AUGUST 27, 2019
Blessings Consecration Partner,
Praise God, testimonies began coming forth after the very 1st day of consecration, and I believe so many other signs and demonstrations will manifest throughout this season!🙌
A partner shared: “CHANGE is already happening in my home… To God be the Glory”.
Another partner shared of the successful college transition of her daughter in spite of overwhelming challenges.
Yesterday, two partners shared that as they were discussing the “spirit of fear”, they also began to deeply reflect on the possibility of harboring unforgiveness which would negate answered prayers. This reflective soul-searching is exactly on point!!! It is where the Lord actually has us parked for the moment on this journey of consecration.
The following excerpt shared is from intercessor Rees Howells. These 3 principles are POWERFUL! (insert your name and specifics into these principles as you read them)
The Clean Heart Principle Step I
“Once in a time of prayer I sensed the Lord urging me to give all of myself to Him. It seemed that God wanted to touch areas of my life that hindered His using me to intercede. After a time of reflection I was able to say, “Yes, Lord. Come in and deal with those things that stop You from have complete control of my life.” Rees Howells, speaking of the dealings of the Holy Spirit in his life, explained his own struggle in this area. God had asked him to give all of himself in exchange for all of the Holy Spirit!!!! It was not sin, but “self”. As the Holy Spirit put His finger on each part of my self-life, I had to make a decision because He will never take a thing away until consent is given. Afterwards, purging took place. At the end of the week Rees Howells experienced a glorious infilling of the Holy Spirit.
The Clean Heart Principle Step II
After asking God to fill me totally with His Spirit, I assumed that my wicked heart had been changed and would automatically be under His control. It seemed from that day on every wicked thing I had ever done began to flash in front of my eyes. Instead of becoming more Christlike, it seemed that I was behaving worse than before. The difference was that within moments of sinning I felt a deep conviction from the Holy Spirit, and my heart gradually became more pliable and soft before God. One particular problem I had to deal with was pride Funny how before my prayer of surrender, before consecration, pride would not have been on my list of besetting sins.” WOW!
<The purple highlighted section is my personal insert>
I too believe the Holy Spirit is pointing his finger at the pride of my heart; as He led me to study the life of Joseph last night. We all know the story well, but there are some key points that were highlighted to me as it relates to pride. Joseph was a proud peacock that God wanted to use him to help change the course of a nation, but first He had to deal with some character flaws. When God trust us to pray, He must first cleanse our hearts to the point that the reports we give in prayer are not tainted or biased. He takes the time needed to build His character in us. He patiently and methodically clean up our wicked hearts. He wants tender hearts as His living sacrifices. The problem with living sacrifices is that they want to jump off the altar prematurely. This is the point at which some decide that the price is too high to serve Christ in prayer. The finger of God also touched on another area of the life of Joseph – his physical attributes and abilities. Even though Joseph resisted the temptation of Potiphar’s wife, he still was prideful. Look at the number of personal pronouns in Genesis 39-8-9 and see who is at the top of the list of credits.
But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God.
Notice, the very last thing he said was “and sin against God.” God was an after thought tacked on at the end of everything!
Time went on, and God decided that it was another test time for Joseph. God gave him the interpretations of the servants’ dreams; and Joseph saw this as a big chance to get out of prison. This statement (Genesis 40:14) shows his state of heart:
But remember me when it is well with you, and please show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house”.
Joseph missed it again. He missed the opportunity to evangelize for the God of Israel and failed to give Him any glory at all. Sentenced 2 more years in the refiner’s 🔥🔥🔥One thing about God is that if you flunk one test, He will think up another and another and another until you pass. After those 2 years, Joseph was called upon to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Let’s look at Joseph’s response this time (Genesis 41:16) “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace”. Finally, graduation day for Joseph. The glory had switched from him to God!
The Clean Heart Principle Step III
Letting God not only clean the sins of the heart, but the wounds of the heart. I do not know anyone who goes through life without some wounding of the heart. Oftentimes, we are unaware of the extent of the damage to our hearts until we are in difficult situations and our bitterness reveals itself in our words and actions. Unless we let the Holy Spirit shine His light on all the unforgiveness in our lives, our prayers will be tainted by the wounds of our hearts.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
How is the Spirit speaking to you ? Reflect on the 3 Clean Heart Principles, Isaiah 29:13 and Matthew 15:8 and journal your insights.
Matthew 15:8 – “These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are from me.”
Isaiah 29:13 – “These people come near to me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.”
Beware …..Many will say “Yes” to the Lord with their mouths only.
SPECIAL NOTIFICATION
Each partner’s committed “Yes” to this 40 day consecration speaks great volume!!!
Assignments submitted are not for the purpose of evaluating or grading. It is simply to allow you to “self-assess”, “check yourself” “take inventory”, of where you are spiritually as it relates to your level of commitment and maturity.
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