The initiative against drudgery by Oswald Chambers

Arise, shine. Isaiah 60:1.

We have to take the first step as though there were no God. It is no use to wait for God to help us, He will not; but immediately we arise we find He is there. Whenever God inspires, the initiative is a moral one. We must do the thing and not lie like a log. If we will arise and shine, drudgery becomes divinely transfigured.

Drudgery is one of the finest touchstones of character there is. Drudgery is work that is very far removed from anything to do with the ideal—the utterly mean, grubby things; and when we come in contact with them we know instantly whether or not we are spiritually real. Read John 13; we see there the Incarnate God doing the most desperate piece of drudgery, washing fishermen’s feet, and He says—“If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.” It requires the inspiration of God to go through drudgery with the light of God upon it. Some people do a certain thing, and the way in which they do it hallows that thing for ever afterwards. It may be the most commonplace thing, but after we have seen them do it, it becomes different. When the Lord does a thing through us, He always transfigures it. Our Lord took on Him our human flesh and transfigured it, and it has become for every saint the temple of the Holy Ghost.

The initiative against despair by Oswald Chambers

Rise let us be going. Matthew 26:46.

The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept awake, and when they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say—‘It is all up now, it is no use trying any more.’ If we imagine that this kind of despair is exceptional, we are mistaken, it is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize that we have not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity of doing, then we are apt to sink in despair, and Jesus Christ comes and says—‘Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost for ever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing.’ Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him.

There are experiences like this in each of our lives. We are in despair, the despair that comes from actualities, and we cannot lift ourselves out of it. The disciples in this instance had done a downright unforgivable thing; they had gone to sleep instead of watching with Jesus, but He came with a spiritual initiative against their despair and said—‘Arise and do the next thing.’ If we are inspired of God, what is the next thing? To trust Him absolutely and to pray on the ground of His Redemption.

Never let the sense of failure corrupt your new action.

The initiative against depression by Oswald Chambers

Arise and eat. 1 Kings 19:5.

The angel did not give Elijah a vision, or explain the Scriptures to him, or do anything remarkable; he told Elijah to do the most ordinary thing, viz., to get up and eat. If we were never depressed we should not be alive; it is the nature of a crystal never to be depressed. A human being is capable of depression, otherwise there would be no capacity for exaltation. There are things that are calculated to depress, things that are of the nature of death; and in taking an estimate of yourself, always take into account the capacity for depression.

When the Spirit of God comes He does not give us visions; He tells us to do the most ordinary things conceivable. Depression is apt to turn us away from the ordinary commonplace things of God’s creation, but whenever God comes, the inspiration is to do the most natural simple things—the things we would never have imagined God was in, and as we do them we find He is there. The inspiration which comes to us in this way is an initiative against depression; we have to do the next thing and to do it in the inspiration of God. If we do a thing in order to overcome depression, we deepen the depression; but if the Spirit of God makes us feel intuitively that we must do the thing, and we do it, the depression is gone. Immediately we arise and obey, we enter on a higher plane of life.

Filled with His fullness....

Twelve years ago when I left for Africa, God told me there were two things I needed to focus on for the women: the priority of Word of God in daily life – training them how to receive His intimate instruction and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – experiencing for themselves intimate intoxication, not by might, not by power, but utterly consumed with His Spirit! These are the crown jewels of our faith my precious sisters.

The reality is that only Christianity holds forth the Word of Life (Philippians2:14). And only Jesus offered us the same power that raised Him from the dead to live out the Words of Life. His commandments are without fail also our enablements. He will never ask you to do something He is not fully ready to empower you to do!  Isn’t that encouraging! 

Do you want all Jesus has for you? I can tell you from the depth of my heart I do…I am desperate to receive everything Jesus has to offer….I don’t want to miss anything. Intimate instruction necessitates our radical obedience IF we want to experience His fullness. Do you want that? If you echo that cry I have good news…Right now, if you will harden not your heart, if you allowed the Spirit of God free reign in your heart, and told Him at this very minute, to search you and test you… if you will hold your life up next to the only real standard – God’s Word – and relinquish anything He reveals is in your way He promises He will fill you afresh!

You will be bathed in Christ – His love, His righteousness, His power and His fullness. Pastor Chuck Smith says that as we yield to the Spirit we open the door to a vast new dimension of power. In an instant, simply by faith, our lives are saturated with God and a beautiful outworking transformation takes place. We begin to live intimately intertwined with Jesus. Walking, talking, led by, controlled, directed, and more fruitful than we are able to even dream.

The Body of Christ has pulled away from the Holy Spirit of the Living God. Some in fear, many because of compromise, others in ignorance…it makes no difference the reason, the reality is they are missing the power. We need revival and revival always starts in the heart’s of the believers whose ear is tuned to the Lord. We need Jesus, in all His holiness, all His power, and all His love to baptize us. 

Being filled with His fullness:

John 1:16: And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

Ephesians 1:23: Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all.

Irresistible Call

Psalm 139:23-24: Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

·         Irresistible call: drawing us into His very embrace…can illicit only one response in us….·        

·         We here His call, know His voice (John 10:27) and

·         In love we relinquish all, lay it down for good in absolute surrender.

·         Right now give God unhindered way in your life. This is a willful abandonment of self because we know the greatness of our Lord.    

Acts 17:28: For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said,  “For we are also His offspring.” 

Colossians 1:27: … Christ in you, the hope of glory 

By dying you shall live, it has to start here….and He will bring you to His desired end, molding you into the very image of our Beloved Jesus. We decrease, He increases; we die, He lives; only as we bow before the Lover of our soul will we find the true meaning and purpose of life….isn’t it time you fulfilled your destiny?