THE CRY OF THE SPIRIT
Dr. D. K. Olukoya
Father Lord, do a deep work in our spirits this week, touch us at the points of our needs. Let our lives no longer remain the same, in Jesus’ name. This week, we are looking at what I call, “The Cry of the Spirit.” Hebrew 12: 25 – 27: “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.”
In that passage, the Spirit of God is promising that He is going to shake the earth again. And when He starts, so many things would not stand. Every shakeable would be shaken away. It is a very sad thing for a person to build his or her life on shakeable things. Such a person would have come to the world in vain. The Spirit of the Lord is crying unto us this day, that is why the Bible says, “He that has ears let him hear what the Spirit is saying.” It means that the fact that we have something representing ears does not mean that we hear. It is only those who have spiritual ears that can hear the cry of the Spirit.
Ezekiel 21: 27: “I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him.” This overturning and shaking is happening now. All you need do is to look closely and you will see how the whole fabric of the human society is being shaken and many things are being turned upside down. The Scripture has already warned us about these things because God usually warns us before He does anything. Disobedience to God’s warning is the father of all disasters. Before the flood came in time of Noah, God warned the people for 120 years. Many of them thought it was a joke. Just as many people believe that God who is so good and has created all things cannot clear them away. Right now, mankind as a whole is sitting on what is called a time bomb, which can explode at anytime, and the voice that once shook the earth, is going to shake it again. Unfortunately, many people do not still understand. As you are reading this message, there is a cry of the Spirit ringing in your ears that this is the last hour and you have to be more serious than you are now.
When God sends warning signals, it is to prevent people from getting into trouble. The aftermath of some dangers are repairable while some are not.
One could be in the church and not even hear what the Spirit of God is saying through his pastor or house fellowship leader. Consider the following questions: “Why did God bring you to a particular church? Is it just to collect miracles or to learn a few things? What is your duty in the church? Certainly God is not in the business of messing about. He plans His things and does them. He means what He says and says what He means. So the fact that He has put you in a place means that He has a duty for you. The fact that He has designed that you will pass through a certain place, means that you must make a mark there. You cannot be a spiritual rolling stone and expect to be blessed.
WHY IS THE SPIRIT CRYING?
The Spirit is crying so that no one will have any excuse when he stands before the judgment throne of God. All men, no matter their position will stand up before God. So, this is the time to convince God that you are serious. God will never accept excuses. What would you say when you get before His throne? If you have been coming to Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries for one year and you have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I submit it to you that you are not serious. Every Christian as a matter of compulsion must make sure he or she gets filled with the power of the Holy Ghost. A lot of people have been going to church for several years yet they remain bench warmers.
God has not called us to entertain people but to prepare an army for the Lord going to heaven and in their preparation as soldiers of the cross, they will be experiencing their breakthroughs.
A time will come when the Spirit will cry no more. Whatever you call yourself, that cry is ringing in your ears now. Even if you have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is another cry asking you to go higher. No matter what level you are now, there is a cry telling you, “son, daughter, keep moving, don’t stay where you are.”
The Spirit is also crying because of the existence of hell fire. The issue of hell fire is a horrible fact to which the Bible gives a prominent place. Our tender, lowly, forgiving, merciful, healing, and comforting Jesus was the man who referred most to hell fire in the Bible. He talked about it more than any other person because He knows that it is real. But it is most sad to note that many people by their actions are heading there. It is also unfortunate that some of those who carry Bibles will also find themselves in hell fire even with their big Bibles because they refused to pay attention to the cry of the Spirit.
No matter how clever you are at committing sin, if you encounter the fire of the Holy Spirit, it will expose you. You may hide for a long time but the day the Holy Spirit fishes you out, everybody will know the kind of person you are. And if your life has been a stumbling block to others, it is even more terrible because the Bible says, they ought to tie a millstone around your neck and throw you into the sea.
The devil tries to hide the facts of hell from people. He does not want people to know there is such a place because he knows that once they know about it, they would not want to be there. Even the boldest of men will melt if God shows them the picture of hell fire. Hell fire is eternal suffering. So why should somebody get into that kind of situation?
There used to be a popular armed robber who was very effective in his difficult and terrible job. Normally, he had two guns, one by his side and the other one around his waist and he could shoot with both hands accurately, so he was feared by many people even the police. So the police wanted him dead or alive and placed a ransom on him. During one of his operations somewhere, a boy who was distributing tracts threw one inside his waiting car. The tract was entitled, “Where will you spend your eternity?” When the robber saw it, he was taken aback by the title and he kept it aside. But when he got home, something urged him to read it and he did after sometime. Immediately he slept he had a dream. In that dream, he saw two angels by his side but he didn’t know they were angels. They held his hands and told him that he had an appointment, which he must keep. He asked them where and they told him to shut up until they got there. Eventually, they got to a beautiful and wonderful place and as he looked around, he saw people for the first time in his life, with real joy written all over their faces. Then the angels said, “Ok, we must leave this place now.” He said, “Please, let me stay here, this place is good.” The angels said, “No, you still have another appointment,” and they took him down to hell fire. He saw his fellow robbers who had been shot by policemen, school girls, policemen, soldiers, married women who were committing adultery, etc, screaming and rolling. He was scared and wanted to leave, but the angels said he must watch the scene for about two minutes more. He did and he woke up shivering. He then took a decision that no matter what happens, he will not go to that place of damnation. This is what the tract talked about: hell fire. So he walked straight to the police station, introduced himself to the policemen at the counter and they ran away because they thought he had come to kill them like he used to do. He said, “Don’t run away. I have come to hand myself over, you can lock me up. I am no longer interested in killing people.” When they were convinced that he was serious, they opened the counter and he walked in himself and sat down. When God shows you the picture of hell fire, nobody will beg you to repent.
Most biblical information about hell fire was revealed by Jesus. It was He who said in Mark 9 : 43 that, “And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched.”
So, no matter how profitable your hands are doing, if it will lead you to hell fire, you better stop doing it. He didn’t say you should cut off your hand with a knife because even if you do so, and your spirit still commits the sin, your hand is still committing it. Verses 44- 47: “Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter halt into life , than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”
By the same token, if you have bleached your body, you better repent and allow it to come back to it’s rightful colour because it is better for you to enter into heaven with black complexion than for you to bleach your body and enter into hell fire where their worms die not and the fire is not quenched. Remember the parable of the rich man which says, “My soul rejoice, be glad and enjoy yourself with the harvest you have put up for many years.” And the Bible says, “You fool, today, you are going to die and all those things you have been sweating for that has taken your time from God, to whom will they belong?” That was it.
All the certificates and awards a person may gather become useless once the person is dead. These are the shakeable that shall be shaken away.
No amount of suffering here can measure up to hell fire. Sometime ago, somebody called me on the phone and was crying, saying, “Dr. Olukoya, pray for me, I don’t want to die.” “What happened?” I asked her. She said, “I used to sleep with men who give me contracts but recently, I promised God that I will never do it again and that if I do it, He should kill me. But you see, I have done it again. So, please pray for me, I don’t want to die.” I told her that she was already dead. Already she was dead in sin. I told her that I didn’t know what God would do with her since she on her own made a vow to God that He should kill her if she committed that sin. So many people are like that. It would have been better for that sister to die as a pauper and go to heaven than to be rich and go to hell fire. Although believers are not supposed to die as paupers but it is better for you to die as a pauper than to be rich and enter into hell fire. So you better think about it and do a better scriptural balancing of life’s account. It is terrible to know some people will go to hell fire. This is why the Spirit of God is crying, saying, “Let him that has ears hear what the Spirit is saying now to the churches.”
The Spirit cries because of the disappointment and unhappiness in this world. 1 Timothy 6:7: “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” The present world is a failure. This fact is not hard to prove. Marriages have failed: divorce is now a common thing. Ten years ago, one out of five marriages broke down; now it has moved to three out of five. Some people even start fighting right from the day of their wedding. Many couples live like strangers in the home. When children are brought up in that kind of environment, they rarely do well. Schools too, have failed, teachers mess up students and you see gun-toting boys going about robbing men and raping women.
A sister who is well to do and highly educated told me a pathetic story. She said on a certain day, some armed robbers trailed her home and as soon as she entered her sitting room, they entered with guns and said, “Madam, we are armed robbers in case you don’t know, so bring out everything.” So they packed all her properties and she did not resist them because she did not want to be harmed. When they finished packing all the things and she expected them to go away, one of them who was around twenty said, “Madam, remove your clothes.” That was how she was raped. With these types of cases around us, it shows that both the schools and the homes have failed. The Bible is warning us, that the world is a set-trap and we should not allow it to trap us. University lecturers carry sacrifices and put them on the doorsteps of their colleagues. Governments too, have failed. All over the world, there are cases of crime. Three quarters of people are killing one another or are being killed and the prison houses are filled up. In the hospitals, you find patients in the corridors and doorsteps. Disease, suicide, heartlessness cannot be controlled by government, all over the world. People pour acid on others who have offended them. The whole world, as far as God is concerned, is a failure. It is therefore a sad and wicked world, which offers no peace to the human mind. Rather, it puts labour on people and worst still, no one will take nothing out of it.
God is becoming more and more difficult to find now. Most Christians cannot be trusted again once it comes to monetary matters. The church in many places have turned to political set ups. People who should sit down and learn want to teach others by force. Is it wise then to plan to perish with this kind of world? This is why the Spirit is crying. It does not make sense if you come to church and you do not have sufficient fire to even put your enemy to flight, or you are still addicted to one bad habit or the other, or there is pride in your heart, or you cannot hear when God is talking to you, or your dreams are not clear or you have never seen a vision in your life. You don’t know what God is saying to you about your life. Do you want to remain like this? You have to cry to the Lord.
The Spirit cries because of the sufferings of Christ. Christ was punished because of you and me. A song writer says, “He died of a broken heart. His heart was broken on the cross for us. He was mocked, humiliated, and was crucified.” Dying by the cross was a Roman kind of punishment and anybody that was put on the cross died a “slow death” with intense suffering because the whole of the weight of his body would be supported by two hands. You know how painful it is to use an ordinary needle to prick your hand how much more when a six- inch nail is smashed into it. That was how Jesus was killed. When He was thirsty and asked for water, they gave him vinegar instead. This kind of suffering that God allowed His Son to be subjected to, should not go in vain. So, if a person does not comply with it, the person suffers. That’s why the Spirit is warning. He was despised. His face was marred. His beard was plucked out and He was badly hurt. It was sad when the same people for which He died sat there saying, “Prophesy who is it that slapped you.” Even when He called on His Father saying, “Eli, Eli- lama Sa- bach tha - ni (meaning My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?), they laughed and mocked Him. If then you neglect the issue of salvation for the sake of anything, the anger and terror of God would be great upon your life.
Another reason the Spirit is crying to you day and night is for you to depart from your valley and go to the mountain. All the excuses such as, “They are the ones looking for my trouble,” that you are giving will not exempt you from the wrath of God. For how long will they be looking for your trouble? Where did you hide the trouble they are looking for? Nobody is looking for your trouble actually, the trouble is that you are a proud person. If you are in the category of those who classify some sins as not too bad, you must be careful because there is no small sin. The Bible says that every unrighteousness is sin.
The Spirit cries because of the glory of heaven. The Bible says in John 14: 2 - 3, “In my Father’s house, there are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, ye may be also.” The Bible also says, “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for His saints.” There is no enjoyment in this world, compared to what is in heaven. The Spirit is warning that we should not miss the place. So think about it.
If you are haunted by the same fear that used to torment you years ago, it means you are not growing spiritually. If your faith is still as rudimentary as when you first believed the Lord, it means you are not growing spiritually. If your knowledge of God is still second hand and you have not experienced personal revival, it means you are not growing spiritually. If you have never used the name of Jesus to defeat evil, it means that you are not growing spiritually. If you still cannot differentiate between your voice, the Holy Spirit’s and the devil’s, it means you are not growing spiritually. If your joy depends only on material things, there is a possibility that you would not be admitted into the kingdom of God.
Beloved, this is the last hour. Today, seek help from the Lord. Don’t rejoice that you are better than someone else. We don’t have much time left. In the Bible, you find expressions like “take heed” and “beware”, meaning that the Bible warns us about several things. For example, it says, “Don’t give your alms before men,” “Don’t give in order to be seen,” “Let not your left hand know what your right is doing,” “Beware of covetousness,” “Let no man deceive you,” “Do not allow the light in you to be turned to darkness,” “Let every man take heed how he is building, “Let him that thinketh he stands take heed lest he falls.” It says that we should not devour one another. It warns that we should not allow the ministry that God has committed to us to fail. And it also warns that one day, all of us shall arrive at the judgment seat of Christ and we shall give account of our lives. My prayer is that God should open our ears to hear what the Spirit is saying, in Jesus’ name.
Sometime ago, in one of our meetings here, there was a warning from the Lord that nobody should travel. One sister insisted on travelling even after some brethren pleaded with her not to. She travelled and never came back alive. It was her ashes that was brought back because the vehicle she was travelling in collided with a vehicle carrying fuel and that was it. So God says what He means and means what He says.
If you don’t read your Bible and follow the pattern of life God wants you to live, you will make the job of the devil easier for him.
It is very clear that a lot of people come to the house of God but not many people are planning for heaven. A lot of people find their ways to services on Sundays and come out like a sinner who gets baptized without being born again. The sinner goes into water as a dry sinner and comes out as a wet sinner.
Beloved, I hope you are not one of those that the devil is using as a stumbling block against others who want to get saved. How would your husband follow you to church when you are busy cursing and abusing him? Why should you be in a cat and mouse relationship with a person and still be smiling at the person? Why are you living a life of deception? The Bible says that no unclean thing shall enter into heaven, no matter how good it looks on the surface. No matter what you call yourself, if you are not clean, you shall not enter therein.
Beloved, search your spirit today and repent of all your wicked ways. Ask the Lord to lead you into the way of eternal life so that at the end of the age, you shall live triumphantly with Him, in Jesus’ name.
PRAYER POINTS
1. O Lord, deliver me from this wicked generation, in the name of Jesus.
2. O Lord, do not let your death be in vain upon my life, in the name of Jesus.
3. O Lord, remove the stumbling block in my walk with you, in the name of Jesus.
4. O Lord, let me be swift to hear and slow to speak, in the name of Jesus.
5. O Lord, give unto me power to mount up with wings like eagle, in the name of Jesus.
6. O Lord, instruct me and teach me the way that I should go, in the name of Jesus.
7. I refuse to be disgraced in eternity, in the name of Jesus.
