I really love today's "My Utmost For His Highest" by Oswald Chambers! It really speaks to my own experiences!
Vision And Darkness
An horror of great darkness fell upon him. — Genesis 15:12
Whenever God gives a vision to a saint, He puts him, as it
were, in the shadow of His hand, and the saint’s duty is to be still and
listen. There is a darkness which comes from excess of light, and then is the
time to listen. Genesis 16 is an illustration of listening to good advice when
it is dark instead of waiting for God to send the light. When God gives a
vision and darkness follows, wait. God will make you in accordance with the
vision He has given if you will wait His time. Never try and help God fulfil
His word. Abraham went through thirteen years of silence, but in those years
all self-sufficiency was destroyed; there was no possibility left of relying on
commonsense ways. Those years of silence were a time of discipline, not of displeasure.
Never pump up joy and confidence, but stay upon God (cf. Isaiah 50:10-11).
Have I any confidence in the flesh? Or have I got beyond all
confidence in myself and in men and women of God, in books and prayers and
ecstasies; and is my confidence placed now in God Himself, not in His
blessings? “I am the Almighty God” — El-Shaddai, the Father-Mother God. The one
thing for which we are all being disciplined is to know that God is real. As
soon as God becomes real, other people become shadows. Nothing that other
saints do or say can ever perturb the one who is built on God.
The message here is that if God has laid something on your heart to do, do NOT go immediately and share it with other people. Commit yourself to spend time in His presence as He instructs you on your first steps of obedience in this. I was instructed by Holy Spirit to begin spending time in the early morning praying AT our church FOR our church, and others inour comminutiy. Instead of simply listening to Holy Spirit instructions, I began to share it with other members with the idea that someone else would have the same idea and I wouldn't be alone in doing this. Not one person was interested! AT ALL! I was SO disappointed because I KNEW that Holy Spirit had told me this. When I prayed, asking Him, He said: "I did not tell you to speak to anyone else about this. i told YOU to do it." I was SO CORRECTED in my thinking and INSTRUCTED further in how Holy SPirit operates! One thing that I learned that day and have never forgotten: I (and YOU) are NOT anyone's 'Holy Spirit'! HE alone has that 'job' and He shares it with no one! So, make your decision based on the Word of god and the leading of the Spirit of God and JUST DO IT! HE will take care of every other detail! Side note: After praying by myself from 6-7am every morning (since 1985!) People began to receive their own intructions from Him and joined with me! But I HAD to do this myself in obedience or I would never have grown into the ministry that He has called me to! I hope this helps you as much as it did me! Here is Hillsong with "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)", because HE won't, and we can count on that!
Shalom in Him!
