Embrace the Fire

Copyright © 2003 by Demonstration of God’s Power Ministries

International Standard Book Number 1-929371-31-4

Demonstration of God’s Power Ministries

P. O. Box 1028
Moravian Falls, North Carolina 28654 USA
http: //www.bobbyconner.org

All Scriptures are taken from the King James Version unless
otherwise indicated

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic, mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system
without written permission from the author.

Cover Design and Book Layout by Micah Davis

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.
By Bobby Conner
 Contents

Introduction...............................................................................7

Part One..................................................................................11

Part Two..................................................................................19

Part Three...............................................................................29

Part Four.................................................................................35

Part Five..................................................................................51

Conclusion...............................................................................71
 Introduction
Speaking to a people who had become somewhat
disassociated and disconnected, God thunders this
declaration through the prophet Malachi:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye
seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the
messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and
who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a
refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:
and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them
as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD
an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and
as in former years (Malachi 3:1-4).

This prophetic message of preparation has been boldly

pronounced for sometime now. The Holy Spirit has been
opening the ears of many in the Body of Christ to hear and
heed the voice of the prophets with the message of

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preparation. Notice the place of His voice—in the wilderness.

God Himself has positioned many of His end-time prophetic
voices away in the wilderness preparing them to step forth
with this message of preparation. The message is
extraordinarily clear, “... Prepare ye the way of the
Lord...” (see Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:3, and Luke 3:4).
The Lord Himself is making ready a people who will prepare
the way of the Lord. Ask for ears to hear and eyes to see the
awesome, fresh new things that the Spirit of God is doing in
our day. In Isaiah 40:3-5, we discover the promise of the
coming glory of God revealed upon the earth in an
unprecedented manner. It is time to lower the mountains of
opposition in our lives and fill in the valleys—the low places
of doubt and unbelief. It is time to remove the stumbling
stones and make a straight and smooth highway of holiness
for this coming move of God.
One of the methods that God will use to accomplish this
is through His “river of fire.” One can clearly hear the
challenge that the Spirit of Truth is releasing during this
hour to “Raise the standard!” There is going to be a
generation that goes all out for the Kingdom of God. Ask
yourself these perplexing questions: If not you—who? If not
now—when? If not here—where? God is calling forth the
history makers in our day. Now is the time to volunteer for
the King’s service (see Psalms 110:3).

Embrace the Fire of God!

It is absolutely essential that the Body of Christ embrace
the consuming flame of God’s Holiness if we are to encounter
the power of His Presence. There can be no true union of His
Spirit without purity. The Spirit of Truth is at this time
releasing a pure passion for Christ Jesus that will provoke us
to purity. God will pour out His power without measure if He
can find a people without mixture. The eyes of the Lord run

8
 Introduction

up and down the earth looking for a people with a pure heart
in order to show Himself strong on their behalf (see II
Chronicles 16:9). It is only with clean hands and a pure heart
that we will ascend the hill of the Lord. It is in the hill of the
Lord that we receive the commissioning and the authority
that the Spirit of God longs to release to the Body of Christ
(see Psalms 24:3-4). Do you hear the call to advance upward?
The invitation is extended to come higher in order for us to
see farther and hear more clearly (see Revelation 4:1-5). Only
as we go higher will we be able to see what the Lord’s plans
are for us. The writer of Hebrews warns, “For our God is a
consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29), and we see that our
God is holy and He demands that we be holy.
We can be sure anything that the fire of the Lord
consumes we did not need anyway. We would do well to also
pay attention to this stern warning concerning the
consuming fire of God, “For the LORD thy God is a
consuming fire, even a jealous God” (Deuteronomy
4:24).
The jealousy of God has been aroused for His people and
He is calling us unto Him. “For I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one
husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to
Christ” (II Corinthians 11:2). Of this fact be certain—
Christ Jesus will not share His Bride with the ways of the
world.
The message is sounding out—it is the call for us to come
out from among the wicked ways of the world and embrace
the purity that Christ will release for all who seek Him with
their whole heart.

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 1 Part One

Beholding the Eyes of the Lord

The eyes of the Lord are awesome—they are piercing,
burning with a fervent, holy jealousy for His Bride. He has
set His eyes upon His Bride—they are flaming with an
intense, all-consuming flame (see Revelation 19:12).

Do Not Flee the Flame

This flame is not for our punishment, but our purifying.
The fire of God is to help us not to hurt us. As we turn our
face toward Him, we behold His gaze is as a flame, burning
with passion for our purity. It is time to lock our gaze upon
Him so that we can be changed into His image (see II
Corinthians 3:18). First, we must remove any and all veils of
pretense that have covered our face. Paul states it is only as
we behold Christ with an unveiled face, focused on Him that
we are transformed into the same image. Oh, how we must
make this declaration: “I have heard of You by the
hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5
NAS). Notice the result of Job’s newfound realization of who
God really is: “Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust

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and ashes” (Job 42:6 NAS). Jesus reminded us that it is

the pure in heart that will see the Lord (see Matthew 5:8). I
am truly amazed as I travel about the earth in ministry, at
how many children and youth are seeing angels and having
true encounters with Christ Jesus. I believe it is because
their hearts are pure and their motives are pure. Jesus said,
“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and
become as little children, ye shall not enter into the
kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
I had an awesome and amazing encounter with Christ
Jesus. I had received an invitation to teach at a training
school for a group of young people from all across the globe. I
was extremely busy with many large conferences at the time,
so when I received the invitation to minister to forty young
people, I was going to decline. As I prayed about the
invitation, the Lord said, “Yes! You are to go.” After two days
of pouring out ministry to these precious young leaders from
around the world, I was on my way to the airport to prepare
for a ministry trip to New Zealand, when suddenly I felt
someone putting something around my shoulders. It was the
most beautiful robe or mantel I had ever seen, and the Lord
Himself was placing upon my shoulders and affixing it
around my neck with a beautiful gold chain. I was
overwhelmed with the breathtaking beauty of this mantel
and asked, “What is this?” And the Lord told me it was the
King’s robe. I began to weep at the thought of receiving such
an anointing. Then Christ said to me, “You have done well
preparing a banquet for the King’s kids, when you do it unto
them, you have done it unto Me.”
May we never forget that some of today’s young leaders
are very much like David. Although he was God’s choice to
become king, no one was aware of who David was. He was
not even invited to attend the gathering at Jesse’s house (see
I Samuel 16:1-13). We can be sure that God is about to bring
forth some of these young men and women. They will be

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 Part One

coming in with awesome anointings given to them by the

Lord Himself.

Song in the Night

Once, I was scheduled to minister to a large number of
pastors and leaders. While in prayer sincerely seeking the
Lord for His prophetic word for these men and women of
God, the Lord spoke very clearly to my heart saying, “I have
a word for the leaders, will you give it to them?” Without any
hesitation I replied, “Yes, Lord!” I was stunned when the
word of the Lord came into my mouth, it was not a word at
all, rather the words of a song, “Strangers in the night...
exchanging glances...!” The Lord said, “I am tired of this
distant and disconnected contact I am having with my
people.” Now is not a time to merely glance at the Lord, we
must set our face to behold Him. We must lock our gaze upon
Him for He alone is altogether lovely. The song writer
penned these precious words to this old hymn.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace!

“They looked unto Him, and were lightened; and

their faces were not ashamed” (Psalms 34:5). Whatever
the cost, now is the time to force your focus upon the Lord
and upon His Kingdom. We must not let the cares of the
world distract us from true devotion to the Lord.
The promise of God is clear, “Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because
he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). Do not let the cares of
this life force your focus away. Now is the time to renew your
commitment to set your heart utterly and completely upon
the Lord. The Spirit of God is calling for each of us to run to

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Embrace the Fire

the fire of God. This is not a time to flee the flame, but rather
to run to the purifying fire of God.
Absolutely nothing can decontaminate a defiled heart, but
the fire of God. Man-made religious works simply result in
more defilement and perpetuate a dead and lifeless
existence. This burning fire of the Spirit of Truth will set
men free from the bonds of religion (see II Corinthians 3:17).
Only in the Spirit of the Lord is there genuine freedom.
The Spirit of God will begin to pour out His power
without measure, if He can find a people without mixture.
The Spirit of Truth is bidding saints to come out from among
the world and be holy. “Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch
not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will
be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and
daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (II Corinthians
6:17-18). This coming fire will purify and cleanse what is
truly God—it will also consume all that is fake and
worthless. If our ministry life is built upon wood, hay, and
stubble it will be reduced to ashes. The fire of the Lord will
only serve to make more valuable the true foundations of God
that are active in our lives. Paul states, “For no man can
lay a foundation other than the one which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ” (I Corinthians 3:11 NAS).

Building Upon the Firm Foundation

Now if anyone builds on this foundation with
gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each
one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare
it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will
test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but

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 Part One

he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (I

Corinthians 3:12-15 NKJV).

Make no mistake about it—we are in a time when the

Spirit of Truth is testing our foundations. Have we chosen
the bedrock of the Word of God or a faulty foundation based
on the plans of man? The wind and fire of God will test our
labors.

Walk in the Light—Do Not Stumble in the Darkness

In order to truly walk in union and harmony with the
Holy Spirit, we must set our heart upon the cleansing fire of
God. Scripture poses the question, “Can two walk
together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). The
answer is clearly “No!” Let the fire of God remove any and all
things that separate us from holy communion with Christ.
We must walk in the light as He is in the light, only then will
we have unbroken fellowship (see I John 1:7-8). Paul reminds
us that we are children of the light and that we have a
responsibility to walk in such a manner as to reflect His
Light (see Ephesians 5:8).
There are several important steps of preparation in order
to receive the cleansing fire of God:
First: Pray the prayer found in Psalms 139:23-24,
“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and
know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way
in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” The motives
of our hearts must be thoroughly searched by the Holy Spirit,
in view of the fact that our own hearts can be too deceptive
and we can not accurately know what is within us (see
Jeremiah 17:9-10). One must never forget that man looks on
the outside; however, the Lord searches the hearts of all
men. We must not attempt to conceal and hide our sins from
God (see Proverbs 28:13). Psalm 66:18 warns us that if we

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continue to allow concealed sin to lodge in our heart, this will

hinder our communication with God. Sin truly separates us
from Christ. The prophet Isaiah warns us that it is our sins
that have separated us from God (see Isaiah 59:1-2).
Second: Step into the river of fire as soon as the Holy
Spirit brings a realization and conviction of a sin. Quickly
and completely repent and cease the sin. Remember the
promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness (I John 1:9).
Third: Forgive yourself and do not allow past sins to
continue to haunt you. If you have truly received God’s
forgiveness and have been set free, you are free indeed.
Paul said we should forget about the past and push on to
a bright future.

Acquiring the Fire Is a Now Word

A great deal has been written as well as spoken,
regarding the fire of God and acquiring the fire. It is time to
stop merely talking about the fire of God and get burned
until we are totally consumed by it. The present day Church
cannot release the fire of God until we have personally
embraced the fire of God. It is a simple fact you cannot give
away something that you do not have. May God so impact us
with His holy fire until we are contagious—spreading revival
fires everywhere we go!
This true fire of God will not be released through us until
we have had the refining fire of God come into us. Now is the
time to pray that the refining fire of God would fall afresh
upon our hearts (see Malachi 3). May our lives be
transformed from a dull, lifeless form of religious activity
into exciting acts of the Holy Spirit. The prophet John
promised that the baptism of fire would surely come.

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 Part One

An Old Message for a New Generation

It is evident that in the last few years we have been
hearing more about holiness than in days gone by. These are
days of acceleration—things are changing incredibly fast.
The Holy Spirit is now speaking to the Church about holiness
with an intensity not previously seen, at least not in our
generation. This is extremely important because without true
holiness no one will see the Lord (see Hebrews 12:14). The
subject of God’s holy fire is now being highlighted in
messages at gatherings and in conferences in many different
parts of the earth. Get ready for swift change. Now is the
time for divine revolution. One of the definitions of revolution
is: “a swift and forceful turning.” The winds of change are
fanning this river of fire, producing a revolution. We can
expect to see a “Jesus Revolution” that will stagger the
Church world once again. We must learn how to walk with a
“G-rated heart” while living in an “X-rated” world.
For the past several years I have had the awesome
privilege to speak and minister at some of the largest youth
conferences in several nations. My heart is overwhelmed
with the concentration and focus of many of the young
people. They might appear outwardly to be raunchy;
however, their hearts are wonderfully righteous. Over and
over, I am asked to pray for them the prayer spoken by Paul
when he prayed for a “worthy walk.” I like the translation of
Colossians by Peterson stating:
Be assured that from the first day we heard of
you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God
to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to His will,
and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways
in which God works.
We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it
out over the long haul—not the grim strength of
gritting your teeth, but the glory-strength God gives.

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Embrace the Fire

It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills

over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us
strong enough to take part in everything bright and
beautiful that He has for us (Colossians 1:9-12 THE
MESSAGE).

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 2 Part Two

Malachi’s Message
God is speaking forth a warning and a promise: He is
saying even though you are not ready—He is coming anyway
and His coming will prepare us. “Ready or not here He
comes!” He is coming suddenly to His temple. The temple
God is speaking about is not some structure in the Holy
Land, but each of us as believers are His temple. Paul
reminds us that our bodies are the temple of God (see I
Corinthians 3:16).
The prophet Malachi speaking for God thunders out this
prophetic warning in Malachi 3:1-5:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall
prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye
seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the
messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:
behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and
who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a
refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:
and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them

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Embrace the Fire

as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD
an offering in righteousness.
Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem
be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and
as in former years.
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I
will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and
against the adulterers, and against false swearers,
and against those that oppress the hireling in his
wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn
aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me,
saith the Lord of hosts.

In this prophetic promise we see clearly that God has

great plans for His people to walk in purity and holiness.
When we embrace the fire of God, then God in turn begins to
confuse and confound the workers of darkness. In these
verses we discover the manner of Christ’s coming and the
mission to which He is coming.

Where Is the Power of God and the God of Power?

The people to whom the prophet was speaking were
distant and totally backslidden. In the second chapter of
Malachi they seemed to be questioning the reality of
Almighty God and His care and concern for them. The
question seemed to be, “Just where is God anyway? We can
do anything we like and we do not have to answer to Him.”
In the first words of chapter three we see God releasing a
clear answer to the profane atheistic demand of the scoffers
who questioned: “... Where is the God of judgment?”
(Malachi 2:17)
By their lifestyle and actions, many today seem to be
asking the same question, to which it is readily answered,
“Here He is at the door; the long-expected Messiah is ready
to appear.” And to which He says, “For judgment have I come

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 Part Two

into this world—that judgment to which you have so daringly

bid defiance.”
Be sure God will send the righteous King to set all things
in order, even the King—Christ Jesus the promised Messiah.
In the “... beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ...” it is
expressly said to be the accomplishment of this promise (see
Mark 1:1-2). But get ready because He is coming again, not
as the babe of Bethlehem or the suffering sacrificial Lamb,
but rather as the Prince of Glory.
He is about to appear as the “Sent One.” Even though
this careless generation has not sent for Him, He is coming.
The Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His temple,
even the God of judgment, who you think, has forsaken the
earth. We will do well to notice the warning—this coming of
the Lord will be suddenly. This generation has been
somewhat half-hearted in their invitation for His
intervention. He is coming not to take sides but rather to
take over. Be certain of this fact: Christ is coming first to His
Church before He comes for His Church. He is the King of
Glory!
Notice the Prophet declared that the coming one is the
Lord—Adonai, the basis and foundation on which the world
is founded and fastened, the Ruler and Governor of all, the
one Lord over all (see Acts 10:36). Christ has all power
committed to Him (see Matthew 28:18) and He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever (see Luke 1:33).
He is the messenger of the covenant or the angel of the
covenant, that Blessed One that was sent from Heaven to
negotiate peace, and to bring reconciliation between God and
man. He is the Lord of Hosts who received commission from
the Father to bring man home to God by a covenant of grace.
Christ, as a prophet, is the Messenger and Mediator of the
covenant. He is given for a covenant (see Isaiah 49:8). That
covenant which was spoken by the Lord and produced for us

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our salvation (see Hebrews 2:3).

The Church has been brought to a threshold—we are
about to encounter the Lord in a much deeper and different
level. He shall come suddenly and His coming draws nigh.
Christ is going to come to His Church before He comes for
His Church. He shall come to His temple and I do not think
that Christ is going to come just to His temple in Jerusalem.
He is going to come first with His holy fire to those who are
the temple of God.
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and
that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? (I Corinthians
3:16).

His coming shall be like a refiner’s fire, separating the

gold from the dross by melting the ore. Like fullers’ soap He
will cleanse us and with much pressure and rubbing, remove
the spots out of the cloth.
The Lord knows our heart—this is not a time to attempt
to conceal our life from Christ. God is demanding truth in the
hidden part of our heart. “Behold, thou desirest truth in
the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt
make me to know wisdom” (Psalms 51:6). Do not be
afraid to bring your failures and faults before the Lord, He is
full of love and compassion and will quickly remove all that
seeks to pull us away from walking in communion with Him.
His holy fire will only burn away the bonds that bind us.
This coming of the fire of the Lord will reveal the hearts
of all men. We will discover “... that the thoughts of many
hearts might be revealed” (Luke 2:35). This coming fire
will be used to separate the precious and the vile, for His fan
is in His hand and He will completely remove anything that
is worthless in our lives (see Matthew 3:12). This coming fire
will be used to shake everything that can be shaken. This
shaking will affect both heaven and earth so that the wicked

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might be shaken out (see Job 38:13) and that the things
which cannot be shaken might remain (see Hebrews 12:27).
He shall sit as a Refiner. Christ shall purify and reform
His Bride, for to this end He gave Himself for the Church,
that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of
water by the Word (see Ephesians 5:26). God’s plan is to
purify for Himself a peculiar people (see Titus 2:14). The
Holy Spirit is the great Refiner. Who will He purify? The
sons of Levi—all those who are devoted to His praise and
engaged in His service, as was the tribe of Levi; and all those
He designs to make spiritual priests (see Revelation 1:6). God
will have Himself a holy priesthood (see I Peter 2:5).
All true Christians are sons of Levi—set apart for God to
service His sanctuary and to engage in warfare for the good
of His Kingdom.
Pay close attention to the ways He will purify us:
 He will purge us as gold and silver
 He will sanctify us inwardly
He will not only wash away the spots we have contracted
from without, but He will take away the dross that is found
within. He will separate from us the indwelling corruption
which renders us worthless and useless, and in so doing,
make the Body of Christ like refined gold—both valuable and
serviceable.
This coming fire of God will purge the Church, as gold
and silver are purged, for He baptizes with the Holy Ghost
and with fire (see Matthew 3:11). The Holy Ghost works like
fire. He purges the Church by afflictions and manifold
temptations so that the trial of their faith may be found to be
praise and honor (see I Peter 1:6-7). He will purge the
Church so as to make them a precious people unto Himself.
What will be the effect of it? This people will be able to offer
unto the Lord an offering of righteousness.

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The Fullers’ Soap

Fuller is the word kabhac which literally means “to
trample.” The fuller was usually the dyer, since, before the
woven cloth could be properly dyed, it first had to be free
from the oily and gummy substances naturally found on the
raw fiber. Anciently many different substances were used for
cleansing, among them were white clay, rancid urine, and the
ashes of certain desert plants (Arabic qali, is the biblical
word for “soap” see Malachi 3:2). This coming cleansing that
God’s fire will bring about in the hearts of His people is
referred to as “fullers’ soap.” Before the Lord can totally
touch and transform our heart, we must have the fullers’
soap which removes the residue of the world out of our life.
The fullers’ shop was usually located outside the city (see
II Kings 18:17, Isaiah 7:3 and 36:2) for two reasons. First,
that he might have sufficient room to spread out his cloth for
drying and sunning, and also because of the offensive odors
sometimes produced by his processes. What a beautiful
picture of the work of God’s Spirit—the sweet wind of the
Spirit blowing away the offensive odors of the world from our
lives and the bright warm sunlight sent to refresh.
Even today, the Syrian indigo dyer still uses a cleaning
process closely allied to that portrayed on the Egyptian
monuments. The unbleached cotton is soaked in water and
then sprinkled with the powdered ashes of the ishnan locally
called qali and then beaten in piles on a flat stone either with
another stone or with a large wooden paddle. The cloth is
washed free from the alkali by small boys treading on it in a
running stream. This is part of the fullers’ soap, “foot
fountain” also translated “fullers’ fountain” because of the
fullers’ method of washing their cloth.
Mark describes Jesus’ garments at the time of His
transfiguration as being whiter than any fuller on earth

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could whiten them (see Mark 9:3). Remember we are called

to be holy and pure as He is Holy and Pure. Our lives are to
radiate His Glory.
Many fail to understand that God’s plans for His people
are better than the plans they have chosen for themselves. So
in love and mercy, God begins to remove our plans and
purposes from us in order to establish His perfect plan. This
is called refining. Never forget the process of refining is
always to make the object being refined of more true value.
God’s purpose is to help us not hurt us. “The LORD is
good...” (Nahum 1:7).
Let’s take time to do a brief word study about this process
because each of us will need to go through this refining. May
the Holy Spirit release to us a deeper understanding
concerning the refiner as well as the refining process. Two
Hebrew words have been translated “refine.” These words
provide us with a great deal of insight into the prophetic
message of Christ’s coming as a refiner to refine the saints.
Tsaraph which literally means to “fuse” (see Zechariah
13:9, Isaiah 48:10, and Malachi 3:2-3). This same word is also
rendered “tried” in Psalms 66:10, and “melt” in Jeremiah
6:29, and “purge” in Isaiah 1:25.
Zaqaq means to “strain” or “sift.” In the case of silver and
gold the term probably referred to some washing process in
connection with refining, as in Malachi 3:3 both tsaraph and
zaqaq are used. The same word in Isaiah 25:6 referred to the
straining of wine. This is a process that removes all
unwanted matter. The Greek word puroo, speaks of being set
ablaze literally “to be ignited,” is translated “refined” in
Revelation 1:15 and 3:18.
Most of the Bible references regarding the refining of
silver indicate that the silver used by the ancients was
probably obtained by smelting lead sulfide ore which was
rich in silver (see Proverbs 25:4, Zechariah 13:9, and Isaiah

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48:10). Notice how in the process of refining the substance is

always brought to a much more precious value, in this
illustration—from common lead ore to precious silver. God’s
grace and tender mercy at work in one’s life always produces
more true worth.
The fire was applied to the ore to reduce it to a metallic
condition, then the lead was separated from the silver by
blowing hot air over the surface of the melted metal. The lead
was thus changed to lead oxide, in a powdered condition, and
was driven away by the air blast. The resulting lead oxide,
called in the Bible silver dross, was used for glazing pottery
(see Proverbs 26:23). Syrian potters still use this process
today. Here again, we see the symbol of the burning breath of
God removing all that is worthless in our lives.
The description of refining in Ezekiel 22:18-22 may
indicate that a flux (compare “as with lye,” see Isaiah 1:25)
was sometimes added to the melted metal to dissolve the
oxides of copper, lead, tin, and iron as they formed—thus
leaving the silver pure. Crude processes similar to those
described are used in the Taurus Mountains even today.
In Zechariah 13:9, God declares,
And I will bring the third part through the fire,
and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try
them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and
I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they
shall say, The LORD is my God.

In the various Bible references, the refining of precious

metals is used figuratively to illustrate the kind of trial God’s
children are called upon to go through. If they are of the right
metal, the dross will finally be blown away—leaving pure,
clear, shining silver.
Again we see the promise stated by the prophet of God.
When the Lord shall have washed away the filth

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of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the

blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the
spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.
And the LORD will create upon every dwelling
place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a
cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming
fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in
the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge,
and for a covert from storm and from rain (Isaiah 4:4-
6).

Now that we have a better understand of the process of

refining and the fullers’ soap, let’s look more closely at each
of these verses in Malachi:
But who may abide the day of his coming? and
who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a
refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap (Malachi 3:2).

“But who may abide the day of his coming?” He is

coming to call us to account for our indifference and lethargy.
Are we ready for His fiery presence in our midst, burning
away the chaff? His coming will be to subject our character to
the fiery test of His heart-searching truth (see Matthew 3:10-
12).
“For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’
soap.” His mission is to prepare us to stand before a Holy
God.
And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver:
and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them
as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD
an offering in righteousness (Malachi 3:3).

“And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of

silver...” The promise “He shall sit” speaks of His
faithfulness to His people. Never think that God will turn the
heat on and abandon you. In this refining process He is near

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and the promise is sure—He is a Friend that stays closer

than a brother, and He is a very present Help in our time of
need.
The purifier sits before the crucible, fixing his eyes on the
metal and taking care that the fire is not too hot. He allows
the metal to remain in the fire only until he knows the dross
is completely removed—when he sees his own image
reflected in the glowing mass. So the Lord, in the case of His
people, applies the fire so that He may purge away the dross
and see His own image reflected clearly in each of our lives,
and then He removes the saint out of the furnace. He will sit
down to do the work, not carelessly, but with patient love and
unflinching justice. The purer the gold—the hotter the fire,
the whiter the garment—the harder the washing, (see
Romans 8:29, Job 23:10, Psalms 66:10, Proverbs 17:3, Isaiah
48:10, Hebrews 12:10, and I Peter 1:7).
“... And he shall purify the sons of Levi...” The
Levites speak of all saints because all saints are called by
God to be ministers unto God.
“... That they may offer unto the LORD an offering
in righteousness...” Refiner’s fire and the fullers’ soap—
each deal with purity. The Body of Christ is about to receive
a baptism of fire! With this baptism of fire a new and much
needed understanding will be released concerning the
demand of holiness from the heart of Father God for His
people.

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 3 Part Three

Strange Fire Is a Dangerous Substitute

The Body of Christ is about to perceive the dangerous
consequences of offering strange fire in the place of God’s
holy fire. Counterfeit commitment can carry a very deadly
result (see Acts 5:1-13).
In the Book of Numbers we read the account of two men
who attempted to worship God with a defiled heart and
deceptive motives. Read the results:
And Nadab and Abihu died when they offered
profane (or strange) fire before the LORD (Numbers
26:61).

We are all enormously thankful and extremely grateful to

our Lord for every sincere servant that is seeking to build
and advance the Kingdom of Christ. We should do all we can
to help promote and encourage these genuine, legitimate men
and women of God. However, it is appalling and
embarrassing to observe some of the things that are being
done in the name of Christ, some of which is nothing more
than counterfeit ministry. Some have become manipulating
con-artists attempting to swindle people out of their money.

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Be sure the Holy Spirit is far removed from this type of

charlatan activity that brings fading glory and vanishing
riches to a man. These pretenders stand in true peril; the
impending judgment of God stands at the door for these
pretenders. Let us join in prayer and intercession for the
valid victorious servants who are upright in their heart, but
let us ask that the scam artists be quickly exposed and that
they completely repent or be swiftly removed from public
ministry.
It is sad to see that the desperate hunger of the saints of
God has given place to such extreme mishandling of the
Word of God. It is sad when so-called ministers spend more
time attempting to seduce and entice the saints into buying
anointed prayer clothes or bottles of water from the Jordan
River, and the list of gimmicks goes on and on. How
shameful, but rest assured this type of behavior is about to
come to a sudden end. Just as Christ turned over the tables
of the moneychangers in His day, He is about to do the same
thing today. He said to the people in His day you have made
My house into a cave of thieves. He is about to drive out the
moneychangers again in order for His house to be a true
house of prayer, praise, and ministry.

What Is This Fire?

In the Scriptures fire often speaks of Gods awesome
power and presence.
The Hebrew word 'esh, is the word used for “fire.” Forms
of this word appear in over 375 biblical references. In its first
biblical appearance 'esh represents God’s presence as “a
torch of fire.”
And it came to pass, that, when the sun went
down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace,
and a flaming torch... (Genesis 15:17, italics mine).

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It is especially important that the first sign of the word

fire was God’s presence being made known. This occurrence
of fire and the divine presence of Holy God is an awesome
promise of what will happen when man has worshipped and
makes a true sacrifice. Take time to study this account of
Abraham. He had to stand against the fowls of the air as
they came to devour his offering to the Lord. We too must
engage in spiritual warfare to protect what we have put
before the Lord. Today when we truly worship and sacrifice
in the Spirit, the fiery presence of Holy God will again be
seen walking among us.
In the Scriptures “fire” was used to transform the offering
into smoke, and as the smoke ascended heavenward, it
symbolized God’s reception of the offering (see Leviticus
9:24). Smoke always ascends—it is a symbol of praise and
devotion.
In Exodus 3:2 we see that “fire” often attended God’s
presence. Consequently, He is sometimes called a
“consuming fire” (see Exodus 24:17 and Hebrews 12:29).
God’s divine “fire” guided His chosen people through the
wilderness as the pillar of fire releasing direction as well as
protection (see Exodus 13:21).
As saints of God, we do not need to stumble in the
darkness, but we must have the glory of the Lord to direct
our steps. The Psalmist declared, “The entrance of thy
words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the
simple” (Psalms 119:130). This light of the Word of God
will be a true light to our pathway (see Psalms 119:105). Now
is the time to hear the voice of the Lord clearly and to fully
follow Christ wherever He leads (see John 10:3-4). We must
have divine light and direction as well as protection.
In Exodus 14:19 and 24 we again discover that fire was a
symbol of the Lord’s presence and one of the signs of His
power, as manifested through His approval or as destruction

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(see Numbers 11:1 and 3).

We behold God appearing in the burning bush and also
upon Mt. Sinai as divine fire (see Exodus 3:2 and 19:18). Just
as Moses turned aside, it is time for us to turn aside and seek
the source of the sign. Only as we take time to turn aside will
we clearly hear the instructions of the Lord. When the
Apostle John turned to seek the source of the voice, he
encountered the risen Christ on a level he had never
expected (see Revelation 1:10 and 18). How many times do
we miss these divine encounters because we are in too much
of a hurry to be still and know the Lord (see Psalms 46:10-
11).
In the midst of fire He reveals Himself in the Old
Testament as well as the New—to Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John
(see Isaiah 6:4-5, Ezekiel 1:4, and Revelation 1:12-14). A
great day is coming when He will again appear in fire (see II
Thessalonians 1:7-8).
God is compared to fire, not only because of His glorious
brightness, but because of His righteous judgment against
sin. God’s holy fire will consume the wicked as fire does
stubble, if they do not repent (see Deuteronomy 32:22, Isaiah
10:17, Ezekiel 21:31-32, and Hebrews 12:29).

Symbols of Divine Fire

Fire, in its symbolic use, is not only spoken of as
protection, but also for purifying as with precious silver and
gold (see Isaiah 4:5-6 and Malachi 3:2-3). The following is a
list of examples of how fire is spoken of symbolically in the
Scriptures. These are just a few of the many examples and
you can, of course, do a much deeper study.
 The Word of God is described as fire. (see Jeremiah
5:14, and 23:29)
 The Holy Spirit is spoken of as fire. (see Isaiah 4:4, and

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Acts 2:3-4)
 The zeal of the saints is referred to as fire. (see Psalms
39:3, and 119:139)
 The angels of heaven are identified as messengers of
fire, (see Psalms 104:4, and Hebrews 1:7)
 God in His glory, (see Daniel 7:9)
 God in His holiness, (see Isaiah 6:4)
 God’s jealousy for His worship, (see Deuteronomy 4:24,
Hebrews 12:29, Psalms 79:5, and Isaiah 33:14)
 His protection of His people, (see II Kings 6:17-18,
Zechariah 2:5)
 His righteous judgment and purification, (see
Zechariah 13:9, Malachi 3:2-3, I Corinthians 13:15)
 His wrath against sin and punishment of the wicked,
(see Deuteronomy 9:3, Psalms 18:8 and 89:46, Isaiah
5:24 and 30:33)
 The Word of God in its power, (see Jeremiah 5:14 and
23:29)
 Divine truth, (see Psalms 39:3, Jeremiah 20:9, Luke
12:49)
 That which guides men. (see Isaiah 50:10-11)
 The Holy Spirit, (see Acts 2:3)
 The glorified Christ, (see Revelation 1:1)
 Kindness in its melting power, (see Romans 12:20)
 The tongue in its evil aspects, (see James 3:5-6)
 Heaven in its purity and glory, (see Revelation 15:2 and
21:22-23)

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God’s Burning Heart

This impending move of God’s Spirit will release a deeper
dimension of understanding and clarification of exactly what
the fire of God is. Many seem to have the wrong impression
of the fire of God, thinking that it solely concerns His divine
judgment. They associate the fire of God with only agonizing,
painful, and appalling experiences. The fire of God can and
does speak of His divine displeasure with sin; however, this
outpouring will reflect a Bridegroom’s heart of tender love for
His Bride. We must not think that the love of Christ for His
Church leaves us without the responsibility of walking in
purity and true passion for holiness. On the contrary, the
more we know about the true heart of the Father for us, the
more we should be compelled to walk in true purity.
In the Scriptures we see God revealing Himself in the
fire. We discover in Exodus that God protected and directed
His people by fire.
Then it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the
people go, that God did not lead them by way of the
land of the Philistines, although that was near; for

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God said, “Lest perhaps the people change their

minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
So God led the people around by way of the
wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel
went up in orderly ranks out of the land of Egypt.
And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for
he had placed the children of Israel under solemn
oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall
carry up my bones from here with you.”
So they took their journey from Succoth and
camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar
of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of
fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or
the pillar of fire by night from before the people
(Exodus 13:17-22 NKJV).

Just as God chose to reveal Himself to Moses on the

mountain by fire, He will reveal Himself to the Church today
in the fire of holiness. In Exodus we read the account of
Moses on Mount Sinai.
Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke,
because the LORD descended upon it in fire.
Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace,
and the whole mountain quaked greatly.
And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long
and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God
answered him by voice (Exodus 19:18-19 NKJV).

This river of fire is flowing from the throne of God,

removing the apathy and deadness of the Church. The
beginning point of this mighty river is the very heart of
Father God. With awesome reverence for the holiness of God,
we must recognize that the fire of God is not just His
judgment, vengeance, and anger toward sin—it is primarily
His love and passion. The current of this river is now raging,

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and just as flood waters overflow the banks of our natural

rivers, this river of God’s passion for His people will rage. It
will be obvious that if anyone steps into the river even
slightly—they will instantly be swept away by the strength of
the current.
This is not a time just to look at the river of fire, now is
the time to commit ourselves to the force and the flow of the
river—the source of which is God Himself.
John the Baptist prophesied that Christ would baptize
His saints with a baptism of fire. This baptism of fire will be
a total immersion in a river of fire, which is God’s intense
passion for His people. This baptism purifies because the
inner heart desires of God’s people will change as we
embrace His river of fire.

Desire for the Fire

The “love of Christ will constrain us” will become our
motto. The love of Christ is becoming compelling causing all
who embrace the river of fire to deeply desire a life that will
bring true glory and honor to Christ. Everywhere we turn,
everywhere we look, everywhere we are—we will see,
experience, and feel the fire of God’s passion for us. We will
be undone, in a good sense of the word. Our own plans and
purposes will become undone. Our prayer will be for a swift
synchronization of the will of God and the walk of man. His
fire will overwhelm the church not in a judgment of wrath—
but in the passion of love.
In Matthew 3:11-12, John the Baptist releases this
prophetic promise:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance,
but He who is coming after me is mightier than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

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His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will

thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather
His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire (NKJV).

God’s Fire Will Call Entire Nations

This baptism of fire will set our hearts ablaze for true
evangelism. It is our own indifference that has caused the
lack of true evangelism in our nation. It is not God who
hinders the healing of our land—it is our apathy and our
unbelief which keeps us from taking hold of all that is
promised to us in the Word of God. Remember He is able to
do abundantly above anything we can ask or think (see
Ephesians 3:20-21). God has promised that entire nations
will come to Him in a day. We must expect more, we must
have faith for more. We should expect entire cities to turn to
Christ. Do not marvel when I say entire cities can be saved.
The Scripture tells us that nations will come to our light and
kings to the brightness of our rising (see Isaiah 60:1-3). It is
time to arise and shine bright with the glory of God.

The Key Is Christ-likeness

The message for the Body of Christ today is the same
spoken from the lips of Jesus:
Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most
of His mighty works had been done, because they did
not repent: (Matthew 11:20 NKJV).

Jesus has a word to say, not only to us as individuals, but

to entire cities as well. In exasperation He rebuked Chorazin,
Bethsaida, and Capernaum with tears (see Matthew 11:21).
He cried out to Jerusalem (see Luke 13:34). If He expected
cities to repent in the first century, He expects cities today to
repent as well. Get ready to see entire cities come to God.

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This can and will happen.

This coming fire of God will fall upon entire cities and the
result will be the repenting and returning to true
Christianity. This fire of God coming upon the Church today
is removing the walls that have separated many. This coming
together in unity of purpose is releasing a powerful anointing
and grace (see Psalms 133). When we truly come together,
God releases awesome, lavish anointing.
Many saints in different cities are coming together for
city-wide prayer meetings. These are proving to be very
beneficial. God is raising up men and women with anointing
to help bring whole cities together in prayer. There is also a
grass roots prayer movement beginning in public schools
again that is awesome. These young people are seeking God
on a very intense level. Reports of Holy Spirit breakouts are
coming in from many of these prayer gatherings. There is a
wonderful release of power when saints come together to
pray. Recently I was in a city speaking at a very large youth
conference. These young people were going out into the
streets with the power of God. Cripples were walking and
deaf people were hearing. Many people gave their life to
Christ as they watched and listened to these anointed young
people sharing the life of Christ.

The Fire Produces Mighty Miracles

It was in this precise context of reproving cities; however,
that Jesus made a statement which reveals the awesome
scope of God’s redemptive power. Listen to His rebuke, but
also to its hidden promise. He said,
... For if the mighty works which were done in you
had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have
repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes (Matthew
11:21 NJKV).

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What an awesome promise! These cities were extremely

wicked places, but the promise is clear—miracles would have
produced repentance in even these sin centers. Tyre and
Sidon were Gentile cities known for their debauchery and
sin. Yet, Jesus said that a true demonstration of His life,
revealed in power, can bring even the vilest of cities—places
which ought to be destroyed—to “sackcloth and ashes.”
Never forget the promise where sin does abound grace does
much more abound. The overcoming factor is the Church
moving in love and power. Remember love covers a multitude
of sin (see Romans 5:17 and I Peter 4:8).
The strategy to win our cities, is for the Church to reveal
Christ’s love and life in power. Yes, the revelation of Christ
in us as individuals, and the power of Christ displayed
corporately through us, can turn our worst cities back toward
God! It is time for a true demonstration of God’s power (see I
Corinthians 2:1-5). The Kingdom of God will not be
established with just talk. Performing miracles with
awesome power will bring souls to Christ (see John 6:2).
There is coming a mighty revival to some of our most wicked
cities. Prayer will release the harvest. Today, as in days past,
the river of God’s fire will flow through the streets of our
cities. In the wake of this river of fire souls will be turned to
Christ and lives rescued from the destroyer’s grasp.

Ripe for Real Revival

Today, many cities are ripe for revival. The Word of God
promises where sin does abound grace will much more
prevail. What hinders the turning of the people’s hearts? The
answer lies with the Church and with our sins of self-
righteousness, apathy, and unbelief. The Lord said,
If my people, which are called by my name, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and
turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from

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heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land (II Chronicles: 14).

For,
... God our Savior,... desires all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth (I Timothy
2:4 NKJV).

With this in mind, Paul taught that entreaties and

prayers should be made on behalf of all men, “... for kings
and all who are in authority” (I Timothy 2:2 NJKV).
The sacrifice of Christ provides for the salvation of all men.
Heaven waits only for the Church to act. This coming river of
fire will set our hearts to action.
Jesus continued His rebuke of cities, saying, “If the
miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in
you, it would have remained to this day” (see Matthew
11:23). Amazingly, when Christ is manifested in power,
Jesus said even Sodom could find repentance!
The promise is very clear, where sin does abound grace
does much more abound. I realize that I keep repeating this
promise, but somehow we have not truly caught the promise.
We have all heard preachers compare Amsterdam, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York to Sodom. These cities
have seen the deeds of Hell, now let the Church demonstrate
before them the deeds of Heaven. We would do well to spend
time blessing our cities. Our words have power and we
should seed the heavens with blessings for our cities. If we
take intercession for our nation to a higher level we will see
the rain of Heaven begin to fall—flooding our nation with
grace and mercy. The serious drought we are seeing in much
of the world is a direct result of our lack of true prayer.
Our world desperately needs to see Jesus revealed in His
Church. The promise of Christ is that even Sodom could
repent in the atmosphere and revelation of Christ’s power. If

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there is hope for Sodom, there is hope for your city as well!

Revival
Christ Jesus is looking upon the harvest—He sees people.
It is a sad situation when Church leaders look on the harvest
and only see Church members. Something must move us past
an ambition to grow just for growth’s sake. People are much
more than just nickels and noses. He sees the hurting
humanity for which He gave His life. He sees the very
purchase of His blood. He beholds husbands arguing with
wives while their children tremble in fear. He sees drugs
being sold on playgrounds and teenagers having abortions.
He observes as desperate old people linger away stored in
nursing homes and warehoused away living lonely lives in
retirement centers. He suffers at the bedside of the infirm.
The heart of Christ grieves with the loneliness of the elderly
and identifies with the struggle of the handicapped.
Yes, the eyes of the Lord probe the spirit and humanity of
our towns. He sees the hungry homeless, the drunks and the
dope-heads. From His eternal perspective, He also beholds
the most terrible event known to man. We must never forget
that the way of the sinner is hard. There is pleasure in sin
but only for a season. He sees the overwhelming horror and
the utter despair every unsaved person experiences as they
realize they are indeed, dead and going to hell. There is no
rest for the wicked; their lives are filled with turbulence and
torment, storm tossed vessels on troubled seas. Does He see
His Church busy and active seeking to win the lost, or does
He see the Church—His Church, purchased at the cost of His
own precious blood—sitting comfortably amused with remote
control in hand, watching television or surfing the worldwide
web seeking somewhere to vacation. We must have this river
of fire to burn away the lukewarmness and restore true
passion for hurting people. Jesus does not have a problem

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with the hot or cold dimensions of life. It is the lukewarm

that He will spew from His mouth (see Revelation 3:15-16).
What stopped the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and
Capernaum—towns which already had the blessing of
Christ’s healing—from embracing ongoing renewal? They
assumed Christ’s love was given only to enrich them. They
saw the rewards of Christ—without understanding His
requirements.
The Church today is frighteningly similar in attitude to
these ancient cities. The majority of the first century saints
gave their lives to Christ with the full knowledge they would
face persecution, suffering, and possibly, death for their
faith. Such was the character and vision of the Church in the
first century.
We must embrace the fire of God in order to consume the
consumer-type Church, which only wants to bring to the
people what they want to experience. The people-friendly
Church must become the Holy Spirit-friendly Church. It
seems we are expending much of our spiritual resources on
attempting to build a type of Church that will attract more
people, when in fact we should be seeking to build a
fellowship that would attract the Holy Spirit.
It appears that the main emphasis of much of our
Christianity is; however, to help believers become normal. So
much of our contemporary teaching keeps alive the very
nature that Jesus calls us to crucify! We need to reevaluate
our preaching. Are we preaching the cross and the call to
follow Jesus? What are we training our people to become? It
seems that much of our time is spent on attempting to
counsel out of people what should have been extracted at
conversion (see II Corinthians 5:17).
The Holy Spirit’s goal is not merely to bless us, but to
transform us into the image of Christ Jesus! He desires to
use us to turn our nation back to Him. Surely God has made

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no provision for the healing of our land apart from us

becoming Christ-like! Once we realize this vital truth, we
shall return to the source of New Testament Christianity,
and our cities will have hope for redemption. When the
Church demonstrates the love and power of Christ,
repentance and revival can occur even in a place like Sodom.

Demonstrations of the Apostolic

When God releases the fullness of this baptism of Spirit
and fire, it will result in an outburst and outbreak of
apostolic demonstrations of God’s power in signs and
wonders. The Holy Spirit will release His power to do
ministry. We stand at the door of a release that will: produce
an impartation—resulting in an impact—resulting in a
breakthrough—resulting in a breakout. The miraculous and
the supernatural will become normal in many Churches.
Business as usual in the Church is about to come to an
abrupt end. This baptism of fire will release such power that
a radical change will occur. Church will not be what we have
been experiencing. Expect a great visitation that will release
an impact for the Body of Christ that will result in a
breakthrough in order for the Church to have a true
breakout. The message and ministry of the Church must get
outside the four walls of the Church out into the
marketplace.
This coming move is unparalleled and exceptional in that
it will sweep across denominational lines. For all who truly
embrace this river of fire will be released into a much higher
level of signs and wonders. Young and old alike will be set
ablaze with pure passion for Christ and His advancing
Kingdom. Children will move on an extremely high level of
prophetic anointing. They are now seeing into the Spirit
realm in an awesome manner. Where the fire of God
consumes the works of the flesh the miraculous works of God

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will break out.

Some of the most powerful demonstrations of God’s power
will not happen in the Church meetings. Do not
misunderstand this—there will be exceptional power when
God’s people gather for praise and worship. However, when
those immersed in God’s holy fire get outside the four walls
of the Church building, into the streets and marketplaces of
the world, miracles will happen to the unbelievers, causing
them to come to know Christ Jesus in a personal way.
The good news that God’s power is flowing will pour into
the streets, homes, and communities and multitudes will
come into the meetings to see and experience the true power
of God (see Mark 2:1).
It is very exciting and encouraging—God is doing a new
thing (see Isaiah 48:5-9). We must not fear the changes that
are coming from the fire of God. We must abide in the Word
of God walking in quietness and confidence—it is in the
power of God that we will rest. Being immersed in the
passionate fire of God will burn away the routine of the
mundane. No longer will we be lost in the daze of the
familiar.
The Lord spoke to me saying, “Bobby, I give you My
personal permission to attempt to explain what I am about to
do on earth!” I said to Him, “Lord, I will need a verse for that
one,” and He said, “no problem,” and He gave me Ephesians
3:20-21. Now is the time to expect more from the Holy Spirit.
If we would truly expect more, we would see and experience
more. Christ said according to your faith be it unto you. I was
flying out to the northern part of California to conduct a
conference, and the Lord spoke to me saying, “I have a
promise for the Saints now.” I replied, “Great, what verse?”
and He said, “It is on page 33 of the magazine in the pocket
in the seat in front of you.” I opened it and discovered these
words: “YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT!”

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God is offering an open invitation “... Come up here,

and I will show you things which must take place after
this”(Revelation 4:1 NKJV). It does not matter what level
we are at presently. God longs to carry us higher. We can and
must advance from glory to glory. The Spirit of Truth is
moving the Church to maturity.
The Body of Christ must move forward, this is not a time
to retreat back to the safety of past normalcy. We must
maximize the moment. We must redeem the time and make
the most of the moment. God is now releasing for each of us a
kairos moment, which is that moment of time where your
time and God’s purpose come together. Now is not a time to
continue in a form of godliness without any demonstration of
divine power. The enemy and a religious spirit hate this
move of God and will be at work trying to distract people
back into a worthless form of Christianity. But unlike Lot’s
wife many in the Church will not look back. They will press
ahead boldly!
It is in the day of God’s power that His troops volunteer
willingly (see Psalms 110:3). As we embrace the fire of God,
then the husks of the world are burned from our heart,
permitting us to see the Lord and more of His glory, and as
we know Him more, we will trust Him more. It is the people
that push on to know the Lord who will display strength and
take action (see Daniel 11:32).

Fascination With the Master or the Miracles?

The explosion and outbreak of mighty miracles will result
in a newfound attraction and fascination with Christ Jesus.
This will be awesome, causing man’s focus to get off people
and firmly fixing our eyes upon the Lord of the miracles (see
John 2:23). This fire of God will take our eyes off the man
that God uses to accomplish the miracles and focus us firmly
upon the Master. The names of the persons God uses to work

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the miracles will hardly be remembered. The focus will be

upon the Lord of Glory. It will be the name of the Lord that is
praised. The day will soon come when people leave the
meeting rooms and no one will be speaking about the person
who preached or ministered—everyone will be talking about
the magnificence of the Master. Right now people become
fascinated with places, ministries, and individuals who carry
authority in the Spirit. People flock to locations where there
is a move of God because they are so hungry for the Lord (see
John 6:1-2).
This coming wave of the fire of God will produce a deep
desire to know the Lord on a much more intimate level. But
after this baptism, we will not be awestruck with where
God’s hand is at work because we will be mesmerized with
Him. We will only feel at home as we seek to place our lives
yielded at His feet. We will be focused as was Mary, sitting at
the Lord’s feet, drinking in the words of life from His lips.
As this move of God is unleashed and with every
miraculous demonstration—people are going to be totally
overwhelmed with the character and nature of God—people
are going to behold the beauty of the Lord. We too will join
with Isaiah of old when he declared, “... I saw the Lord
sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of
His robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1 NKJV). The result
will be the same with us, we will cry out in desperate
repentance seeking the cleansing fire of God to purge away
from our lives any and all things that separate us from Him
(see Isaiah 6:5).
The Bride will be enamored by Him and not just what He
is doing. Our hearts will be set to seek His heart not just His
hand. This move of the Spirit will remove the heart of Gomer
from His Bride (see Hosea 1:2-7). The fire of God will remove
the whoring heart from the Bride, we will be loyal and
trustworthy. As a well known prophet has said, “Soon there

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will be a generation more concerned in seeking His face and

not just His hand.”

Devotion Restored
This fire of God will help restore the Church to its first
love and spiritual fidelity will be restored. Are we guilty of
taking the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, which were
given to us to woo the Bride to Christ, and using them to win
her to ourselves? Surely there could be no greater form of
treason. Just as the trusted servant of Abraham was given
gifts to woo a bride for his son, Isaac, we too have been
entrusted with gifts. The faithful servant of Abraham would
take one of the beautiful gifts from his master and release it
to Rebecca, telling her that it was from Isaac. The fire of God
will cleanse our motives. We will not use these ministry gifts
to bring people to ourselves.
What is our true motive? No longer will Church growth be
the goal of her leaders—the main goal will be establishing
the Kingdom of God and seeing the glory of God restored to
the Church. The fire of God’s glory will promote the Kingdom
of God, not the kingdom of any man. This fire of God will
remove from us the evil ambition that robs us of integrity
and uprightness of heart, thus removing evil spirits of
competition and mistrust.
The day is coming when—because of signs, wonders, and
miracles—people will be obsessed and consumed only with
the Bridegroom. Our desire will be nothing other than to
dwell in intimacy with the Lord. Daily fellowship with the
living Christ will be our main goal. He will be our only
reward. The Spirit of God is calling us to come daily and sit
at the feet of the Lord.
As Christians we are challenged, as well as commanded
in Scripture to be bold, brave, and courageous in our stand

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for Christ Jesus. We are instructed to boldly contend for the

faith. However, this only occurs when we are walking in
integrity and purity of heart. God’s ultimate goal is for us to
possess and manifest true Christlike character and virtue.
These graces are fundamental if we are to be a bright,
shining light; a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden. The
Scripture declares, “The wicked flee when no man
pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion”
(Proverbs 28:1). True boldness stems from a steadfast,
upright heart. Our life must be a fountain, filled and
overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
And those who are Christ’s have crucified the
flesh with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit.
Let us not become conceited, provoking one
another, envying one another (Galatians 5:22- 26
NKJV).

Satan understands that if he can tempt a person into

disobedience and rebellion against the will and way of God,
along with the sin comes shame and guilt, thus reducing a
vital witness to silence and a fearful timidity. When sin
enters into one’s heart, then comes shame and a feeling of
condemnation which results in the timidity that will rob the
heart of its bold confidence David pleaded, “Create in me a
clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within
me... Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and
sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Psalms 51:10,
13). There is a real difference between true humility and
timidity. Just as there is a world of difference between true
godly boldness opposed to arrogance which produces a sinful,
self-willed pride.

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This coming baptism in the river of God’s holy fire will

restore our hatred for sin. The Scripture states “You who
love the LORD, hate evil!” (Psalms 97:10). Notice first
that we are instructed to love the Lord: this love for the Lord
is what will produce a dislike for sin. If a person attempts to
hate evil without first loving the Lord, they will become a
religious zealot and unfruitful in the Kingdom of God. The
same instructions are given in James 4:6-7 where we are
reminded to first submit and draw near to God and resist the
devil. If we attempt to resist without first drawing near and
submitting to God, our efforts will be religious activity that
will prove worthless.

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Formed and Forged In the Fire ... Results of Abiding

In the Secret Place
It is imperative for us to seek the divine union which will
produce in us His divine nature. In Scripture we find that the
formation of a human embryo is a mystery on which the
mind of man dwells with a deep and reverential awe. It was
God who gave us physical life in our mother’s womb. In this
we had no choice, but as we are called to again be formed into
the very likeness and image of Christ Jesus, we have all the
choices. The Spirit of God is calling us into the hidden, secret
place of fellowship and communion with Christ so that we
may again say, as well as reveal, “... I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works...”
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me
in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was
made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest

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parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written, The days
fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of
them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me,
O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in
number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with
You (Psalm 139:13-18 NKJV).

Notice that the psalmist states, “... When I was made

[formed] in secret...” We too are being called to come away
with Christ again into a place of humility—a secret place
where He can form us more and more into His image. As we
take time to be yielded in childlike surrender in His
transforming presence, we will soon find ourselves being
changed.

From the Womb to the World

We must be formed again in the secret place, just as the
first time you were formed in the secret place, deep within
the warm womb of your mother. Hidden from the eye of man,
God brought you about and gave you physical life. Even now,
the Spirit of God is seeking to bring us again to His secret
place—to be stilled and silenced before His holy throne in
order that we might be formed into His divine image.
We must enter into the secret place with the Lord to be
able to hear His heart and receive His plans. Our world is
waiting, wanting, and watching to see the life emerge that
has been transformed in the secret place. So what is this
secret place like? It is...
... a place of God’s own choosing.
... a place of quiet separation.

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... a place of humility.

... a place under the inspecting eye of God.
... a place where we have a destiny and a future.
... a place we are expected to come into.
... a place of transformation and union.

Curiously Formed to Be Totally Transformed!

The psalmist states that he was wrought or formed in the
secret place. The words wrought or formed speak of divine
embroidery. God Himself has woven together the threads of
our life.
Only as we surrender our will to the will and way of God
will we be brought into a divine union with Christ, enabling
us to receive His divine nature. Our goal should be to so
position ourselves that we can be transformed in humility to
receive divine grace in order to bear the divine nature.

Transformation or Conformation?
The pressure is on! People are being formed by either the
divine or the demonic. We will either bear the image of the
Lord or reflect the wicked ways of the world. Paul pleads
with us to present our bodies and minds to the Lord, but you
must make the call:
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV).

The choice is ours, will we be consecrated to Christ or

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conformed to the world? If we choose to surrender to Christ,

we will be made in His likeness. However, if we yield to the
ways of the world, we will stumble in darkness—farther and
farther away from the light and life of Christ Jesus.
In the New Testament, the supreme example of
consecration is Christ Jesus Himself (see John 17:19,
Hebrews 7:28 and 10:10). Believers are also consecrated by
Christ (see John 17:17 and 1 Peter 2:9), and are urged to
consecrate themselves as well (see II Timothy 2:21).
One of the results of our consecration by Christ is that we
are now a priesthood of believers (see I Peter 2:9), with direct
access to our Heavenly Father (see Ephesians 3:11-12). True
consecration will always result in transformation.

Transformed
Genuine transformation means to change radically in the
inner-man. It means that our very character, condition, or
nature is brought into a place of surrender to the Word of
God. In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians,
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.” Followers of Christ should not be
conformed, either inwardly or outwardly, to the values,
ideals, and behavior of a fallen, wicked world. We are called
to come out from among the sinful activities of this evil age.
We are called to be holy and separate (see II Corinthians
6:14-18).
As believers we should continually renew our minds
through prayer and the study of God’s Word, by the power of
the Holy Spirit. In this way, we will be transformed and
made like Christ. If we will walk in the light of the Word of
God as He is in the light, we will have unbroken fellowship

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with Christ (see I John 1:5-7).

It is not enough to know that our life will be transformed
when Christ returns. We should be actively seeking to have a
pure, holy life now—not just waiting for our life to be
transformed at the return of Christ (see Philippians 3:21).
We should be seeking to walk daily in a transformed lifestyle.

Conformed
The Greek word Paul used in Romans 12:2 for conformed
is the word suschematizo, which means “to be fashioned or
shaped,” made into the same image and likeness as the
original thing. This is just as soft clay will bear the image or
form of that which is pressed against it. We will bear the
divine image of Christ as we press on to know Him, allowing
His life to shape our lives. We must remain soft and
malleable in His hands, willing to let His hands form us into
His image.

Renewing Our Minds

The Word of God will convert the soul of man. By this I
mean that our mind, will, and emotions must be put right
before God. As we surrender our mind, will, and emotions to
the control of the Spirit of God, we will soon find that God is
releasing a fresh anointing upon our lives. This daily
renewing of our minds will enable us to remain soft and
shapeable.
This renewing of our minds will bring us to the promise
found in Titus 3:5 which says, “... not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us, through the washing of
regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (NKJV).
This is a fresh impartation of the Spirit and a revival of His
power. This is what is so desperately needed in our world—

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the Holy Spirit in charge of our lives.

These are apocalyptic as well as apostate times, and
many will be drawn very close to Christ at the same time as
many others are falling away. These truly will be some of the
best of times and some of the worst of times. They will be
days of great glory and light, but also some of the most
drastic, dangerous, and dark days the world has ever seen.
Notice this verse in Isaiah 21:11-12: “... Watchman,
what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The
watchman said, ‘The morning cometh, and also the
night....’” Just as the prophet reported in his day about the
night and the light appearing at the same time, these are
going to be days of great contrast: joy and sorrow, jubilation
and depression, life and death, peace and anarchy. What will
make the difference in how these times affect your life?
Simply this—your walk with Christ Jesus!
These are days when the battle will rage for our minds.
The foe will try to cause us to divert our eyes away from the
Lord and to focus on the events occurring on earth. Now is
the time to give earnest heed to the warnings found in
Romans 8:5-6:
For those who live according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For to be carnally minded is death, but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace (NKJV).

Let these words sink deep into your soul, for they will be
life and peace to those who will hear and obey.
The battle is for your mind, “For as he thinks in his
heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NKJV). We must keep our
minds focused and fixed upon the Lord (see Isaiah 26:3).
What we set our mind upon will determine how we live
during these dark days. The Scriptures remind us to set our

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mind on things above (see Colossians 3:1) and think on

things that are pure and honest and good (see Philippians
4:4-8). May the Spirit of God open the eyes of your
understanding to give you wisdom and direction during these
apocalyptic and dark days.

Tribulation—Producing Transformation
We are facing times of tribulation that will become times
of transformation. This may well prove to be the Church’s
finest hour. Our nation is calling out to God during these
times, along with many other nations throughout the world.
The pressures and problems coming upon us during these
days will either cause us to be conformed to this evil world or
transformed by the grace and power of God’s Spirit. When
the pressure is on, we will discover what is deep down inside
of us. These adverse times will release what is hidden within
our soul and the real you will come forth. Surrender yourself
totally to the will of God, so that you might experience times
of revolutionary change and transformation.
And just as we have borne the likeness of the
earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man
from Heaven (I Corinthians 15:49 NIV).

The Spirit of God is calling us to a total yielding of our

wills to the daily control and guidance of the Lord. There
must be a complete surrender of our soul to the will of God.
This yielding will result in a restoration of resurrection
power.
The Spirit of God was His impregnating seed to produce
the new birth in our life. In the same way, the Word of God is
the God-seed that will result in each of us being formed into
the image of Christ.

Curdled to Reveal Christ

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In Job 10:10 we read this revealing question: “Did You

not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese?”
(NKJV) The word used here for curdle is qapha, which
means “to congeal, harden or curdle.”
What does it mean for God to curdle us? He is declaring
that He wants to give us form and function, purpose and
destiny. This is an awesome passage, showing that only God
can give us power to stand and express His Kingdom
purposes. Remember, “... it is God who works in you both
to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13
NKJV).
We are in a time when the Spirit of God is releasing His
power to stand and walk in divine purpose (see Ephesians
5:14-21). Now is the time to live with a clear goal and divine
purpose. Now is the time to make a commitment to Christ
and the advancing of His eternal Kingdom. Life is too short
to waste on trivial matters that will not matter in the long
run. Christ warned us that a man’s life is not measured by
what he acquires, but by how he relates to others.
Remember: “... unless a grain of wheat falls into the
ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it
produces much grain” (John 12:24 NKJV). As we die to
our own will, lasting fruit will come from our life. However, if
we continue to live for our own self-centered will, we will only
bear a small part of what God had planned for our life. God is
calling for a death to our will and way, enabling us to walk in
true resurrection power—His higher way!
God has given us physical life; now He desires to release
His divine nature and spiritual life upon each of us. He
wants us to live in a realm we have not yet experienced.
Clothe me with skin and flesh, And knit me
together with bones and sinews?
You have granted me life and favor, And Your
care has preserved my spirit.

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And these things You have hidden in Your heart;

I know that this was with You (Job 10:11-13
NJKV).

As God clothed our bodies with skin, now He longs to

clothe us with His glory. As He gave us a skeletal frame and
structure, He now wants to give us inward strength which
releases form and function. This will provide us with
strength to stand strong in the things of the Spirit.
Our physical bones give us a form and strength in which
we can stand and express our physical life. The Holy Spirit
must form Christ in us, permitting us to stand and reveal the
divine nature.

In the Secret Place

Just as we were formed at birth in the secret place, God
is calling us again to His secret place to be formed into the
image of His Son. And just as surely as you have been called
to Christ for salvation, you are now being called to a total
commitment of your life to Him. Only with this type of
surrender can we truly reveal the divine nature. Peter
informs us that we have access to everything necessary to be
transformed and walk in divine authority:
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus
Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith
with us through the righteousness of God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through
the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power hath given unto us
all things that pertain unto life and godliness,
through the knowledge of him that hath called us to
glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be

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partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the

corruption that is in the world through lust (II Peter
1:1-4).

The Spirit of God is calling us to a deeper commitment

than ever before. It is time to cast away every sin and weight
that is standing in our way.
What will be required to receive and maintain this divine
union that will release the divine nature? Rather than being
something strange or unattainable, bearing His divine
nature should be the norm for believers. But we must seek to
obtain what pertains to us, walking in godliness, virtue, and
glory. We must continue to press on and press in until we
acquire what has been promised—the divine nature that
gives us power to escape the corruption that is in the world.

Inside Out
Paul challenged the Galatian Church about their need to
have Christ formed in them: “My little children, of whom
I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you”
(Galatians 4:19). One of the words Paul used here is the
Greek word morphoo, which refers not to the external and
momentary, but to the inward, real, and genuine. Paul was
expressing the necessity of a change in character and
conduct, in order to correspond with the believers’ inward
spiritual condition. He told them he was praying for their
transformation into moral conformity to the image of Christ.
A great promise regarding this is found in the Book of
John:
But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John
1:12-13).

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As we walk in a truly surrendered life, we will find that

God will release fresh power each day. But we must set our
minds upon the things of the Spirit. Too often the affairs of
this life have robbed us of true fellowship with Christ.
Paul challenged the Ephesians that they needed to have a
renewed mind: “And be renewed in the spirit of your
mind... that ye put on the new man, which after God is
created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians
4:23-24). The Scriptures declare that as a person thinks in
their heart, so will be the conduct of their life. It is time to
set our mind on things above. We have been much too
preoccupied with the cares of this world. Now is the time to
let the Spirit of God put our priorities in the proper order.
Jesus instructed us, “But seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added to you” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV).
Paul encourages the Colossians in this change of
priorities:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the
right hand of God.
Set your mind on things above, not on things on
the earth (Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV).

Do not lie to one another, since you have put off

the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new
man who is renewed in knowledge according to the
image of Him who created him (Colossians 3:9-10
NJKV).

Our main quest should be to know Christ in a truly

redemptive way and to make Him known. It is vital that we
have a living union with Christ. Only then will people be able
to see Christ clearly living in us.

The Result of Being a Partaker of His Holiness Is a

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Pure Heart
The writer of Hebrews presents an awesome objective for
every believer: “... that we might be partakers of his
holiness” (Hebrews 12:10).
God is calling us to walk in purity and true holiness. We
are to exhibit the evidence of a life in union with Christ. One
of the most convincing evidences that we are walking in
union with Christ is that we exhibit a pure and holy life. This
evidence of a pure heart is so persuasive and so needed in our
day.
Nothing should be more important than walking in
unbroken fellowship and communion with the Lord. Hebrews
12:14 states, “Pursue peace with all people, and
holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” We
are commanded to pursue consecration and holiness. The
warning is all too clear: Without holiness, no one will see the
Lord.
God will not share His anointing and power with unclean
vessels. The Bible instructs us, “... purify yourselves, you
who bear the vessels of the LORD” (Isaiah 52:11 RSV).
The Body of Christ is being confronted with the demands of
living a holy, pure life, Recently the Spirit of the Lord spoke
to me saying, “Tell the Church that holiness is not a dirty
word! Neither is holiness optional!”
When we cover over our hearts in an effort to keep our
sins hidden from God, we also cover our spiritual eyes and
become unable to see the things of God. When we get rid of
our self-protection and self-righteous pretense, and instead
purify our hearts, our spiritual vision is restored to see the
Kingdom of God. In Matthew 5:8, Christ Jesus gives us a
promise: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God.” What a wonderful promise.
If our hearts are pure and our souls upright, we shall see

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the Lord. We will not only see things in the spiritual realm,
but we shall see God active in our lives and our ministries. In
Proverbs 22:11, we read this precious promise: “He who
loves purity of heart and has grace on his lips, the king
will be his friend” (NKJV). The King of Kings and Lord of
Lords longs to fellowship and have communion with the pure
in heart. If we are going to walk in power and true authority,
it will be because we have purified our hearts.
To advance in the authority of God, we must have more
than clean hands—we must also have pure hearts. Holiness
deals not only with our actions, but also our attitudes. Let us
hear and heed the warning in Psalms 24:3-5:
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or
who shall stand in his holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who
hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully.
He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and
righteousness from the God of his salvation (NKJV).

What Is Holiness?
What is the true meaning of holiness? The Greek word
used here is hagiasmos, which speaks of sanctification,
consecration, or purification. Sanctification and holiness are
more than just an attempt to separate ourselves from sin. We
must also be separated unto the Lord. True holiness includes
both separation from sin and union with the Lord. It means
coming out from the world and coming wholeheartedly to the
Lord. If we just attempt to be isolated from sinful things, and
do not allow ourselves to be brought into a deeper walk with
the Lord, it will result in our being overtaken by a self-
righteous, religious spirit. Remember that we must be
separated unto the Lord, not just separated from a sinful
lifestyle.

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An example of coming out of sin and to the Lord can be

clearly seen in the story of the wayward son in Luke 15:11-
24. Looking at this parable, we discover willful rebellion on
the part of the younger son. We also see the high cost of low
living. He “... squandered his wealth in wild living”
(Luke 15:13, NIV). Now the young man was totally
depleted, destitute, and living in a hog pen. He was at the
lowest point in his entire life—no friends, no food, and
separated from his family. At this dark, desperate time, the
Holy Spirit brought the wonder-working power of conviction,
finally bringing him to his senses. “When he came to his
senses, he said,... I will set out and go back to my
father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against
Heaven and against you” (Luke 15:17-18, NIV). He came
out of the hog pen of his sinful living and went back to his
father’s house.
This will be the year that many backsliders come to
themselves, come to their senses, and get up and return back
to the “Father’s House,” where true hope and help will be
received. What a joy it will be to see the wounded return and
be restored!

Developing a Pure Heart

The development of self-control is essential for bringing
your thoughts and actions into captivity to the obedience of
Christ, so that your mind is renewed daily. The results are
true consecration, sanctification of heart, and life.
Consecration is not just the outward restraining of a person’s
involvement in sin; it is a cleansing of one’s heart to the point
of not wanting to do anything that would offend the heart of
God. The Spirit of God is seeking to break our hearts over
what breaks our Heavenly Father’s heart.
This only happens when there is both a purging and a
placing—a purging away of any sins we have not yet

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repented of, and a placing in our hearts of God’s holy

precepts. Yes, we need a Holy Spirit pruning, a lopping off of
every fruitless branch. And we also need a watering with the
water of the Word of God, which will cause us to grow in
spiritual fruitfulness. We must have a removal of all that is
unholy—then a reordering of our hearts so they are ruled by
the Holy One.
It is truly time to get the world out of our hearts and
make more room for God to rule. We must open our hearts to
God’s searchlight—removing every little thing it exposes that
is not of Him, and then placing the light of His Word into our
hearts to keep them ever pure. We must pray as the psalmist
prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any
offensive way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting” (Psalms 139:23-24, NIV).

A Cry for Cleansing

Having a pure heart begins with a cry for cleansing. The
Holy Spirit is calling for repentance and cleansing from the
defilement of sin. It is imperative that we ask the Lord to
search our hearts and expose any and all sins, so we can
confess and renounce them. Remember the warning, “If I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear”
(Psalms 66:18 NKJV). If we give sin a safe hiding place in
our hearts, it will hinder our communication with God.
We will do well to ponder the prayer of King David in
Psalm 51. This is the greatest of the penitential Psalms and
has a very powerful confession of sin and cry for forgiveness.
David’s confession comes after being confronted and rebuked
by the prophet Nathan (also see II Samuel 12:1-15). The
lesson we see is that no one can get to a place or position
where they are not accountable for their conduct. Our nation
certainly needs to hear this lesson—power and position do

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not release you from living a life accountable to God.

This psalm starts with a cry of confession. David clearly
declares that he has sinned and is in need of God’s mercy.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy
lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy
tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and
cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin
is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done
this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified
when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest
(Psalms 51:1-4).

The prayer goes on to petition the Lord not only to

cleanse the heart, but also to renew and restore.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not
thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and
uphold me with thy free spirit (Psalms 51:10-12).

David wants to be more than a forgiven sinner. He wants

to become a pure vessel of the Lord. In essence, he is crying
out, “make me more of what You want me to be. Because of
Your goodness and loving-kindness, cause this defeat to bring
new levels of victory in my life!”

Living in the Light of God’s Word

The promise is very clear: If we want to stay close to the
Lord, we must live a pure, holy life. The only way this is
possible is to live a life ordered and directed by the Word of
God. It is not sufficient to cast out the dark deeds of our sin;

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we must live in the light of His Word as we see below:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a
liar, and his word is not in us (I John 1:7-10).

This truth is also seen in these verses in the Old

Testament, “You shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength. And these words which I command you today
shall be in your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5-6 NKJV).
To keep our hearts pure, we must learn to abide with the
Word of God. Too many Christians think of time spent with
their Bibles as optional reading assignments or unnecessary
legalism. But God’s Word is more than something to turn to
when you need a promise or are preparing a teaching. For by
reading, meditating on, and memorizing the Bible (having it
hidden in our hearts) we will know God’s perfect path of
purity. “Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my
path” (Psalms 119:105).
The results of a clean heart will be that we will see God,
and others will see God in our lives. This will enable us to
reap souls for the Kingdom of God and bring joy to the hearts
of other believers. May God grant us grace to seek Him until
He comes and rains righteousness upon us:
Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap in mercy,
break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the
LORD, till He come and rain righteousness upon you
(Hosea 10:12).

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Do Not Get Used to the Darkness

We need to heed Paul’s warning in Ephesians 5:11 “And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them.”
Not long ago, my wife and I were invited to attend a very
fancy candlelight dinner. Only a few candles illuminated the
restaurant, and this was to enhance the mood and create a
unique atmosphere. I stumbled into the dimly lit room,
fumbled for a chair, and mumbled in a whisper that I needed
a flashlight in order to read the menu. It was a lesson in
walking by faith and not by sight; but there was also another
spiritual lesson being shown.
Gradually my eyes became accustomed to the darkness
and I was again able to focus on objects. I thought to myself,
Isn’t it funny, how one gets used to the dark. The Spirit of God
began to reveal the desperate need for Christians to come out
of the darkness and walk in the light of day. This is the time
to walk in the pure light of the Lord, in order to reflect His
divine radiance.

Time to Let Your Light Shine

This will be a time of great sifting. God is calling us to
become like Jesus at all costs. We are going to undergo a
purging and pruning in order for the glory of the Lord to
shine out of our lives. Although the world will become much
darker, we are promised that God’s glory will arise in
dramatic ways:
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the
glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will
arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings

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to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all
gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall
come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed
at your side.
Then you shall see and become radiant, And your
heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of
the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you
(Isaiah 60:1-5 NKJV).

It is time to allow the Spirit of God to remove each and

every veil that we have placed over our hearts, so we can
behold the Lord and become like Him.

Radical Revolutionaries
God is saying that we must become radical
revolutionaries that reflect His radiance! This is the only way
others will see Christ in us.

The Emergence of Shape-Changers

In the occult realm there are people so demonized that
they are known as “shape-changers.” These are people so
demonized that they can actually take on the form of
different creatures. The Church, in contrast, is about to
behold saints who are so submitted to the Holy Spirit that
they become godly shape-changers. These men and women
are willing to radically submit themselves to the Holy Spirit
in such a manner that they are transformed into the likeness
of Christ Jesus. This is the only way we can fulfill our calling
to bear His image.
This process, involving both conversion and consecration,
produces transformation. We are about to undergo such an
inward dying to our soulish nature and will that the divine

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will of God may be made manifest in our lives. This will

cause us to be much truer representatives of the grace and
glory of God.
We must take on the attitude and the actions of Christ
Jesus. Just as Christ Jesus displayed the total form of God,
we must do this with Christ. Just as Christ could say, “He
who has seen Me has seen the Father” (see John 14:9),
we must be able to state, as Paul did, “For me to live is
Christ...” (Philippians 1:21). Each of us should seek this
transformation—changed into His image, from glory to glory.
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the
glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”
(II Corinthians 3:18).
The psalmist declared in Psalms 17:15, “As for me, I
will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be
satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.”
We should never be satisfied with anything less than
bearing the true image of Christ.
The Spirit of God is granting us power to stand on a
spiritual level that we have never before attained.
Having done all, we will stand (see Ephesians 6:13)—
stand not in our own human power but in true resurrection
power and anointing of the living Christ.

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 Conclusion
The eyes of the Lord are searching for a people with a
pure heart, so that He can show Himself strong on their
behalf. The cry of our souls must be, Lord, make us that
people!” For the people who truly know their God will display
God’s strength and take action (see Daniel 11:32).
Let us join with King David in his plea for purity found in
the verses of Psalm 51. He cries out for a purged and pure
heart, just as our cries will result in the reaping of souls for
the Kingdom of God.
The invitation is open to come to God for His fountain of
cleansing which is flowing. “Come now, and let us reason
together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be
red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If ye be willing
and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah
1:18-19).
It is only as we walk in purity and righteousness that we
will truly be bold and brave in our stand for Christ and the
advancing of His Kingdom.
Having finished the course and having kept the faith, our
life’s goal must be to stand before the throne of God to hear

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Him say, “Well done good and faithful servant!” There could
be no task greater or more noble than to serve the King with
all that He has placed within us. Living to gain His approval
is the highest goal. Surely we should desire for His holy fire
to purge from us anything that would hinder our pursuit of
Him.
God is at this time in history releasing great grace for all
who have set their hearts to draw near to Him. May it be
said of each of us that we were found fully in Him with our
robes as white as snow—purged and refined by His Holy
Fire!

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