If you want to see revival, renewal, outpouring, emergence, transformation, or whatever you label it, “PLEASE READ THIS WORD.”
I have been hearing the nudges of the Lord all week, yet today, the bomb dropped, and it is crucial that we hear this. If you are not interested in these things, go no further. What I am going to say, I have been as guilty as the next at some level, and everyone is at a different place on this journey, and few if any have arrived.
Jesus said this to the Pharisees in John 5:41-44 “I do not accept glory from human beings, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”
Kapow! Our potential downfall is described in this passage. What is it? All of us starve for affirmation. We all want the approval of men. We go here and there believing that where we go is the launching pad for what we want to accomplish, yet, is this not what He just spoke against? Are we not seeking the honor that comes from men?
There is the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-22 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.
“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
One lesson in this story is the fact that the rich young ruler thought his works would surely qualify him, so Jesus purposely raised the bar. The other part that I believe I see here that would be easy to miss, is the approval the rich young ruler wanted for his achievements. Perhaps recognition before the crowd. We want approval for our perceived goodness, yet according to Jesus, there is no one good but God.
What was the man seeking? Is it possible that he was really wanting the honor that comes from man? Was he not merely seeing Jesus as a good Rabbi when he approached Him, and not the Christ? Was he offended when Jesus would not accept his compliment when He replied saying, “Why do you call me good?” “No one is good—except God alone.” Did Jesus ask too much? Was it not approval of who the celebrity Jesus was that he was seeking? When he didn’t receive the approval of his life being affirmed, and honored, and he was led to a place where he could go no further, he walked away sad.
There are two things to glean from this: He saw Jesus as a popular man on the cutting edge of things. The other thing he missed, was that this was the Son of God/Son of Man who stood before him. Not a celebrity, the sacrifice once and for all! The One in whom the fate of all humanity hinged on His success. The One who would not receive the honor that comes from man. The One whose only desire was to do the will of His Father.
When we seek the honor that comes from men, as Jesus said, “How is it possible for us to believe when we receive the honor that comes from one another, and reject the honor that comes from the only God?” These are Jesus’ words, not mine.
The Lord spoke to me today, and I am clear that this is a key undermining force that is at work against us. In fact the Lord spoke to me saying: The amount that you seek honor from one another will reveal the effects that ridicule works against you. As I said, we are at a crossroad. Are we still held hostage by the same thing that caused the rich young ruler to walk away sad? Thank God for His grace.
God is calling us to cross this threshold today! It will require that we humble ourselves. We must seek the honor that comes from God and God alone, no matter what it cost us. I can not speak this without a tremble within my own heart. This is not a condemnation, it is simply a fact. It is a fact that we vigorously ignore. We don’t want to hear this. No one does, unless they get a glimpse of the other side.
How often is it that we hear, “You need to network.” “You need to connect with others, that’s how doors open.” When we seek that, are we not seeking the honor that comes from men for our own gain, while rejecting the honor that comes only from God? You think about it. God is raising up two generations in the Spirit simultaneously as I speak this word. Every blooming generation has always been able to see the blind spots of the previous generation. All maturing generations have always seen the pitfalls that make history repeat itself. These generations need to embrace the wisdom flowing from each generation, whether it seems worth your while or not. That is why the Lord spoke this in Malachi 4:5-6
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.”
We have been able to wink our way through many things, but now we stand at the crossroad. Now it is the time to be sober, and take heed to what the Spirit is saying.
First we must humble ourselves and receive what God is speaking. We must measure our hearts against this word. We must turn our hearts to Him, and ask for Him to quicken this word in our hearts. If we see that we have been blind to this repent! Adjust your thinking. We must surrender. Ask God to reveal to you the joy on the other side. We are approaching our finest hour. The news for us is always good, because we are in Christ. Be transformed into that one who would not be satisfied with the honor that comes from men. Be the one who hungers for the honor that comes from God and God alone! This is our time. Be encouraged. Be bold and be courageous!
When we cross this threshold in our hearts, there will be no end or denial of the glory of God being revealed upon the earth. We are already there by faith. This is not about your salvation, this is about the transformation being revealed through us and releasing this glory on inside of us into this earth. All creation groans for the sons of God to be revealed!
Ken Mullis
The point of all this, is that I had done nothing to deserve this visitation. If anything, I didn’t really believe God could love someone who was a totally wreck and failure. Yet He came. I did not see Him in the flesh, but the experience eclipsed everything else around me, and the reality of the moment was more real than anything my five senses could articulate.
The first thing He said to me was, “I’m not mad at you.” I was totally taken by surprised. I heard the words, but more than that, I felt embraced, and I began to weep profusely. This went on for thirty minutes. I felt wave after wave of His love pouring over me. I literally could not doubt His love for me.
The second thing He said was, “Men get a glimpse of what I want to do in the earth, then they try to build it with their hands.” When I heard these words, I knew an impartation was taking place within me pertaining to what He said. I felt wave after wave of this spiritual download happening. This too went on for about thirty minutes. I was still weeping over the fact He wasn’t mad at me.
The third thing He said was, “Contend for my presence.” Then I began to experience more of His presence surging within. This also lasted about thirty minutes. From this moment on, everything in my life changed. My entire perspective shifted from death to life again.
About a week later, I had a dream. I dreamed I was at this party at someones house. There were people there that I knew, and some I didn’t. I looked across the room I was in and I saw Bob Jones sitting in a chair. I had never met him. He was staring at me, like he was looking right through me, or into me. I’m not.quite sure how to describe the stare. I walked over to him. He started telling me, “Stay in His presence. Keep running to Him. The things in your life that still have a grip on you will fall away, supernaturally, as you keep going to Jesus. Don’t even think about those things.” Then he said, “I’m going to make myself available to you.”
So that’s what I did. I reckoned myself dead to everything that gripped my life and I gave myself to every moment determined to stay in God’s presence. Everything that was gripping my soul has fallen way, and I will keep running until every area is healed.
I would like to say I lived perfectly ever after, but you and I both know better. I had my moments. I will say that an absolute transformation took place, and is still taking place now, and to this day there is no place I would rather be, than to be positioned to hear His voice. I have to hear Him. He is my life.
I felt like someone needed to hear my testimony. I believe God wants this to exhort some of you to get up and run again. The winds of change are here. I hear the Lord saying, “Get back up. It will be different this time. Trust Me to finish what I’ve started. The winds are blowing for you, not against you. Come on now. I dare you!”
You see, knowing the rules never changed a soul. Only an encounter with the real Jesus changes the heart of anyone. I invite you to know Him. I dare you!