Refined by Love and Fire
By Ron McGatlin
In the passing church emphasis age, we seemed to have a bit of a religious barrier or cushion between the practical reality of our lives and the spiritual holiness of God. It was like we were lightly aware of God's holiness and our lack of not being truly holy and pure in our daily living. To many of us this did not seem to be too big of a problem. Someway, we reasoned that we were about as close to being holy as we could be under the circumstances of our lives.
In the kingdom emphasis age, this has greatly changed. The barrier or cushion is completely passing away leaving us to realize we are uncovered and open before Him and the world. We are becoming acutely aware of what God and perhaps some others have seen all along. Our impure mixture is becoming evident to us. I am not speaking personally here but as a broad spectrum of the church.
1 Pet 1:15-16: but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."
The passionate love of God is being manifest in His presence, drawing us to leave all our other gods and come fully unto Him. His love purifies us if we run after Him leaving all our religious and worldly treasures. His kingdom in us is the pearl of great price. The treasure hidden in the field of His kingdom is living intimately with Christ for which we quickly sell all to obtain.
Song 1:4: Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.
Mat 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Mat 13:45-46: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Gal 5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Walking in the Spirit of God is walking in His love. Walking in spirit of the world is to walk away from the Spirit of God and His loving presence and continue our impure mixture.
The purifying, refining fire of God is increasingly burning in the earth to destroy and dissolve the wood, hay and stubble of impure and unclean worldly mixtures from His kingdom.
The choice is ours now. We can respond to His intimate pure love drawing (wooing) us by running after Him and leaving all else, or we can fail to respond and wait to endure the fires of purification burning the things we sought to hold on to. We will suffer a great sense of pain and loss if we do not willingly leave all to run after Him. Our treasures will be burned and the things we lived for will go up in smoke in the refining fire.
Mal 4:1: "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up," Says the LORD of hosts, "That will leave them neither root nor branch.
Beyond the fires of refinement, we will praise Him and draw near to Him and His love. Experiencing the joy of life with Him in the beauties of real holiness will quickly heal us of all the pain of loss from the fire. We will not again long for our earthly treasures and pleasures. We will have no appetite for the things of the spirit of the world and religion. As we then truly delight in Him, all our earthly and heavenly needs will be fully met.
Most people, including many westernized Christians, have been robbed of the beauties of holiness.
God desires to bring His people closer to Himself. He is changing our focus from carnal pleasures and worldly good things to pure holy oneness with Him as His sons. Many have bought into fallacious concepts of delighting their souls in worldly pleasures instead of delighting in the Lord.
Psa 37:4-6: Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday.
Christians have come to believe that going to church and doing some other good religious things causes all to be well with their souls, even though they continue to indulge their flesh. Many do not even fully realize that they draw near to God with their mouths, but their hearts are far from Him.
Mat 15:8-9: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'"
Mark 7:8-9: "For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men; the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do." He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.
There is an awakening coming soon. Some are prophesying this fall as the beginning of an explosive awakening bringing purification and holiness leading to real oneness with God. Many people and groups are praying desperately for a move of God. This awakening could be a major step toward the consecration of many as priests and kings.
Keep on pursuing Him.
His love will never fail.
Ron McGatlin
www.openheaven.com
basileia@earthlink.net
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