TRUST ME AND FOLLOW ME
Congratulations and praise be to the Almighty for bringing us into another year. And this is an uncommon year because it is the beginning of a new Decade (2020-2029) that is ‘pregnant’ with so many things. For some of us we have entered into our climatic year. For others the coming years are the years of manifestation. For everyone it means something. Whatever it carries for you it is new and full of expectations. Of course the trumpet for the second Advent could sound any time now and this calls for utmost watchfulness in the day ahead.
Most of us entered the New Year with prayers and excitement, as usual. This time as we shouted several walls of Jerichos standing as impregnable obstacles between us and our inheritances came down. I sense that the LORD is saying to you to shout with a great shout. This means that the shout has not finished but should continue. Shouts of praise and the trumpeting of the Word of God, etc., should fill your mouth so that all obstacles before you will continue to give way. This is not the time of murmuring, complaining and grumbling, fear and doubts. We must concur with the hymn writer that “my heart has no desire to stay where doubts arise and fears dismay”, that though some may dwell where these abound that your aim is higher ground.
Friend, you must not enter this year and the years ahead casually and with heedless steps. You must wait on the LORD and let Him set the agenda for you. You need to secure the Hand of the Spirit so that you will take off with such speed that will give you good momentum for your journey, not only this year, but for the decade. May He strengthen you in the inner man with might and grant you all grace you need for your journey, moment by moment.
Finally, each of us must live in expectation and anticipation of our Masters return. He is at the door and we must live as those who are expecting Him. All the signs that must be fulfilled before He arrives are in place and we are in the very last days before He comes. This is the time to lookup for our salvation is very close. You must not be caught unawares, Maranatha.
TRUST ME AND FOLLOW ON
Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
(Hos 6:1-3 KJV).
At the night vigil to enter the year the LORD told us to trust Him, put our hands in His and follow on. (This is a private Word for each person, particularly, and is to be appropriated by faith). Even though this Word is in verse 3, we have to start from verse 1 to give it a background and context. Generally speaking this is a Word for all those who have turned away from the LORD. But for us particularly, who have submitted to Him for discipleship training this is what has happened to several of us. In discipleship He chastens us because He loves us. The root word of discipleship is discipline. As we learn Christ, He arranges disciplinary dealings for us. He sits over our lives and tears off many things and heals. He smites and binds us up. True discipleship involves all these that is why it is best to take the yoke when a man is still young. If this is done conscientiously it does not last forever. If it is prolonged it can make a man, especially one without understanding, to become bitter. As a principle, it last for 2 days in the body of the earth (in secret) before a 3rd day of showing. Jesus spent 2 days in the body of the earth and resurrected the third day. That is the divine order – 2 days in the body of the earth and a third day of resurrection and revival. So when sinful man turns or returns to the LORD He harnesses him and makes him in the body of the earth for 2 days and raises him to light on the 3rd day. It is in the body of the earth that He makes men fearfully and wonderfully. He makes all things beautiful in their times. For discipleship to produce, it requires those 2 days. It is human ‘smartness’, insincerity, dodging the cross, truancy, stubbornness and unyieldedness that makes training last longer than these 2 days in the body of the earth. If you are spending an unnecessarily long time in discipleship, in the body of the earth, you must check and find the cause and make amends quickly lest you die a professional student and outside your predestined lot and inheritance.
Now, we perceive that many of us have come into the third day of our showing, our manifestation. Many have been waiting for you to come into this day of your manifestation and showing forth. Now that is where the problem starts. Many think that once they have been raised they can become independent and move away from the Father’s presence like the prodigal son. This is what caused many who were raised to squander their lives, gifts and other Divine provisions in their lives in a far country. They did not see that the first matter after being raised is: And we shall live in his sight. The one thing that is needful after being raised is to abide in the Lord and live in His presence. Once a person is raised the first problem he has is being able to sit anymore because many want to ’employ’ him. Everybody wants to use someone who has been raised and become useful; even though many do not care to or know how to invest in raising men. So, many became busy here and there and could not proceed into greatness in the kingdom. There is no one who has been raised (even those who are half baked) who did not have this problem of ‘activities’ as everyone who saw them wanted to engage them. So many became excited and forgot that they were raised for Him first, to abide in His presence; you must not ever forget this. It is in His presence that there is fullness of joy and pleasures for evermore. If you will bear His presence about, you must first learn to stay there.
Then the next thing is to know the LORD more intimately. To know and acknowledge Him becomes the next crucial issue and this can only happen if we follow on. So we must follow on and press on after Him. Paul had already become an apostle when he expressed his earnest desire – That I may know Him… This is because it is those that know Him that shall be strong and do exploits. If we follow Him He will lead us in the correct pathway for our lives and into the fullness of the anointing for our lives – the latter and former rain – and our heads shall be anointed with oil and our cups will run over.
He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.” (Hos. 1:3b NLT)
It is a misunderstanding that once you have been raised you can bolt away and be independent and do what you like. Disciples like Timothy and Titus were already leaders of assemblies but were still taking instructions from Paul. It is those instructions that gave us the pastoral letters today. They were instructions that the Lord used the elderly minister to pass on to the younger ones that helped them to do well.
So, it is time to follow on to know Him. The Word of God says in Prov. 3:5-6:
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. (KJV).
One that knows the LORD is one that is progressively becoming closer and more intimately acquainted with Him and such walks with Him. Such will trust Him with all the heart and not depend on his own understanding. As such seeks to know His will in all he does He will direct His paths and lead him into all that He has ordained for His life. As surely as the day will dawn, after the night, He will respond to such. He will bring the person into the place of the latter and former rains, as such follows steadfastly.
Many misconstrue following on as idleness and so get encumbered and engrossed and bothered by many things like Martha of Bethany. They see anyone sitting in the Lord’s presence and following Him as lazy and idle. The Lord Jesus corrected her and told her that only one thing is needful. And it is a matter of choice. Mary chose that and Jesus said it would not be taken away from her. People that busy themselves with numerous activities, at best do routine and common things in their life time. Those who abide in His presence and follow on get to do the particular things the Lord instructs them to do and so affect their generation permanently.
Nobody will ask you to return to the body of the earth where you spent 2 days in the making (unless you have not completed the making process). Your third day has come and you have been raised. Yet you will not reached the peak God has ordained for your life if you will not abide in His presence and then follow on deliberately, acknowledging Him in all you do and in all your ways. The extent of the fruit you will bear and the exploits you will do depends on your knowledge of Him. Elijah came from the body of the earth in Tishbe and in the widows house at Zarephath. But one day (on the third day), the LORD told him to, Go, shew thyself… From that point, because He followed the LORD, step by step, He did exciting things on Mount Carmel and turned a whole nation around and became a catalyst for revival. But suddenly he began to move independently of Divine instructions (stopped following) and went back into the wilderness and fizzled out. If such must not happen to you and if you want to reach the peak then you must follow on. Ensure that you are getting to know the Lord more and more and that every step you take and all you do are in acknowledgement of Him. If you do, He will surely come unto you (respond) as the rain. If you have already move away from His presence and began to do many things as you want to, you can see what is already becoming of your life. It is time to retrace your steps and return to the Father’s presence and you can still become and achieve all that He has ordained concerning you.
You must not hear this and rush on because it will not do you any good. This new beginning is a most appropriate time and it is crucial for you to sit down and check with the Lord whether your numerous activities is not a mere disturbance in Heaven. If you have lost your joy and beginning to ‘sweat’ profusely and complaining about others like Martha, then something has gone wrong. You need to rationalize and sort out yourself in God’s presence before you continue. All you are doing, are they of the Lord? Are those activities you call ministry taking you away from His presence? Have you taken a job that is no longer giving you time to develop in His presence? When last did you retreat to spend time in His presence? Are you beginning to break down when you are still a young person? Is your life beginning to be full of questions? You may need to spend time in His presence and probably take counsel so that you do not continue to do routine and ordinary things that make men experience a diminishing return. The same LORD Who waited for the prodigal son is waiting for you to return and He will yet cloth you and lead you into the utmost for Him.
Happy New Year and a bountiful decade.