Peter, staring at the fire, while his mind drifted back to the day his Master said "Come, I will make you fishers of men." A servant girl interrupts his daydream, "I know you." Peter, twisted in his mind with two wills: one to fight and die; the other to save his skin. She pressed him until he reacted with true animal instinct and cried, "I don't know this man." Then the enemy trumpet of battle in an instant transformed into the scorching squawk of a roosters crow. "Cock-a-doodle-doo", he was trapped by an earthly nature which ruled his mind. In his heart he loved the Master but could not stand in battle.
God will not overrule the personal power of free will. Peter had the will to die, but not the will to full surrender. All of the disciples were willing to fight like roaring lions; to scratch and bite until death won the day.
Adam introduced "The principle of claw and jaw" when he exchanged the divine nature of God for the animal instinct of the serpent. Peter did not realize his nature was corrupted. He had no consciousness of the fact that after Christ paid the price to redeem the soul of man on the cross, he would introduce the anointing power of the Holy Spirit to secure the purity of the believer. It is this anointing that gave Jesus the power to face lions unafraid. In a short time Peter would surrender his fight for a burning love for people.
Just like our Savior we must first experience a miracle birth and then a miracle anointing, a baptism with the Holiness of God. It was at his baptism the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and God said:
Mark 1:11
" ... Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
It was at this moment that Jesus became the Christ. Anointed with power to stand against kings and rulers for the renewal of mankind. Mark then reports that Jesus is forced into the desert to face His own struggle with earthly temptation. Satan lures Him in His state of hunger to make bread from stone, call down angels for rescue; and accept an earthy rule by submitting to the kingdom of evil.
We, like Christ, require an anointing to empower our mission. But our earthly nature stands like an iron curtain to rob us of eternal destiny. Our earthly nature is equipped with animal instincts which demand that we show our teeth and scratch with claws designed to kill and eat. Peter is a perfect example of the two fold grace of God. Our Savior required a supernatural birth as well as an annointing by the Holy Spirit. Should we require anything less? Even moments before the ascension Peter entertained thoughts of battle and conquest.
Until we have purity of heart we have little appetite for the will of God. Peter is transformed at Pentecost. The animal scratch and claw nature is Three thousand souls. Even those who are touched by the shadow of the Big Fisherman are healed.
Times have not changed that much. Do you hear the call of modern day Wall Street promoters trying to hawk the gift of the Spirit with high tech media and methods? "Let's sell the gospel like Disneyland." Energized by the grace of pardon we move to use our earthly tools to bring the world to the benefit of grace. Wrong. The unsanctified effort of a believer-on-fire is as destructive as a brush fire in a windstorm. The root of bitterness still corrupts God's will.
Where are the testimonies of purity? When was the last time you heard someone stand and testify to entire sanctification? Where are the models of energized preaching and healing? Have we turned over the ministry to slick marketeers who are selling the gospel like corn flakes? My friend, all the earthly skills and talents in the world will not equip you to do the will of God. Only the surrender of every single corner of your selfish desire will result in the anointing of the Spirit. If you still cherish thoughts of anger, lust, revenge, malice, resentment, lying, greed, ambition, you must surrender these thing and God will give you a new nature.
If you will change your mind;
God will change your nature.
Our God given free will has control of the mind. You can change your mind. That's right. The will tells the mind what to think. When you give your heart to God you are pardoned for actual sins commited and adopted into God's family. But, your earthly nature cannot be pardoned, you didn't cause its depravity therefore it must be destroyed. This destruction cannot occur as a result of pardon. The "Second Work of Grace" is a supernatural purification done by the power of God.
The "Baptism of the Spirit" cannot happen until you change your thinking. Paul says in Colossians 3 that it is the work of the believer to put to death lustful thinking and to rid ourselves of anger and resentment. The night God sanctified me was an amazing discovery. I could change my mind. The moment I surrendered my evil fantasy thinking God destroyed the desire for it.
Do it now.
Prayer:
Dear father in heaven, I surrender all my cherished thought of sin. I have changed my thinking and refuse to honor my earthly nature. Cleanse me of inbred sin and fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my life Christ-like. Amen.
1 Thes. 5:23-24
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.
When Jonathan Edwards was twenty years old he wrote this tribute to Sarah Pierrepont, who was then only thirteen, Jonathan married Sarah four years later. From the diary of Jonathan Edwards 1741:
"They say there is a young lady in (New Haven) who is beloved of that Great Being, who made and rules the world, and that there are certain seasons in which this Great Being,in someway or other invisible, comes to her and fills here mind with exceeding sweet delight, and that she hardly cares for anything,except to meditate on Him - that she expects after a while to be recieved up where He is, to be raised up out of the world and caught up into heaven; being assured that He loves her too well to let her remain at a distance from Himself always. There she is to dwell with Him, and to be ravished with His love and delight forever. Therefore, if you present all the world before her, with the richest of its treasures, she disregards it and cares not for it, and is unmindful of any pain or affliction. She has strange sweetness in her mind, and singular purity in her affections; is most just and conscientious in all her conduct; and you could not persuade her to do anything wrong or sinful, if you would give her the world, lest she should offend this Great Being. She is of a wonderful sweetness, calmness and universal benevolence of mind; especially after this Great God has manifested Himself to her mind. She will sometimes go about from place to place, singing sweetly; and seems to be always full of joy and pleasure; and no one knows for what. She loves to be alone walking in the fields and groves, and seems to have someone invisible always conversing with her."
Such purity of heart is God's will for all who will recieve His Grace