He Will Surely Come

We have a very poor concept of the unspiritual and sinful state of the church today, and unless we take the time to devote our hearts and thoughts to the facts of the matter, God's promise will not be able to make any deep impression on us. I previously listed certain aspects of my message to begin to show you that this blessing is the one single thing needed; and in order to possess it, we must say goodbye to everything else we hold dear. But because we are not used to the presence and operation of the Spirit, it can take a long time before the truth of the fullness of the Spirit's power can envelope us and our lives.

Every day should be a Pentecostal season in the Church! No Christian can fully live according to God's will without this blessing. I can not emphasize strongly enough the need for each individual to search for spiritual excellence, by calling on God in confidence that He will answer.

When we read the book of Acts, we see that the filling of the Spirit and His mighty operation was always precipitated by prayer. For example, look at what happened in Antioch. The Christians were fully engaged in fasting and prayer, and were thus prepared to receive the revelation that they must separate Paul and Barnabas. And then, it was only after MORE fasting and praying that they were sent forth by the Holy Spirit (Acts 12.2-3). They understood that the blessing they sought could only come from above.

Now, to obtain this blessing ourselves, we, in like manner, must liberate ourselves as far as possible from the demands of this earthly life. Let us never become weary and discouraged, but rather ask that the Holy Spirit will take His rightful place and assume full control over us and our lives. In addition, let us pray that He will once again have His rightful place in the church, be held in honor by all, and reveal to us the glory of our Lord Jesus. To the soul that diligently searches and prays according to His Word, God's answer will surely come.

There is nothing that searches and cleanses the heart like true prayer. It teaches us to ask such questions as: Do I really desire what I pray for? Am I willing to give up everything in order to make room for what God has prepared for me? Is the prayer of my lips really the prayer of my life?

Am I willing to wait on Him, in quiet trust, until He gives me this supernatural gift--His own Spirit?

Let us pray continually, humbly requesting and crying out as representatives of His Church. We can certainly depend on Him to hear us.

Believer, you know that the Lord God often hides Himself. He desires to be trusted. But He is always very near to us even without out knowing it. He is a God who knows His own time. But though he delays showing Himself, wait for Him. He will surely come. (see Habakkuk 2.3)