"Compromise Will Cost You Your Destiny"

The church is in an hour of persecution, testing and trials. The assault on the Body of Christ has become evident through governmental decisions and religious organizations. If the church falls into compromise they will miss their destiny and the purpose that they have been ordained for. We are at such an hour, where just like the lame man, the Body of Christ has become weak and apathetic. The church has little strength to do what God is calling her to do.

There has been a great deception in the earth to defile the Body of Christ. We must NOT compromise God's word or His purpose. There has been great confusion and many visions and many voices. However there is only one vision and one voice that comes from God. If the church wants to rise up in His power and strength then we must adhere to the word of God. It is then that many will be healed and set free. We must not compromise or try to carry out a different plan.

The word tells us that we are to be about the Father's business before his return. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent will take it by force. We have lost the simplicity of the gospel and are more concerned about creating manifestations. God's word is simple and pure. When the full council of God is preached, people will be delivered, set free and filled with His holy presence.

We have seen smatterings of revival within the four walls, but we have not learned how to maintain it. There is a great price to pay for revival and no one seems to want to pay the price. If we want revival it will have to begin with us. The oil flows from the head, then down the body. If we want the moving of the Holy Spirit then we are going to have to yield and let God move. If we want to see great miracles then we are going to have to listen to the voice of God. We must recognize that it is not by our power nor by our might but by the spirit of the Lord that He will move.

God is moving outside the four walls because he has not been welcome inside the four walls. It is when we become more concerned about our worship and less concerned about our service times that God will move. We can't expect God to move in our allotted time slot. If we are going after the praises and accolades of men, we will not see the moving of the Holy Spirit. God's word promises that he will come when His word is spoken. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are going to have offend the religious in order to reach the lost.

We are now taking surveys as to what the people want in a church. Whatever happened to what God wants for the church? The Holy Spirit comes to convict the heart of the sinner. If there is no repentance there is no conversion.

We have lost our first love and we have no fear of God and little reverence. My favorite part of a service is when the alter call is given. I get to see and experience people giving their lives to Jesus. I will never grow tired of watching a person's face light up with joy when they are set free by the power of God.

However, there is nothing that grieves the Holy Spirit more than thinking that this is just another ritual that the church goes through at the end of the service. How do you think God feels when someone in the congregation gets up and leaves in the middle of His altar call? This is someone's mother, father, sister or brother. This is someone who is being wooed by the Holy Spirit to come forward and give their life to Jesus. We must tell our stomachs to shut up and quit looking at our watches and reverence the Lord at this time.

We are not to be ashamed of the gospel. The bible is clear that if we are ashamed of Him in front of man, he will be ashamed of us in front of the Father. If you give the alter call then the anointing is on you to finish the call. Why do we usher people off to a back room? Is it because the rest of the congregation wants to hurry things up? How sad! If our service is being broad casted over the Internet or by radio, a listener will not hear it when we preach it from a back room. We have many more opportunities to reach more people if we will just take the time to do it.

An evangelist once told the story about an altar call that he was giving. He was at another's pastor's church and he had many people standing down front. The pastor was urging him to get on with it, but the Holy Spirit was telling him that there were more people. The evangelist waited and low and behold two more people came forward. There was an old man in his late 70's and a young teenage boy.

The next morning the pastor of the church met with the evangelist. He said that the last two that came forward both had died last night. The old man died in his sleep and the teenage boy was killed in a drive by shooting.

What if that evangelist had decided to hurry things up for the sake of man? What if he hadn't listened to the Holy Spirit's voice? We must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and let him lead and guide us into all truth. Speak the word and let the Holy Spirit move and he will do the work that man cannot do.

If the church wants to see a continuation of the moving of the Holy Spirit we are going to have to bow our knee to the flesh. We have a decision to make. We are either going to please God or please man. Which will it be? A nation is waiting to see the demonstration of His power of His word. If we compromise His word it will not only cost us but it will cost others their freedom.