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Where a Desolate Soul Finds God
by Francis Frangipane
In spite of breakthroughs in several regions, many Christians have grown weary. Their love is growing cold; their passions, lukewarm. The prophet Daniel warned of a time when the enemy would “…wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Dan. 7:25). To emerge victorious in this day, we must climb into the reality given to us by God in Psalm 91. There is a place of replenishing life, a fountain of light, wherein we can abide. The Bible calls this place the shelter of the Most High.
Elijah: A Man Like Us
Elijah was a man with passions like ours, and he fought in a spiritual war similar to ours. In his battle for the soul of Israel, he stood against the wiles of Jezebel and her husband, King Ahab. Yet his most intense battle was not against visible foes but against personal discouragement.
As bold as Elijah was, he lived as a fugitive moving in and out of caves and places of hiding. Jezebel had murdered nearly all of the Lord’s prophets, replacing their godly influence with the dark, satanic oppression accompanying the priests of Baal and the Asherah. A new initiative, however, had come from the Lord: Both Elijah and the prophets of Baal were to build altars, each to the deity they each served. The God who answered with fire would be acknowledged as Lord over the nation.
King Ahab and all Israel came to the confrontation. Try as they may, the priests of Baal could draw no response from their demonic idol, Baal. In dramatic contrast, at Elijah’s prayer, fire immediately fell from heaven and consumed his sacrifice. This was Elijah’s greatest victory. And when the Israelites saw the display of God’s power, they bowed to the ground saying, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God” (1 Kings 18:39).
But the Lord was not finished. After Elijah had the priests of Baal executed, he went to the top of Mount Carmel and, kneeling face down, he prayed seven times for rain until the Lord brought a great downpour that ended a devastating three-year drought. On this one day, both fire and rain miraculously fell from heaven!
Perhaps if this tremendous day had occurred at any other time in Israel’s history, the nation would have repented, but it did not. Baal worship should have ended, but it continued. In fact, nothing changed. Instead of the revival that Elijah envisioned, the opposite occurred: an enraged Jezebel vowed to kill the Lord’s prophet, spurring Elijah to flee into the wilderness. There Elijah collapsed, exhausted and despondent, beneath a juniper tree. “It is enough; now O Lord,” the weary prophet prayed, “take my life, for I am not better than my fathers” (1 Kings 19:4).
Elijah had offered the Lord his very best effort. This day had been the culminating event of his life. Elijah had prayed that Israel would know the Lord was their God and that, in response, the Lord would turn Israel’s “heart back again” (1 Kings 18:37). Yet, like the prophets before him, Elijah could not trigger revival for Israel. Discouragement overwhelmed him. He had had enough.
Have you been to the point of spiritual or emotional exhaustion where you too have said, “It is enough”? Perhaps you were frustrated by your own inability to effect positive change in your family; or, you’ve fasted and prayed for your church or society but no visible change occurred. You gave your all but found little success. Disheartened and weary like Elijah, all your resources were spent.
Elijah lay down and slept. As he did, an angel touched him and said, “Arise, eat” (1 Kings 19:5). At his head were bread and water. Elijah, weary with life itself, ate and withdrew back into sleep.
Once more the angel touched him. “Arise,” he said. “Eat, because the journey is too great for you” (v. 7). For all our visions, plans, and programs, the journey before each of us is also “too great.” Indeed our journey will always, at various points, be too great for us. For life is so constructed to drive us closer to God.
Back to Our Foundations
“So [Elijah] arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8).
The Lord gave Elijah strength, not to send him back to battle but to bring him back to basics. If we become more consumed with our task than we are with our love for God, our lives will eventually become brittle and desolate. To restore our souls, the Lord brings us back to the essentials of our faith. Indeed, He might even stop our labors completely and direct us to the simpler realities of prayer, time in the Word, and worship. He reminds us that, of all He calls us to accomplish, His greatest commandment is to love Him with “all our heart” (Mark 12:30). Without this focus, we lose touch with God’s presence; we are outside the shelter of the Most High.
The Lord brought Elijah to “Horeb, the mountain of God.” In Hebrew, Horebmeans “desolation.” The barren environment mirrored Elijah’s soul. Yet to God, Horeb was actually a place where the issues of a man’s heart were flushed to the surface. There is no theater at Horeb, no acting. It is the place of unembellished honesty and core-to-surface transparency.
How Did You Get Here?
Perhaps Elijah’s greatest virtue was his zeal. Indeed, twice in his communication with God, Elijah speaks of having been “very zealous” for the Lord. But zeal unattended by wisdom eventually becomes its own god. It compels us toward expectations that are unrealistic and outside the timing and anointing of God.
To remain balanced, zeal must be reined in and harnessed by strategic encounters with the living God. Otherwise we become frustrated with people and discouraged with delays. We step outside our place of strength and spiritual protection.
Elijah had come to Horeb and lodged there in a cave. Soon the Word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (v. 9). This is one of the most important questions God will ever ask us. His question probes the reality of our spiritual state: “How did your service to Me become dry and desolate?” God wants us to know that when we fail to esteem Him as our first love, we will always find a desert awaiting us.
Our primary purpose in life must be to abide in Christ. Otherwise we can become so consumed with the deteriorating condition of the world that we fail to see the deteriorating condition of our own soul. In His love, the Lord stops us and forces us to look honestly at our heart: Is this existence that I now live the abundant life promised me from Christ?
Let’s speak candidly. We have nothing to prove and no need to pretend. We can abandon the internal mechanisms of defensiveness and pride. If we are disappointed, we are free to express it; if frustrated, we can admit it. We must simply and truthfully evaluate, without rationalization, our true spiritual condition.
Transparency is the outer garment of humility; and, humility draws the grace of God to our hearts. Is not intimacy with God the very thing we most neglect? And is not the Lord alone our source of strength in battle? If the enemy can distract us from our time alone with God, he will isolate us from the help that comes from God alone.
Let us approach the living God without any garment, but with transparency.
A Fresh Anointing
As the pressures of this age escalate, we will soon discover that yesterday’s anointing will not suffice for today’s battles. The Lord brought a new beginning to Elijah’s life at Horeb—one that would ultimately release a “double portion” of power to Elijah’s successor, Elisha. Under this new anointing, Jezebel would be destroyed, Baal worship abolished, and the only period of revival the northern tribes ever experienced would begin.
To reach a similar place of breakthrough, it will take more than the momentum of our own zeal. We should not be surprised if God calls us to pass through our own Horeb.
How will we recognize this place? Horeb is the voice of personal desolation; it is the desperate compelling of our heart to possess more of God. We must now listen carefully to the voice of God. For it is at Horeb that He brings us deeper into Himself. It is here, under the canopy of His compassion, that we discover the purpose of our brokenness: our desolation is in fact a time of preparation.
The Lord is about to bring a new beginning to you. When you return to the battle, you shall war from the shelter of the Most High.
Lord Jesus, apart from You, my life is dry and desolate. Forgive me for trying to do Your will without abiding in Your presence. I desperately need You, Lord. This day, I commit my heart to return to my first love. Teach me, Lord, to consider intimacy with You the greatest measure of my success. Let me see Your glory; reveal to me Your goodness. Guide me, Oh Holy Spirit, into the spiritual fortress of the presence of God. Amen.
The Greatest in God’s Kingdom
by Francis Frangipane
Of all virtues, Jesus elevated meekness above the rest. Why humility? It is the door opener to grace, and no virtue enters our lives except that humility acknowledges our need and requests virtue to come. Without humility, we see no reason to change or appropriate future grace.
Yet, humility not only hosts the other virtues, it is also the life essence that sustains them. It is humility that recognizes when love is growing cold and humility that confesses our need for greater purity. Without humility, our virtues harden into lifeless statues; we are outwardly religious, but inwardly unable to change.
Humility is the taproot of true nobility. For it provides increase to wholeness, and life and maturity to all other virtues. It is the antidote to Phariseeism and the cure for a Jezebelian attitude.
A Child
Consider: when Jesus was asked by His disciples, “Who then is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” He put a child in their midst. He said, “Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 18:1,4).
What a sublime wonder! In Heaven, the height of greatness is measured by the depth of one’s humility.
Consider Wuest’s Expanded Translation of Jesus’ statement:
“Therefore, he who is of such a nature as to humble himself like this little child, esteeming himself small inasmuch as he is so, thus thinking truly, and because truly, therefore humbly of himself, this person is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Jesus came to establish Heaven in the lives of His followers. Thus, He introduces the realm of God to His disciples with the words, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 5:3).
Beloved, the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the “poor in spirit.” Who are these poor? They are people who “know their need” (Goodspeed Translation). Beloved, there are people in Heaven who were sinners on Earth. The streets of God’s kingdom are filled with people who, at some time or another, failed and fell short. There are adulterers who’ve been washed and cleansed by Christ’s blood, ex-drug dealers and prostitutes whose hearts are filled with praise to God – all who came face to face with their need, repented and found forgiveness of their sins.
But there is not one proud individual in Heaven. There are no self-righteous beings in Heaven.
Here on earth we see the strutting pride – the air of self-importance – manifest in leaders and celebrities. Again, we behold the air of false superiority in our cultural prejudices. We see unrepentant pride in the conflicts that lead to divorce and the offspring of pride – envy and jealousy – in the inordinate desire of men to be glorified before other men.
Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the poor in spirit! Not the perfect, but the poor. Yes, we are called to standards of perfection, and strive we must toward that upward call. Yet, perfection in Heaven is measured, not in degrees of self-sufficiency, but in degrees of dependency and surrender. We can search for an eternity and we will observe truly: there dwells not one proud soul in all of Heaven.
Today, we cry for revival and pray for breakthroughs, and persevere we must. Yet the Lord’s eyes are upon a certain individual. He says,
“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, and also with the contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite’” (Isa.57:15).
The disciples were arguing about who is greatest in the Kingdom. Jesus placed a child in their midst. This is greatness in the Kingdom of Heaven: to possess a humble heart.
February 2012
We are now in the fourth week of our Intro to CVHOP Internship and just returned from the annual Leadership Summit at IHOP-Atlanta where we had the privilege of hearing from leaders in many segments of the body of Christ, including Mike Bickle and others from IHOP-KC, Andy Byrd from Youth With a Mission, Murray and Deborah Hiebert from Every Home for Christ Int’l, and several pastors from local churches across the nation. It was exciting to hear that God is moving across a wide variety of streams in the body of Christ around the world, and to see how He is sovereignly bringing a convergence of the prayer and the missions movement for the final, end-time harvest, and the preparation of the earth for the soon return of our King. The Lord confirmed to each of us that we are right in the midst of what He is currently doing in the earth, and that this move of His Spirit is only just beginning!
Along with this thrilling glimpse of the “big picture,” we were also deeply challenged by several messages centered around our need as God’s people to cultivate a spirit of meekness and humility in this hour. It is very apparent that the Spirit is preparing the bride to be joined in marriage to the King who epitomizes these attributes—the lovesick Bridegroom who laid aside His divine power and privileges to take on our human frame and live the life of a humble servant, giving His life in our stead in the most humiliating way possible. He is returning for a bride who will be equally yoked in humility and servanthood; laying down her life for Him and those made in His image. Scripture tells us that, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” and the reason is because He is humble, and He is working to conform us into His likeness. How do we grow in humility and meekness?
In one of our classes, The Excellencies of Christ, author/teacher Allen Hood writes, “Why does mistreatment exist? It exposes the great enemy of our soul—pride manifesting in anger. The crucible places pressures on the human heart that expose the fault lines underneath the surface. Mistreatment and opposition touch places of pride that otherwise go unnoticed in our controlled environments…The pressures expose and, if responded to rightly, can produce meekness in the heart. Understanding how to grow in meekness in the midst of mistreatment produces the opportunity for dependence, faith, and trust. If we knew the divine exchange rate and what the next age holds for those who embrace meekness in the midst of trial, we would not dare waste a good opportunity…we would not throw away the eternal currency of forgiving and doing good to those who have wronged us. There is something better than being right in this life. It is being free!”
I share all this to perhaps shed some light on the trials and pressures many are facing right now. It may be possible that these difficulties are God’s chosen method to develop humility and meekness in our lives and free us from pride. Personally, the last three years have been some of the most difficult in my life, and these words have given me a new perspective on what God is doing and why…I hope, if this speaks to you, it will encourage you and enable you to embrace, and thereby accelerate the process, for your good and His glory. The reward is surely worth it! Thank you for continuing to stand with us in your prayers and giving, as we wait expectantly to see God’s plans continue to unfold here in our Valley and across the earth—these are exciting times to be alive!
Blessings,
Charlene Hughes
Here are the latest changes to the Prayer Room Schedule:
Until further notice, we will no longer have live devotional worship on Monday or Friday evenings. The Prayer Room will continue to be open Mondays from 11am-9pm, and Friday evenings from 6-8pm for intercession. Our regular hours for Tuesdays – Thursdays will remain the same, 11am-6pm.
Also, until further notice, our Encounter God group will no longer be meeting.
Draw Near
Intimacy with God begins when we radically pursue Him with our whole heart. King David wrote, “When You said, 
‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, O Lord, I shall seek’” (Psalm 27:8). God invites us in James 4:8 to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
God is saying to us, “Seek my face! Draw near!” Our hearts are crying out, “YES!” But our flesh is screaming “NO!” The sad part is our flesh usually wins.
We are instructed in Psalm 46:10 to “Be still, and know that I am God.” The wording “be still” literally means to cease from striving. It means to let go and relax, to turn down the volume of the world and listen to the quiet whisper of God. It’s getting still and coming into a place of rest. It means soaking in His Presence. The result is that you will know He is God.
The word “know” is literally an experiential knowledge of God. It’s not being still and knowing about God. It’s being still and knowing God experientially. You will experience God. You will know the Presence of God.
As we focus our heart, spirit, soul, mind, and body (the whole person) on His manifest Presence, we become oblivious to the natural physical world around us.
The key is where your focus is – on the things of God or on things of this world.
Bible reading and prayer is not enough. We must take time alone with Him, not asking for anything but more of Him, more of His fullness, more of His presence in our everyday lives.
God releases power through us as we dwell in intimacy with Him. The natural outworking of His Presence is miracles.
How to Soak in God’s Presence
How do we soak? We soak like a sponge. Put a dry sponge in a bucket of water and slowly the water permeates the sponge. This is the same as soaking in God’s presence. The more we soak, the more we become filled with His Spirit.
I’m often asked, “What do you do in your time of seeking His presence?” I don’t have a set formula. In my life, it varies from time to time, but the basic components are as follows:
First, I go into a private room, lock the door, and get on the floor before the Lord. It doesn’t matter whether you sit or lie down. What’s most important is the attitude of your heart.
Second, I repent of any sin in my life and I receive God’s forgiveness.
Third, I worship the Lord in both my native language (English) and in the language of the Holy Spirit.
Fourth, I do the vital prayer of Romans 6:13 that has transformed my life: “…present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.”
Fifth, I begin to recall experiences with the Lord (i.e., healings, miracles, provision) where He has manifested Himself in wonderful ways. This creates more of an expectancy and awareness of His Presence as I relive these times.
I tell the Lord: “God, I want more of You, more of Your Presence, more of Your fullness in my life. Fill me with more of You.” I may repeat this statement many times as I wait on the Lord and focus on Him.
Then, I get quiet and that’s when I begin to hear His voice. Many times, I begin to have visions and supernatural experiences.
The key here is learning to wait in solitude. I cannot overemphasize the importance of waiting on the Lord until I experience His manifest Presence daily. I don’t come out of that private room until I have experienced His Presence.
During our soaking times, we position ourselves to receive impressions, nudges, quiet whispers, pictures, angelic visitations, and supernatural revelations. Here is a partial list of what to expect:
Dreams (Job 33:14-16, Gen. 28:10-16)
Visions (Dan 7:1-3,9, Acts 16:9-10)
Trances (Acts 10:9-17, 11:5)
Out of body experiences (2 Cor. 12:2-4)
Angelic visitations (Luke 1:57,11-17, Acts 12:7-10)
Being transported in the Spirit (Acts 8:39-40)
Experiencing the true intimate Presence of the living God will radically change your life. People describe His manifest Presence in different ways. To some, it is heat, electricity, or shaking. To others, it is lightness, peace, or weeping.
Experiencing the manifest presence is not the goal but the gateway to the supernatural realm. It’s the beginning. We go into the spirit realm where we can see Him, hear His voice, walk with Him, and be empowered by Him.
Isaiah 64:4 says God “acts for the one who waits for Him.” The Amplified version states, “God…who works and shows Himself active on behalf of him who earnestly waits for Him.” He’s waiting on us to wait on Him.
The Cumulative Effect
Sometimes we may feel our soaking time has been unproductive. We ask, “Is it worth it?” because we see no immediate change or benefit. I realized some time ago that there is a cumulative effect that takes place when I spend time in the manifest Presence of the Lord.
From this cumulative effect, God is making a deposit into my inner most being. As I begin to give out, that anointing flows out of the deposit He had been making all along.
We must learn to come quietly into His Presence just wanting more of Him in our lives. We need to “soak in His Presence,” extracting more of His fullness into those places where we are barren. The cumulative effect of spending time with the Lord will produce an increased anointing in your life. The release of that anointing will serve as a springboard to a life of miracles.
The apostle John offers believers a mind-boggling statement in 1 John 4:17 (NASB) “…as He is, so also are we in this world.”
The implication of this verse is clear – believers should be like Him. That is next to impossible without spending quality time in His manifest Presence. We will never even understand His compassionate nature for a lost and wounded humanity without regular, daily times with Him.
Conclusion
Intimacy with God is the simple means by which we access living in the miraculous. Spending time in His manifest Presence is the discipline we must develop to access all that God has for us. And, the cumulative effect is what happens in our anointing (or gifting) to function in healing or any of the supernatural.
God’s timing has come for greater works to be accomplished among His people. Press in for more of God’s Presence in your own life!
Gary Oates Ministries
www.GaryOates.com
