Holy Desperation!
"When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the LORD, and I will change your lot. Jeremiah 29:12-14
At the present time in Afghanistan we are employing highly sophisticated weapons of all types against the Al Qaeda terrorists. We gather intelligence from Remotely Piloted Vehicles, satellites, electronic sensing aircraft, special forces on the ground with laser designators etc. We integrate that information to present real time digital battlefield displays both to the on-scene commanders and commanders thousands of miles away. We utilize airborne weaponry of every type. B-52 and B-1 bombers conduct "carpet bombing." Fighter aircraft are on station waiting to attack with all types of laser guided "smart bombs." We use thermobaric bombs that suck all the air out of the caves and crush anything alive inside them. Artillery, rockets, mortars and machine guns pound the enemy caves. All this goes on uninterrupted for weeks before our troops are sent in.
Consider how successful we would be if we didn’t use any of these sophisticated weapons and only equipped our troops with a boy scout knife. How long would it take or would it even be possible to dig the terrorists out of their caves. How many of our men would be killed and wounded.
These sophisticated weapons of war relate directly to the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit.
"To one the Spirit gives wisdom in discourse, to another the power to express knowledge. Through the Spirit we receive faith, by the same Spirit another is given the gift of healing, and still another miraculous powers. Prophecy is given to one, to another power to distinguish one spirit from another. One receives the gift of tongues, another that of interpretating the tongues. 1 Cor 12:8-10
When we live without the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, it is much like our troops being sent out to battle the terrorists armed with only a boy scout knife. Without supernatural power we will be unsuccessful in our spiritual warfare and we will endure many unnecessary casualties. "Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the evil spirits in regions above." Eph 6:12
How many churches actively seek the Baptism of The Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. How many churches teach on demons, discerning of spirits, spiritual warfare, etc. How many Christians understand how demons have access to them and how to prevent it, and how to get rid of them. We desperately need the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit as we battle the world, the flesh and the devil. We face certain defeat without them.
We desperately need power from heaven to fall upon our churches. We desperately need miracles and healings to confirm the gospel message to unbelievers. One of the reasons we do not see many miracles of healing in our country is because we have such great medical facilities. We don’t need God. Third world countries have a faith much simpler than ours. If God doesn’t heal them, they die. They need God. They have nothing else, they are desperate. That’s why they see miracles, even to the dead being raised!
We would prefer to see healing miracles, we wish to see healing miracles, we hope to see healing miracles, but we don’t need healing miracles. We are not desperate for healing miracles. We need to be like King David.
"A psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God, for you I long! For you my body yearns: for you my soul thirsts, like a land parched, lifeless and without water. For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!"(
Ps 63:1-4)
We would like to see repentance and revival sweep our nation, but the truth is we are willing to live without it. We are not desperate for it. We would like to see our church without spot and blemish, but the truth is we are willing to live without it. We are not desperate for it. We would like to have the supernatural power of God manifested in our lives, but the truth is we are not willing to pay the price in prayer. We are not desperate for power from on high.
Power comes when it’s either I receive power or I die.
Healing comes when it’s either I receive healing or I die. Revival comes when it’s either revival or I die.
Some author wrote some 20 years ago: "We don’t have men today who are prepared to pay the same price, to preach the same message and have the same power as the Apostles."
I’m tired of:
settling for the crumbs that fall from God’s table - I want a place at the banquet table of God’s power.
my little spiritual pop-gun that says bang - I want to raise the dead in Jesus’ name.
standing by and watch brothers and sisters die from all sorts of sicknesses and diseases.
being comfortable while listening to the wails of babies being slaughtered in the womb and the screams of children being molested.
being satisfied, I want to be terrified. Terrified that I am lukewarm, terrified that I am not desperate for more of God.
I want to be with men who are desperate for God. I want to be with men who want to pray until the power of God comes down. I want to be with men whose mission is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. I want to be with men that people look at and say like it does in Acts 4:13 "Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they were amazed, and then they recognized these men as having been with Jesus."
I’m beginning to yearn deeply for a holy desperation to grip my soul for more of Jesus, for more of His power. How about you?
***** JESUS IS LORD *****
