Sacrifice and Brokenness

Brothers,

It is so good to be back home again. Two words seem to have returned home with me. Sacrifice and brokenness. These words keep appearing in all of my readings thoughts and prayers. I continue to be painfully aware that if I am to truly continue on this journey and be real, it will cost my entire life. Am I REALLY able to say to my Lord, "all to Jesus I surrender" ? Oh how easy it is to say those words but brothers can we really MEAN them if we truly understand that it means to surrender everything ? Brothers I want to declare before you that I am ready to move forward. I am counting the cost (and it is great) and I am counting the cost of not ( and that is a greater cost) giving to my Lord everything He reveals to me, even my life, my family(oh... that is hard...but ,yes Lord.), my business, my reputation, the sin that still tries to appear as a rosy read delicious apple but really it is a deadly poison, yes all that . Today I choose !! " Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth die....." John 12:24
I have been crucified with Christ. It is NO LONGER I that lives but it is Christ that lives in me. I WILL live by faith and not by sight. These are the words that were going over and over again in my head as I tried to sleep last night. Praise God that his Holy Spirit speaks HIS words in our hearts.
From the book "The Cross and Sanctification" by T.A. Hegre , one of the founding members of Bethany College of Missions:
Sacrifice"When the gospel message today leaves out the Cross, it has no chance of having its claims taken seriously."
"We must preach Christ and His highest call with the widest and deepest application of the Cross so that the believer may be delivered from the power of sin, Satan, the world, and the flesh. We are commissioned to make not nominal Christians but disciples. Only in this way will we have the power in the Church.... This is the day of grace, and we still have the opportunity of a GREAT REVIVAL. We would have the GEATEST REVIVAL the world has ever had if Christians would return to Biblical, Christ-centered, cross-bearing Christianity."
Brokenness. " To break is both Gods work and ours. When He brings pressures to bear, we really have three choices: to rebel and resist (which I have done); to despond (which I have done); or to break (which I am now being taken through). When we break, Christ is revealed. It is easy to say " I surrender all" during our quiet time or in a public meeting, but to follow through and "walk out" such a decision is another thing. It is surrender and consecration in action. " I beseech you therefore, bretheren, by the mercies of God, to pesent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service" (Romans 12:1) Brokenness is the way of divine love, the only way of living " unto all pleasing " This is the way of real holiness and power. Such is the daily applications of the Cross- brokenness"
Brothers , God is at work. Do not resist. Revival will come. Continue to REALLY pray for each other. Please read 1 John 3:21,22 and pray for revival again.

Your brother in the battle,
Bill