I was horrified at the thought of being outside the will of God!  The disconnection I felt in communion with the Holy Spirit was paralyzing, as fear and confusion came over me.

The Lord had called me aside to spend time alone with Him.  I’d driven several hours to get to the location, had pretty much cut myself off from the outside world, and had been there almost two weeks when the desire to leave overcame me.

Several things were pulling upon me, but the most profound was an overwhelming sense of isolation and loneliness.  In the course of the two week period, my flesh became increasingly uncomfortable, as the battle raged within.

This battle was like nothing I’ve ever experienced!  The Lord had called me to separate myself unto Him, to sit in His presence and commune with Him, but my flesh was screaming otherwise.  It was demanding attention, wanting to be entertained, coddled, anything but sit in the presence of God!

On January 5th, the morning after my return, I awakened to hear the following words:

“Will You Make the Cut?”

The day before, I’d repented of succumbing to my flesh and leaving to come home before being released of God to do so.  But when I heard these words, I began to feel horrified all over again.  It was then the Lord began to show me, not only the seriousness of my actions, but that the Bride herself will go through similar battles in the days ahead.

As shown in ‘The Dividing Line’ posted January 3^rd, the Lord is erecting a dividing line, a wall of partition, which will separate the inner from the outer court of His Temple (the Church).  The division has already begun and He is saying:

“…Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)

God is cleansing and purifying His house, and nothing of the flesh can remain.  He is asking us to come out from among them and be separate.  Those willing to do so, who are seeking intimacy with Him and giving the Lord permission to finish the work He has begun – to crucify their flesh, will have to experience the death of the flesh and all it entails.  They must learn to walk in the Spirit in order to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

As Paul said in Galations 4:28-30, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.  Nevertheless what says the scripture?  Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”

We are to operate in the New Covenant of promise – the covenant of the  Spirit.  Hagar, the bondwoman, was totally of the flesh. Just as God instructed Abraham to cast her out, so must we.  We must cast out all our human reasoning, our customs, plans, and way of doing things.  When God gives us instructions, or an assignment, oftentimes it will not make “sense” to our human reasoning.  Your flesh will come up with all kinds of reasons why “you must not have heard God correctly.”

I was given a sampling of the raging battle the Bride of Christ should expect as she allows the Lord to separate her for His purification process.

Not only will you have to battle your own flesh, but the wiles of the devil. The enemy will work desperately to keep as many from making the cut as possible.

Just as he tried to beguile and tempt Jesus, so will he do with the Bride.  To stop her from operating in the Spirit, He’ll work primarily through the flesh.  She’ll be questioned about God’s provision, protection, and then the very Word of God will be brought into question.  Just as our Lord Jesus went through in His wilderness experience, the enemy will twist the very Word of God to attempt to manipulate Her to act in the flesh…

To Be Continued…

God willing, the various ploys and tactics the enemy used on me recently, I will begin to discuss in Part 2.

Scripture References:

Romans 6:23, “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Hebrews 4:12, “The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Revelation 18:4, “…Come out of her, my people, that you be not partakers of her sins, and that you receive not of her plagues.”

Galatians 4:29, “But as he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now…”

Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”