Father has placed this devotional upon my heart, and I believe it is a word for the Bride in this particular time that we find ourselves in. I have of late realized that He is really calling us to a greater devotion in time spent with Him. To come and draw from Him so that in the end, when He sends us out, we will be so full of the oil that I spoke about in the previous devotional. I do believe that Father is taking the Bride into a new season. With every new season He takes us, He has already prepared us for. There is a transition that needs to take place and He has prepared us for this new season. Now we need to go into that new season. What does it require? Firstly, a new season usually means greater responsibility, greater authority and greater battle. A new season requires change and most importantly, a new season requires death.

Before we can go into the next season, we have to say goodbye to the other. With some of the border lines you can place your one foot in the one city and the other foot in the other city at the same time. But there has to be a full commitment from our side. There has to be something that we lay down in order to go to the next season. Maybe you might be asking whether this is really so important considering the time we are in? Is there actually time for new seasons? Father is outside of time. He knows exactly what He wants to do in the time that is left. Because the time is limited, we need to understand that we have to put our foot on the accelerator. We need to change our disposition and set our minds to that which He is about in our lives. To stop playing in the sandbox, come to the party so to speak, and focus.

I was becoming aware in my spirit that Father was doing something new and I asked Him, “Father, in the time that is left, what is it that you want me to do? Is there a new season that you want to take me in? The time is so precious and I do not want to waste it by doing other things when I should be busy with what You are busy with.”

Needless to say, that there is a call unto the Bride to come into a seriousness with regard to the time we are in. A lot of people are very serious about looking for the signs of His coming, searching scriptures, all those things that are very important. However, if we have an imbalance with regard to our own spiritual preparation and are more focused on what will happen, then we stand the chance of having a shaky foundation or having cracks in our foundation. The tribulation can be seen as great waters that will cover the earth. We know what water can do with those small little cracks in foundations. We need to deal with those cracks. Today this is something on His heart and something that He first spoke to me about. There are things that I need to address and I am laying this before you to take into consideration, especially with the time we find ourselves in.

In the Word of God, we find different examples of seasonal change and what it requires. In John 12 Yeshua tells us that unless a corn of wheat falls into the ground and die, it will abide alone. But when it dies it will bring forth much fruit. It will no longer abide alone. He was talking about His own death. We know that we are a part of His harvest, so we ourselves are also corns of wheat that have to die. Even seasons has to die like a corn of wheat. A corn of wheat speaks of life, of that which was previously only one, now having to die in the ground and there a full process has to take place before the fruit that He requires can come forth. We see the example also with Yeshua where He told His disciples that it would be expedient for them that He should leave. They were very sad about this. How can He leave them now? They were all excited about everything He has done and now He wants to leave. He told them that unless He leaves, He cannot send the Holy Spirit. Telling them that they would then do greater works. We understand that there is nothing greater that what Yeshua did, rising from the dead himself. What is greater than raising the dead and the things that He did? Well, the greater work is not necessarily the quality of work, but rather the quantity of work. With many being filled with the Spirit of God, all over this world a greater work can be done by the Spirit of God through His body. This is what He meant. The one had to leave for the many. In the same way, we can look at Yeshua being the Son of God, Him dying, bringing forth many Sons and Daughters of God. You can see even with Stephen when he was stoned, the witnesses laid their garments before a young man, Saul’s feet. With Stephen’s death or persecution, greater persecution started as a great flood. It is almost like Stephen’s one death was the precursor to many deaths. What is a witness? A witness in the Strong’s Concordance means a martyr. A witness lays down his life just like that corn of wheat. Because of the many that have laid down their lives, the great harvest will come, and has come in that time. You can see that there is always a death that happens first. The same with the two men that walked on the road of Emmaus. They were very sad when Yeshua met them on the way, talking about this great Prophet, so sad that He died. They had so much hope in Him. Let’s read about it in Luke 24.

LUKE 24

¹⁵And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.

¹⁶But their eyes were holden that they should not know him.

We know that they did not at that moment perceive who it was that they were speaking to. He started speaking to them about everything that happened. The Word says, “when night came.” Night has with it the meaning of darkness and difficult times. When night came, they asked Him to stay with them. Then their eyes opened and He spoke to them and they received great understanding of the Word of God. What we find here is their disappointment with the one who died, but what did that death bring but a greater seeing. At that time when they were walking with Him, the Word says that their eyes were closed so that they did not know Him. The “eyes” in the Strong’s Concordance means the “spirit of their mind”. Their perception, discernment and how they saw, were not yet opened up. “Holden” in the Strong’s speaks of their eyes literally held closed. Their understanding closed. It was purposed that they would not see. It is not that they did not want to see, they were discussing all these things. However, they could not see, their eyes were kept closed. The word “knowing” means to be intimately acquainted with Him, to truly know Him. What we understand from this new season that Father wants to bring us into, is that He is saying, “I want to bring My Bride into a new season where she will have greater understanding and revelation of who I am, but it will require a death. It will require that she will take note of those very things that I have spoken to her about and to leave behind.” It can be various things that we are to leave behind. He wants to get our focus. He wants us to listen to what He is saying about our spiritual journey thus far. He wants to take us to a greater understanding. Focus. Presently, everything in this world is trying to distract us from the reality of where we are spiritually. Not just collectively, but personally or individually. A while back Father gave me a dream wherein, He warned me of 7 distractions. He wanted me to know that I was going into a season where I should take note of these 7 distractions so that I will not be caught in them. So that the enemy will not steal from me in this process because of where Father wants to go with me. Well, I can safely say that I failed in them all. It so happens to be that I am not perfect! Who knew? He took me to task again, drawing my attention and for all intents and purposes, maybe I could have been already where He wanted me to be in a new season. But because I did not take heed to what He was saying to me, I frustrated His purposes. We are His workmanship and He said that He will finish the work in us. We need to focus and hone in. Going to Him and asking, “Father, what is it that you are busy with me now?” Do you know what He is busy with you now? Or are you generalizing? Or are you so occupied with other things? Finding out when He is coming or maybe busy with life in general, but not necessarily aware of exactly that which He is placing His finger on. Why not? Why are you not about your Father’s business? Why are you not aware of that very thing that He wants you to let go of? You need to go ask Him what it is. Let’s read Isaiah 6 in the context with regard to the explanation given now, regarding to something that first has to die.

ISAIAH 6

¹In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

²Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

³And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

⁴And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

⁶Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:

⁷And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.

⁸Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Here you can see the progression. Firstly, King Uzziah dies. Then, Isaiah comes into the presence of the Lord, there where even the doorposts are shaking with His voice and he is trembling in fear before the Lord God. It is then that he becomes intimately aware of his own frailty and his unclean lips. Out of the abundance of our heart we speak. The unclean lips are indicative of an unclean heart, just like unclean hands are indicative of an unclean heart. Out of the heart flows the issues of life, everything, what we speak and what we do is related to our heart. Here Isaiah is becoming very much aware of his own frailty and sinful nature. Out of the knowledge of the greatest, glory and fear of God that he was exposed to, also his own weakness and sin, the Lord says then, “Who can I send?” It is then with eyes opened up that Isaiah can say, “Lord, send me.” We are talking about a progression that is happening here. This is why the Lord needs for us to understand that our own Uzziah needs to die first. There is something that needs to die in order to come into that place of seeing. Seeing who the Lord God is and who we are in ourselves. Why? So that He can send us out. The whole purpose is that He wants to send us out. Can that sending happen unless we have come into that place of seeing? This is what we need to focus on most importantly. Are we not preparing ourselves for the time to come? Should we not be earnest with the little time that is left to seek Him with everything in that place, so that He may reveal Himself to us? Should we not earnestly seek to lay down everything just so that we can have the more that He has in store? Father has promised me that He has more in store for me and that He wants to reveal greater things to me. What an honour and blessing, but it will not come cheap and I know that. I must be willing to count the cost and willing to pay the price. Are you? He has no favorites. He has purposed for everyone something specifically that He has called and prepared you for, but He wants to bring you into the fulness of that. This is what I sense in my spirit, the fullness that He wants to bring us into. It is not just a seasonal change, but a seasonal change into fullness. The greater that He wants to bring us in. In essence, that which has to die is the lesser for the greater. He wants to open our eyes to see it for what it really is.

King Uzziah first had to die before Isaiah could see.

There are also other examples in the Word of God that speaks of this as well. John the Baptist said to Yeshua, “I must decrease, but You must increase”. The Aaron priesthood had to die. In fact, John the Baptist was beheaded. The Aaronic Priesthood had to make way for the Melchizedek priesthood. There is always a death before there is life, there is always a death before there is resurrection life. Yeshua is our example of one Son for many Sons and Daughters. Also, He said that unless He goes the Holy Spirit could not come and the greater work cannot happen through them. Just before Yeshua died on the cross, the people’s hope was in Him. Not long before that they were shouting, “Hosanna! Hosanna!” Waving palm branches and throwing their clothes on the ground and there He came, the humble servant upon a donkey. They crowned Him as King. They were so excited. However, they had ulterior motives. They were more after what He could give than who He truly was. They wanted the King of Jerusalem. Because they wanted the King of Jerusalem, they forfeited the King of Kings. He had to die in order for them to realize afterwards that it is greater than Jerusalem. Yes, Jerusalem is the hub, but it is greater than Jerusalem. It is the world. Everybody is to be saved and included. When they looked at that cross, what they saw was defeat and death. A gruesome death. What they saw at the grave is death. But a few days later, resurrection life. A death had to take place in order for this new thing to come forth. Which will soon come forth, which is a Kingdom of Priests.

Then we have Stephen and Paul. Paul’s life changed dramatically once he knew the truth. We have most of the New Testament writings to thank him for, because of the Pharisee that he was. When Paul met Yeshua on the road of Damascus, he was struck with blindness. Just like these two men on the road of Emmaus. Their eyes were closed and they did not know Him and Paul was struck with blindness. But like Isaiah he was confronted and he knew that everything that he has ever known, just fell to the ground like clothes. That Pharisaic garb that he was so proud of, his identity and he was covered in dust. The Word says that Paul was sitting in the dust. It speaks of his frame of mind. It was not just a geographical statement, but was speaking of his frame of mind or his disposition. He was brought low. It was a death. For three days he was blind. The three days speaks of that death in the grave and Cornelius was sent to him. Cornelius tells Paul how much he will suffer for the Kingdom of God. If Paul did not have all the understanding of his years of being a Pharisee, those very scriptures engraved in his being, calling himself the Pharisee of Pharisees would be for nothing. But it was foundational to what he would later write in the New Testament. Because he understood the law, he understood grace. As Elizabeth Elliot says, “Suffering is not for nothing.” There is always a death before something great. What should that tell us? What Father is saying to us is, “You can expect to go into a death before you come into the fulness that I have in store for you.” Our problem is that we think that we have gone through too many deaths and that there cannot be anymore left. Or, we think that we have given all, there cannot be anymore. You would be wrong. There is always more. There is always more in Him and always a cost involved, because grace is not cheap. It might be free, but it is not cheap.

What is the personal application to us? What do we need to ask ourselves? We need to ask ourselves, “What is there in my life that He is putting His finger on and telling me I need to deal with?” Only you can answer that. For me it is certain things and for you other. What is that which I am still holding on to? Another question to ask is, “What does it mean to give something to Him?” I have a statement that I make often. I call it an “Open hand policy”. He must be able to take whatever He wants out of your hand and put whatever He wants in your hand. Like Job, you must be able to say, “Blessed be the Lord God who gives and taketh aways. Shall we not receive blessing and cursing from the Lord?” We must be willing to receive whatever season He has in store for us, in order to go to the next season. You must embrace this season with everything, with your whole being. Embrace it and focus. What does it mean to give? We often hear that we have to give to the Lord. I have to give my child, my marriage, my friends. A good example is Abraham and Isaac. Abraham knew that the Lord was able to raise Isaac from the dead, but he did not know that He would. There was no guarantee that his son would be raised from the dead. All he knew is that he was called to obedience. That obedience is an obedience unto death. He obeyed completely. He was not doing it in order to get his son back, he was doing it in obedience. When we give our child, our friends, our marriage, whatever you know you have to give, that which you have been fighting the Lord God for, the salvation of your children, your marriage, your finances, whatever it is, you must be able to give it to Him with the full understanding that He does not need to give you the outcome that you desire. That is a very difficult pill to swallow. Because why are we then praying? The real question is, “Are we praying His will?” Prayer is a gift that comes first from Him to us, but we tend to pray first from ourselves to Him. We have to go and seek His face and find out what is His will in every situation. We want Him to rather take the difficult circumstances away, be glorified by that, which seems right, but what if His whole purpose for that very thing is to be in our lives and in that be glorified? Even through the difficulty and it is difficult for us to understand that He wants to do this.

What are the things that we are still holding back that we are not willing to give to Him? Your marriage, your friends, your ministry, your talents or your child? There are many things that we still hold back. We may have said Lord, “I have given you this.” Having done the prayer and all the crying, but there is still that emotional attachment or something that desperately clings to it. Sometimes, what we hold onto is not necessarily the thing in itself, but what it means to us. If we had to let it go, what are we really letting go of? Are we letting go of being loved? Are we letting go of being understood, or our autonomy? There are so many things that we hold onto that is actually the real meaning behind our struggle to let go. You need to allow Father to show you what that is. David said, “All my springs are shut up in thee.” We hold on to these things because of emotional needs. To be loved, understood, considered and heard. He wants to address it. When the time comes, we will be stripped of all those things. Who will you be holding onto then? We need to be realistic of the hour we are in and let go of the things He requires of us. Our nature is of such, when we have an emotional void, we will look for the closest and fastest thing that we can put in that void to feel better. Sometimes food equals love or comfort, or a friend that never fails. Sometimes entertainment through movies fills that void of feeling so desperately alone. You need that so that you do not feel so alone. Sometimes friends also serve that purpose. You do not love your friends just because they are so loveable, but also what they bring to you. Now, is that really so wrong? No. All these things He has given us to beautify our lives. They are not a means to an end. They are what makes us our life, that is to bring us closer to Him and not to be used to comfort ourselves with it. Everything is for His glory. Whatever takes His place He is jealous over. He wants to be your comfort. When you are alone, He might have a purpose with that aloneness. It might be that He wants you to have a greater understanding of Him. Everything that we struggle with He identifies with as the Son of Man and as our High Priest. He wants us to come to Him and say, “Lord, that which I have been holding onto, wanting the love, protection and comfort from that, I have lied to myself. I am holding onto that because of what it means to me, but I want to hold onto You with my whole heart.” He is jealous over that and wants to be your spring. He wants to be your fountain of life that you drink from. He wants to give that to you in fullness and want His Spirit to flow in fulness through you. Anything that you hold onto that He cannot at any moment can take away or put back, He wants to deal with. The lesser has to make way for the greater. Sometimes what we hold onto may not seem as the lesser to us, but He wants to open our eyes to see. What are you forfeiting in the process by holding on to the lesser? You are forfeiting the greater.

I started the devotional with that we need to understand that there is a death that needs to take place to come into that secret place and receive a greater seeing of Him, a greater knowledge and understanding and revelation. Paul was praying for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the KNOWLEDGE OF HIM. There is no greater revelation than the knowledge of Christ. There is no greater revelation. It does not matter what we see in the spirit. Nothing can compare to the knowledge of Christ. Just like we said earlier that knowledge is an intimate knowing of Him. There is no greater revelation. He is wisdom. He is understanding and He is truth and reality. We crave reality and so He allows certain things to bring us to that reality. Christ is that reality.

I have learned in my walk with the Lord in the years that I have been serving Him, that He goes from the macro to the micro. From the big and most obvious things that we learn to give up, moving His focus to the very small and seemingly insignificant things. The big things we are prone to deal with first, but the small and insignificant thing we leave for last. Things as simple as what time you go to sleep. He wants your full attention the next morning and He has been speaking to you so many times about it. You choose what time you want to go sleep, because it is your time. Even though you have said you have given Him your time. But the next morning you cannot even think straight and He must work through all that fog to get to you. He needs you to be willing to lay it down. Maybe it is the way you eat, or what you eat, or how much you eat. Maybe it is what you watch. None of these things are necessarily sinful, but you indulge in them. We indulge in these things, because life is hard. Our Christian walk is very difficult and in fact, most of the time it is not easy. We want to comfort ourselves. There is a part in us that wants to hold onto that comfort and lift up our feet and breathe. I am aware that Yeshua did not have that. He did not have a moment where He could just lift up His feet and breathe, thinking, “I can do this and not consider what Father is requiring of me.” I thought of the righteous robe that Yeshua bled blood for in order to keep it righteous, to be that spotless sacrifice without blemish. The Word says that He fought against sin to the point of shedding blood. The thought that came to me was, “So should we.” We are supposed to fight against sin to the point of shedding blood. We are not to make any provision for the flesh. What area in your life are you making provision for the flesh? Sometimes we think that it is outright sin, but it is not. We make provision for the flesh by sparing the flesh as well. Peter, in John 6, says to Yeshua, “You are the Son of the Living God.” Yeshua says, “Man did not reveal this to you, but the Spirit of God.” Then later Yeshua tells them of how He will be crucified and Peter runs to Him and says, “Lord, spare yourself. Let this not be that you will have to go through this.” And Yeshua addresses him and says, “Satan, get behind me.” That speaks of the satanic spirit behind sparing ourselves the cross. We say to ourselves, “Spare yourself, let this not be. Let this not be that this journey must be so heavy. Let this not be that this journey must be with suffering. Let this not be that you have to give up your perfect sleep pattern, or your night time snack, or your coffee. “Let this not be! Spare yourself from the suffering.” But this is the lesser that the enemy is using in us to keep us from the greater, from the fulness He wants to bring us in to. The biggest mistake we can make is to take this lightly. The biggest mistake is to think that I am taking this too far and “this woman just wants to suffer.” The biggest mistake you can make is to think that the enemy thinks, “Oh well, I guess I lost to this one. She has given up so much. Let’s just give it up. She has given up her child, her husband or marriage, or ministry, she has given up all for God. We have lost with this one.” No. He will then go to the smaller things that are not necessarily sin that can be deemed as insignificant. It is just like a spider’s web. One little spider’s web spun is so thin and you can easily walk through it, but many can cause you to struggle, especially over your eyes. The point is, do not underestimate the small things that Father wants to address. It could be the very last thing that you need to address before He takes you into that fulness. He wants to. We use them as comfy blankets and comfort ourselves with it in the harshness of life. I do not want to belittle what anybody is going through. You do not know what I am going through on a daily basis. I do not dare to belittle anyone’s suffering. However, I know what He has called me to and that He has called me to great things. I know there is a price to pay. You need to ask yourself, “Am I willing to pay that price? Am I willing to do whatever it takes personally for Him to have His way in me and not use the things of this world to comfort the flesh?” How many times has He spoken to us where we commit to Him and say, “Yes Lord, I will not do that again.” We do not do it and we suffer the greater and better. Isaiah was hopeful with King Uzziah and he died. With that dying came the seeing of God, the way He truly is. With this devastation and seeing Him the way he truly is, comes the reality of who God is. Our ministering to people, our talking and living our life, cannot be greater than the revelation that we have of Him. It cannot be greater. I cannot ride on the coattails of those I have listened to before or the books I have read. I have to experience Him for myself. I cannot speak to you on the basis of everything I have read. That only forms part of my foundation, but it is not the whole. It is the knowledge of Him. If I cannot come and speak to you in the knowledge of how I know Him to be, speaking to you in that reality, I will not live greater than that reality. When we go out to minister to people who have been devastated, how will we then be able to minister to them if we have not met the God that devastates? If we are not willing for Him to reveal Himself to us. Maybe you have prayed that, “Lord, reveal yourself to me” and He has done it in such a way. Maybe you are asking, “Lord, why are you allowing all these things to happen?” To which He answers, “Did you not ask of Me patience? Did you not ask of Me understanding and wisdom?” The means by which He does this is up to Him and not up to us. This stripping can sometimes be seasonal or in an instance with a simple choice you make. Paul’s stripping of his Pharisaic garb he had on, speaks of the stripping of a dispensation. Maybe He is bringing you into a different part of your calling, but you have to strip yourself of the former. Maybe it is pet sins or indulgences and it can be done in an instance. He wants you to be willing and to make that choice.

The issue of God is the issue of reality. The fullness of Him can only be found in His presence. It is only in His presence. He devastates us, which throws us upon the Rock and causes us to seek His face and cry out like Isaiah, “Woe is me! I am undone. I am a man of unclean lips.” It is only when we recognize our true selves in His presence and He reveals Himself and come into the intimate knowledge of who He is, that like Isaiah, He can say to us, “Who can I send?” and we can say, “Lord, send me.” He has to bring you to that place of sending. It is not because you lift up your hand in class saying, “I know the answer!” No. He brings you to that place of sending and He does it through devastation. That devastation is not just seasonal as in once and for all. He brings it to you over and over again. Why? To a greater knowledge and revelation of Him. Paul is a good example of this with his eyes being opened and being able to reveal the Son of God to us through his many sufferings that he went through. Through all the flogging, shipwrecks, fasting in going hungry, not being looked after, fighting beasts and running for his life. Why did the Lord God allow this man, who did so much for the Kingdom, allow him to suffer so much? He made it clear. Without any suffering there cannot be any glory. You want the glory of the Holy Spirit to rest upon you, you will have to be willing to suffer. This is His way to prepare us for the time to come. There will be great suffering.

Our obedience does not determine the outcome. Sometimes we obey Him because He has asked us to do something. However, we obey Him because we want a determined outcome. But what if He decides that it is not the outcome He wants, but wishes for you to obey, to trust and obey? This is what sonship is. There is a difference between children of God and sons of God. A son speaks of inheritance. To come into inheritance there has to be a death. It speaks of coming into that place where you trust the One who tells you to obey irrespective of the outcome. The issue is not the outcome, the issue is the obedience. We are obedient unto death and out of death we are obedient. A good example of this is Yeshua that stripped Himself. Let’s read Philippians 2.

PHILIPPIANS 2

⁵Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

⁷But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

⁸And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

⁹Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

¹⁰That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

¹¹And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

¹²Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

¹³For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

His good pleasure, not your own. It was an obedience unto death. There was a rich young ruler that came to Yeshua and asked Him, “What must I do to be saved?” Yeshua said, “Do the commandments.” He told Yeshua that he is doing all the commandments already. To which Yeshua said, “Yes, but one thing you lack. Go and sell all that you have and give to the poor.” The young rich ruler turned around dejected and very sad. At first when we look at this example it is easy to look at our back account and think, “This is not applicable to me.” But what was exposed here was a disposition of the heart. It was not just the fact that a rich man would have difficulty coming into the Kingdom of God, which is true. It was a disposition of heart of holding on to that very last thing. Think of it. This young ruler did all the commandments and was exemplary in his way of life. However, there was that little bit that he was keeping back. How many of us can say to the Lord, “Lord, I have given you all this…” Naming it and being proud of our journey and grateful. Proud of how we have given to the Lord. But do you know what He sees? He sees the little leaven that leavens the whole lump. Think of Samuel. He was told to give instructions of the Lord to Saul, as the King, that he is to destroy all of the Amalekites when they go to war. They were to kill husband, wife, child and animals. I think even the gold was to be destroyed. Later on, we find that Samuel says, “What is this bleating of sheep that I hear?” Saul, cunning as he was, thought that it was best to spare the sheep in order to use it for an offering unto the Lord. What did Samuel say? He said, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” How many of us can name how much we have given to the Lord, but He is looking to us, saying, “But I still hear the bleating of the sheep in your life.” The disposition of the heart of this young ruler was exposed. He was still holding on. When I thought about all this, I thought of how easy it is when we have walked for many years with the Lord, to become comfortable in our Christianity. It is almost as if we do not carry a cross anymore. Almost as if it is light. Yes, His yoke is easy and His burden light, but make no mistake, that is not the cross. The cross is heavy. The cross has one purpose and that is to crucify. That is why Paul said, “I take my cross up daily.” Do you still take up your cross daily or is it just a saying? It is important that you ask yourself, “Is my Christianity comfortable? Is it a comfy blanket and I have grown so comfortable in my Christianity that I no longer offend anyone with the truth or are being persecuted by others?” Be aware of that comfortability. I have been reading a book of George MacDonald, called “Knowing the Heart of God” and it is about obedience. Let’s read a quote he made regarding this rich young ruler.

“The Lord wished to accomplish his purposes by the exercise of the young man’s will. That would indeed have been a victory for both! If only he could do as the Lord suggested, the youth would enter into freedom and life, delivered from the bondage of Mammon by the lovely will of the Lord in him, one with his own. By the putting forth of the divine energy in him, he would escape corruption that is in the world through lust – that is, the desire or pleasure of having.

But the young man would not. The price was too high, and he walked away sorrowfully.

Was the Lord then premature in his demand on the youth? Was he not ready for it? Was it meant only as a test, and not as an actual word of deliverance? Did he show the child a next step on the stair too high for him to set his foot upon?

I do not believe it. He gave him the very next lesson in the divine education for which he was ready. It was possible for him to respond, to give birth, by obedience, to the redeemed and redeeming will, and so be free. It was time the demand should be made upon him.

Do you say, “But he would not respond; he would not obey.”

Then it was time, I answer, that he should refuse. It was time he should know what manner of spirit he was of, and the confusions of soul, the sad searchings of heart that must follow.

A time comes to every man and woman when he must obey, or make such refusal –

and know it.”

This is what this refusal is about. Will you refuse Him again after listening or reading this devotional? Will you refuse Him again after He has been speaking to you so many times about the same thing over and over again? How long before it is too late? How long for the door of opportunity to close? He has waited patiently and is so long-suffering and He is talking to you now and requiring of you to let go in order to come into His fulness.

Peter was very brave in saying to the Lord, “Lord, even if it means my own death, I will follow You. I will never let you go.” The Lord told him that even in that same night he will hear the rooster crowing. How many of us say, “Lord, whatever it will take, I will follow you”, but we cannot leave the very things that I have spoken about here in this devotional. We do not hear the rooster crow in our lives. Just like Peter was devastated, He has to devastate us to see who we are and who He is. The same Peter who said, “You are the Son of the Living God”, knowing who he was. Merely being able to verbalize it does not make you a follower. Peter said, “I will follow you wherever you go” and the rooster was crowing. Is the rooster crowing in your life saying, “You call me Lord, Lord, but still, you do not obey Me.”?

Let’s read a 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul speaks to the extent he was going in buffeting his body.

1 CORINTHIANS 9

²⁴Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

²⁵And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

²⁶I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:

²⁷But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

Yeshua is waiting on us to cast it away. In Hebrews 12 it says that we are to strip off or cast away that very thing that causes us to trip in this race. Running the race with endurance by looking at the Author and Finisher of our race. We can almost see the finish line. We have an understanding that He is waiting at the finish line. However, He is also in the race with us. As a child we did long distance running. It is a battle of the mind. Your mind can override your body. Running a race, when someone runs in front of you, you try to stay in his stream line, because he is blocking the wind and you stay in the rhythm of his stride. You follow them. Yeshua is the Forerunner, the Author and Finisher of your race. He is the beginning, everything in between and the finisher of your race. He is right next to you. However, we still carry this flesh thing that we still hold on to. Yes, we have stripped ourselves, clothed in His robe of righteousness, but we are still holding onto the sleeve of the flesh. We are dragging it behind us, running this race and looking unto Jesus and He is saying, “I am waiting on you to let it go. I am waiting on you to let that sleeve go.” No longer hold on to the sleeve of flesh, even after you have stripped yourself from it. Let it go completely and stop dragging it around. We have to consider the investment the Lord God has made into our lives. We are His workmanship. What do you stand to forfeit if you do not let go? These small things that I am talking about! It is almost seems ridiculous. How can it be so weighty? But it is. This is the way the enemy works in our lives. We do not only stand to forfeit that which He has predestined for our lives. What He has predestined for our lives, influences the whole realm of eternity. Eternity does begin when He comes to fetch you and you die. Eternity starts now and we are living now in eternity. This life that we live are but a blip in the long circle of eternity. What you are about now has an eternal consequences. He uses all things and we need to be serious about it. Let’s read what John 15 says about obedience.

JOHN 15

⁹As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

¹⁰If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

¹¹These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

The reason why this scripture is so powerful, is because He is saying, “If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love just as I did when I kept My Father’s commandments. Do you want to experience My love? Do you want a revelation of My Father’s love and My love? Obey Me. That is the key. Obedience is the key to My love. I will reveal My love to you and you will abide in My love. You will make your constant abode in My love, a fixed tent in My love.” Then He says, “Your joy will be full and you know what? I will give you My joy.” What? Obedience is the key to God’s joy and the fulness thereof and His love? That is how important obedience is? A key this important! And we struggle with it and resist this love and joy He wants to give us. How foolish can we be? Wisdom calls loudly, “Come and hearken unto Me and get understanding.” But no, we do not listen, preferring our comforts and that which softens the blow of this life.

I am now going to quote Art Katz where he quotes Mohammed Ali training for his last heavy weight championship fight, preparing for this fight. We are now busy with our own last fight.

“Good intentions are not enough. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but God is looking towards people with an utterness towards God that will deny themselves and take up the cross and follow Him. I am quoting Mohammed Ali. He was preparing for his final heavy weight championship fight. You know when that fight was won? It was not won in the ring. It was won in the training. That man drove himself like a fury. Roadwork that was incessant. A 36-year-old body. The pain must have been excruciating, but he wanted to win so bad. This is what he said, “I wanted to stop, but I can’t. My chest burns, my throat is dry, I feel like I am going to faint. My body begs me to stop, but I make myself run another mile. Two more miles, up those hills. Pain all the time, I’m in pain. I hurt all over. I hate it, but I am taking it. I am making myself to suffer. I have to suffer. I know this is my last fight.” How many of us know that this is our last fight? That these are the end times and these are the last days and perilous times shall come? This is our last fight. How many of us know it as this boxer knew it? And that he had to suffer, because this is his last fight. Quoting again, “I know this is my last fight and it is the last time I ever have to do it. Just a few more weeks of pain and suffering and then to live good all the rest of my life, to always be champion. To always wear the crown. To come up to the King of glory and have a crown to lay at His feet. And not to come bareheaded without anything to show for your whole earthly sojourning. You mark my words. I cannot find any scripture to back me up. See if the crown of glory that a man has to lay before the feet of the Lord in the day that he ascends up to heaven, after his earthly sojourney is finished, whether it is not in the exact proportion to the crown of thorns he was willing to wear here on this earth. Suffering is the name of the game.”

2 PETER 1

²Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

³According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

⁵And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

⁶And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

⁷And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

⁸For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

¹⁰Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

¹¹For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

May this message from the Lord God spur you on to seek Him like never before in the Holy of Holies so that He may show you the sleeve that you are still holding onto in this race. So that you will strip yourself from it and run this race with endurance and fight against sin to the point of shedding blood, knowing that He is requiring of you to look to Him. Not to yourself, because He is your strength.

Amen.