"We need to live in what He has done, and not in what we are trying to do."
Recently, when I arrived on the East Coast for a weekend of ministry, I was met at the airport by some very excited ladies. "We are so glad you're here!" one of them exclaimed, "We really need a touch from God." My husband, David, and I hear this quite often.
It concerns me when people seek after a "touch from God," because God has something better for us--His provision is for us to live in His glory. I understand people's heart and desire for God, but if we learn to live in His glory, then we can become a source of the touch from God. We don't have to seek after one.
Changing Mindsets
Although God will bless His people, there are some things that He will not agree with--for example, our religious mindsets. The Holy Spirit cannot stay and dwell in these wrong concepts as they are contrary to the truth, because He is the Spirit of Truth. God has shown me three very important mindsets that we need to change.
The first mindset is one that most Christians can be guilty of. Either consciously or unconsciously, we are trying to change our old nature (old man) and improve ourselves. We fail to realize that Jesus never came to do that. Jesus crucified the old man so that by faith, we can walk in the new man who is already created in righteousness and holiness.
Because of this, the enemy tries to make people feel they are not qualified to live in the supernatural realm--but remember, satan is a liar and a thief. Jesus qualified us 100 percent. It's never 90 percent God, 10 percent us--it's 100 percent Him. The supernatural realm of angels, Heavenly visitations and the chariots of God were meant to be a normal part of our lives. They are manifestations of the Glory of God.
As you behold the glory of the Lord "...we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
He is going to "...present you faultless before the presence of His glory...." (Jude 1:24).
We are His trophy and His workmanship. He is the One who does the work, while we do the yielding. We need to live in what He has done, and not in what we are trying to do. Don't pray for God to send His glory--He already has. We aren't changed from glory to glory by trying--we're changed by His Spirit.
The second thing that we are prone to is "false responsibility." We are responsible for what He gives us, and that is it! A heavy spirit makes people feel responsible for things and people they can do nothing about. We cannot change anyone, and we certainly can't make anyone do something.
Many revivals have been quenched by this religious spirit. A young revivalist was used mightily in the great Welsh revival. He was a vessel and the glory of God flowed through him. Then, after a year, he began to make himself responsible for how the people responded to the Spirit. If they did not respond the way he thought they should, he would leave the meeting or shut it down. This brought a spirit of heaviness into the land and onto the people because it was not his responsibility.
Our responsibility is to do what He tells us to do, say what He asks us to say, and go where He wants us to go
That is all God requires from us--and we get to keep our joy!
The third religious thing we fall into is carrying "false burdens." As intercessors, we need only to yield to the Spirit. When that anointing falls on us and we do some warfare, we have to remember that it isn't us, it's the anointing from Heaven. We may do some declaring, or we may laugh, weep or fall down on the floor and cry out, but no matter what, the burden will eventually lift because Jesus is the Ultimate Intercessor seated at the right hand of the Father.
Once, I belonged to an intercession group in Florida. We got into some battles where the burden was so heavy, it felt like a dark cloud weighing down on us. Finally, someone prayed for the group and cast out the false burden. We actually felt it lift. We laughed and took a break because there are times when you need a break to get back under the anointing.
God called us first to enjoy Him--after all, if we don't enjoy Him, why are we serving Him?
Your Mindsets DO Affect the Moves of the Spirit
That is why moves of the Spirit come and go. Why is there a powerful move of God in a certain church or ministry, but after a couple of years it dissipates? People wonder, are puzzled and may be hurt by it, but often it is a result of a spirit of abortion that causes the move of God to be terminated. Unfortunately, it affects the people who have been enjoying that move of the Holy Spirit and the presence of the Lord.
When my husband and I came into the things of the Spirit, we had layers of theology and head knowledge. We could dot every theological "i" and cross every doctrinal "t." We began to seek the Lord. We were hungry for God. Then we came into a powerful revival in the South of London. People were coming from everywhere and the presence of God was overwhelming. Our biggest stumbling block was not our worldly ways, but our theology and head knowledge.
We had to learn that when the Body came together and let God move, it really wasn't about who or what, it was all about Him. No one really cared what happened as long as the beautiful presence of Jesus was there.
People left the meetings and never made it to the bus stop. They would fall out under the anointing and lie in peoples' front yards, hang in trees or sprawl out in the bushes. When people called to get directions to the meeting, we would have to tell them, "You will find people lying in the street outside; don't take any notice, just step over them and come on in." The glory of God was on everyone--the banker, the trash man, the child, the aged.
Sometimes we just have to sit at the feet of Jesus, rest, and let Him shower us with His love. He is not asking us to run around 24/7 getting all worn out.
He is the lover and keeper of our soul. We are the apple of His eye, His beloved. We can rest and live in His glory because He has covered us with it. Remember, He called us for Himself--we are His treasures!
Kathie Walters
Good News Ministries
