COME DOWN TO THE VALLEY

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We are just beginning to understand that it's not just enough to pray according to God's will but to live in God's will entirely. Not only when we need to pray or fast. To live in God's will, not periodically but the whole week, all day long.

Sometimes during the week we do something for God like prepare for a sermon or a children's lesson for Sunday School and we say to the Lord: "Lord I give You all, cleanse me, prepare me, speak to me, I need You, I can not do Your will without You, I need Your presence." And it's a good prayer before ministering to God's people. It's God's will to pray like this and to pray for His glory. But why don't we live like this in full surrender the whole week, whole day, every hour? We are in God's will sometimes but not always and we think it's not bad, this is how abiding in Christ should be. No, it's not. Praying according to God's will, we must live always in God's will. Praying in the name of Christ, we must live in the name. Praying in the Spirit we must live in the Spirit. That's what the seven priests in Acts 19:14 did not understand.

Acts 19:11-16:

"Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul: so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."

Yes, it was God's will to cast the evil spirit from this poor man. But the seven priests did not live in God's will (that's why the demon did not know them in spiritual battle and he was not afraid of them). They wanted to use the name but did not live in the name of Christ like Paul lived. They wanted to use Jesus but did not let Jesus use them all of their life like Paul did. If we just pray for the will but do not live for the will entirely, if we abide only sometimes instead of all the time then we will be defeated. Five days a year we will be in victory but 360 prevailed, spiritually naked and wounded. Fleeing instead of attacking the enemy.

So this is one of the specific areas where God wants us to change, to "come down" and take fullness of His presence. Dying daily and maybe hourly to our flesh to find His abundant life and victory for every hour.

pastor Kostia