SEEK GOD'S PRESENCE

The Church is running from the Presence of the Lord. It is running to activity in place of seeking the Lord's Presence. You may call your activity 'ministry', but it is actually running from the Presence of the Lord… The Church is running to Tarshish so that it can trade with the world and seek the treasures of the sea, while the greater treasures - the treasures of heaven - few are seeking. The sin of wanting to trade with the world has entangled the Church. The weeds, the cares of the world, have wrapped them-selves around the mind of the Church. Christians' minds are so entangled with the world, and they have fallen to such depths, that many have no hope of getting free. You must turn to the Lord instead of away from Him. He can untangle any mess, and He can bring you up from the greatest depths. Run from Him no longer! Run to Him! When you fall short of the Lord's grace and sin entangles you, it is hard for you to come to Him. You must learn to always run to the Lord at such times, not away from Him… You cannot endure either the glory or the darkness without His grace. You will not walk in His ways without coming to Him daily. You must not only seek His Presence, but you must abide in His Presence continually. Those who have tried to follow Him by just seeking Him once a week in a church service while they spend the rest of the week seeking the world will soon fall away. Those who call upon His Name thinking that He is their servant also will soon fall away. He is the Lord of all and all will soon know this! First, His own people must know it, so the judgment is going to begin with His own household. It is presumption to only call upon the Lord when you want something. You should call on Him to ask what HE wants, not what you want. Many of those who have some faith also have great presumption; the line between the two can be very thin. When God's judgments come to His own household, His people will learn the difference between faith and presumption. Those who try to do His work without Him will fall away. Many have faith in the Lord, but only know Him from a distance. These do great works in His Name, but He does not know them. Those who have known Him from afar will soon weep over their folly. God does not exist for the sake of His house - His house exists for Him. In His patience, He has been waiting outside of His own house, knocking, calling, but few have opened to Him (Rev. 3:20). Those who hear the Lord's voice and open to Him will sit with Him at His table. Presumption cannot sit with Him at His table. Presumption is the pride that caused the first fall, and all of the darkness and evil that are about to be reaped on the earth have come because of it. The darkness is growing and the time of great trouble will be upon you soon. If you do not use the time I give you, the coming troubles will overtake you. If you use the time that I give you wisely, you will overcome and prevail. There is one characteristic that is common to the overcomers in every age - they did not waste their time! When I have finished judging My Own household, I will then send My judgments upon the whole earth. In My righteous judgment, I will show a distinction between My people and those who do not know Me. Now the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. Now he rewards unrighteousness and resists the righteous. When the Judgment Day comes, the whole world will know that I reward righteousness and resist the proud. [Extracts from "The Call" by Rick Joyner, Morning Star Publications, 2000].