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means without the written consent of Paul K. Weigel, © January 2000-2011.
A
Journey In The
Wilderness
Introduction
The Heart of every
Christian who loves his Lord and Saviour is to serve and please
Him. Scripture describes us as vessels of silver and gold that must
first be prepared or sanctified in order to be of honor. Although
God’s love for us is unconditional, we desire, because of
love,
that His purpose for our lives be fulfilled unto honour and unto glory
to Him. God’s preparation is not a PhD in theology, but a
consuming fire which purges the dross of our Hearts, so we can do
God’s work, God’s way, from a pure Heart. This is
vital to
achieving our “call” in the way in which He will
get the
glory. Although the redeeming work of God is a lifelong process, there
is a distinct season of God’s purging which follows a
definable,
systematic pattern for the Church and every Spirit-filled Christian.
Worldwide, the Body of Christ is entering this season of purging. We
are being called into the Wilderness in preparation for the most
difficult and glorious time in the history of the Church. We are being
prepared as the Church who will overcome the devil, the flesh, and the
world. We are being prepared to rule and reign with Jesus in this age
and in the age to come. We are being readied as the Bride of Christ for
the Marriage Feast of the Lamb. We are being prepared for our ministry
to God.
God has
revealed to us in Scripture a pattern of the process of sanctification
and instruction outlining how we must respond to His work so we do not
fight against it and become derelict in the Wilderness. Many Christians
who are in the Wilderness misinterpret the purpose and objectives of
the circumstance and rebel against God’s purging work without
discerning what He is doing. Some Christians won’t enter the
Wilderness because they don’t or won’t believe that
God is
anything but their carnal definition of “good”. We
can
either cooperate with His preparation or knowingly or unknowingly
resist it. Scripture reveals God’s ways of working which can
only
be seen when looking at the overview of circumstance. These patterns in
the Christian life are designed to give us the “big
picture” view of our day- to-day lives in light of
God’s
objectives and perspective. How we respond to God’s
preparation
will determine whether we will become vessels unto honour or vessels
unto dishonour.
When we
sacrifice our lives on the altar of refining fire, we prove that God is
truly Lord of our life and that we love Him and trust His sanctifying
work. Our trust and surrender is as much glorifying to God as any thing
we could do for Him, because God looks on the Heart.
But
in a
great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also
of wood and of earth; and some to honor,
and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
master’s use, [and] prepared unto every good work. Flee also
youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with
them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2: 20.
No discipline seems
pleasant at the
time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for
those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble
arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your
feet,” so that
the lame ay
not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace
with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Hebrews 12:11-14. NIV
Every
man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare
it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every
man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work
abide
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any
man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself
shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 1 Cor. 3:13-15.
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