GOD IS MOVING
BY HIS SPIRIT
Early in the month of March, 1967, the Lord
gave me a prophecy concerning a further moving of
His Spirit among those who are being prepared for a
great outpouring which is coming. I quote here an
excerpt from that prophecy. "For I say to
you, my people, I am about to move by my Spirit to
do a work among my people that they might be
prepared to receive a mighty outpouring which is
coming. For even this spring of the year 1967 I will
begin a new and fresh move among my people to bring
about a further development in that spiritual Body
which I am raising up ... I will especially
anoint certain vessels of my choosing that they may
be used to bring deliverance to my people.
Especially keen shall be the gift of discernment,
for my people have come under many deceptions and
oppressions of the enemy, and there is need of a
great cleansing and liberating work among my people.
Therefore give yourself to me quickly and
unreservedly that you may be used to
help cleanse the Body of Christ from all the
defilements of the flesh and of the
Spirit."
Developments here in the last few days, both
in my own experience and in the dealings of the Lord
in the local assembly of Christians, indicate to me
that this fresh move of the Spirit has already
begun. Now we know that the Spirit of God has been
moving in a special way for a number of years to
call forth and prepare a spiritual Body which is to
receive and implement the end-time purposes of God.
If you will read carefully the above excerpt from
the prophecy you will note that the Lord says His
Spirit will begin to move in a new way to bring
about a further development in that spiritual Body
which He is raising up. In other words it is a fresh
impetus to what He is already doing, and among those
saints who are OPEN to His moving He will do
a further work of
preparation. This preparation, the prophecy
says, is for a great outpouring that is coming. Now
just when this great outpouring is coming I do not
know. It could be quite near, and it could be
several years away. THAT is not important to know
right now. But it is important to realize that the
Lord is preparing a Body to receive this glorious
anointing which is coming. Right now we must move
with the Spirit in His work of
preparation.
Now notice further that the prophecy says the
present move of the Spirit is to bring a cleansing
and liberating in the Body of Christ. In order to
accomplish this, the Lord says He will especially
anoint certain vessels of His choosing, and He will
cause the gift of discernment
to be especially keen among His people. In order to
illustrate what God is beginning to do, let me
relate an experience which I had on Sunday night,
April 16. For several months I have been suffering
with an affliction in my body which has made it
impossible for me to function as I ought. My
internal organs relative to my digestive system have
not been working right. I won't go into detail, but
as a result of this condition I have been able to do
very little ministering. I have had to do most of my
writing and typing in bed. After seeking the Lord
diligently, I was convinced (confirmed by other
mature ministries) that this was yet another
symbolic portrayal of the condition of the Body of
Christ. This is in harmony with Hosea 12:10 where
God says He uses similitudes (patterns) by the
ministry of the prophets. Last Sunday evening I
began to experience a tremendous burning
sensation coming up from my stomach into my throat,
accompanied by a bitter taste. As this continued for
some time the Lord began to deal with me about the
present move of His Spirit and what He purposed to
do. He called my attention to Heb. 12:15 where it
speaks of the root of
bitterness which can defile many. The Lord
showed me three kinds of enemy spirits which are
especially defiling the members of the Body of
Christ today. They are spirits of jealousy, spirits
of criticism, and spirits of resentment. All three
are the fruit or manifestation of the root of
bitterness in people.
Suddenly there flashed before me the
crucifixion scene where Jesus was offered vinegar
mixed with gall (a bitter substance). (See
Matt. 27:34). Immediately the words were flashed
into my mind: "He refused it." Suddenly my whole
system reacted against the burning and bitter
sensation which I was experiencing during this
period of teaching by the Lord. It was as if
supernatural hands took hold of my stomach and
internal organs and literally forced me to begin
vomiting violently. Up and out went the burning and
bitterness. Beloved, do you get
it? When Jesus went to the cross to purchase
our redemption from all the sins and defilements of
the enemy, He refused the gall of bitterness.
Symbolically the Lord was enacting the same
thing in my body at the same
time the revelation was
being flashed to me. Now
we know that Jesus was the pattern for His spiritual
Body. Just as Jesus, in His physical body, refused
to drink the gall of bitterness, so is that same
Jesus, through the discernment and liberating power
of His Spirit, going to refuse the spirits of
bitterness in His spiritual Body. And these spirits
are primarily jealousy, criticism, and
resentment.
After this experience the Lord began to deal
with me concerning other spirits which are
especially troubling the Body of Christ at this
time. He showed me two other groups of three each.
In the second group are proud spirits,
religious spirits, and deceiving spirits. In
the third group are covetous spirits, lust spirits,
and lying spirits. These six, plus the three
"bitter" spirits mentioned above, are the nine kinds
of spirits which are especially defiling the Body of
Christ, and are hindering the saints from moving
into their full inheritance in Christ. Beloved, hear
me! The present move of the Spirit of God is
primarily to bring cleansing and deliverance from
these spirits of the enemy that the saints be no
longer hindered. I cannot now go into all that the
Lord has shown me concerning this subject and the
relation of His present move to it. But I do know
that He is raising up and anointing vessels of His
choosing to be used in this ministry. He has also
promised keen discernment, and I know that along
with this gift will go the gifts of knowledge and
wisdom, and also much love and compassion. For
this is a ministry of help and deliverance, not
of condemnation. There are many saints who are vexed
and oppressed by one or more of these spirits and
they are not fully aware of it. They may sense that
something is wrong, but they don't know what to do
or how to get
deliverance.
The Lord has shown me that the nine spirits
mentioned are the very antithesis of the nine fruits
of the Spirit mentioned in Gal. 5:22-23. How
can the Lord impart love, joy and peace when many
saints are experiencing the bitterness of jealousy,
criticism and resentment? It is impossible for
saints to express genuine longsuffering, gentleness
and goodness toward others if there are proud,
religious, and deceiving spirits at work in
their lives. There can be very little real fidelity,
meekness and self-control evidenced in those who
have succumbed to covetous, lust and lying spirits.
There is so much more that could be written about
what the Lord is revealing, but I feel the Spirit
would have me draw this to a
close.
I feel led to point out one more thing.
Notice the inspired statement of Peter in Acts
8:23 as he exposes the jealousy of Simon toward
the apostles and his coveting of their power. Peter
says, "For I perceive that you are in
the gall of bitterness." These are the two words the
Lord kept repeating to me last Sunday evening
with reference to my physical condition: "gall" and
"bitterness." Then He gave me the words "chemical
imbalance." Because of this condition in my body, it
simply has not been able to function rightly and I
have been very limited in what I can do. But now the
Lord is correcting this and my body is beginning to
function as it should. Beloved, we cannot expect the
spiritual Body of Christ to function in full power
and glory until the Spirit has fully liberated from
all the bitter and defiling spirits of the enemy
which are so prevalent among the saints
today.
I'm sure that most of those who are moving on
with God would like to avoid what I have been
talking about. But I am convinced there can be no
real moving on into the fullness of His Covenant
blessings and powers until there has been a real
cleansing and liberating work done in His
spiritual Body. And I am also convinced that
the Spirit of God is beginning to move in a special
way NOW for this type of ministry. Only a special
baptism of His love, a
special impartation of His
wisdom, and a special enduement
of His anointing can bring
about what He has
purposed.
Lord, hasten the day when the members of your
spiritual Body will begin to come into your
maturity and perfection, manifesting the
fullness of your fruit in their lives. May the power
of your presence and glory be so profound, and the
cleansing and liberating work of your Spirit so
effective, that your saints shall refuse to
"drink" of the gall of bitterness. Bring us into the
full efficacy of your atoning work, where
nothing but your love, joy and peace
deep within abide, and where all that is of the
enemy will flee before saints enraptured with
your beauty, clothed with your
holiness, and lifted into heights of spiritual
ecstasy unknown by mortals before. Search our
hearts, O Lord, and cleanse us from all
defilements of flesh and spirit. MOVE, O Lord,
as you have promised, until not one of
your lambs is prey to the enemy's fangs.
Liberate all into the glory awaiting, till the veil
grows thin, and lilting song of angel's chorus
impinges on all who uplift [their] heart
to you. We await your fullness,
O Blessed Redeemer, where your purchased
possession, elect saints of light, shall walk in
splendor magnificent, and feel the tremor of
heaven's alighting on crust of clay, to make new all
things in this your day. Now raise up
your Body true,
afflicted no more by spirits wrong, and let each
fulfill his part in humble thankfulness of grace
extended, until all as ONE MAN march forth to
liberate a dying world. So let it be, Lord Jesus.