TAKE A DRINK

JULY 27TH, 2007

Prophetic word from the Lord through Richard Pace 27/7/07

"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" (Deut 8:2 NKJV).

"Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end" (Deut 8:15, 16 NKJV emp. Added).

"He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river" (Ps 105:41 NKJV).

The word of the Lord to you is; He is bringing forth water in your wilderness.

Many are going through a wilderness at the present time. The Body of Christ has been going through a wilderness - a time of testing, purification and preparation - for many years but we are coming to a time where the Lord is leading us out of the wilderness, to cross over the Jordan into our promised land.

The wilderness is a hot, dry place where there is no water. A place of difficulty, a place of hardship. A place of testing, purification and preparation (Deut 8:2, 15 & 16).

Many are in a place of spiritual dryness, a wilderness, a place of difficulty and hardship right now. However, the wildereness is a good place for those who understand God's purpose for them in the situation (Jer 28:11-14, Rom 8:28).

The purpose of God for us in the wilderness is to conform us to Christ, take us to a deeper level of intimacy with Him, prepare us for the responsibilities and ministries He has for us and position us to receive our breakthroughs.

The wilderness is the place where The Lord;

• Brings you to Himself. (Deut 7:6, 28:9, and 29:13).

• Reveals Himself to you (Isa 6:1-7).

• Tests you (Deut 8:2, 15 & 16).

• Reveals you to you (2 Chron 32:31, Isa 6:1-7).

• Purifies you of your sinful nature (Isa 6:1-7).

• Replaces your sinful nature with the nature and character of His Son Jesus Christ (Mal 3:3 & 4, 2 Cor 3:18, Titus 2:11-14).

• Teaches you how to trust, rely upon, rest in and lean on Him by using the external circumstances to propel you towards Him. This in turn causes you to run to, seek and wait on Him and when you do, it is in His presence where you are changed (Deut 4:34-36, 8:3, SS 8:5) and

• Teaches you how to profit and be victorious as a result (2 Chron 20:1-26, Isa 48:17).

God is not responsible for the hardships, difficulties, pain and suffering you have experienced in the past, you may be experiencing now or that you may experience in the future but works in and through the circumstances to train you, change you, conform you to Christ and cause you to be victorious.

He will take your situation - what was meant for your harm - and turn it around for your good. "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive" (Gen 50:20 NKJV). "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Rom 8:28 NKJV).

The word of the Lord to you is that He is providing water for you in your wilderness.

Many have become discouraged, weak, tired, worn out and exhausted in the wilderness. Many powerful men and women of God have abandoned the ministry for this reason. The statistics among Pastors, Ministers and Christians who have fallen away as a result of discouragement and exhaustion over the past ten years is frightening.

The Israelites grumbled and complained against God and Moses in the wilderness. As a result, fiery serpents - which represent demons - entered the camp and killed a great number of them. Why did this happen? This happened because; "The soul of the people became very discouraged on the way" (Num 21:4 NKJV emp. Added). But God provided a solution. The fiery (bronze) serpent. When the Israelites confessed their sin and asked Moses to intercede for them, the Lord told Moses to make a fiery (bronze) serpent, put it on a pole and whoever looked or gazed upon it will be healed (Num 21:4-9). The bronze serpent represents Jesus Christ and the work of the cross (Jn 3:14). As the Israelites who were bitten looked or gazed upon it, they were healed.

Many are close to giving up, quitting, throwing in the towel. As I write, I see in the spirit that many who are reading this have become so spiritually, emotionally and physically exhausted by the burdens you carry, the responsibilities you bear, the difficulties and hardships you are facing, the pain you have bottled up within you, the waiting and the frustration that you are thinking of walking away. Whatever you do, DO NOT GIVE UP! Remain where God has put (planted) you! Do not walk away! If you do, you will lose what God has for you. There are so many who are depending upon you. Many that you have not even met or had an opportunity to reach who may never meet Christ or be saved if you give up now. If you do, you will abort the plan of God for yourself and many others who will come to know Christ through you. Do not carry this burden alone. Look to the fiery serpent on a pole. Look to, gaze upon and cast your cares upon the Lord. Come to Him and lay the burden of your care upon Him and He will give you rest and refreshment.

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light" (Mt 11:28-30 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. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (Jn 7:37, 38 NKJV).

See Jesus crying out to you to come and drink of His Spirit. See Him with outstretched arms inviting you to rest in His bosom. Picture Him wrapping His arms around you and embracing you.

DO NOT GIVE UP!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (give up). Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith" (Gal 6:9, 10 NKJV. Parenthesis added).

The wilderness is not just a place of hardship, difficulty, test, trial, pain, suffering, purification and preparation, there are blessings and there is victory in the wilderness.

God provided for, sustained and strengthened the Israelites in the wilderness.

"Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years" (Deut 4:8 NKJV).

He covered them with a cloud by day, led and warmed them with a pillar of fire by night (Exo 13:21, 22), provided manna for them form heaven (Exo 16:35), sent quail and brought water for them from the rock (Ps 105:40, 41).

God is providing water for you from the rock. He is providing spiritual refreshment in the "dry places."

"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel" (Exo 17:6 NKJV).

"Take the rod; you and your brother Aaron gather the congregation together. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will yield its water; thus you shall bring water for them out of the rock, and give drink to the congregation and their animals." So Moses took the rod from before the Lord as He commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock; and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels! Must we bring water for you out of this rock?" Then Moses lifted his hand and struck the rock twice with his rod; and water came out abundantly, and the congregation and their animals drank. Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them"(Num 20:8-12 NKJV).

"Who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock" (Deut 8:15 NKJV).

"The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand" (Deut 28:12 NKJV).

"Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isa 12:3 NKJV).

"Then the lame shall leap like a dear, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water..." (Isa 35:6 & 7 NKJV).

"He will dwell on high; His place of defence will be  the fortress of rocks; Bread will be given him, his water will be sure" (Isa 33:16 NKJV).

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' "Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them-those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, 'Fear not, I will help you.' "Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you," says the Lord And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. "Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff. You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them; you shall rejoice in the Lord, and glory in the Holy One of Israel. "The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water" (Isa 41:10-18 NKJV).

"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beast of the field will honor Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, to give drink to My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise" (Isa 43:18-21 NKJV).

"For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring..." (Isa 44:3 NKJV).

"They shall neither hunger or thirst, neither heat nor sun shall strike them; For He who has mercy on them will lead them, even by the springs of water He will guide them" (Isa 49:10 NKJV).

"The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail" (Isa 58:11 NKJV).

"Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (1 Cor 10:1-11 NKJV).

Water here represents the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Refreshment,  blessings, miracles, provision and sustenance. Why does God provide blessings, miracles and sustenance in our wilderness? To uphold us so that we won't give up and die in it!

We are coming into a season of suddenlies. The Lord is bringing us out of the wilderness to cross over the Jordan into our promised land but until then He is going to bring forth water in your wilderness. He is going to bring forth water from the rock for you to refresh you and help you persevere through the remainder of the journey. The rock represents Christ (1 Cor 10:4) and as you run to, seek and wait on Him in the midst of hardships and difficulties; He will pour out His blessings, power, provision and strength into and upon you. The rock also represents an impossible situation. It is impossible to get water from a rock but our God is the God of the impossible. As you trust the Lord in all you may be going through He will bring forth blessings and miracles from unexpected places, through unexpected people at unexpected times. He will make the impossible possible for you. Expect the unexpected!

"But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible" (Mt 19:26 NKJV).

Whatever God has promised, He will fulfill. He will do what He has said. Believe, expect and receive it.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Isa 55:9-11 NKJV).

Whatever you may be going through at the present time, God will cause water to GUSH forth from the rock to water the dry places and refresh you.

"He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river" (Ps 105:41 NKJV).

                                                      AMEN.

- Richard Pace