A place where the Lord’s presence would abide has always been my pursuit. It does not come without a great price. To pursue Him He will purify and deal with all idols that He refuses to share His glory with. One of those idols is pleasing man and preserving self.
When the Lord builds the house He will not build it according to the design of man. You won’t “fit in,” you may not even look “successful” according to the terms by which man measures success. But I’ve always held to the notion that the Lord’s presence is the prize and that is the greatest success. To please Him. Man’s praise is not the prize.
Even your own satisfaction in achievements is not the prize. For man can build many great things in their own strength and it looks as if God is blessing it. The church of Sardis was one of these communities that were totally ignorant of what pleased the Lord. They thought they were awake and the Lord called them dead. What we may perceive as “awake, thriving and successful” the Lord can deem as completely and utterly off track and not worthy of His presence (which by the way makes one awake and alive).
His presence (Him) has always been the “main thing,” so why have we decided to make it about us?
And truly you don’t know how full of yourself you are until the Lord begins to empty you out so He can fill you. We can be in such denial because we wrap the “right language” around our works, but when the fire comes to test every man his work (1 Corinthians 3:13-14) it is revealed as “dead works”. Works that were never born of God and have no power to overcome the world (1 John 5:4) because they aren’t works of faith (being led by his spirit) but rather being motivated by ambition or a carnal view of successful achievement.
The Lord is coming in fire this season and testing every man his work, and that which is wood, hay, and straw will be burnt up. It will be revealed whose pursuit is His presence and whose pursuit has been the glory of men.
As His people turn from carnal ways of building and pursuit, the very landscape of the church will change and the face of His body reflect Jesus which will draw all men unto Him.
May He be our prize and our portion, our glorious great reward.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Revival Flame Ministries
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