Devotions

When the Holy Spirit comes as a torrent of rain, He will awaken the Bride of Christ with a cry. What will be the Spirit’s cry? “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

Tragically, the message of Christ’s Second Coming has nearly disappeared from pulpits today.  Even on the Internet, where countless message boards are filled with talk about the church, there is not a sound about Christ’s coming. Yet John says the cry of the church in the last days will be:

“The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

Tell me, where are the voices crying, “Come, Lord Jesus”? Christ warned His church:

“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42).

Where is the church that is watching, waiting, yearning for Jesus?

 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man cometh” (24:44).

THE PARTY IS OVER

Jesus had strong words for those who would scoff at His soon return:

“[The] evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin . . . to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of” (Matthew 24:48–50).

I ask you, has there ever been a time when humankind was so wrapped up in covetousness? The party is over — the economics of the entire world are shaking — yet multitudes, including many in the church, are in denial about it. Right now, the Holy Spirit is being poured out to wake a slumbering church to prepare for His coming: “This world is not your home. Now, stir yourself. Get ready to meet your Bridegroom!”

I am convinced the Lord is trying to break through to His people as never before.

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isaiah 64:4, my italics).

Who will receive this promised outpouring? “[Them] that waiteth for him.” The word for wait here means “bind together,” “gather together.” In this case, God’s people are gathered and bound together in one purpose, holding on to one promise: that He will come down with His presence and melt all hearts.

Already, there are evidences that God is rending the heavens and coming down by His Spirit:

A growing hunger for Him in Christ’s Body
An outbreak of gladness even as things grow darker

One of the surest evidences the Holy Spirit has begun to move supernaturally is a spirit of joy breaking out over God’s people, causing them to praise Him triumphantly in the midst of dark times.

“Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness” (Isaiah 64:5).

This joy is going to be the source of our strength in the days to come. Our ministry receives reports from all over the world describing how the church is experiencing supernatural joy in the worst of conditions. And it is also happening among ordinary Christians who have prayed for the Lord to stir them. Their mountains of fear are melting like wax, and they are now shouting with gladness.

God’s glory has been revealed fully in Jesus; we don’t have to hide in a crevice as Moses did. We don’t have to wait for water to be poured from a rock; rivers of living water flow to us continually from His indwelling Spirit. God’s ultimate favor isn’t in things, it is in His presence, and He doesn’t withhold it from us.

“We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

THE HINDRANCE OF BITTERNESS

The Israelites could have experienced God’s glory just as Moses did. The Lord wanted to accompany them into the Promised Land, but their bitterness prevented it. It had happened before. When they were without water in the wilderness, the people put God on trial. The original Hebrew language suggests a “hammer” or “gavel,” meaning they judged the Lord and convicted Him.

What a horrible act, especially for a people so blessed by God. At a time when they could have trusted Him in faith, they complained — but still God’s mercy remained. Despite their sin, God told Moses to strike a rock with his staff — and water came flowing out. That rock represents Jesus, taking on the wrath of judgment for our sins. Then God offered them living water:

 “For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

What does your heart long for? Is your main dream a financial goal, a material desire? Or is it the hope of God’s glory, which transforms all of life? He has blessed you abundantly with His unlimited favor. Yet there’s more to know of our great God than earthly blessings. He wants you to know His glorious presence in every realm of life. 

When King Jehoshaphat found himself surrounded by enemies, Scripture tells us, “[He] cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved [his enemies] to depart from him” (2 Chronicles 18:31).

There was a cry in Jehoshaphat’s heart: “Oh, God, I have been listening to voices I should not have been listening to, and hanging around people who sapped my spiritual strength. God, one more time, would You allow me to live? Would You fight against my enemies and take me into a place of victory? Give me a voice to be able to lead your people again into righteousness!”

And God caused Jehoshaphat’s enemies to depart from him.

GO BACK TO THE PLACE OF STRENGTH

I foresee very difficult days ahead of us. But in the midst of that difficulty, I see multitudes —“Jehoshaphats” — from all over this country who have been sitting in the wrong place, finally getting up and saying, “I am going back to that place of strength and victory that was won for me on Calvary. I am going to bend my knee to the Lord, even if it means dropping my own plans and ambitions to find the will of the One who died for me.”

MORE THAN CONQUERORS

Come what may, remember that we as the people of God are not destined for defeat. We are not destined to be overthrown like the smooth-talking prophets who do not know the heart of God.

• We are destined to live in victory
• We are destined to be more than conquerors through Christ

And so it is time to lay down our plans and cry out to God again for our homes, our families, this generation, the future of our cities. It will not be a popular time to stand for God, but there will be a glorious touch of the Holy Spirit on those who have the sense to call out to God.

Carter Conlon joined the pastoral staff of Times Square Church in 1994 at the invitation of the founding pastor, David Wilkerson, and was appointed Senior Pastor in 2001. 

Our Lord has a holy remnant in every nation. And right now He is preparing a people who have stirred themselves to lay hold of Him. In small churches and gatherings all over the globe — in China, India, Europe, Africa, North and South America — a cry is rising, and it’s getting more intense:

“Oh, God, come down! Send your Holy Ghost fire! Melt away all flesh and manifest Your presence.”

They know that Jesus’ words to His disciples apply to them as well: “My Spirit will change everything, in a moment’s time. All mountains of hardness and unbelief will melt away, and everyone who has stood against you will now come flocking.” When this happens, there will be no advertising of the event — no television cameras, no featured evangelist, no organizers staging a “revival.” Instead, there will be only a desperate, hungry people waiting on the Lord to reveal Himself in His glory and saving power.

WORLD SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL

God’s people know He is the only sustaining source in these troubling times, and soon the world is going to know it. As the economy sinks deeper worldwide — as Iran and Russia become more threatening, and global calamities occur — people won’t tolerate a message of self-fulfillment. They will demand to know the reality of God in a world spinning out of control.

The promise that God gave to Isaiah applies today:

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isaiah 64:4, my italics).