adhere (to), comply (with), conform (to), follow, mind, obey, observe
defer (to), submit (to), surrender (to), yield (to)
accede (to), acquiesce (to), agree (to), assent (to)
attend, hear, heed, listen (to), mark, note, notice, regard, take, watch
“Without a way there is no going.
Without the truth there is no knowing.
Without His life there is no living.”
This vital abiding, remaining ever towards the Lord, is the resultant action of our PURPOSE OF HEART. It speaks of the action of the will. True, spiritual depth and maturity come with growth and processing under the workmanship of the Spirit of God within us, but our responsive action to His inworking is the exercise of our will, willing to live out that which He has wrought within. “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself,” (Dan. 1:8). The deliberate, pre-meditated, chosen course of action. It was the action of his will motivated by his heart, his inner state of being, that gave strength to face every test, which followed.
“But no one, but the one who is called by God, takes this honor to himself.” (II Timothy 2:15) (Heb. 5:4). There are always a few self-proclaimed apostles and prophets to be found in every land. The desire to prophecy others into some sort of position, as if doing so would automatically qualify them for the position in question; However, it should be noted that OVERCOMERS are not self-proclaimed reactionaries; rather, they have been meticulously prepared by God via a period of purification. “To him who overcometh…” suggests that a sufficient number of difficulties will be placed in your road in order for you to overcome them and therefore qualify for the crown when you have achieved victory. If the challenges seem to be stacking up in front of you, see it as a sign from the Lord that He intends to make you an overcomer. Consider the difficulties you are experiencing as a sign of God’s personal interest in your progress.
“What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou has made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all under his feet,” (Psalm 8:4-6).
Surely as He leads from the old into the new, we also “wash our garments in wine…” “The fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death,” (Phil. 3:10). There can be no union with Him without treading this same path which He trod. But there is a going from glory to glory, until we partake of the fruit of that CHOICE VINE, the new wine of the kingdom.
“Calling all of My saints to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice” (Psalm 50:5)
The qualification of those who are currently being gathered unto Him is found in the word “saints,” which comes from the Hebrew word “chasid,” and is also described as good, virtuous, holy, and merciful. Accordingly, we read, “Know that the Lord has set apart him who is godly for Himself.” (Psalm 4:3)
Separation in the modern world can be divided into two distinct types. It is true that there are some who are “separated from one another, sensuous, and lacking the Spirit” (Jude 19). These are people who are ego-centered and soulish, who want to go their own way and build for themselves, and who will not submit to the deeper inner-working of the cross in their own self-development. The Lord, on the other hand, sets apart people for His own purposes, apprehends them for His own purposes, and takes them away from the crowds in order to work into them the perfections of His own will. Contrast this with the people who “went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would without a doubt have continued with us; but they went out in order that it may be made clear that they were not of us.” (I John 2:19)
What an incredibly powerful statement. Once you have ‘come out from among them’ and put the Babylonish (counterfeit), religious system behind you, in order to be completely united with the Lord and to become His will, those who are not of one spirit with you will separate themselves from you and leave you alone. Don’t be sorrowful about it; rather, consider it a work of the Lord, in which HE HAS SET YOU APART FOR HIMSELF. It is because of this difference that God distinguishes you from the rest of the world, indicating that you are not of this world. You have now become a part of Him and His kingdom. In spite of your efforts, you are unable to blend in with them. You are not one of them in the same way that they are not one of you. You have been identified for the purpose of being gathered to Christ as His “overcomers.” This is God’s craftsmanship, in which He transforms His chosen ones into His likeness so that He may be praised through them.