Unless You Go…
I woke up this morning with a weight on me, not a bad weight, but like a holy heaviness. As I went into prayer, I found myself repeating over and over, “If Your presence won’t go with me, I will not go.” I opened up my bible to Exodus 33 and began to read.
Moses was a man who knew God, he had face to face conversation with Him. (Ex. 33:11) He understood the absolute fact that without the face to face, manifest presence of God, even the best life was not worth living. In this chapter, God is pretty much done with the children of Israel because of their continuous, wishy washy, inconsistent, hard-headed ways of selfish ambition. He tells Moses, “Go ahead and go into the land promised to you. I will send an angel ahead of you, but I will not go with you because I might destroy you all on the way!” God doesn’t play, yet the people used Him when they got scared and set Him on a shelf when life was good. Sound familiar?
I believe this is what I heard the Lord say today as I’ve read through this and prayed:
“My people are about to experience a time in their journey like they have yet to experience. This part of the journey is a sifting. It will sift out the ones who refuse to go without Me. These are the ones that will face persecution from others, they will be removed from the ‘movement’ that is man’s movement because they will refuse to follow mans lead. Just as Joshua refused to leave the tent after Moses left, these are the ones that have refused to move from the meeting place no matter what someone else is doing. They know My presence is more important than life itself. These are the ones that My favor is upon because they have asked me to show them My ways in order to know Me. These are the ones who fear Me, and the fear of man has been completely burned off of them through My consuming fire of the altar where they stay. These are the ones that the others, the ones who are moving without Me, do not understand. These are the ones I have chosen in this hour to see My glory and to show My glory through. These are Mine! The ones who aren’t afraid to war! The ones who hear and implement My battle plan. The ones who know that victory is theirs because they reside in Me.”
I feel like there is a major separation coming in the church. I’ve personally been praying for unity within the churches of our city, our state, our nation, and this world. For unity between the church and the other 6 mountains of cultural influence. For the unity that Jesus says His followers will walk in. A unity that connects every believer, every Jesus following denomination, together in order to see His kingdom come, His will be done on this earth as it is in Heaven. A unity that will transform every sphere of culture. But the weight I woke up with today is almost like a knowing… a knowing that before there can be a unity of this magnitude, there will be a separation of the ones who refuse to go without Him and the ones who are building their own kingdom. What He plans to do in this coming time will require the Church to understand her place in the communities, it will require a unity with Him and with others. This level of unity requires His manifest presence in the lives of His Body.
I haven’t felt something this strongly in quite some time, well, since the writing of my last book, but it is strong on me this morning.
Many will say, “well, I’m about His business and it’s blessed!” Well, let me remind you of what God told Moses: “Go ahead and go into the land promised to you. I will send an angel ahead of you, but I will not go with you…” Moses turned around and said, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.” What I’m seeing here is that because we are in covenant with God and He loves us, there are times He will give you what YOU want. He’ll even send an angel to go before you, but His manifest presence won’t be in it because you’re doing it for your own gain. You will get there, but you won’t find Him in it and neither will anyone else. You’ll have a promise that is lifeless and void. It is ONLY through His presence with us that we are unlike the rest and able to stand strong, the promise is only a promise if He is in it. Moses goes on to say, “For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us (His manifest presence), so that we may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”
This word, distinguished, is the Hebrew word palah meaning to be separated, severed, set-apart, to put a difference between and show marvelously through.
This is the separation I am talking about. Those who are choosing to stop and say, “not without Your presence” will be distinguished from all the other people who claim to be one with Him but are not. This is a severing of the ties to all that is not of Him, this is a time of being different from the rest and in that separation, He will show His marvelous glory through you.
I want to encourage you, if you are feeling the separation, the palah, stay face to face with God and refuse to move unless He moves. Refuse to be pulled out of His manifest presence as Joshua refused.
Stay!
On this coming journey, He needs those who have spent so much time with Him, that they move, breathe, talk, love and live like Him.
Father, let me know Your ways, so that I may know You! Forgive me for doing things my own way. Continue to open my eyes to the hope of Your call, not my own desires. Father, from this day forward I say, “not without Your presence” – I will not move unless You move, I will not speak unless You speak, I will not stay where Your presence is not present, I want Your glory upon me. I choose You! Thank You for Your presence, thank You for Your glory and thank You for leading! In Jesus name, Amen