Brokenness and the Will of God

[taco_harvell]

Brokenness and the Will of God
By Jason Harvell

Matthew 21
42.  Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
43.  Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44.  And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

We as Apostolics have become a people of the "shout" we have learned to measure a move of the spirit in many cases by how many run, dance, or fall out. However we in many cases have left behind a great measure of biblical principal for in some cases only an "emotionally charged" service. Where is the brokenness?   

We have preachers who enjoy preaching yet will not allow themselves to be preached to. We have members who love the worship and would love to have a 2 hour worship service and go home without a bible being opened. No great move of God ever occurred in scripture without a spirit of brokenness occurring first. Peter had to be broken to become the man of God he was destined to be. The children of Israel had to undergo 40 years in the wilderness before they came to a place of brokenness where God could move them into their promise.

Paul had to be broken:

Acts 9
1.  And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2.  And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3.  And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
4.  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5.  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6.  And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
7.  And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.
8.  And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
9.  And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10.  And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.

17.  And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
18.  And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
19.  And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.
20.  And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

We can not truly come to the place where God wants us until we fall upon him and allow him to break our spirits, our desires, our ambitions. We can not approach God and ask Him to accept us and take us with out full surrender. I can't tell God I am His all except this part and that part. Everything must be broken so he can mold me into the man he wants me to become a servant worthy of him.

What a warning in the first verse presented we have a choice to fall on this stone with a spirit of brokenness (repentance, full surrender)  and let him put us back together as he wants us. The only other option is for the stone to fall on us and to be ground to powder. Our shout will not bring revival, our dance will not bring souls to God, A spirit of brokenness that allows God to take us and mold us into the people of God he wants us to be is the only thing that will work in this hour.

I am not against a Holy Ghost filled services where a true Apostolic spirit of worship falls and there is a shouting move of God. However I long for the services when an entire congregation weeps before the Lord in a broken and contrite spirit asking Him to place in them a clean heart, to make them what he wants them to be. No longer only wanting the emotional highs of the "power packed" services of the shout but the life changing experience of falling on the rock of brokenness (JESUS)! When we find our place of brokenness our place of surrender we will find Gods will. We will know him as Lord. Just as it took Paul coming to a place of brokenness a place of God literally breaking everything within him to the point he was knocked to the ground, sometimes we need to come to the same place to ask God to break our wills, desires, and ambitions and replace them with only His.




(Came across this today. A message I preached and then prepared as a devotion. I needed it more then anyone I think.)