The war rages in my mind between two mental pictures…that is, the vision of what can be and the reality of what is. I understood why Jesus looked over Jerusalem and wept. I passionately love the Bride of Christ but I’m reminded that Christ is returning for a bride without spot or blemish. Pure, holy, cleansed, garments fresh.
We’ve been doing a little bit of a series called ‘Holy Holidays’ – giving our holiness doctrine a well needed and deserved air. Although my training college doctrine teacher would never have approved, we’re even seeing what Brengle has to say now and again!
But then, sometimes you preach your heart out, preach the full gospel – sanctification and all – but the conversation over coffee is still as nippy as a Scottish breeze up your kilt on a good old Edinburgh day. A heart remains unmoved, unchanged, unchallenged…the work of the Spirit resisted.
Now, Pill is a good corps, don’t get me wrong. We have some good soldiers and some very good ones. But my prayer is that God would move in the heart of us all….to continutally chip away everything that isn’t of him, everything that wounds his heart, everything which contributed to the pain of a dying Jesus on a Roman cross.
Commissioner Ed Read (ptG) said that we can’t let the possibility of being holy tomorrow be an excuse for not being holier today. As I just re-read my sermon for tomorrow, the word of God spoke to my heart again. I’m praying that his Spirit will hover over tomorrow and that hearts will reclaimed, hearts renewed, visions restored, burdens lifted.
But I’ll garuantee…there will be a thousand battles to be overcome before now and standing on the platform. I say to Satan…’come on, do your best’ because he must know that anything he tries between now and then to thwart God’s purposes will have the opposite effect. If he remains silent, we’ve won. If he causes a stir we’ll shout hallelujah and praise God for he is about to move. Satan has no authority here…his days are numbered.
We are fully aware of his schemes…the way that he turns brother against brother, sister against sister. Deciet, lying, resentment and bitterness are his key allies. I challenge them all in the name of Jesus.
Bless his name he sets me free
Bless his name he sets me free
Oh the blood, the precious blood
I’m resting in the cleansing flood
Bless his name he sets me free
Bless his name he sets me free
I know my sins are washed away
and not in Jesus I am free
I know a found where sins are washed away.
I know a place where night is turned to day.
Burdens are lifted, blind eyes made to see
there’s a wonder working power in the blood of calvary.
Here is love, vast as the ocean.
Loving-kindness as a flood
where the prince of life, our ransom,
shed for us his precious blood
who his love will not remember
who can cease to sing his praise
he can never be forgotten
throughout heaven’s eternal days.
All that I am,
All I can be,
All that I have,
All that is me
accept and use Lord,
as you would choose Lord
Right now today.
Take every passion, every skill,
take all my dreams and bend to your will
my all I give Lord, for you i’ll live Lord
come what may.
yours in the holy war
Andrew