There are some things that I must tell you of what you have to face in this walk with God, what it will mean, and what God can do for you.
You don’t hear this often; and yet, as the pressure comes again and again, don’t you find that you need someone to straighten you out so that you can make it?
Paul said, “To write the same things to you is not needful, but it is expedient.” It seems as if I say the same thing over and over, but it’s necessary for you that I do.
Sometimes we have to have it over and over before we finally get it. For we want the things to happen that the prophecies have built our hopes up to see. We don’t want to remain in a rut, nor do we want to see any state of passivity upon us. The time is short, the opportunities are great, the need is vast and His coming is so imminent.
In Romans 12:2 the Lord tells us, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed—“transformed” comes from the Greek work metamorphosis, which means “out of death.” The ancient Romans personified death as a god called “Mors”; from which came words like “mortuary”, “rigor mortis”, “mortify”—all containing that root word meaning “death”. Metamorphosis is a change from death into life—be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.…
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Our minds are constantly being challenged; the Lord is speaking to us; we have to be jarred, because the human mind slips into a rut of conformity to the age. While God is trying to make sons out of us, the entire process of the mind is that it adjusts to the age: be not conformed to this world.
Everyone who gets hooked on anything, or gets into a rut, or any kind of defeat, becomes a victim of their own instincts and passions because they have conformed to the world.
God doesn’t want that. He wants us to be transformed, changed from death into life by the renewing of our minds, that we can prove the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The whole idea is that we’re striving to find out what the will of God is, and walk in it. We don’t want to let our mind cause us to slip into a groove until more and more we become passive, and well-adjusted to a world that God has condemned. What do we have to do to get into that rut? Nothing. If we don’t do a thing we slide right into it.
God can change us; I’m beginning to believe in instant saints. If change comes by exposure to God, by a revelation of God rather than from human efforts, then the sooner we begin to worship God, really worship Him, until He’s so real to us—and the more we learn to lift our whole spiritual level until we’re in the presence of the Lord, the quicker we will be changed.
Paul says, But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. II Corinthians 3:18. We are changed from glory to glory because we’re exposed to Him. When we see Him, then we take on some of His likeness. We don’t work ourselves up to it. We don’t reform ourselves up to it, or discipline ourselves into it. We are changed when we are exposed to God. How do we expose ourselves to God? Draw near to Him with a true heart in the full assurance of faith.
Worship Him in spirit and in truth. Give yourselves to worship Him; and love Him with all your soul, mind, and strength. Approach God with everything that is within you. You’ll change faster by that route than by anything else you can think of.
We want to be changed instantly. We can believe in instant change, for I John 3:2 tells us, Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that … we shall be like him—that’s what God had in mind. For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son.… . Romans 8:29—We know we shall be like him—just like Him—for we shall see him as he is. I John 3:2b.
To be exposed to Him, to see Him as He is—presto, we’re just like Him. I Corinthians 15:52 says in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye; that’s how fast. If that can take place, we can have faster changes right now by more exposure to God. Maybe we won’t come forth in resurrected bodies, but we can come closer to it if we just believe and draw on God.
Often new people come in who are hostile. Then we find that by assuming a light, bantering attitude, and humoring them along, they will open up to receive the ministry and the word the Lord has for them.
They often go through deep inner conflict when they realize what they have to accept and what God is demanding of their life right there.
I have found that the best way of evangelism is to begin with ministering by revelation; then humor them into the Kingdom. That was something like Jesus did with the woman at the well of Samaria. He said, “Will you give me a drink?” From her past, we would assume that she was a flirtatious woman. She answered, “How is it that You, a Jew, ask drink of me, a Samaritan woman?” So Jesus said, “If you knew who it was you were talking to, you’d ask of Him and He’d give you living water and you’d never thirst again.” She probably thought, “I’ll just string along with this and see what happens.” She said to Jesus, “Sir, evermore give me this water that I don’t have to come here and draw.” “All right, go and bring your husband.” “Oh, I have no husband”; she was trying to put Him on. “That’s true, you don’t have a husband; you’ve had five, and the man you’re now living with isn’t your husband.” “Oh! Oh! Sir! I perceive You are a prophet!” There is a similarity between this and many of the things that happen in our ministry services. We are walking in Bible days again whether we want to admit it or not.
People are often critical of many things, but they would have been even more critical if they had seen the Lord Jesus Christ minister. Some of the things He said left the people infuriated.
Imagine those Jews, who always had their meat cut and butchered under the rabbi’s inspection, being fed the barley loaves and fish. They couldn’t have asked for a better or healthier menu than that. They said, “This is great! Let’s make Him king!” How did Jesus cool that? He said, “You’re laboring for the food that perishes; but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven. I am the living bread. Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you have not life in yourselves.” (John 6:27, 32, 53). Oh, horrors—the idea of drinking blood! That was the day He lost a lot of disciples and the crowd thinned down. That’s a good way to dispel a crowd: preach something to them that they don’t want to hear. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Will you also go away?” You can imagine the disciples shifting from one foot to the other, until finally Peter spoke up and said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? We believe. We’re sure.”
If we really want to change, we can change. God gave us the secret of it recently when He said, “Worship the Lord with faith, because He’s spoken words to you.” You may say, “But it doesn’t look like they’re coming to pass.” I know—if they were buying and selling on the words of the Lord, on the stock market it would be at a low ebb right now, but that isn’t the idea. Until the day that the word of the Lord came to pass in Joseph’s life, we read that The word of the Lord tried him. Psalms 105:19b. God gives you a word and then you’re troubled and disturbed by it.
The Church of the Latter Day Saints has all the appearance of having gifts and ministries. They have apostles and even assistant apostles. They insist it is the reorganized church, with God’s latter day saints. It looks so real until you take a closer look at it. Joseph Smith claimed that an angel of light appeared to him and gave him the revelation. Who is it that is transformed as an angel of light? Satan comes as an angel of light to deceive. They claim to be the end time army of the Lord. How are they getting ready for the great persecution? They’re saving up groceries for the time of famine; they’re building storm cellars for places to hide when bombs fall. But what are they learning about spiritual warfare? They know nothing about that; they have none of it. Everything is peaceful and quiet, as they raise their families in neat, orderly homes. Everything is beautiful. God’s end time army? No, God’s army will be made up of wounded, scarred veterans who know how to fight in this spiritual warfare.
I look around at our people who are wounded and I know it’s rough. So you get wounded—that’s tough. What are you living for? What do you want? I’ll tell you what I want: I want God to put enough of the boldness of the Holy Spirit in me that I’ll work for Him. I’ll move in as much as I can. There is nothing proud and arrogant about it. If I get shot down, all right. But I’m going after it, aren’t you? You don’t know how the warfare will end but you can know what you’re going to do—you’re not going to give up. There have been many casualties so far; this is a complicated battle. Recently when one of our elders went down to minister in Mexico, the devil power hit him and knocked him out, and when he came to he was blood from head to foot. I’ve been hit that way with devil power. Sometimes people complain, “Oh, you’re always talking about the devil. We don’t like it.” I don’t like to get hit by him either, but we’re in the climax of the battle of the ages and this generation will see him put in the pit. He’s raging against the inhabitants of the earth because he knows his time is short, and he’s going to do everything he can to wipe you out or you’re going after it with all your heart and beat him. The victory that overcomes the world is your faith.
When Jesus healed the blind man he told him, “Now stumble through the city until you come to the city reservoir. There wash the mud off your eyes and come back and you will be able to see.” Sometimes it can be that simple. Sometimes God says, “Will you act as if you believe the things that have been told you? Just act like it.” There are times when you don’t feel like it, you don’t feel well. But faith isn’t a feeling. Faith is an action. It’s an activity, not an emotion. Some of you say, “I have no faith.” Where do you get that? What you’re really saying is, “I have bad feelings.” Down in your heart you know you have faith. Faith is an activity. “Okay, then what do I do. What’s the action?” The action is get up and keep right on walking. It doesn’t make any difference if you feel that it’s so or it looks like it’s so. Your emotions and feelings have nothing to do with it. In fact that’s one reason why it’s a good thing if you have some responsibility, something you have to do.
When I was just starting to preach, I knew a preacher who was a little on the cynical side. He knew that if he wanted to pastor a church he would have to stay there long enough to do the job. He also recognized that his itching feet could get him into trouble or his hot-headed nature could cause him to blow up at a church board meeting and he would be apt to resign and take off. He was that kind of a guy. So what do you think he did? He had a good credit rating, so he went down and bought an expensive refrigerator and a big car on time. That way he had payments that would saddle him down and he had to stay there. He did it deliberately. He wasn’t a man who wanted debts, but he knew that he then had a responsibility that he couldn’t leave. He couldn’t disgrace the house of God by running off and leaving unpaid bills. That’s like an officer of the law handcuffing himself to a criminal and it keeps him from running away from his job. Maybe you have to handcuff yourself to your responsibilities; tie yourself to them. Why? Then you will act according to that sense of responsibility. Responsibility or stewardship is close to faith, because it leads you to act.
Faith is an action. It doesn’t matter how you feel. Act, and the feeling will follow. You may say, “I’m down!” That’s too bad; act like you’re up, because in God you are up. You are seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. You are blessed with all spiritual blessings. You have been down before and that passed away, for it was an illusion; but the eternal reality is the blessing and favor of the Lord upon you, the grace of God that’s beamed toward you.
It’s good when you feel that special communion with the Lord, but what about the times of worship when you stand and think, “I’m just making sounds.” That too, is worship. It’s an action of faith. Everybody fluctuates in his feelings. Only the Lord is unchanging. For I am the Lord, I change not. Malachi 3:6a. Have you ever sung this chorus?
Praise Him, praise Him.
Praise Him in the morning, praise Him in the noontime.
Praise Him, praise Him. Praise Him when the sun goes down.
It is not the most profound song in the world, but it illustrates that at all seasons, at all times, you glorify the Lord.
How are we going to change? Exposing ourselves to God will do it. Are you looking for the changes to be in your circumstances or within you? You can always take action on certain conditions and circumstances that surround your life, but unless God works the change within you first, you’ll just have another set of problems of a different nature. Someone will say, “Oh God, help me pay off this one loan I have from this crazy installment buying that I have got into. Lord, help me.” So miraculously the money is provided; someone sends a check or they get a raise to pay it off. They feel so good about all that money, that they have to go out and buy something else on time and are right back where they started. A fellow gets excited because he got a raise and can pay off all his debts; he is so encouraged that he goes out and makes more debts. The change isn’t in the money; the change needs to be in him.
As long as the reaction is in us, God doesn’t change the circumstances; that is a principle. The Lord is more concerned about what He is working in us than He is in the circumstances. We keep saying, “Oh, this circumstance or that problem is blocking the Kingdom.” I’m not so sure. Sometimes there is something in us that is blocking it. We are missing in our interpretation of what God has. Let’s pray for God to change the circumstances in our lives that are hindering. Let’s also ask God to search our own hearts. Every time there’s a wrong response in us, we can’t say it’s too much for us. By the grace of God anyone can handle anything. It’s what is still wrong within us. That’s why I’m going to keep exposing myself to God to change; and as I change, I’ll be able to change the circumstances and I’ll be able to change them in God. What about you? Do you have some things you want changed? Do you want the changes in yourself? Are you unhappy with your home life? Do you know it’s really not what it should be? You can’t run away from it, can you? You’ll have to change and you’ll have to look to the Lord.
When someone tells you to do something and you know it’s the Lord, there’s still something perverse in the old nature and you will react to it. I first learned that when I was a boy. My father told me to do something and I gritted my teeth. He opened the Bible very calmly and read a Scripture out of Proverbs: A fool despiseth his father’s correction; Proverbs 15:5a. He said, “Son you have to decide whether you’re going to be a fool or not.” Sometimes the Lord gives us correction and instruction and there’s something in us that rebels. But that’s where you make your breakthrough and win your battle: that’s the key; that is where you win that victory—not over a long period of time, but in that one little moment when you are submissive to the Lord. When your mother tells you to do something, if you draw back and she has to tell you a second time, you’ve lost the battle right there. Even though you don’t want to do it, if you will say, “Yes,” and do it right that minute, that’s when you win your victory; that’s where the blessing of the Lord comes.
At the wedding of Cana Jesus’ mother told the servants, “Whatever He tells you, do it.” Do it, without protest; just do it. If anything within you rebels, do it anyway. You win your victory when you submit to the Lord. Even in worship there’s something perverse in you that draws back. That’s why prayer and worship always require the conscious application of your spirit, and that’s where faith comes in. Sometimes you bypass that by just singing along mechanically. But when you really set yourself to worship, there is always that first effort, the first thrust—and that’s where you win your victory.
More than anything else, you young people are striving for your own identity as an individual. That’s why you try to find the best style for your hair, the most becoming clothes, etc. You want to create a certain image. You want a certain identity or you want to avoid being identified as a conformist in certain things. A lot of the hippies are quite concerned that they not have an identity with the rest of society. They want to be free of it in their thinking. When we become Christians, our identity as an individual in the Body of Christ involves a lot of the death of self and ambition as we are swallowed up in the body. There’s also a personal identity that you have to keep in order to be able to be a good healthy member in the Body of Christ. What do we mean by a personal identity? One individual prophesies, another works miracles, another works healings. One is an elder, one is a deacon; another has the ministry of helps or the ministry of giving. Sometimes they’re all mixed up and you may have several of those ministries. You have an identity inasmuch as you have distinct functions that are given to you by God to fulfill. You not only flow together in the great Body of Christ, but you have a personal identity that you fulfill in that Body.
Sometimes we can’t fulfill that, even as a Body, because we’re being suppressed or restrained. Many of you have had a hang-up from childhood and you know that your mother suppresses you. That restraint may be good up to a certain point, but often it has continued long after it should, and this is true even with adults. Many of you are dominated by others in a way that you know is not in the will of God, or for the good of the Body of Christ.
When the disciples left all to follow the Lord, they had the promise that they would receive a hundredfold in this present time and eternal life in the world to come. I don’t think that hundredfold starts working until we’re free to rise in our own individual identity in the Body of Christ. It is true we are swallowed up in that Body; but our personal expression of ministry and the divine life through us, to where a hand is to be a hand or a foot is to be a foot, is operating with only one percent efficiency until we come to the dedication of discipleship that says, “Lord, we’ll leave all to follow You.” I feel we will have a new level of discipleship preached to us that will say, “Here it is: leave all and follow the Lord”—and we’ll do it. Are we getting radical? Yes, a little bit. Almost as radical as the Lord was when He called disciples.
I realize how careful I must be. I can lead, teach, minister and function as that individual ministry that the Lord has set in the Body; but I must not dominate, suppress, restrain, nor overshadow any other ministry or any other member. To be able to do that will take the wisdom of the Lord. I want never to be guilty of suppressing and dominating any individual to a point that I am oppressing him. I never did it to my children. I’ve never done it to the churches. I don’t want to suppress, dominate, or control anyone’s thinking to a point beyond what the Lord wants, and when it’s not a help. But I want to always be a real encouragement to you young people. I want to encourage you and inspire you until you rise up in your own personal identity toward the Lord. I want you to have your own personal walk with God, and not be dependent upon me to have it. I want you to be submissive to apostolic authority, to the elders, to all the ministries; but in that submission I don’t want those ministries over you in any way to suppress you or dominate you to the point that you do not grow to the full measure and stature and fullness of Christ. I want you to be as big as you can be in your individual identity as a member of this Body. I want you to feel free to rise, but with the guidelines that are going to encourage you and help you. I’ll not live anyone’s life for him, but will believe for the life of Jesus to flow through me to him to bring him into the will of God.
Would you like to throw off some dominating factors in your life and get the monkey off your back? You don’t want to be dominated, you want to be free; free of memories, things of the past, mom’s apron strings—if that’s the problem. Some of you young ones need it yet, so don’t throw it off too soon. But many of you are past that time and it’s a spiritual restraint on you that you don’t need. Others are dominated by the world’s opinions, by people’s viewpoints; and you know that other things have too much influence on you. Are you going to shake it? Let’s pray about it.
Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we know that You will set us free. We are not going to be dominated, suppressed, or restrained beyond Your will. Lord, to Thee we are submissive. There will be ministry over us—to that we are submissive. We want to become what You want us to become as individuals within the Body of Christ. We don’t want to be stunted, dwarfed, suppressed or restrained. We want to grow our spiritual muscles, our spiritual initiative to hear and know the will of God and to walk in it in the name of the Lord.
Are you claiming that release: to be dominated by nothing within your own self; no habit, no instinct, no passion, no desire? We refuse to be slaves dominated by the flesh or by our own emotions. Another thing—how many times have you tried to reason things out and have been tripped up and become discouraged, and after while you saw that the devil was using your own reasoning process to knock you cold? Refuse to be browbeaten into a mental submission, a mental state of passivity by your teachers—they get at you insidiously, sometimes in a sarcastic way, until they beat you down and you find yourself answering back almost automatically. That’s a deadly thing. I used to grit my teeth when a teacher tried to beat me into submission, and then throw evolution and everything else at me. They have a way of getting you in a state where you start accepting, and you don’t want that. You will be in school but do not be submissive and subordinate to the line of teaching and thought that is in any way derogatory to the Lord Jesus Christ or to our walk with God. Do not accept it. Let there be everything within you walling it out.
Can you take criticism? Do you hold up under it, or do you get wiped out and react when somebody criticizes you? Lord, give us the grace to take honest criticism and to objectively weigh it and throw out the false and keep the good. That’s a big accomplishment and I think it is the beginning of wisdom. To react emotionally means that you are robbed of any of the good that you could learn.