Daily Readings: On The Obedience Of Man And God's Blessings

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Daily Readings:

On The Obedience Of Man

And God's Blessing

By Dr. Gary Michael Epping

Antelope Hill Publications

Smashwords Edition

Copyright: 2008

2nd Edition: 2012

All rights reserved by Gary Michael Epping

ISBN: 9781476215426

Licensing notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy.

Other books by Dr. G. Michael Epping

*A Revolution From Darkness To Light

*Spiritual Stirrings Of The Awakening

*Pathways Into The Glory & Out Into The World

*Strong Meat For The Spiritually Maturing Christian

*The Great Doctrinal Divide That Separates God’s People

*Daily Readings On The Obedience Of Man & God’s Blessing

*Releasing Great Grace And Great Power

*The Last Days Omission

*Birth Pangs Of The Tribulation (Part 1)

*Tribulation Rising (Part 2)

*Unfolding of the Great Tribulation (Part 3)

Table Of Contents

Title

Note From The Author

Preface

Foreword 1 Don Moore

Foreword 2 Fiona E. Jensz-Higgins

Readings By Month (hit the current date)

January: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

February: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

March: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

April: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

May: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

June: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

July: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

August: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

September: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

October: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

November: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

December: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

End

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Note From The Author

Dr. Gary Michael Epping Ph.D. received Bachelor and Graduate degrees in Business Administration, and was a University Professor for twenty-five years. During that time, he taught and published several scholarly articles about the business world. After a radical spiritual transformation at a long-running revival in the mid-1990’s, he subsequently received both Bachelor and Graduate degrees in Biblical Studies and Theology, in order to prepare himself and his family for spending eight years as missionaries in Thailand. The Epping family returned to America in 2009, and is currently living in Montana, where MIchael is a minister, rancher, and writer. At this time, I want to thank my wife, Diane, for standing with me through all of the trials of writing these of books. I also want to thank Fiona Higgins, a missionary in Thailand, for editing all of the books that I have written.

*

Preface

This book is the fruit of gleaning some of the most important ideas and concepts, in shortened form, from the four book series, My Journey Through The Brownsville revival: A Revolution From Darkness to Light; Spiritual Stirrings Of The Awakening; Pathways Into The Glory And Out Into The World; and Strong Meat For The Spiritually Maturing Christian. After writing these books, one of my most important insights is that if we obey God, He will bless us!! Often, I have read daily inspirational books that present only God’s blessings, which we all enjoy. But, the Bible is clear that we must first obey in order to receive His Blessings. A book of devotional readings should likely therefore center both on the obedience of the believer and the blessings of God. I have attempted to select readings from the above series that reflect both of these important areas.

In the original Journey series, there were a multitude of references cited in the footnotes and bibliographies of the four books. Since only a portion of ideas are presented in the current book, neither footnotes nor a bibliography seem appropriate. I, however, do want to cite some of the people that contributed to the original texts. These, in no particular order, include: Smith Wigglesworth, Ruth Tucker, Wanda Moore, Diane Epping, J. I. Packer, Bob Gladstone, John, Wesley, Michael L. Brown, Robert Jones, Ray Comfort, David Ravenhill, H. Clay Trumbull, Bob Phillips, Andrew Murray, Richard Crisco, Don Moore, Richard J. Foster, Derek Prince, Randy Shankle, Ralph M. Riggs, David Yonggi Cho, Larry Tomczak, Steve Alt, John Cava, Jeff Thompson, Charles G. Finney, Carl Henry, John Kilpatrick, H. A. Ironside, Ron McKee, Steve Hill, J. Kerby Anderson, Carl Baugh, S. J. Hill, Leonard Ravenhill, Wesley L. Duewel, Jonathan Edwards, Roberts Liardon,Bill Hamon, David Steindl-Rast, Leon Brassfield, T. L. Osborn, Bert Farias, Kenneth E. Hagin, Fuchsia Pickett, Robert Stearns, Thomas C. Oden, Cary Robertson, Timothy Davis, Watchman Nee, A. W. Tozer, Henry T. Blackaby, Lindell Cooley, Dallas Holmes, Bill Ancera, Ruth Ward Heflin, Lila Terhune, Arthur Blessitt, Ruth Paxson, Josh Peters, Lester Sumrall, Gary D. Badcock, Jacob Aranza, Thomas Hale, Melvin L. Hodges, David Shibley, Marjorie A. Collins, Reinhard Bonnke, Steve Bowen, George Alexander, Rodney Howard-Browne, Thomas D. Lea, Tom Hudson, G. B. Caird, L. D. Hurst, Guy P. Duffield, N. M. Van Cleave, Claud V. King, H. Boers, Rudolph Bultmann, J. Jeremias, N. T. Wright, Stanley J. Grenz, and Roger E. Olson.

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Foreword

BY PASTOR DON MOORE

For several years, I have known Dr. G. Michael Epping as a fellow believer and personal friend. From our first meeting I have been greatly impressed with his scholarly pursuit of spiritual issues and his genuine hunger for God. He has always struck me as a man of the highest integrity with a real desire to minister the love of God to his fellow man. In the ‘Journey Through The Brownsville Revival’ series, Dr. Epping thoroughly exposes all the major and relevant Bible doctrines. But, he goes a step further than most books that teach Biblical doctrine. He personalizes the many pitfalls that lie in wait for the Christian believer in his or her journey from the old Adamic nature to the new Christ-like nature. The ‘Journey Through The Brownsville Revival’ series is a comprehensive and scholarly work, yet one which abounds with personal experiences and examples. In its reading, you will be both informed and challenged by the straight forward writing of Dr. Epping.

A special emphasis is placed on the need for Heaven-sent and Spirit-inspired revival and restoration in the modern church as the only real hope for our 21st century society. I especially recommend this series of books for all who have a deep and abiding hunger for a return to the spiritual atmosphere that defined the Book of Acts church. Dr. Epping possesses that rare combination of keen intellect with a heart for God and the ability to convey his thoughts in writing. I know you will be abundantly blessed as you read the ‘Journey Through The Brownsville Revival’ series.

Don Moore

Pastor and Teacher

*

Foreword

BY FIONA E. JENSZ-HIGGINS, MISSIONARY

Dr G. Michael Epping is a humble, practical, natural scholar and disciple of the things of God. I am grateful for the privilege of knowing him and his family, reading and editing his books and being a small part in what God purposes for this book series. The content is simple enough for the interested layman yet becomes more profound as they progress so that the scholarly Christian will find much to interest him or her.

These books are written with great honesty, intelligence and integrity. Dr Epping’s deep relationship and love for God is evident in his writing, as is his subtle sense of humour and his desire to accurately pen what God placed on his heart to write. The series was written from Dr Epping’s own experiences and learning, and as such, is a personal journey, but one that is so universal that it can be entered into and have much learnt and drawn from it. The real, vibrant, victorious Christian life evident in these books encourages both new believers and those in the faith for decades to grab a hold of the life Jesus Christ offers and to commit themselves in humble obedience to be used by Him according to His perfect divine will and plan for each individual life.

I would classify this series as a vital set of practical handbooks to instruct and encourage any reader on their journey of living theology - knowing, understanding and growing in God. The series was written to cross all cultural and denominational barriers and enlighten the reader on a vast range of practical Christian topics in a concise yet thorough manner. The first book could instruct someone in his or her first steps toward a living faith. The second is an awesome instruction manual for intimacy with God and the third goes into more depth on such subjects as church history and how and why we need to take the gospel to a dying world. The fourth book covers subjects such as theology, doctrine and ideas for pastoral ministry. They could also be used as a concise collection of reference books for the person in ministry. I agree with Dr Epping that the series builds on itself but each book can also stand alone under it’s specific title.

The fact that Dr Epping became a Christian later in life and has gone forward in leaps and bounds is one reason, I feel, he can address the entire gamut of Christianity so articulately as he has done in only a four book series. There are points of interest and instruction for anyone who has honestly sought God and many questions and challenges are raised to provoke a heartfelt response from the reader. We are shown reasons why the church has grown, sometimes stagnated and gone backwards, and how it can go on to be all God has planned.

Reading Dr G. Michael Epping’s books stirred much pondering in my heart and mind, and renewed and refreshed my passion for the things of God. I believe they were written under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and I know and pray they will touch the heart of you, dear fellow reader, with the truth and fire of God.

Fiona E. Jensz-Higgins

Editor and missionary

Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ

DAILY READINGS

JANUARY

January 1

Keep Your Supply Full And Your Light Burning

One of the clearest parables about the last days before the Rapture, is indicated in Mt 25 with the parable of the ten virgins. Here, we see that only half of this group had enough supply of oil for their light to last until the Bridegroom came. As virgins, all were believers that had a genuine initial salvation experience with Jesus. However, half of them did not have enough supply to endure until Jesus returned, which will happen to the last generation as the Rapture occurs. What is the supply of oil that keeps the Christian’s lamp burning, and allows him to endure to the end? It can be nothing more than faith that comes from hearing the Word. We must constantly be filled (present tense) with the Truth of God’s Word, or our supply will go down and eventually run out. Also our supply comes from being filled continuously with the Holy Spirit (and not with wine). Again, if we cut off our supply from the Spirit through sin, our supply will diminish and can run out. Clearly, we must stay full of both the Word and The Holy Spirit to have the supply to endure until the end, which may be physical death or the Rapture.

If we will daily do just these two things, we will likely have enough of God’s supply to sustain us. Staying in the Word will allow our faith to endure and grow stronger. In Ps 119:11 it says, ‘I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.’ We can never get enough of the Word inside of us, but we must keep trying. The Holy Spirit will make the Bible the Living Word, and reveal the Truths of God to us. Some times, He will lead us to a new scripture we have never read or have forgotten about. Other times, He will give a new insight to a scripture we have read many times. If we will listen, God can keep us full of His Word, and build a strong faith that can endure anything.

Staying full of the Word of God means that we must regularly spend time both reading, studying, and meditating on the Word. Too often people only read the Word when they are in trouble. We need to read daily in and out of season. Hos 4:6 tells us, ‘my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.’ Finally, we must obey the Word, as hearing only is not enough. This is shown in Ja 1:22, ‘But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves .’

January 2

The Blood Covenants

God’s Plan for Mankind, in both the Old and New Testaments (or Covenants), was to find a way to redeem and restore mankind to the original state before the Fall of Adam and Eve. In a fallen state, the only way for God to have a relationship with man was through a covenant. The word covenant is a binding and solemn agreement made by two or more individuals to do or keep from doing a specified thing. God was looking for a seed which could redeem man and take back what had been stole by Satan. He found a righteous man in Abraham and established a covenant with him and with his seed. Abraham in reality was not truly righteous, but God considered him righteous because from his seed would come the perfect one, Jesus. Jesus was the second Adam, the one sent to remedy the fall of the first Adam, and to show the way for mankind to redeem himself in the eyes of God. Basically, in the Old Covenant, God made certain promises to man if he were obedient. Later, because of man's transgressions, God also brought forth the Law with Moses to help man know what was right and wrong according to God's perfect will. Basically, both the Old Covenant and the Law said that if man were obedient, he would be blessed; if he were disobedient, he would be cursed.

It would seem that anyone in their right mind would obey and be blessed. However, a problem of the Fall was that man died spiritually, and was not capable of steadily walking in obedience (until the New Covenant). Man sinned on a regular basis, which led to God's wrath and curses. Through the shedding of the blood of goats and rams, the sins of Israel were covered over or atoned for. In addition, physical death became a reality for man, with all sorts of sickness and illness afflicting man due to the Fall. Later, with the shedding of the blood of Jesus, Christ once and for all was made a blood sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Today, under the New Covenant, a believer can have a regenerated spirit which allows him to walk more closely to God's will and thus reap His blessings.

January 3

The Substance Of Things Hoped For

In Hebrews 11:1, it tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. The Word becomes the substance that enables us to trust God through a personal relationship. Faith does not grow off of testimonies, or from a sermon on faith. It comes from taking the Word and building a personal, intimate, relationship with God ourselves. Faith grows from hearing. But, it means more than just getting it in your ear; it must be acted upon or translated into action. Faith is so real that it is actually like a substance. It literally means that which stands under something else, or provides the basis for something else. What supplies the basis? It is Jesus! Keep your focus upon that person; not finances or any other type of thing that we need. We may say that faith is the underlying reality of things hoped for. Faith is real; faith is a substance. Presumption is a desire; faith is time spent with God to determine if what we desire is what God wants in our life. Faith takes the time to find out what pleases God. Then we know if our desires are based on our own selfish interests, or what God wants for us. We can get into a state of knowing what pleases God, by asking Him what pleases His heart! This is a good attitude to develop concerning God. Our faith is then in God, not in things. When God sees that He can trust us, He will give us more; He can express Himself strongly in that type of person.

January 4

Touched By The Spirit

The fire that fell on the day of Pentecost happened on the same day as when God appeared to Moses on Mt Sinai. John 1:33, Acts 1:5, and Acts 11:16 show us that we should be baptized in the Holy Ghost by Jesus Christ. Jesus told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise from the Father. He promised them power from on high. He was not addressing unbelievers, but those who had already been born again. They were born again but were not yet prepared to go out and take the Gospel to the world. Jesus told them to wait for the giving of the Spirit before they went out into their ministries. They could not have made it without power from on high, and would have failed. Many people think that physical manifestations are manufactured from the mind, until they have a genuine experience with the Holy Spirit themselves. At that point, one’s spirit has made contact with the Holy Spirit, as He leaped upon them. When the Holy Spirit touches a man’s spirit, the result can sometimes be quite powerful. This reaction can manifest itself to the mind and the emotions, pushing its way into outward physical manifestations in one’s body. Some people may cry, and others may shout and jump. Other people called the disciples drunk with wine because of their unusual outward actions on the Day of Pentecost. But, the Bible in the book of Acts tells us what really had happened; they had been mightily touched by the Holy Spirit.

January 5

The Spreading Of The Gospel

God set the stage for the rapid spread of the Gospel through several key occurrences in church history. One was worldwide unity under Roman law. This was an open door to spread the Gospel. Another was the Pax Romana (the Roman peace), which had minimized hostilities between countries within the Roman Empire. The third key factor was the Roman roads, that allowed travel to occur easily and quickly, both within and between countries. Also of importance was the adoption of Greek as the universal language. People could readily communicate with each other while traveling in other areas of the Empire. The last occurrence was acceptance of Judaism as a legal religion. During the early part of Church history, Christianity was considered a sect under the Jews, and benefited greatly from this protection. In the first Century Church as described in the New Testament, we see the Church as a living organism. It was led by the Holy Spirit: characterized by a Priesthood of all believers; a leadership style based on the gifts of the Holy Spirit; the leader’s role was one of a group of shepherds over each church; and the manifestation of the Spiritual gifts were common place. All of these factors helped the Gospel to spread quickly not only in Israel, but also the Middle East and into Europe.

January 6

Satan, Eve, You, And Jesus

Mankind was tempted in the Garden of Eden by Satan to act outside the perfect will of God, just as he had already done. Satan failed to tell Eve about the consequences of his own pride and rebellion. If he had done this, then Eve would not likely have listened to him. He rather was subtle, and tempted her with the lure of worldly pleasures that offered temporary satisfaction. Eve’s desire became lust when she stepped outside the Lord’s will. With both Eve and Adam succumbing to the original temptation to eat of the tree of knowledge, they have passed on a fallen state to all generations of Man, which is based on both calamity and strife. The consequences of the Fall are both shame and death (physical, spiritual, eternal). The sending by the Father of His Son, has opened up a door for man to be restored. Through redemption and God’s grace (Eph 1), man has the potential to be: a new man in Christ Jesus; a new potential for a new humanity in Christ; a new nature in Christ; a new life in Christ; constant renewal in Christ; an eternal heavenly home in Christ; and victory over our old nature. Man has been given ‘familyship’ in the Messiah, Jesus. Man has also become a corporate bride to Jesus. In Jesus through the Holy Spirit, man has been linked to other believers. Our old man has given way for the birth of a new creature in Christ, where we are renewing and changing our old habit patterns and ways of thinking, into the ways and mind of Christ (Heb. 9:14). We have not yet arrived fully in the Kingdom of God in this earthly existence, but we are on the road to change. All of us have our own growth pattern that is ordained of God. We need the diversity that comes only from the person of Christ.

January 7

The Need For Theology

Many congregational members of the local church might quickly ask why they should need to study something in the area of Systematic Theology, since the very name sounds like something a professional theologian, Bible scholar, or ordained minister might study. Shouldn’t it be good enough for the pastor or maybe the visiting evangelist to know? Why does the regular church member need to study such a thing? The answer lies in the name, which on second thought, is not really all that strange. Theology is the study of God, and systematic is an organized approach to study both the whole Bible and the parts that comprise it. Quite simply, a systematic theology is the study of major themes in the Bible, topic by topic. An issue like faith does not normally appear solely in one place in the Bible, but is spread throughout various chapters in both the Old and New Testaments. However, it is very helpful to study a specific topic with all of the information presented together in a single place. By doing so, it is possible to bring many specific scriptures together, so that one can learn authoritatively about a specific Bible subject. Specific areas can be investigated, such as; the atonement, salvation, faith, perseverance, and repentance. These are things that every Christian should know in order to be able to witness to the lost, as well as gaining valuable information for renewing one’s mind as commanded in the Bible.

January 8

Awaken Or Die

Steve Hill, the Evangelist, in the midst of the great Brownsville Revival, said in regard to America, that God would ‘Bring revival or we Die!’ ‘We need REVIVAL; We do not want to miss God’s great outpouring because each of us, from the youngest to the eldest... our entire country... is in desperate need of a ‘spiritual awakening,’ a mighty move of the All Powerful Lord. Just as Jesus Christ called me out of a life of drugs and evil and sent me around the world to proclaim His name, so, too, is He calling each of us to come out of darkness and into His marvelous light. We need God to move in our lives, and in our land, over and over again. He is our only Hope.’ These are very sobering words, and ones that every person needs to consider. We have arrived at a point in history and in God’s plan, where the magnitude of the sins of the nations can not continue on without God acting in either judgment and wrath, or in revival and restoration. Pray that God will have mercy on us, and awaken the nations to turn back towards Him. In order for this to happen, the Church must awaken and take its head out of the sand, to see the reality and degree to which our country has fallen. God wants the Church to awaken, to hear His voice, to be revived, and to be restored, in order that it can assume its role as the Glorious Church, which will carry the Great Commission out into a lost and dying world.

January 9

The Mark Of A Good Leader

Clearly, those leaders who attempt to control and dominate people in the church are acting inconsistently with the gospel of Jesus. Jesus never sought to keep others under His thumb, and neither should we. Rather, we should seek to put the Devil under our feet. People can sense authority that comes from God, without a leader constantly telling others to submit. Such behavior is self serving, rather than serving God. A good example of the authority in the New Testament Church was when Paul rebuked Peter in front of the other disciples. Peter accepted the correction, as he knew Paul spoke with an authority that came from God. In a more formal hierarchy (which came into being later on), Peter would have been the elder statesman, with Paul being the lesser of the apostles. In such a situation today, many leaders would recommend that Peter tell Paul to shut up and submit, since he was the boss. I think there is a lesson for all of us to learn here. Are we not called to submit one to another (as God gives us the authority)? A good rule of leadership (that many leaders fail to see) is that proper delegation of authority, and empowerment of others, will make the Church function more effectively, and will actually increase the power of the leader (and the Church) to act in accordance with God’s Plan. The good leader should be engaged in a process of reflecting Jesus, and a duplication of these good traits, skills, and qualities in others. This is a legacy worth passing on, and can do nothing but make the Church become more effective.

January 10

Walking In Alignment

In the family, as well as the church, we need to walk in alignment, so we can hear God’s voice, maintain spiritual protection, and continue in our spiritual growth. Alignment means to have a wholeness to our soul, health to our body, and release of our living waters to flow outward to others. Men should know that their status is firmly rooted in the Word of God, and do the best job they can of caring for the family. Women sometimes tend to vacillate because of the imperfections of the husband. Ladies, remember, your husbands are getting better as the Lord renews their minds. We must remember that salvation is not just for the spirit. When we are saved, our spirit is regenerated immediately, but It takes time for the soul to be saved; we must let our minds be renewed by the Word of God. Our bodies will have to be put in subjection daily, as it will have to wait for the rapture before it will receive salvation, and be transformed into a new spiritual body. In I John 1:9, it tells us that we are not to sin again, but if we do, we need to repent and ask God for forgiveness. When we are faithful in doing this, God will cleanse us of any residue that is on our soul. So often, we falsely think that everyone else in church is fully under the blood and never has a problem with sin; we feel like we are the only sinner in the church. This is not true, and a lie spoken by the Devil. If we are living in sin, then we need to stand up, go to the altar, and get rid of the sin. Then get back up, and continue to walk in alignment with the Lord.

January 11

Prayer Needs Faith

A discussion of the principles of prayer can not be done without making reference to faith. In order to pray, man must have faith in a God which he can not see or tangibly touch with the physical senses. If we can give unbelief and doubt the boot, and believe from our heart, all that we ask of God in prayer can come to pass. Prayer changes things. There are two key passages concerning the words of Jesus that relate the importance of faith to prayer. ‘Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24). ‘Satan has asked for you...But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail’ (Luke 22:31-32). Jesus indicated that it was imperative that Peter’s faith be safeguarded, unless the foundation of his spiritual life be eroded and torn down; ‘add to your faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness’ (2 Peter 1:5-6). This gives a divine order which begins with faith.

January 12

Wisdom From God

The one thing that we get, as we walk with our Father, especially as we get older, is wisdom. Don’t confuse this with worldly wisdom, which is worse than useless, because it tends to blind one with a deception about the true things of God. Godly wisdom comes from revelations from the written Word, and from the Holy Spirit (unwritten Word) that accumulates in our minds over the years. This is what spiritual maturity and renewal of the mind is all about; it does not happen overnight. There are dimensions of Him that have never been seen by man, and He may reveal some of these things to us, if we will continue to seek Him and not let go. Drawing near will eventually provide its own rewards. Trials have a very real purpose, as they tend to make our hearts pliable. Heb 4:11 talks about rest, ‘let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.’ Paul tells us to labor to get into that rest, which is the fruit of consistency (not legalism), and struggle. We must labor against the flesh, even though we hate to labor and fight. Some of us would rather ‘rest’ by lying around all day and doing nothing. God wants to see how much we will fight to be with Him; there is a holy jealousy about Him. The spiritual revolution we are talking about, is basically taking sides with God, and being radical for Him and His presence. David in the Psalms tells us to go deeper as God calls us closer. There are pockets within each of us that are not