Psalm 101:6 – Faithfulness
“My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land,
so that they may dwell with Me;
he who walks in a perfect way shall serve Me.”
Psalm 101:6 (LITV)
To serve the Lord within the wonder of His anointing requires an honest heart, open to His corrections and reproofs.
“If you turn at my reproof, behold,
I will pour out My Spirit to you;
I will make My words known to you.”
Proverbs 1:23 (ESV)
How amazing it is that God the Almighty sets His “eyes upon the faithful” with the intent that we “dwell” with Him and walk in a pure way before Him! It is then that we touch a life of true service unto Him.
There is no greater call in life than true service to Him, whereby we become involved in His Will in the earth. His purposes bring an abandonment, whereby the things of this earth “grow strangely dim”.
“I thank Him who has given me strength,
Christ Jesus our Lord,
because He judged me faithful,
appointing me to His service…”
1 Timothy 1:12 (ESV)
Faithfulness to Him is the prerequisite to being “appointed to HIS service”! In the unmerited grace of His dealings with us, we are freed from our own pursuits, freed from seeking the approval of men, to discover the joy of the Lord as our sole reward in this life.
Smith Wigglesworth once declared that he had experienced a million breakings to be of use in the Lord’s hands.
God’s breakings are an integral part of His makings.
“Only fear the LORD and serve Him
faithfully with all your heart.
For consider what great things
He has done for you.”
1 Samuel 12:24
“Give me a faithful heart —
Likness to Thee,
That each departing day
Henceforth may see
Some work of love begun.
Some deed of kindness done,
Some wanderer sought and won,
Something for Thee.”
S. D. Phelps
(Continued Psalm 101:7)
Excerpt from Psalm 101 Series.
Related Post: Serving God – Part Two – Freedom
Brian Troxel
This is a vision the Lord showed me back in 2010 that I believe goes along with your post.
Follow The Stream
Eze 47:3 He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep.
Eze 47:4 He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep.
Eze 47:5 He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through.
The Lord showed me a vision based on these verses from Ezekiel. In the vision I saw a stream that was ankle-deep and people were crossing over the stream to get to the other side. The stream to them was an obstacle to be crossed that stood in the way of them and the other side(their ministry). Others walked in the stream for a bit and then got out because the water was only ankle – deep and it was easy to get in and out of the stream, Still others walked in the stream following the path of the stream faithfully wherever it went.
As this last group followed the stream the water began to rise and it became knee-deep, yet still easy enough for anyone who wanted to, to get out of the stream and onto dry land. Those who remained faithful and followed the path of the stream found that the water was now waist deep, and although a lot more difficult, there still exists a way out of the water for those who chose to get out. Finally, the faithful ones who followed the stream from the time it was ankle-deep water until it was waist deep find themselves in a river that was over their head and in water that no one could possibly walk through.
The explanation of the vision is this: The water is the Holy Spirit. There are those involved in ministry that see the stream as an obstacle to get to the bank on the other side(their ministry) rather than a path to follow. Then there were those who wanted to get their feet wet in the ankle-deep water and then quickly get out because their level of commitment was as shallow as the stream that they walked/crossed. They liked the idea of going along with the current of the stream (the Holy Spirit) at first but lost interest because the water was only ankle-deep( the miracles & signs and wonders weren’t enough to keep their attention) Then there were those who pursued the water until it was knee-deep, a deeper commitment by those who pursued the stream when it was just a small stream and they are representative of those who have surrendered a greater amount of their will than those in the ankle-deep water. And, the anointing on that is on their lives shows it Then we have those who have followed the stream from ankle-deep to waist-deep. The deeper you go in the stream is in direct proportion to how much of your will is surrendered to God’s will. The deeper you go the harder it is to get out, although it is still possible to do so. The deeper the water, the greater the anointing, the presence, the power and ministry. Finally we see the faithful ones who have faithfully followed the stream from the time it was ankle-deep to where we see the that the water has become a river and is over the heads of those in it and no one could possibly walk through it. These 4 stages of water depth represent the ever-increasing presence and power and anointing that the Holy Spirit is , and will be poured out. Those who are among those who are in water over their head are those who have completely surrendered their will to the will of God and it is these who will walk in signs and wonders ministry such as not even the Apostles saw.
There is no short that can be taken here. In order for one to have the Spirit’s anointing, presence, and power , they must follow the path of the stream from within the stream and not on the banks. And, it must be followed from ankle-deep to the river that no one could possibly cross.
Also realize that it looks from a common sense perspective to follow a stream’s path from within the stream, very stupid and foolish. It makes much more sense to follow the streams path from the safety of the bank and on dry ground. Those who pursue the course of the stream from within the stream will be looked at as foolish and stupid