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LIFT HIGH / TEAR DOWN - Part 4

I wish to acknowledge the work of "Brahrah" whose hands and spiritual
insight through the ministry of the Holy Spirit is responsible for these
lessons.

Please, as you read and study these 16 lessons on Prayer, read each and every
Scripture reference given. If you do not have the translation as
indicated then read the references in the Bible you do have. This is
important so that you have a full understanding of each lesson.

(Adapted and embellished from a book entitled, Prayer Portions, by
Sylvia Gunter and the leading of the Holy Spirit.)


4. Ephesians 1:17...Spirit of revelation..
Hebrews 12:2...Jesus is the author and finisher of faith [true faith]...
Matthew 25:10...Bridegroom...

B. Tear down: religious spirit, forms of godliness, playing church,
lip service, religiosity, religious pride, self-righteousness, tradition,
morality, human goodness, works.

Ephesians 1:17 AMP [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation
[of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge
of Him.

"I always pray...." So many times, when someone we know
accepts Christ as Savior, we rejoice and go our merry way, leaving them to
figure out for themselves how to walk with Christ. Paul's prayer here
is an excellent indication to us that we must continue to lift those in
prayer. God has secured our blessings in the hnads of His Son but it is
noy only our privilege but also our responsibility to draw them into our
experience by prayer. We must notice that we have nothing to do with the
gaining of blessings except by praying.

We must always bless our GOD for His impartation of heavenly blessings and
pray without ceasing that He would continue to illuminate the understanding
of those for whom we pray, and we must pray that their knowledge of Him
will increase and abound. It is by enlightening the understanding that the
soul receives the communication of graces, comforts, and mercies. Satan
gets possession of a man's will by senses and passions, but CHRIST lifts
men to holiness by understanding, that renewal of the mind, the change from
human thinking and effort to holy thinking and energy.

"A spirit of wisdom and revelation" God gives the Spirit of
knowledge. His Spirit is the teacher of saints. With it He allows a
transfer of wisdom. We gain knowledge by reading His Word but it won't do
us nearly as much good if we do not have the wisdom to apply it to our
lifestyles. It is simply NOT ENOUGH to just have more affection for His
Word, We should work and strive to gsin the wisdom of its use and to
labor to be PRACTICED in the PRUDENT applicataion as well.>br>
Hebrews 12:2 AMP: Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus.
Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive
for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and
perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before
Him, enduring the cross, despising and ingorning the shame, and is now
seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

"The prize...": What is the prize that made it all, the cruel
treatment suffered by Jesus, worth it to Him? The JOY - He knew what JOY we
could have if He did not back away. He knew the JOY that was HIS in heaven
would be HIS again, and that inyensified, because of what He had given us
by what He had allowed the world's sin to do to Himself. Oh, HALLELUJAH..
take some time to THINK about that! It was the prospect of promised JOY
for Himself and for HIS PEOPLE, that kept Jesus' soul intact. It was JOY
TO BE HAD that kept Him PATIENT to the point of not answering back to all
the torture and pain He endured.

"Lay aside every weight...: A boat's captain, when his boat
is taking on water will order every unnecessary item to be thrown over-
board so that it will float higher on the surface of the water. We have a
race to run. We must get rid of every small or large thing that hinders us
from running out fastest and strongest. It is important that we run with
PATIENCE and that we persevere.

Faith and patience are CONQUERING GRACES, and we must constantly be
cultivating them. Why do so many frustrating things place themselves as
obstacles in our daily lives? So that we may PRACTICE PATIENCE in order to
CONQUER the biggest mountains that rise up in front of us.

"the Author and Finisher of our faith...": We have a
great leader in Christ. He is the Finisher of available grace. He is the
Finisher of the work of faith with power in our souls. He is also the
Judge of our hearts and works and is the Rewarder of our faith.

What is sour duty? TO LOOK AT HIM, consistently, faithfully, allowing no
distraction, as our Example. What we find when we do, is that no suffering
we can possibly be enduring is as great as what He endured. Don't you
KNOW He hATED the same...but He voluntarily endured it that we might
experience holy JOY!!

As His suffering exceeded our by FAR, so did His patience. If FATHER GOD
could supply His SOn's SOUL with the degree of endurance needed, SO CAN HE
SUPPLY US WITH WHAT WE NEED to get through what we are experiencing.
Hallelujah! We must learn to PERSEVERE, humbled by the knowledge that we
have not YET had to sweat blood through our pores!

NLT: We must KEEP our eyes on JESUS, the Champion Who initiates and
perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross,
disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honor beside
God's throne.

Matthew 25:10 AMP: But while they were going away to buy oil, the
bridegroom came, and those who were prepared went in with him to the
marriage feast; and the door was shut.

I've yet to minister by porayer to a soul across my table who was not in
deep distress, ANGUISH even, due to the realization that their own efforts
to manipulate and control others for the sake of making themselves happy
has not only failed, but has also blown up in their faces. When God reveals
the "folly" of our ways, we become fully aware of the misery of our state.
But THANK GOD, it is possible to receive that revelation this side of
physical death and by an act of will, humble ourselves in repentance THIS
SIDE of the valley of the shadow od death. For many, this realization will
come too late and REAL MISERY will become their state forever. We can
rejoice that God has shown us our present state of unpreparedness and that
we CAN DECIDE to make that commitment to do everything in our power, repent
and pray, praise and worship, influence and witness to others, for THIS IS
THE DAY of salvation and deliverance for us.

Look at the state of those who were flippant in their efforts to secure an
ample supply of oil, now they tuirn and ask those who prepared themselves
to share what they have. Those who hate the strict law of God as they walk
in this world will, at death and judgment, wish for the solid comforts of
that same law. For them, it is like living like I want to now, but
preferring to die like the righteously lived will die.

"Give us your oil...": How many times have you heard in this
life..."Put in a good word for me...?" When judgment gets here, there
won't be any vouchers accepted! If we don't see our need for grace now, it
will be too late when once we see an eternal need for it the other side of
the grave. There is no buying when the market has closed!

OH we must wake up and we must do all we can to enlighten the thinking of
others. We benefit by associating with other saints and by their prayers
over us, but we must have grace of our very own. Everyone will give an
account of their own. There will be NONE to muster grace for us in that day.
Those who have enough will have none to spare! Gaining grace is not a work
to be hurried. It takes TIME to develop a walk of holy grace. It is TOO
LATE when the Bridegroom is at the door. Picture the Jewish wedding. The
betrothed bride and her family worked day and night sewing and saving
materials and utensils, so that when the KNOCK came, they would be READY!

To be eternally glorified is to be in His immediate presence and intimate
communion with Him. Those who have made themselves ready HERE, will be
taken in before the door is closed. When prepared saints have been
admitted to heaven, the door/gate will CLOSE for the purpose of shutting
the unprepared OUT. We must seek heaven NOW for that door, that open
passageway, that strit gate, will not only close up the opening, but it
will be LOCKED, BOLTED, and SECURED FOREVER against the unholy who would
seek to late to enter.

What a miserable picture, to stand at the locked gate and cry to be let in.
How heart-breaking to realize that one's slefish and dusty ways have
betrayed one in the end. Let us REPENT, BEND OUR KNEES, HUMBLE OURSELVES
NOW, so thast the gate/door will not be closed before we have chosen the
way of righteous living.


DECLARATIONS:

~ In the name and authority of Jesus, our MASTER, I tear down any
religious spirit and/or form of godliness that seeks to attach itself to
me.
~ I renounce the act of playing church and giving lip service but not a sold out heart to Christ.
~ Father, reveal any habits of "religiosity" so that I might be certain to
have renounced them by an act of my will.
~ I renounce any claim of a religious pride, any minute symptom of self-
righteousness, an attempt to make tradition a god in my life.
~ I renounce acts of immorality, and yes, the acts of striving in mere
human goodness, and any works that are flesh orgininated and administered.


Confessions:

+ By an act of my will, I evaluate in the Name of Jesus, on a regular basis,
any behavioral characteristic that would argue against truth and
holiness.
+ I cry out for the Spirit of revelation to that I may be WISE in the Lord
and PURE in heart with clean hands.
+ I humble myself voluntarily, and plead for the leading of the Spirit,
to repent and reform my ways so that I might prosper as I heed the Law of
God day and night.
+ I open myself to submission to the Lord's thoughts and ways, that I might
walk in truth and honesty, in the privilege of JESUS' authority over my life.


"Oh GOD, Father of Jesus Christ, God of glory, make me spiritually
intelligent and discerning in knowing You personally. Oh, Father, that my
knees would bend before Your throne for the grace and mercy needed in order
for truth and honesty to prevail in my coming in and going out. Father, I
pray that I may keep my eyes focused and clear, so that I can see exactly
what You are calling me to do. I pray that every day, I would grasp the
immensity of Your glorious way of life. May I consistently marvel at the
extravagance of Your work in me, and for me.

Father, help me to fully understand the significance of all those saints
who are gathered for the purpose of cheering me on. Help me to understand
that I, too, must strip down and throw away all those habits, thoughts,
and behaviors that weigh me down and keep me from effectively pursuing Your
will and purpose in my life. Oh, Father-God, in Your mercy, reveal any area
of spiritual fat and unconcern, any areana where parasitic sin is blocking
Your will in my lifestyle.

Thank You, Sir, for JESUS, Who began and FINISHED the race in this world
when He came to set down a premanent model of how its done. He never lost
sight of where He was headed, even with the cruel, cruel treatment He
received at the hands of man. The persecution, the shame, the LONLINESS,
and all that the Cross experience yielded, He suffered silently, in
patience and willingly that I might KNOW how to get through it all with Him.
Oh, Father, I thank You for the implanting of the picture of "blood flowing
to the outside of His body through His very pores" due to the stress of
what He saw to be endured. I am SO grateful that You have not called me
to that level of suffering. My worst stress falls far short of all the
hostility He plowed through that I might KNOW Him and KNOW that I, too.
can come through to victory! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah for the Cross. If You can do for HIM, what You did, You can
surely do what I need this day! Yes, I renounce every obstacle that would
dare raise itself in my path that I might KNOW that I KNOW, You are with
me, and that I shall endure and taste His victory!

HALLELUJAH, AMEN


Part Five next month