out with His Heart. Literally crying for our attention to turn to Him & Him alone. I encourage you – listen. Really listen, and then ask Him what He is asking of you. It may sound scary or ridiculous – but it will be worth it all.
Donna
Amen Donna!