Are We Ready for The FIRE?
by Pam Worsey
All over Wales, as the spiritual temperature is rising, there is a sense of increasing excitement. Prophecies about imminent revival abound and we hear particularly, reference to the one concerning the Welsh Revival that is coming, as being like untameable 'wildfire'.
God knows, we need a mighty move of His Blessed Holy Spirit among us to breathe fresh life into His Church and this land, but.....…. are we ready, or will God coming among us in great Power and Glory catch us totally unprepared, though we will probably be thinking that we are more than ready to meet with God in a new way.
To state the very obvious, fire burns, sears and cleanses all in its path, so as we pray the words at the end of Psalm 139, "Search me O God and know my heart.....see if there is an offensive way in me" are we really prepared for God to do this? Or are these just oft quoted words, which trip easily off the tongue and make us sound very spiritual. God is calling His Church, all over the world, to walk in Purity and Holiness. His Holy Fire is coming to purge, in preparation for the works that He would do through us, in the days to come, to reveal Jesus in a fresh way through His Body to this desperately needy world. Lord, we pray that You will find us co-operative, ready and willing.
He sometimes has to come to us in gentle, or even stern rebuke, but our Lord follows up with His own words of reassuring and encouraging love, "Do not be afraid little flock, for Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the Kingdom." (Luke 12:32). What tenderness, what compassionate understanding from the Lord of all Glory, before Whom we just bow in total allegiance, and say in the words of the old hymn, 'Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way, Thou art the Potter, I am the clay; make me and mould me after Thy will, while I am waiting, yielded and still'........ but....are we yielded, are we still? Still, long enough from the hurly-burly of religious activities and meetings to hear that still, small Voice speaking,... just to....me. Yielded to the uttermost, so that whatever life brings, knowing it can only come as God allows, we can truly offer up a sacrifice of praise, trusting as little children as we rest in the Everlasting Arms.
So how can we co-operate with this Divine Fire which even now is licking at our heels? For some who have really been through refining recently, it seems more like a furnace experience. When we are fully on the altar, Jesus can truly be revealed through us. But how did He function as He walked this earth? In John 5:19, He tells us, He did nothing of Himself, but only what He saw the Father doing.
The Lord of Glory 'took a towel and girded Himself'. How often do we put on 'the apron of humility' delighting in our servant role? 'Inasmuch as you do it…..you do it unto Me.'
When God uses us, do we steal His Glory, or are we truly able to say and think, 'I can do nothing of myself'. When others praise us for a job well done, how do we react? Proverbs 27:21b tells us that, 'a man is tested by the praise he receives' . Jesus said in John 8:54 'If I glorify Myself, My glory means nothing' and that is the Lord of all Glory speaking! 'God did not save you to be a sensation, He saved you to be a servant' said John Hunter. What did Paul tell us in Romans 12:3, 'Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgement...'
How do we react when we see another fail or worse still, fall, especially if it is one for whom we do not easily experience the fullness of love? 1 Corinthians 10:12 gives us the answer to that ! 'So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall'! How do we cope when tempted to think that we are doing very nicely, thank you! [remembering that temptation is not sin], 'By the Grace of God I am what I am' (1 Corinthians 15:10). Also the words of Jesus when we have done all that we were told to do and He then says we should say, 'We are unworthy servants, we have only done our duty.' 'Again when we are tempted, this time to be critical of one for whom Christ died and who, like us, is 'accepted in the Beloved' do we allow ourselves to fall into sin, or do we hear the gentle rebuke of Jesus, 'What is that to you, you must follow Me!' (John 21:22b)
Constantly I find the Lord graciously pulling me up short on these matters as He gently, lovingly prepares me for the 'Wildfire'.
When we read or hear those challenging words of Jesus from Matthew 5:48, 'Be perfect therefore, as your Heavenly Father is perfect', do we really take them on board, or do we just shrug them off with a mental comment that He knows we can never be like that. Is this because we cannot rise to the challenge of fully co-operating with His Holy Spirit, as the cost is too great? To quote Dr.A.J.Gordan, 'I would rather aim at perfection and fall short of it, than aim at imperfection and come up to it'. Psalm 138:8 tells us that, 'The Lord will fulfil His purpose for me' or as in the AV 'will perfect that which concerns me' and as the Lord calls us onwards and upwards, there is always the promise to hang on to, 'I can do everything through Him Who gives me strength.' ( Philippians 4:13)
Let us come with our sins and shortcomings at this Lenten season, in our brokenness and vulnerability, and worship at the feet of our Saviour afresh. Let us break our alabaster jars of ointment on His Precious Head, laying our so-called glory at His Glorious feet, while remembering that He Who said, 'This is My Body, broken for you' requires our very brokenness to use us in His purposes today. Let us be really prepared for Him to strip us, causing us to be hidden and unknown [not like people who write articles like this!] truly dying to self, so that as our grains of wheat fall into the ground and die, they can produce a rich harvest. May the masks be dropped, the pretence be shed, the man-pleasing end, and the Body of Christ in Wales fall at the feet of its Beloved Lord in adoration, worship and humility, for Him to work His work in and through us. Let us be God-pleasers alone! Then we will be more ready for the Wildfire. Seeking the Reviver instead of the revival!