FIRE BY NIGHT
  
 
                                           "Reflections Upon Reflections" [of The Father's Heart]
  

        ...."You, in Your great compassion, did not forsake them in the wilderness; The pillar of cloud did not leave them by day, to guide them on their way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they were to go".... Nehemiah 9:19 NASB



                                                                                                               FEBRUARY 18TH


     
                                                               THE ALL-SUFFICIENCY OF THE FATHER VS. SELF-SUFFICIENCY

                                
Words of prophecy:

*       As My children diligently keep their spirit man in dominance over their soul [mind, will, emotions] and body, quite simply, they will not have any desire to do anything that "gratifies" the soul - in a spirit of self-indulgence.

*       My way is not to "gratify the soul" of My children it is to both bless and gratify [fill to overflowinging and satisfy] their spirit in such a way that My "blessings" [life-light-love] shall flow forth out of their spirit into their soul [mind, will, and emotions]; into their body; and into the lives of "all" those with whom they have to do [all those who "cross their path" - spiritually and physically].

"self-indulgence" - to yield to, or gratify, the whims and desires of the "flesh";

*       The "deceitfulness" of sin causes all those of My children who have "allowed" themselves to be entangled in it to "ignore" certain "instructions" that I have given to them by My Spirit - as if I had never spoken them in the first place. When they first receive these instructions they are quick to say, "yes" and "amen" but their failure to "act" quickly upon them "allows" a spirit of procrastination to move them to a place wherein they become "unconscious" of their failure to obey, and thus they enter into a "wilderness cycle" until such a time as they come to the realization that all is not right. As they "cry out" to Me then "every" time - without fail - I shall take them back to the very "instruction" they "ignored" [in some cases many years have passed], and if they are truly willing to do "all" of My will then I shall surely bring to their remembrance, by My Spirit, the clear and concise instruction that had been given previously. And, if, they are truly repentant they shall act quickly to carry it out - and thus they shall "move on" from the "plateau" [spiritual and soulish] that they were "bound" to.

*       One of the great distinguishing characteristics of those who are faithful [to My Will] in this final hour will be that they will refuse to "plateau" [level off] and, thus, they will continue to pursue the fullness of My plan at all cost to themselves right until the end of the age. Truly I say to you, there is only ONE way - and that way is found in Christ, alone! Now is the time wherein I will show Myself strong on the behalf of those whose heart truly belongs to Me and, in the process, I shall expose all that is apart from Me in the midst of the congregations [1 Corinthians 3:10-15]. So carry on, My faithful and obedient ones - KNOWING [having a revelation of the spiritual reality] that your labor is NEVER in vain, in the Lord [1 Corinthians 15:58], and that surely you will have great reward for your love and faithfulness - both in this age and the ages to come.


        ...."Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble. Say to those with anxious heart, 'Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come with vengeance; The recompense of God will come, but He will save you.' Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness and streams in the Arabah. The scorched land will become a pool and the thirsty ground springs of water....... A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it. No lion will be there, nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the LORD will return and come with joyful shouting to Zion, with everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away"....
                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Isaiah 35:3-10 NASB

 
          Every child of God must come to the place [in and by the power of the Holy Spirit] - wherein they find their "all-sufficiency" in the Father and His Word [Will]. A spirit of "self-sufficiency" [continually leaning upon one's own understanding] and a spirit of "self-desire" ALWAYS seek their own way, and ALWAYS "settle" for that which "gratifies" the soulish nature. This is one of the chief snares of the Evil One to keep God's children from entering into the fullness of their precious inheritance in Christ - and it can be VERY subtle at times. This is precisely why one must enter into the "inner chamber" [the secret place of God's presence] in order that the perfect love of the Father might continually be found exposing [and casting out; expelling] ALL ground of fear [1 John 4:18] - and the ungodly attachments and dependencies that it produces AS LONG AS IT IS ALLOWED TO  REMAIN.

                                                                                         THE END OF THE "PLATEAU-MENTALITY"
 
          It has always been the scheme of the Evil One to stop every new movement of God over the years by attempting to move those who began in the Spirit [by revelation] to come into a reliance upon their "own" strength and understanding. This again refers back to a "fixed organization". If he can cause the people of God to put their own hand on the work of God then they will, ultimately, "plateau" - and, thus, stop allowing the "fullness" of the Father's plan to unfold. The only way that this can be prevented is for one to continue allowing the Holy Spirit to do the deepest work of the Cross - on a daily basis. The thing that Satan is most afraid of is believers coming into the place of "power" [true unity and one accord - first with the Will of God and, THEN, with others who are also "actively" in the Will of God] - because that very power [faith, love, wisdom, righteousness etc.] is going to be specifically directed by the Holy Spirit towards the TOTAL destruction of his strongholds. The Father is raising up a remnant who are going to go all the way to the very end of this dispensation doing NOTHING apart from Christ - and, thus, they will transcend this "plateau-mentality" that has plagued every move of God since the birth of the Church at Pentecost.

"plateau" - to reach a state or level of little or no growth or decline;
 
                                                                         THE MAIN THING THAT THE FATHER DESIRES IS INTIMACY
 
          In this last of the last hour, the Father is not setting long range plans concerning the building up and structure of the true [corporate] spiritual environments that are so integral. The main thing that the Father desires concerning His children is for them to establish an ongoing "intimacy" with Him. It was the reason He created mankind [for fellowship with Him] and, THEREFORE, it is the essence of ALL things pertaining to the Kingdom and the establishment of the Glorious Church. It is a "fool proof" plan because ONLY those with a pure heart shall "see" and understand [gain a revelation of the heart of the Father in this last hour [Matthew 5:8]. As believers begin to abide in revelation and refuse at all cost to themselves to deviate from their own [God-ordained] path [a path entirely directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit] - the Glorious Church will arise in great power. We will be a Church that lives and moves and has our being in Christ - totally controlled and empowered in ALL things by the Holy Spirit [Who is the Spirit of Love]. The call in this hour is for each individual believer who is truly seeking the fullness of their precious destiny in Christ to enter into the "inner chamber" and seek a revelation of the "proper positioning" that the Father has planned for them from before the foundations of the earth. This will lead them to the place wherein they shall be "gloriously connected" with others in the Body of Christ by His hand, alone, - and, thus, from that point ALL things will begin to unfold in their life and ministry in an accelerated manner - according to His most holy purpose. If anyone does not have a "deep assurance" in their heart that they are in the "proper position" [both spiritually and locationally] then it is extremely important for them to draw near to the Father and His Word, and begin to seek Him with ALL of their heart, for the hour is very, very late! As the Father continues to unfold His plan all those who truly love Him must just continue ministering unto Him in the "inner chamber" [waiting expectantly and diligently in faith] for in this place of intimacy with Him "revelation" [divine light and wisdom] flows and, thus, they shall SURELY know what to do and when - with a pin-point accuracy. In the days ahead, there will be many true spiritual environments established by the Father - ranging from "cities [regions] of refuge" to "environments" [schools] of the Holy Spirit that will cause many to be "immersed" in the Word of God [or both] in any given location, and they will continually meet the "deepest needs" of the people in the carrying out of their part in the establishment of the Glorious Church - and the Kingdom. We shall be a holy Church - a Church that goes from revelation to revelation, faith to faith, obedience to obedience and glory to glory from here on in. Let us be found heed the call to both seek Him and love Him with all of our heart for, in this way, it is certain that one will experience a superabundant entrance into the Kingdom [2 Peter 1:11].

"integral" - necessary to the completeness of the whole; [in this case the fullness of the Father's plan for the establishment of a "spotless and unblemished" Church]

        ...."For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart"....

                                                                                                                                                                                                               Jeremiah 29:11-13 NASB