Brothers, our desire to purify ourselves can only be realized if we stay in His presence. The story of these individuals in John 8 shows us what can happen when the present of the Lord reveals sin in our hearts. Option one- we stay near the Lord and our sin leaves (the woman). Option two – we leave the presence of the Lord and keep our sin (the men). Option three – the Lord leaves (Sorry, not applicable to this, or any other, story!)
By Andy Smith
To View the Entire Article, Click Here
To Download the Entire Article Directly to Your Computer, Click Here
To View the Outline, Click Here
To View the PowerPoint, Click Here
Take unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh…
Exodus 30:23
The King James Version identifies the myrrh as pure. My friend, purity is not, never was, nor will it ever be, an optional feature. This is not a sports car or luxury sedan we’re talking about! There is no options package in the anointing. We don’t get to keep the color and charge the tire size or skip the floor mats in lieu of the gold trim package. Of the principal spices listed, the principal spice was commanded to be pure. In the plan of God, there is no acceptable option.
Without purity, the other three ingredients will be fouled and tainted. We must understand that even though the most refreshing water, when poured through a rusty strainer, becomes polluted. This is just the way it is. The application of this is tremendous for the person who understands and recognizes the need for and the operation of the Holy Spirit in these last days.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to change our world, but even the power of the Almighty can be virtually sabotaged if our impurities are in the way. The Living Water that flows form our person (John 4:10, 7:38) is the Holy Spirit and this Spirit of God is as pure as it gets. My warning shot over your bow is to take heed that even the Spirit of God will appear fouled and polluted if we, as the vessels, are polluted by impurity! We are the literal vessels through which the Spirit operates. His Spirit changes us by flowing into us and He changes other by flowing out of us. With this concept as the premise, let me draw you a word picture. Imagine that a wire screen covers the perimeter of your chest. It is almost like an exoskeleton or a second skin that surrounds your torso. Everything that enters into your “heart” passes through this screen. Likewise, everything that comes out of your “heart” passes through the same wire mesh. If you are a man that is walking with Chris and involved in His work, the paramount question is not about whether the Holy Spirit will flow in and out of your vessel. The paramount question and ultimate concern is “what is the condition of my screen?” Is it glistening and clean or is it spotted and rusty? In the final analysis, the condition of the screen determines the perceived purity of what we receive and the projected purity of what we give. The Holy Spirit, as I stated earlier, is pure and wholesome. That is not the problem. The problem lies in the fact that our “screens” can become rusty and these impurities will be passed on in our witnessing, our family relationships, and our ministry. In other words, the operation of the Holy Spirit that flows from us will be bitter to the taste and difficult for others to swallow. We, not the unchurched, will be the hindrance to the operation of God. We will stain and leave an unholy residue on the lives of the men and women we touch. Likewise, the Spirit’s voice will speak to our human spirit and, being interpreted through our fouled screen, will likely agitate and aggravate us. The move of the Spirit that should refresh our souls will leave us with a bitter aftertaste and we will not experience the refreshing that He intended. In both scenarios, our tendency would be to blame the Product when the problem is in the vessel. We will get mad at God when the problem is in us. We lack purity and that taints all that we say or do. This realization should make us want to pause and pray. In fact, when you feel prompted to pray or repent while reading this book or any other, please respond to the voice of our Savior.
To View the Entire Article, Click Here
To Download the Entire Article Directly to Your Computer, Click Here
To View the Outline, Click Here
To View the PowerPoint, Click Here
