The Old Man of the Mountain
by Roy Roden
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On
May 3rd early in the morning sometime before dawn, without a sound
or a witness, the forehead and nose of the Old Man of the Mountain crumbled
from its majestic height of 1,200 feet about The Old Man of the Mountain is located in |
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Unbeknown
to James Anderson and me, the image fell while we were in Colebrook New
Hampshire where we were to conduct a Father’s Heart Conference that day at
the River of Life Church. The small town of A New Creation in Christ The
Old Man of the Mountain represents our old man or sin nature that the Lord is
casting down in order to bring forth a new image – His. Prophetically,
mountains often represent governments. Who rules in our lives, our old man or
Christ? It was at Every journey has a place of beginnings.
For the believer the pathway to maturity in Christ begins at “In this was manifested the
love of God toward us, because God sent His only begotten Son in the world,
that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9). The apostle Paul recognized both the new
nature and the old sin nature that co-exist within him self and the struggle
between the two that he faced. How did he obtain the victory that enabled him
to preach with such power and authority with signs and wonders? He tells us
in Ro. 7:25 “I thank God through Christ
our Lord…” Jesus is our victory for He nailed our
sins and the curse of sin to the cross that we may have His holiness and
righteousness. There is therefore now
no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit (Ro. 8:1).
As we deny the old man daily and take up up our cross and follow
Christ, we will be empowered by Him. Jesus not only came to give us eternal
life, but power over the curse of sin in this life. “Giving thanks unto the
Father, who has made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light. Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us
into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:12- 13). In
every Kingdom there is a king. In the Our Inheritance in Christ Christ crucified the old man with Him at the
cross that we might be restored to our rightful inheritance – abiding in
God’s presence. Mankind was created in the likeness and image of God to
reflect His divine nature, wisdom and glory. Just as a lake mirrors the image
of the sky on a clear day, mankind was created to reflect the pure image of
God. Adam not only walked in the presence of God, but was created to partaker
of the divine nature of God’s holiness, righteousness, splendor and majestic
beauty. God created mankind to share His glory with Him. Because of sin that entered the world
through Adam’s disobedience, mankind lost the true image of God that he was
created to bear. Jesus - the second Adam, through His obedience went to
Calvary to restore us back to Adam walked before the presence of God.
The beauty of our salvation is that we are not only been restored back to What is the inheritance of the saints? As
joint heirs with Jesus, it is to know the riches of His glory to be revealed
in you and through you. Jesus said I have come that they might have life and
have it more abundantly. It is out of His life that we are empowered to do
the works that He did that demonstrated the Maturing into Christ Maturing into Christ that bears His image
is a process. At the time of our salvation, we proceed from the cross to the
tomb where we deny ourselves to be buried in Christ. Our call is to enter
into the presence of God and abide in Him. In order to abide in Him, we must
learn to come to Him and dwell in His presence on a continual basis. To abide
in Christ is a position where we remain in His presence. It is here that we
are filled with His glory Spirit where we become one with the Father and His
Son. Our ultimate call is to lay our
lives down in Christ being filled with His divine love to walk in
Kingdom power and authority. When we arrive at this stage as joint heirs with
Jesus we can say as the apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ: and it
is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now
live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and
delivered Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20).
For in Him we live, and move, and have our being…” (Acts 17:28) Seek His Face King David was man called by God as a man
after His own heart. David was not perfect for he committed some horrendous
sins, such as murder and adultery. It was not his holiness however that God
was referring to when He said that David was a man after His own heart, but
the fact that David sought to know God’s heart. David sought to know God’s
heart, not merely His hands but His face, knowing that in seeing the Lord He
would have an understanding of God’s heart that would changed him into the
same image. When the Lord asked him to seek His face, David responded by
saying, “Thy face Oh Lord will I
seek” (Ps. 27:8) “As for me, I will behold your face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake,
with your likeness” (Ps. The church in the book of Acts was filled
with spiritual vitality, anointing and power by a people who demonstrated the
The consequence of apostasy is the lack of
power to raise the dead, heal the sick, and minister the gospel with signs
and wonders. Instead of intimacy with God, the church has substituted His
presence with religious programs and activities. In order to dwell in God’s presence, we
must daily seek His face. If we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. It
will be the nearness of His presence as we see His face that will restore to
the church the true image of Christ and her rightful inheritance as joint
heirs with Jesus. It will be from this place of intimacy in Christ that the
church will once again rise in resurrection power that bears the glorious
image of God as well as to minister the anointing with Kingdom power and
authority. In His Image The Old Man of the Mountain had a face
lift supported by a system of cables. In order to exist, that which is
birthed from the minds of men, the programs and activities that are called
ministries will always need to be maintained and supported by the efforts and
strength of men. But that which is of the Spirit that originates from the
heart of God, will not only reflect His image that reveals His power and
authority, but will be renewed by the life of the Spirit, for the things of
God are life giving “Who has made us
able ministers…of the Spirit: for the letter kills but the Spirit gives life”
(2 Cor. 3:6). Only the Holy Spirit begets that which is
Spirit that has true life and power. Instead of draining men of their time
and energy that causes burnout, the ministries of God will renew and
energizes them by the life that is in His Spirit. Those who carry His burden that is easy and
His yoke which is light will receive the life of all creation that sustains
them. Jesus did not create or carry out programs and activities, nor did He
seek to meet the needs of the people. He preached the message of the good
news of the Kingdom and raised the dead, healed the sick and set the captives
free. We are called to do the same. Jesus said that greater works will you do
by the power of the Holy Spirit “For He
dwells with you and shall be in you” (John “…
Seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him” (Col. 3:9, 10, See also Ro. 6:6 &
Eph How do we put off
the Old Man? By putting on the new man that is renewed in the knowledge of
our creator. Bearing the image of God
cannot be obtained by imitating Christ, obeying the law to the letter, or
following the principles of God’s word. The knowledge of His image is
revealed to us by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Nor does the true knowledge of His image come to us by a
theological disposition of God or the greatest sermon on earth about God’s
image; it comes by experiencing the Lord personally for ourselves. It is only
by spending time with the Lord in His presence that we can hear His voice and
experience His heart to know the truth that makes men free. If you want to
know who Christ is and be renewed in the knowledge of Him where there is
life, you must spend time with Christ.
Unfortunately, the precepts of men that has been taught as truth, has
distorted the churches concept of God’s image. All too often our image of God
is based upon our religious training, ideals and concepts, rather than a true
revelation of God. As
we come to the Lord daily, He will enlighten our eyes in the knowledge of Him
that we may know Him in Spirit and in Truth. We must become better acquainted
with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who will lead us into all truth –
Jesus Christ. It is in the face of Jesus as we behold Him, that we will see
the truth that reveals the glory of God. “For
God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6). The
Holy Spirit will reveal Christ to us and it is the joy of Christ to reveal
the glory of the Father to us. As we see His face, we will come to the true
knowledge of His image as we gaze upon His eternal splendor and majestic
beauty. This is the knowledge, the
truth that sets men free and renews us in the life of Christ as we partake of
His wisdom, understanding, holiness and righteousness. This is the true
knowledge that transforms the heart of mankind by the work of the Holy Spirit
for His divine nature and image to be revealed in us. Beholding and Changing Principle Jesus said that where our hearts are,
there we will be also. We are changed into that which we are beholding. If we
are beholding sin, we will be changed into the same image. The eye is the
gateway to the soul. If our eye is single and we are beholding God’s glory,
He will pour His Spirit into our soul and we will be filled with and changed
into the very same image. This has been called the “Beholding and changing
principle. ” 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” (2nd Cor. 3:18). For
example, if you marinate (soak) a piece of meat in sauce, over time it will
deeply absorb the sauce and take on the same flavor. Our souls are made to
absorb and reflect the divine nature of God. If we are beholding sin and
entertaining violence, lust, fear and other lewd acts, over time we will be
changed into the same image. The power of temptation is that it appeals to
the lust of our old man nature. Our adversary knows the power of this who
seeks to continually bombard the human soul with his deception through the
guise of “entertainment” that comes to the public by way of video, computer,
radio, television and the theatre industry. As we soak in the presence of
“entertainment” in time we will take on the same flavor as it penetrates deep
into our hearts. This is also true of the nature of the religious
spirit. Likewise, if our eye is single and our
focus is on the Lord, we will be filled with His glorious life where our
souls rejoice being truly free from sin and its addiction, being satisfied by
the pleasures of knowing the Lord. There is nothing more captivating,
desirable, fulfilling and wonderful than the Lord! You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of
joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Ps. The church is not meant to compete with the
world to provide entertainment as the best church entertainment cannot
compete with the world, nor does the church have the calling and grace to do
so. The church is called to be the habitation for the Spirit of the Lord.
(Eph. 2:22) Instead of creating
exciting new programs, seeking the best speakers or ways to entertain that
will draw more people to the church; we should seek for the Lord’s abiding
presence where His people will be drawn to come to church to partake of His
life. The
Lord is seeking those who will follow Him because of their love for Him and
His truth, not just his glory and power. Do not seek the glory of God but the
Lord Himself because of your love for Him, and then you will see His glory.
It is here in the light of His presence that His glory will transform you
into His image. It will be those who live for the Lord walking in humility
and obedience, allowing the Lord to mold them into His image that will be
entrusted with His glory. Being changed into God’s image is a process that we
go through in order to go from glory to glory, but one that is well worth it!
As the apostle Paul so eloquently stated, if Moses of the Old Testament wore
the visible glory of God upon His face, how much glorious will it not be for
those who walk in the fullness of the New Testament Covenant? With an Unveiled Face It is by beholding the
glory of God that we are changed into the same image to become bearers of His
glory. If we wish to have the Lord’s
image, we must behold His Glory with an “unveiled face.” If we are beholding
the Lord through our religious concepts, personal opinions and theology, we
will see a distorted image of Him and will be changed into the very same
image as we perceive Him to be. Because of the false images of God that
prevail in the church, there are many veils that exist that have distorted
the churches vision of Christ and who she is called to be. The church is in need of clear vision and
inner healing. Many are suffering from wounds because of rejection, division,
past failures, gossip and slander that breeds un forgiveness, bitterness,
strife, and discord among the brethren. Unhealed wounds cripple our ability
to move forward in faith and darken our perspective just a little bit more.
If not healed, wounds can become veils that cloud our vision of one another
and the love of God. The remedy for
healing is to behold the love of God and to love others with His love. We see
the love of God revealed in Jesus when he asked the Father on behalf of those
who brutally tortured Him and marred His image beyond recognition to “Forgive them, for they know not what they
do.” We are to do the same- forgive. If we wish to have His likeness, then
we must also have His heart for others and speak words that have life – His
life! Unmasking the Religious
Spirit The falling away of the face of
the Old Man of the mountain prophetically not only means that the
Lord is dealing with the sin nature of the old man in our lives, but the
nature of the religious spirit that appeals to the fallen nature of the old
man. A religious spirit is a counterfeit spirit that appears to have the
image and likeness of Christ, but does not have His divine nature, power and
glory. The religious spirit appeals to and is embraced by our "old
man nature” which cleverly masquerades as the Holy Spirit. Its power is in
its appeal to the pride, self righteousness, intellect and emotion of
mankind. The Holy Spirit will always reveal Christ and the truth that speaks
to men’s heart that sets them free. The religious spirit appeals to the
intellect and emotions of the old man nature in the form of “spirituality.” Much
of religion today is based on intellectual reasoning and mans understanding
of the scriptures (doctrines of men) that eclipse God given inspiration and
revelation that is revealed to the Church by the Spirit of truth. The purpose of the religious spirit is to
reveal how men can satisfy God by their good works, but Jesus reveals how God
justifies men by His grace that is to be revealed in them. As the church
beholds God’s face and His true image is revealed that has His life, the
religious image the church has embraced for centuries will be unmasked and
cast down. Many Christians believe they are spiritual but in spiritual
reality are walking after a false concept and image perceived in their minds
that did not originate from the Lord Himself. One of the most powerful strongholds is
that of the mind. It is said that the main principality that rules over His Truth The New Testament Covenant is that of the
heart, not of the mind, for it is with the heart that man believes unto
righteousness. Jesus said that His
words are spirit and they are life. It
is the Spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). Jesus said that our words profit nothing, but His words are
given by the Spirit that has His life. (Jesus is the life of all creation.)
When we hear His voice, we receive not only the life that is in His words,
but the truth that makes men free. We cannot properly engage with God to know
the truth until we do so with our hearts. Those who love God with a burning
passion for truth will have a strong distaste for the religious spirit and
traditions of men as they are repelled by the appeal it has to the flesh.
(Such as spiritual pride, vain imaginations, false doctrines, etc.) They are
seekers of life – His life! Jesus
is the Word of God who is a person. When you hear the truth, you are hearing
the Lord Himself“…as the truth is in
Jesus” (Eph. We must learn to go from hearing the words
that others speak, to hearing the Word Himself. We must therefore learn to
hear His voice in order to receive His words that are spirit that have His
life. His truth not only has His life, but a cleansing power that renews and
refreshes our soul by the Spirit of God. This is the power of anointed truth
that Jesus said His words have that has the power to cleanse our soul “Now you are cleaned by the word that I
have spoken unto you” (John 15:3).
When you hear the anointed word that comes
from the heart of God, it will have a cleansing effect that renews the spirit
of your mind and heart that leaves you feeling spiritual refreshed. Your mind
will become clear and sharp as your emotions become alive with His love,
peace and joy. Healing and deliverance takes place as the results of God’s
anointed word. Anyone who engages with God with an open heart will not only
be touched by the living presence of God but changed by the working of His
Spirit that transforms the hearts. As your heart and mind receives the truth
that is in Jesus, His truth becomes the foundation for your life and
understanding. Because of the wonderful life that is in His word, you will
soon become addicted to hearing only His words. This is where a deep love and
appreciation for the truth, who is Jesus the Word of God, is developed in our
heart. The Glory of His Presence In
the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant represented the Covenant that God
made with His people. It was placed in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle
of Moses and later moved to the It
will be the nearness of God’s presence that will greatly encourage God’s
people to arise with boldness to be the evangelistic force she is called to
be. It is the nearness of His presence that brings health and healing and
prosperity to His people. It is also the nearness of His presence that false
gods and images have to fall down before Him. We see this taking place in 1
Samuel 5:1-5. During a battle with “Dagon
was fallen upon his face to the earth before the False gods, idols and images cannot stand
before the presence of the Lord! In His presence they will all fall before
Him for He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. All power has been given to
Christ in heaven and in earth. It will be the nearness of God’s presence in
our lives that will cast down the idols and false images that exist in the
church and the world today. Not only will the false images and idols fall
before Him, but like Dagon and Goliath, when we enthrone Christ in our lives,
heads will roll! Our God is a zealous God who has set
Christ as the head of the church “And has put all things
under His feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church”
Which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all” (Eph. God is casting
down the religious images and idols that have ruled over the Church to reveal
His true image and divine nature in His people that will mirror His likeness.
All power has been given to Christ in heaven and in earth, who sits at the
right hand of God far above all principalities and powers. As the head of the
church, Christ has put all things under His feet. We are the body of Christ.
Since Christ is our head and we are His body, all things are put under our
feet in Christ. Instead of seeking ways to draw more people to
church, have better programs and provide more activities, we should seek for
the nearness of His presence for His glory to abide upon the church. When
Christ is truly made the head of the church and His members are joined to Him
properly, there is no power in heaven or hell that can prevail over the
church because of the nearness of His presence. Before Christ comes for the church, He is
coming to His church. A cleansing is coming by His fire that will consume
every idol and image that is made by the hands of men. In its place will be
the living presence of God. It will also be His presence of glory that arises
upon His people, who have the heart of the Father, and His love that will
cast down the religious mindsets of the church and false images that rule the
mind. In its place will be His truth established in the hearts of men where
His living word dwells for Jesus is the Word of God who lives in His
people. Judge Me Oh
Lord No
one can change you into the image of God except God. You can follow all the
principles of God’s word, His commandments and the regulations set forth by
the church all that you want, but you will only become frustrated and
unfulfilled. This form of godliness will only lead to self- righteousness and
spiritual pride. Those who attain unto God’s holiness and righteousness do so
because their focus is upon a person –Jesus Christ, not the law. If you are
willing to be molded into His image, He will do this for you. It is God’s
grace for we are His workmanship. We can judge ourselves, but the wise will
ask the Lord to do this for them, just as King David did. Judge
me, O Lord; for I have walked in my own integrity: …Examine me, O Lord, and
prove me; try the reins of my heart. For your loving kindness is before my
eyes: and I have walked in your truth (Ps. 26:1-3). Many times I have bowed my knees and asked
the Lord to judge me. Each time His fire fell upon me where my faults were
revealed in the light of His presence. In each case the Lord not only
cleansed me, but filled with His sweet presence. Every place in our lives
that is purged by His Holy Spirit is to be replaced with His divine nature
until our whole being reflects His glory. This is how we go from “glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the
Lord” (2 Cor. We Are His
workmanship For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
has before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph. We are the workmanship of God created in Christ unto good works. (Eph.
2:10) We cannot transform ourselves
into who we should be, as the transformation of our lives into His image is
the work of the Holy Spirit. We must trust the Lord to do this for us, for
the inward man can only be renewed in the knowledge of God by God. It is His
truth that makes men free. It is in the light of His image as we see who He
is, that the deception and darkness of our soul is not only revealed to us,
but light and love will transforms us.
In
the light of His presence all that is in us is revealed. This is where the
power of true conviction lies –seeing who He is in light of who we are. God
will not only reveal where we need to change, but the revelation of the image
that we are being changed into – His image. In order to turn away from
something, we need to know the direction we are turning too. As we walk in
the light as He is the light, we will see the pathway to His glory. As King David proclaimed, “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). (They did not have a copy of the bible
in those days, but David knew His voice) As we embrace the work of the Holy Spirit in
our lives and repent for our sins, His light will impart to us the very same
divine nature of God that was revealed to us. This is where the real change
takes place in our lives – within our hearts. God is building His Kingdom in
the hearts of men by the revelation of His truth that is revealed to men’s
hearts. The
Holy Spirit will not only cleanse us from all unrighteousness by the blood of
Jesus, but He will impute His righteousness to us in every area that is
cleansed. The righteousness of God, like our salvation, is the grace of God
freely bestowed upon us that is obtained through Christ. “And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of
the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith” (Ph. 3:9). God not only wants to remove the
issues of the old man in our lives, but replace it with His divine nature
that has His life. Every lie and deception that is revealed and cleansed is
to be replaced with His truth. As we embrace and walk out that which He has
revealed to us, His ways become our ways. This doesn’t mean that we are not
to correct bad behavior or doctrine, but that God deals with the heart, not
our minds. What God changes on the inside will become visible in our daily
walk as our character is anointed with His divine nature until we manifest
the sweet aroma of the manifest presence of God. Refiners Fire One
way the Lord paves the way for His glory to be revealed, is by refining the
hearts of His people. Many are experiencing the refiner’s
fire to remove the dross to become pure in heart that will
reflect His divine nature. His glory is not only to rest upon His people
where it is visibly seen, but His glory is to be revealed through His
people. The glory of God that is
revealed through His people shines through His divine nature. The divine
nature of God is the essence of God and therefore God’s glory is also
revealed through His divine nature that is formed in His people. Instead of
blaming your neighbor, Satan and the church for your difficulties, look at
each trial and tribulation, every circumstance and situation as your golden
opportunity to be changed into His likeness and image. It may be that the very mountain that you
perceive to be the obstacle in your pathway actually lies within you. The
Lord will “unearth” anything in our soul that needs to be uncovered so that
we can deal with it. This may mean going through the fire in order to bring
the dross to the surface. Dross is the
impure substance embedded in metal that will rise to the surface when heated
where it can be skimmed off the top surface. We are called to judge
ourselves, but if we do not do this, the Lord will do it for us. Whom the
Lord loves, He chastens. The Lord is going to return for His bride that is
without spot or wrinkle. But before He comes for His church, He is coming to
be revealed in and through His church that the scripture might be fulfilled “The glory of this latter house shall be
greater than the former…” (Hag. 2:9).
Presently, the Lord is taking many through a
grooming process to enter into a higher purpose for which they have been
prepared. Although they have not yet come into the fullness of their divine
purpose, their vision and destiny is becoming clearer. The Lord desires to
use all those who have a heart to fulfill His purposes in a profound way that
will give rise to the testimony of the resurrection of Jesus with signs and
wonders following. However, the old customs and mindsets that have been
embraced in the past will not accommodate the higher purposes of God. God is
cleansing the old concepts and mindsets by the revelation of His truth that
makes men free. I Am the Vine To prepare for more of His
divine nature that releases His glory, the Lord is doing a purging and
pruning work in the lives of His people to bring forth eternal fruit as well
as to prepare a people to work in the vineyard during the coming
harvest. The Lord allows our lives to
be purged and pruned by our heavenly Father that we may bear His fruit. Jesus
tells us that He is the vine and that our heavenly Father is the husbandman.
Every branch that does not bear fruit, our Heavenly Father takes away and
every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it that it may bear more fruit-
eternal fruit. Jesus gave us the
pathway to bearing eternal fruit when He said “Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself…”
(See John 15:1-3). How do we
abide in God that bears eternal fruit? We know that we abide in god when we
abide in His love “For God is
love and He who abides in love abides in God and God in Him” (1 John When you abide in Gods love serving Him according to His will because
of your love for Him, you will bear His fruit that touches the lives of
others with His life. Those who love
the Lord will draw near to Him where His heart is revealed to them. It is
here in the nearness of His presence that we learn to love others with His
love and serve with His heart. Not only are we to know His heartbeat and His thoughts that
they may become our own, but we do all things with the purity of His heart
that works by love. New England- A Mainspring of
Life At our March 2003 “Life in the
Spirit" Conference held in The soil of We
have also begun a season of “New Beginnings” where the Lord is restoring the
prophetic ministry back to And it shall come to pass in the last
days, says God; I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons
and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and
your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I
will pour out in those days of My Spirit and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:17,
18). Sons of God Because of the vast amount of granite in
the state of “As God has said, I will dwell in them and
walk in them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people… And
I will be a Father unto you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the
Lord Almighty. (2 Cor. 6:16, 18). Being sons and daughters of God is our positional inheritance
in Christ. We are the temple for the Spirit of the living God, who dwells in
us and walks in us. As sons and daughters of God, we are not only joint heirs
with Jesus, but we are called to live in our Father’s presence that we may
know and partake of His great love. Our heavenly Father wants to be a father
to His own people. It is a relationship between heaven and earth that works
by love. The Father’s Heart There
is coming a clear and powerful revelation of the Fathers heart to His people.
The perfect revelation of the Father’s Heart that was revealed on earth was
through the ministry of Jesus. Jesus said that He and the Father are one. To
see Jesus is to see the Father at work through Jesus that revealed by the
Father’s heart. He spoke the words that the Father gave to Him and He did the
works He saw the Father doing. When Jesus healed the sick, this was the love,
mercy and compassion of the Father’s heart being revealed for the sick. When
Jesus healed the lame, raised the dead and gave sight to the blind, it was a
revelation of the Father’s heart for the world. The ultimate revelation of God’s
heart was seen by the sacrifice of Jesus upon the cross for our sins, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
(John 3:16). It
is because of His great love for the world that God sacrificed His own Son to
redeem the world. If God sent His own Son to die for you, He will not
withhold anything that is of eternal value from you- including His glory. “He that spared not His own Son, but
delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us
all things? (Ro. 8:32). The
highest calling of the church is to become one with the Father to do the
works that Jesus did, that is to reveal the Father’s Heart. Jesus said
greater works will we do because of the gift of the Holy Spirit that He has
sent to dwell in us. It is not His works that we are to seek, but His heart.
The scriptures does not say that God is about love, but that He is love “…For God is love” (1 John 4:8). Because we have His Spirit within us, we
also have His love, for the love is the divine essence and nature of
God. Jesus is our model of how to give our lives
as a sacrificial offering to God as we serve with His love, doing the works
that we see the Father doing, speaking the words that the Father gives us to
speak. As we walk in His love and serve with His heart, the Holy Spirit will
be revealed in our lives and His works will follow for the world to see that
reveals the Father’s heart. As we become one with the Father, speaking the
words He gives to us, doing the works that we see Him doing, His works will
follow thus revealing the Father’s heart by His works. We therefore need to learn how to abide in
God who is love and walk in His love that reveals His heart. It is here in
His presence that works by love that we become one with God. As we dwell in
His love His power is released in us to do the works that Jesus Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works
in us (Eph. 3:19). When
we see the Father’s heart we will behold the truth that makes men free. Not
only free from deception, but the Lord will give us a new heart - His heart.
This is the New Testament Covenant “A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put in you...” (Ez
36:26). What a wonderful gift we have received from the Father- His own
heart! For those who love the heart of God, they will find a resting place in
the heart of God. As His heart becomes our heart, a burning flame of love
will be present in our inner most being. The heart is the seat of our soul
where the burning flame of the love of God is to shine. The revelation of the Father’s Heart may
come to the church as He pours out His glory where His people will experience
His love or by His ministers of fire who are abiding in His presence
imparting His love. But most likely the revelation of God’s heart will come
by a combination of both, especially as evil increases upon the earth. As His
people see His heart and know His love, they will be changed by His love.
Many of these will become burning bushes, like the bush aflame with God’s
glory as Moses saw, vessels of fire whom the Lord will speak through. Our Father’s Love There is a revelation of the Father’s love
for His people coming to the church that will sweep across this nation like
fire that will ignite the church with a fresh passionate love for Jesus. The church will not only experience
His great love, but will be transformed by His love. As His people begin to
understand His love and how He sees them, the old concepts and mindsets of
religion will give way to a living relationship. The falling away of the Old
Man's face spoke highly to me that the main way the religious spirit will
be cast down as well as renewal and rival to take place in the church, is by
a fresh revelation of His the Father's Heart for His people. As the church
receives the revelation of the Father’s heart and abides in His love, His
glory will rest upon them. And we have
known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that
dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him (1 John When we dwell in God’s love,
we will dwell in the presence of God. As we draw near to His heart and lay
our heads upon his bosom like the apostle John, we will hear His heartbeat.
As we embrace His heartbeat and let it become our own, we will move in union
with perfect harmony and in rhythm with His being. Our quest is not only to
abide in the love of God, but to dwell in His heart. At the Father’s Heart conference held at
the River of Life church the weekend the Old Man’s image fell, we briefly
taught on and imparted to the people the Father’s heart, His love, how to walk
in love, abide in love and minister His Spirit that works by love. It is
God’s heart to reveal His love. Throughout the conference there was a
wonderful prevailing presence of the Father’s love. I believe it will be the
knowledge of the Father's Heart that will not only cause the image of the old
man to fall, but will transform His people into His image that works by love.
Those who experience His love will have a passionate heart to know Him and
will draw near to Him where they will go from glory to glory by the
revelation of His glory. The
Father longs to embrace His people with a kiss that they may know His great
love and the secrets of His heart that will reveal His glory. It will be His
glorious presence revealed through His people who are abiding in His love
that will prevail against the coming onslaught of darkness upon the earth.
Those who know and abide in God’s love will unleash a powerful weapon that
will far surpass anything known in the history of the church. That weapon is
the Father’s love for love never fails. They will overcome evil with good and
thus demonstrate that God’s love never fails. There is life in God’s love for
love is the divine nature of God and His power is released through His love
with signs and wonders. The release of God’s power will be trusted to those
who love with His love and serve with His heart. A Consuming Fire in God
is raising up a people who are fiery bearers of His glory holding forth the
flame of His love that will ignite His people with a passion for His
presence! I have seen visions of fire breaking out in The
fire that erupts around them will be a direct result of their close
relationship with God. Someone on fire for the Lord is contagious. As they
walk in His presence, the Lord will ignite the hearts of those around them
until they too become passionate lovers of God. As they come into the
knowledge of His glory, their hearts will become filled with His love until
they too become a burning flame filled with His living presence. It only takes
a spark for dry kindling wood to catch on fire! Come
Away The Groom
(Jesus) is calling His bride (the church) to come away to be with Him for
fellowship and intimacy. Christians are experiencing a ravaging hunger to be
in the presence of the Lord. The Lord has placed this hunger in their heart
to draw them close to Him where they will be satisfied to overflowing with
His love. The Lord not only wants you to come and dine with Him to taste and
see that He is good, but to commit spiritual gluttony to be filled to
overflowing with the bread of life. Jesus is calling His bride to come away
to be with Him where He will satisfy the deepest longing of her heart with
Himself as expressed in the Song of Solomon chapter 2. "My beloved spoke, and said unto me, Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away. (11) For lo, the winter is past and the season of rain is
over. (12) The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds
is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land. (13) The fig
tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape, give a
good smell. Arise my love, my fair one, and come away." We have just experienced a long cold winter
on the East Coast. The word for this season is that winter is over and the
Lord is placing a new song in our hearts, a song of praise to the Lord. (Ps.
40:3) As the flowers appear on the earth and you hear the song of the birds
this spring, arise and come away to be with the Lord. Rejoice with
thanksgiving and give praise to the Lord for He has wonderful plans for you
because of His great love for you. For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord. plans for your 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. And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me
with all of your hearts. (Jer. 29:11-13). The Call It is the purpose of God for His glory to
arise upon His people until they shine with His glory as the noon day Sun. It
will be a people who seek His face that will not only find Him, but will become
transformed into His image as they behold His glory. These will become
bearers of His glory being ignited with a passion for His presence. A
revelation of the Father’s heart and His great love is coming to His people
that will not only transform them by His love, but change their image into
His likeness. They will arise as living torches burning with His presence,
their hearts being inflamed with His love. As they go forward in the boldness
of His presence, they will ignite the sparks of revival around them, they
Lord working with them fanning the flames until the sparks of the church
becomes a ragging bonfire bursting aflame with His glory. I believe that this will lead to an
outpouring of God’s Spirit upon the church.
There is a new day of Pentecost coming that will baptize every
believer with the fire of God with the results of prophecy, visions and
dreams. This will become a movement that will not only increase in waves that
will effect every denomination and affiliation, but produce a global
harvest. In preparation, there is a purging and
pruning work taking place in His people to anoint their character with His
divine nature, where His glory will not only be seen upon them, but revealed
through them. Proverbs 4:18 states, “But
the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn that shines brighter and
brighter until the full day.” The pathway of the righteous leads to an
ever increasing light that shines brighter each day as they go from glory to
glory. It will be a people who have His divine nature that will reveal His
glory through them that will be able to carry the glory of God forward with
integrity because of their maturity. The call today is to; “Arise and shine; for your light is come,
and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you” (Is. 60:1).
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