LABORING FOR ONE THING - TO BEHOLD THE FACE OF THE LORD!

(By: R. Wyatt)

I experienced my first real trance years ago in a conference in Kansas City. The experience that day was profound for me and really set the course for my ministry in many ways. I want to share it with you because I believe it will really set the tone for this article on the importance of a daily lifestyle of intimacy with God.

I was in the middle of a worship service when I suddenly found myself being taken to another place in the spirit. As I said earlier, the depth of this experience was new for me at the time, and I now realize that this was a trance. This was a conference of over 4,000 people, yet my physical senses seem to have been numbed to everything around me except for the prophetic singing of the worship team.

I found myself entering into the most beautiful garden I had ever seen, and the ground was covered with rose petals. Just as I was experiencing this, the worship team began to prophetically sing, 'Lord take us into Your garden.' In fact, every detail of this experience was sung out loud by the worship team just after I had already experienced it!

I fell back on the ground, and was lying in the midst of the roses, and suddenly a wind came and wrapped around me, blowing the rose petals all around. I knew it was the Holy Spirit coming to rest upon me. Suddenly, I turned my head to look outside the garden, and saw that everything outside resembled death and evil. I saw incredible drought and famine. There were bombs exploding and every kind of crime taking place that you can imagine. The faces of the people were covered with fear and depression. It seemed as though I was in a totally different world than what existed outside the garden.  

I got up off the ground, went deeper into the midst of the garden, and found a pool of water being fed by a stream. I stepped into the waters, and as I did, every physical ailment in my body was immediately healed. As I lied down in the water, I noticed that people from the outside were now coming into the garden to escape the chaos of the world. Their faces were becoming radiant, and the look of fear and death was fading away (See: Psalm 34:5). I watched as they began to step into the pool of water. I saw tumors and cancers just simply fall off their bodies, and I heard bones popping back into place. Blind eyes were opened, deaf ears were opened, and every imaginable sickness and disease was immediately healed.

As I soaked in the waters, I began to notice that the water was seeping into my very being. It was as if the nature of the water and my own nature was coming into a union. My nature was changing, and I was partaking of the divine nature (See: 2 Peter 1:4). This left me feeling completely invigorated, refreshed and so full that I had to give it away.  

I got up from the pool and went outside the garden to give this awesome presence away. Everywhere I stepped would turn into a pool of water. As I entered buildings, the walls would begin to sprout vegetation, flowers, and all kinds of plant life. I watched as each building was transformed into a garden. I had literally become a garden and carried that impartation with me. When people came in contact with me, they were immediately refreshed and their worldly shackles were broken off.

We are right in the midst of days of great shaking and turmoil in the earth. The world is seeing evil and chaos come to all time highs, the likes of which the world has never seen. There is a culmination taking place of all previous generations on the earth, and they are all converging on this one end-time generation. In the end times, we will see all the evil the world has ever seen come together, and be seen on the earth again in one generation. 

In the same way, we are about to see the culminating anointings and moves of God of every previous generation be poured out on one end-time generation. The wonders in heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath that were released in Moses' life, as well as the physical healings, miracles, signs and wonders of the book of Acts, will all come together and be released upon the overcomers in these end-times. We are truly in the midst of history making days!

'For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.'  (2 Chronicles 16:9).

A loyal and completely devoted heart to the Lord is absolutely crucial in these times. The tactics of the devil are to throw anything at us he can to cause our minds and hearts to stray from 100% attention and affection upon the Lord. A divided heart and minds is one that can be taken captive by the enemy of our souls (See: James 1:8). The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour and we are to leave no place for him to have access in our lives (See: 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 4:27).  

This distraction and openness to the devil can be avoided by learning to live a lifestyle of laboring for only one thing, to behold the face of the Lord and enjoy intimate relationship with Him.

'One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.' (Psalm 27:4).

Every cell and fiber of our being should be devoted to this one goal every minute of every day. This is the only thing that keeps our hearts and minds clean in the day of evil, and this is the only thing that attracts the attention of heaven and releases the power of God into our lives. Intimacy with God was the first ingredient of the original mandate given to man in the Garden of Eden, and until we get back to this, we will never have a people who live victoriously and bring heaven to earth daily!

In the beginning God planted a garden for Adam and Eve to live in and take care of. God planted this garden in Eden and put man right in the middle of it. 'The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.'  (Genesis 2:8)

The word 'Eden' means pleasure and delight, or a place of pleasure and delight, and this garden of pleasure and delight was a place that God set aside for Himself to meet with man. Another way we could say this then, is to say God planted a garden called pleasure and delight, placed man and woman in the middle of it and designated it as the place where He would come and fellowship with them (See: Genesis 3:8).

The Bible says in Genesis 2 that God placed all kinds of trees and plants in the garden that were pleasant to the sight and good for food. In other words, God created this garden to be a place fully sufficient for Adam and Eve to live in and flourish. Not only did this garden supply all their sustenance and daily needs, but the Bible also says it was very pleasing to the sight. God wanted everything to be beautiful for them!

Adam and Eve had everything they needed in life when they lived in the midst of the garden of pleasure and delight. Another way of saying this in our day would be to say, 'God will supply all our needs in life when we live and abide in the place of pleasure and delight with the Lord.'

Man's number one assignment was to tend the garden. They were to keep the place of pleasure and delight with the Lord. 'Then the Lord God took man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.'  (Genesis 2:15)

When Adam and Eve lived and abided by this mandate they were absolutely totally blessed, and their full-time job was simply to maintain the blessing. As soon as they strayed from this lifestyle and tried to get something by their own strength rather than through relationship with the Lord, they immediately began living under the curse. Genesis 3 details the account of Adam and Eve falling out of moment-by-moment relationship with God and trying to be successful on their own and thereby living under the curse as they toiled to bear fruit.

The generation that will display the fullness of God's glory on the earth will be the generation that learns to lay down their own agendas and live for this one thing, to daily behold the beauty of the Lord and know the mind and heart of Christ.

'Then I will raise up for myself a faithful priest who shall do according to what is in My heart and My mind.'  (1 Samuel 2:35)  

This will be a generation that lives to make the Lord famous, not ourselves. They will be so heavenly minded at all times, that they know the moment-by-moment thoughts and intents of God's mind.

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)

I once had an experience where I saw the Lord sitting at a table with one other chair available. The table had a feast laid out on it while the Lord was relaxing and enjoying it. As I approached, He told me to take a seat and enjoy the feast. The real feast was being in His presence! There is nothing like feasting with the Lord!

Jesus spoke to me, and said that this was the realm of eternity and from this place all the needs of my life and ministry would be met. He told me my number one job was to learn to feast with the Lord, even in the presence of my enemies. From this place of rest and refreshing, God would release the answers and the fulfillment of all my earthly needs.

The problem in the Body of Christ is that most of us labor daily to get the blessings of God and be fruitful, but we are laboring for the wrong thing. The Bible says: 'The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and he adds no sorrow with it.' (Proverbs 10:22)

Many Christians seek the blessings, but the blessings are only the result of The blessing, God Himself! We need to be seeking the blessing Giver, not just the benefits of the blessings He can give.  

You know what the blessing of God is?  =The blessing of God is to behold His face!  If we would only labor to simply behold His face everyday, then we would walk in such blessing that the 'blessings' of God would be chasing us down!

'The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift His countenance upon you, and give you peace.' (Numbers 6:24-26).  

The Christian life is really a life of positioning. Yes, the Bible does say that we are to enter into His rest and His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  But, to enter into His rest and feast in His presence requires a daily laboring and seeking.  

John 15 is all about being fruitful by abiding in the vine. Our number one job as a Christian is not horizontal ministry to others, but vertical ministry unto the Lord. If we can just stay attached to the vine, we will remain in the continual place of receiving the 'sap,' or the presence of God in order to be fruitful and be blessed!

Our struggle is to remain in the presence of God even in the midst of business, and not become disconnected and distracted by the daily affairs of life.  

The real sign of an overcomer is one who has learned to feast upon the Lord even in the presence of their enemies. (See: Psalm 23:5)

Our enemies are often the little foxes that spoil the vine, such as time, schedule, work and family. Keeping the main thing the main thing is often the most difficult thing to do, but absolutely the most necessary.

When we are disconnected from a daily, intimate fellowship with the Lord, then the cares of the world creep in and begin to cause worry and doubt to take control.

Many Christians live their lives with the belief that the Kingdom of God cannot be experienced until they physically die and go to heaven. However, God is releasing fresh revelation into the Word of God concerning the Kingdom of God and its release on earth. The Bible is full of scriptures telling us to not only experience heaven now, but we are to literally bring heaven to earth. This requires the most intimate relationship with the Lord. This great mandate will only be fulfilled by those who have learned to access heavenly realms NOW, and feast upon the Lord.  This level of fellowship with the Lord is only accessed by a holy violence and it is something that must be contended for on a daily basis.

'Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you because God has set His seal on Him.'   (John 6:27)

'I am the Bread of Life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.'  (John 6:35)

Adam and Eve were put out of the garden of Eden and had no access to eat from the Tree of Life anymore. But Jesus Christ has opened up a new and living way and invites us to feast upon Him ' who is now the Tree of Life!  

No person in these end-times will be able to live a victorious Christian life without learning to feast upon the Lord. He is our strength and we must labor daily to access and remain in the secret place of the Most High!

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.  (Psalm 26:5)

Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you can be. Do you know what awaits you when you die? You can have the assurance from God that heaven will be your home, if you would like to be certain. You can even have that assurance RIGHT NOW! Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't (He did!). Are you prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day and tell Him that you didn't need the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have your sins forgiven and get in right-standing with God? We plead with you...please don't make such a tragic mistake. 

To get to know God, to be at peace with God, to have your sins forgiven, to make certain heaven will be your home for eternity, to make certain that you are in right-standing with God right now ... please click here to help you understand the importance of being reconciled to God. What you do about being reconciled to God will determine where you will spend eternity, precious one. Your decision to be reconciled to God is the most important decision you'll ever make in this life, because in Christ, it is impossible to put a value on the worth of your soul in light of eternity.

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Remember:  All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-20 is our assurance)