MinistrEmail August 2015 – Times of Refreshing From The Presence of The Lord

Recently the Lord ministered something to me as I was spending time with Him in prayer concerning a meeting that I was speaking at that evening. As I was praying I had a verse that I knew come up in my heart, it was Acts 3:19 and I knew that it spoke of “times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord”. I read through this scripture as I waited on the Lord and looked through some of my sermons of the past where I had ministered on this scripture. As I did I began to see some new things (at least new to me) and this is what I want to share with you this month.

 

Acts chapter three begins with the story of Peter and John heading to the temple for prayer. The first thing that the Lord showed me here is that everything begins with prayer. They were on their way to prayer! You will find that the most amazing things happen on your way into prayer. In this instance they encountered a lame man. This man asked Peter and John for money. Peter told the man “look at us”. That is a challenging statement for any of us to make. It is also a confident statement that communicates that we have taken seriously the great commission to “make disciples of all nations”.

 

This encounter resulted in the power of God manifesting healing in the lame man. The man then, healed, “entered the temple with them walking, leaping, and praising God” (verse 8b). He went with them to prayer. He had been stuck at the gate in his state and now he could go into prayer as well, Hallelujah! This miracle encounter on the way to prayer now provided an opportunity to preach a powerful Gospel message that introduced a statement that gives revelation to Revival.

 

Acts 3:19 (NKJV) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,20 “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,21 “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

 

Where does true refreshing come from? The answer is simple, powerful and eternal. True refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord. There is a freshness, a renewing of our zeal and life that the Lord wants to spring up inside of you.

 

It starts with Salvation Life

John 4:14 (NKJV)  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

It continues with Empowered Life

John 7:37-39 (NKJV)  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  38  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  39  But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

You have a well springing up to eternal life, but if so often the drought of life around you seems to drain it all out, can I encourage you to believe that right now is refreshing time! It’s time for that refreshing to pour out of you to bring oasis and harvest everywhere you go!

 

In the same way that Isaac was told by God to sow in a land of drought because he had the Blessing, so we also must be so refreshed with what is inside of us that we have no fear of sowing into drought or what looks dry.

 

Every person without Christ is in severe drought, but you must not take that for yourself. Your sins have been blotted out! That is something to be refreshed about! That is the well springing up to eternal life. A wilderness time for the believer is just a new location for an Oasis! Its time to sink the bore, but to do that you first need to break up the fallow ground with a revelation of being made right with God, and the right He has given you to boldly enter His presence.

 

Hosea 10:12 (NKJV) Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

 

We are in a time and a season of God’s powerful grace to enable us to enter a place of His light, His, favour, His, strength and His miracle working power. But will we enter? Every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus has been put there to overflow and to sprout up into fruitfulness. Everywhere you start to arise and to shine you will see a freshness, a vitality, a new life spring forth.

 

“Sow for yourselves righteousness”

 

The seed of righteousness must be sown. You are the righteousness of God; you can’t be any less righteous. He has become your sin and given you his righteousness. His right standing with God is His Seed is in you through salvation!

 

2 Corinthians 5:21(NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Righteousness means right standing with God, you are now in the presence of God without any guilt or shame. You are there not from your own works but through His Love and your acceptance of that Love. His righteousness has become a seed in your life for you to plant. Refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord and righteousness means you have access right NOW!

Now let’s look at sowing this seed of righteousness.

Jeremiah 4:3 (NKJV) For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, And do not sow among thorns.

 

This is an interesting instruction. To understand it we must go to the parables of Jesus.

Mark 4:13-20 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?14 “The sower sows the word.15 “And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.16 “These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;17 “and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.18 “Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word,19 “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.20 “But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

 

What is good ground? Good ground is the tilled ground, prepared ground. What is thorny ground? It is ground that is all mixed up with the cares of the world. It is church, the world’s way! It is the church with its roots in the world system.

 

Jesus said to us that out of your belly would flow rivers of living water (hayim mayim) John 7:38.

 

Jeremiah 23:5 (NKJV) “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, 1 “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.

 

Psalm 132:17 (NKJV) There will I make the horn of David to bud: I have ordained a lamp for mine anointed.

 

The word “bud” is the Hebrew צמה (tsamach) which literally means “to spring up like a shoot”

 

Isaiah 53:1-2 (NKJV) Who has believed our message? To whom will the Lordreveal his saving power? 2 My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, sprouting from a root in dry and sterile ground.

 

There was nothing beautiful or majestic about His appearance, nothing to attract us to him. There was nothing natural at all that attracted people to Jesus! But everywhere He went he was like a fresh spring to a thirsty land!Its time to break up the fallow ground and sow the seeds so they can spring forth!

 

First make sure that in your own heart, the soil is tilled and ready for the Word, not hard, rocky or full or thorns and weeds. Let Jesus, Who is that fresh tender life-giving shoot, sprout up through you. Let His Anointing and His Life flow in you and through you. Let His presence be so much a part of everything you do that everywhere you go, you take times of refreshing with you!

 

Now let’s return to our original text and see how Peter and John went about this.

 

Peter and John had something to give this man that went far beyond a temporal charity. They called for the man’s attention and it got Him expectant!

 

Acts 3:5 (NKJV) So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

Signs and wonder, miracles, powerful manifestations of God’s Love, are designed to draw people to the reality of God’s great grace, and let me tell you this right now, It’s miracle time again, for what purpose? REVIVAL!!!

Acts 3:19 (NKJV) Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,

For someone who has never entered the presence of God through salvation, repentance means turning away from your old life and surrendering to a loving God who has the best plan for you. For someone who has walked with God but has tried to live life his or her own way, repentance means a place of total surrender.

The Greek word for ‘repent’ means literally ‘to think differently’ or to change direction in your thinking and acting. The Greek word for ‘convert’ means ‘to turn about again’. Together we see a very clear picture that you cannot keep going in the current direction. You have to stop, turn, change, and go His Way. That is the most refreshing place you can EVER be!!!

 

The Greek word for ‘refreshing’ is; ‘anapsuxis’which Strongs describes as “…properly a recovery of breath, that is, (figuratively) revival.

 

Now here is why!The Greek word’s for the “presence of the Lord” is ‘prosopon‘ meaning countenance, aspect, appearance, presence, person, appearance, face.Literally this means that God will show up. His appearance, His face, His person, His presence!!!

 

Lastly lets look at what this is all about right now.

Acts 3:19 (NKJV) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,20 “and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,21 “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

 

Our repentance, our changing and refreshing revival is so that “He may send Jesus Christ…..Whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things…” I believe we are right NOW in a time like this.He made a way for you to be in ‘right standing’ with Him so that you can be in His presence, so that He can manifest Himself in Love and power, and so that you can receive a “recovery of breath”, REVIVAL and so that we prepare the way for His soon return.

 

Are you ready for this refreshing? Great! Now turn and change, repent and be converted so that sin is not an issue keeping you out of God’s presence so that this powerful time of refreshing from His presence can manifest, and so that we are ready for that rapturous moment when we meet Him face to face.

Love and blessings,

 

• You are who God says you are!
• You can do what God says you can do!
• You can have what God says you can have!   

Simply contact us: cmifaith@cmifaithconnection.org or phone on +61 7 3882 4555