“Let me work.” God is saying that to every person on Earth today who will listen, and you must never forget His words. Let them burn upon your heart until Jesus comes or calls you home. This may be one of the most important messages from the Lord that you will ever read between now and Rapture Day; and if you will accept it that way and use it, you will never fail God.

God’s work is not something you can take into your own hands and do your own way because His ways are not your ways. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).

Man cannot direct his own steps. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps (Jeremiah 10:23). Your steps are directed either by God or the devil. God wants you to turn things over to Him and let Him work, but some of you think you have done that when you have not. If you are still worried or anxious about something, then you have not fully turned it over to Him. You must not hinder God in this last hour; we have to let Him work.

Yoked Together with Christ

Before you can let God work like He wants to, you must learn to be yoked together with Christ. Jesus said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).

A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that connects work animals together to share a load. Some yokes allow a smaller, weaker animal to be coupled with a larger, stronger one so the stronger animal can bear a majority of the burden; however, they still need to work together to get the work done. Sometimes, an older, experienced animal is yoked to a younger one so it can be taught what to do.

The whole purpose of being bound together by a yoke is to combine resources for the purpose of getting a job done. We have been chosen for the biggest job of all—the Lord’s work—and we cannot do it alone. We must be yoked together with Jesus and let Him work. He has all wisdom and knowledge and truth; and He said, Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (John 8:32).

The Word is truth, and it will make you what the Lord wants you to be when you yield to it. It will clothe you in the glorious ways of the Lord and give you His glorious power over all the powers of the devil. Jesus said, Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

Do you get overwhelmed looking at work that seems impossible to get done in the natural? If so, you must hear Jesus saying, “Come unto me, and I will give you rest.” Jesus will never give you a burden beyond what you can handle when you come under His yoke. Yes, there is a burden to bear and work to be done; but when you are yoked together with Christ, you will find that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light. At times, you may not even know what you are burdened about; but Jesus will take your burden and leave you with a song.

You have to yield to the Lord and let Him work the way He wants to; but if you get stiff-necked and self-willed, you may end up kicking against the pricks. A prick is a sharp object that presses into the flesh of a temperamental work animal and makes it willing to do what it is supposed to do, and you don’t want the pricks of the Lord to come against you. Before Paul was saved, the Lord knocked him to his knees on the road to Damascus and said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (Acts 26:14).

You may be yoked up with Jesus; but if you choose to do something your way instead of the Lord’s way, your load will get heavier and more frustrating. Then you will do one of three things: yield to the Lord, kick against the pricks or give up and come out from under the yoke of the Lord altogether. Paul told us that Demas did that when he said, Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world (II Timothy 4:10). When Demas decided to go back to the world, I am sure he lost his soul.

Man’s Load Was Too Heavy

In Old Testament times, man was under the yoke of the Law; and it was a yoke of bondage. It was a single and very heavy yoke that man had to bear alone, and people exhausted themselves trying to meet the demands of it through their own efforts. That is why our Savior came. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3). Jesus came to fulfill the Law and to lift the yoke of sin—the heaviest yoke of all. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17).

After Jesus came to Earth, a certain sect of the Pharisees still tried to persuade the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses; but Peter spoke up and reminded them that the yoke of the Law was too much for man to bear. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear (Acts 15:10)?

Jesus does not want us to go back under the Law; He wants us to yoke up with Him and let Him work. He bore the burden of sin for all mankind, and that was the heaviest burden of all. Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness (I Peter 2:24). Jesus came to deliver us from sin so we could be dead to it and never sin again. Who [Jesus] gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father (Galatians 1:4).

Jesus wants to deliver us from all that is wrong so we can live a life like the one He lived. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:14). God’s children are peculiar to the world, and they don’t fit in. People who do fit in are not of God, and hell will be their destiny.

Jesus suffered so we wouldn’t have to. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (Hebrews 12:2,3).

Jesus gave everything and bore His Cross for us. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha (John 19:17). And when we come to Jesus, we have to bear our cross as well. Jesus said, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me (Matthew 16:24). Jesus makes it so much easier for us than it was for Him because He bears so much of our load, and we just have to follow Him. He said, Follow thou me (John 21:22).

Let Jesus Work for You

Jesus did not only carry our sins but all the burdens of humanity. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted (Isaiah 53:4). Human beings are not strong enough to carry all of their loads, but divinity is. That is why Jesus became our redeemer kinsman—so we could be yoked together with Him and walk with Him.

Jesus is the strong one, and you can draw from Him. He will take everything that is giving you trouble, but you have to yield to Him and want Him to. Then you have to stand steadfast and immovable and never again become entangled with the yoke of bondage. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1). Those who do become entangled again leave the body of Christ.

Some people claim to be too weak spiritually to go on, but Jesus knows more than anyone how to rescue the weak. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6). Sometimes, it is not weakness that makes you feel you cannot make it; it is that you are too strong in self and don’t want to press on. The Bible says to beware. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (I Corinthians 10:12).

Others will become discouraged and sink down into their feelings when the Bible says, The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). Discouragement will come, but don’t dwell on it. Feelings will make you want to give up, but you must know that you have the strength you need in Jesus. Let the weak say, I am strong (Joel 3:10). With Jesus, you can climb right out of your feelings and be victorious.

Jesus is stronger and more experienced, so we must learn from Him and take His directions. Stop leaning on your own strength and wisdom, and stop wearing yourself out trying to do things on your own. Learn to trust the Lord knowing that He has the ability to bear the heavier load.

When Jesus said, Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, He was saying, “The yoke you had when you were a sinner was pure bondage, and nobody should carry such a heavy load. Let me teach you the right way to walk, talk, work and carry your load.” There may be times when your soul seems heavier than your whole body; but when you do things the Lord’s way, your burden will be light.

Jesus said He is meek and lowly in heart, and that means He is gentle and humble; so you never have to be afraid to work alongside Jesus or ask Him for direction. The Bible says, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). Jesus said, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). You must learn how to do these things, and you must learn how to ask in faith.

The Attitudes of Jesus

Jesus was the greatest teacher of all time, and He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people (Matthew 4:23). Jesus healed all manner of sicknesses and diseases, but keep in mind that He could not heal all manner of people. He could not work among those who were unbelievers. When He returned to His own country, the Bible says, And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:58).

The Sermon on the Mount was the greatest sermon ever preached; and in it, Jesus taught the people about working with Him. And he [Jesus] opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled (Matthew 5:2-6). You know what it feels like to be really hungry or to long for a drink of water when you are out in the hot sun, and you must want the things of God in the same way.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God (Matthew 5:7,8). To be pure in heart means to have no sin, yet some people say that nobody can live free from sin. That is the lie that wrecked the world, and it is still ruining it today. Not one sin can get through the gates of Heaven, and God is going to have that perfect race of righteous people one day.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (Matthew 5:9). Those who cause so much trouble among God’s people may believe they are going to Heaven; but unless they change, they will not. True children of God are peacemakers, not troublemakers.

Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:10). Some people are persecuted, but it is not for righteousness’ sake; so they are not blessed.

Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake (Matthew 5:11). Never pay attention to such people because they belong to the devil, and they are worthless to God. When Jesus was accused by some of the Jews, He said, Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).

True Yokefellows

We all can be true yokefellows in the Lord, working together in unity and in step with Him. And I entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life (Philippians 4:3). We must be laborers together with Jesus and with each other.

Love must rule and grace must operate in the midst of God’s children. We must bless each other and reach out to the lost. Jesus said, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38). Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the Lord is flowing rivers of living water into His true children; and when we are yoked to Him, He teaches us how to flow that water to the lost. They must come to Jesus and be yoked with Him instead of being yoked to the devil.

When you are a true yokefellow with the Lord, you will take your place under His yoke. No matter what the task, you will yield to Him and do what He wants for the glory of God and not for self. Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31).

When you choose to be yoked together with Christ, He will provide you with all you need to be able to do what pleases Him. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Paul knew that; and he said, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me (I Timothy 1:12).

Do Not Be Unequally Yoked

The Lord wants unity under His yoke. He will not be yoked with unbelievers, and He tells us not to be yoked to them either. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness (II Corinthians 6:14)? You have to be careful about associating with people who are unbelievers because thus saith the Lord, you can destroy your own soul.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you (II Corinthians 6:17). Unbelievers may include some of your own family members or so-called friends; but no matter who they are, you have to stop always talking to them and socializing with them, or you will be in trouble.

Jesus came to separate us from the wrong people. Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law (Matthew 10:34,35). Some people miss church services to please unsaved family members; but you have to face every day as if it is Rapture Day, or you may miss the one flight out.

Paul taught the Romans saying, Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them (Romans 16:17). You must stay away from those who hinder God and His people, those who tell lies, reject the truth and cause confusion in the church.

Paul goes on to say, For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:18). People may do good works and say what sounds like good things, but they do and say them only to bring attention to themselves. People cannot just play church or pretend to have love, faith and the anointing of God.

Get Quiet with God

When you are properly yoked together with Christ, you must not worry. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep (Psalm 127:2). Worry has no rewards or blessings, and it will get you nowhere. If some of your children or loved ones have gone astray, it won’t help to worry about them. You have to turn them over to Jesus and trust Him. Job said, Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15).

To be able to trust the Lord, you have to get quiet with Him. Listen to Job again: When he [the Lord] giveth quietness, who then can make trouble (Job 34:29)? The Psalmist said, Be still, and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). In other words, get quiet with God. Being still in His presence is where you will find His greatness. Get away from others so God can deal with you, talk with you and anoint you.

Isaiah the prophet said, The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17). You have to let righteousness give you a quietness of spirit that will allow the Lord to talk to you through the Word and bless you. God says, Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD (Isaiah 1:18).

In reasoning with God, you must hand things over to Him in faith and without a doubt. God cannot work with doubt, and it will hold up your prayers. The Bible says, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5,6). You either trust God or you don’t. He wants you to trust Him so He can direct not just one of your paths but all your paths.

You Must Yield

Once you are properly yoked together with Christ, you have to let Him work. We all have many things that we need to put into God’s loving, willing, all-powerful hands; but when you do that, you have to let Him have His way because His ways are perfect. As for God, his way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). You must never hinder God from working for you in any way He wants to. We only have a short time left, so you must let God have free reign in your life. The Bible says, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).

In this final hour, God is going to do everything He can to work through each person who is serving Him. You cannot be like those the Bible speaks of who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that [instead] ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that (James 4:13-15). You must never decide what you are going to do on your own; you must let the Lord tell you exactly what to do, and then let Him work.

God wants to walk with you, and He will take steps that you can follow if you will serve Him. As God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (II Corinthians 6:16).

God has no problem working; it is people who are the problem when they will not yield to Him. If things are not working out for you, you have to ask God to anoint you to yield more. The Israelites in Moses’ day hindered God and provoked Him to anger by complaining, murmuring and spewing out their own opinions until He let many of them die in the wilderness before they reached the land of Canaan. Remember, what God has done in the past, He will do again.

Peter did not always do what he should have; and when the soldiers came to take Jesus away, he pulled out his sword and cut off a man’s ear. Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear (John 18:10). Before Peter received the Holy Ghost, he put his own notions into action many times; but after Pentecost, he rose up to do the whole will of God and carried God’s anointing with him all the time. Everyone can be made strong in the Lord when they will yield to Him.

The Body of Christ

As children of God, we cannot let God work as He wants to unless we recognize that we are all members of the body of Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13). God is the head of that body, and He wants to use each member in every way He can. He knows how to get the most out of each person, so that is why we must stay in the place where God puts us and take direction from Him. Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called (I Corinthians 7:20). No one should seek another member’s place, thinking they can do a better job; and no one should belittle another member.

Each member has to fit into the body of Christ as it pleases God, and they all have to work together. People cannot decide to do their own thing. For the body is not one member, but many. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him (I Corinthians 12:14,17,18).

There are many members in Christ’s body, and we all need each other. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary…but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another (I Corinthians 12:21,22,24,25).

We are all important to God when we stay in the place He has made for us. There should never be any envy or strife in the body of Christ because the Head of the body doesn’t have any, and He will not put up with it. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular (I Corinthians 12:26,27). When each member fills his or her place the right way, it will glorify the whole body of Christ.

The Lord does not need us to tell Him when a member of His body is out of order because He sees how each member is functioning. When someone is hindering His work, He knows when and how to deal with that person. He first gives them every opportunity to change because He is longsuffering and does not want anyone to go to hell. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (II Peter 3:9).

However, when people refuse to change and begin to leech life from other members, the Lord will prune them from the body. He knows that it is better to cut off one member than for the whole body to go to hell. And if thy right hand [spiritually speaking] offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee [have nothing to do with it]: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell (Matthew 5:30).

Never mourn over any member God cuts off because He has a reason for doing it—there is no life in them, and they are destructive to the whole body. There are so many spiritually dead churches in the world today because preachers are allowing the wrong kinds of people to stay in their churches, and they are destroying entire congregations.

Speak No Idle Words

People can greatly hinder God from working in their lives if they judge or share their opinions about others because man can only see the outward appearance of people, but God knows the heart and the motives of every person. For the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart (I Samuel 16:7).

Is there any profit to your soul when you always want to accuse others? God does not need our opinions; He needs our willingness to submit to Him in all things. When you are busy looking for the shortcomings of those around you, you may not see the stumbling block just ahead of you. God takes responsibility for every word He speaks, and we are responsible for our words, too. Jesus said, Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment (Matthew 12:36).

Jesus taught a great lesson to a group of men who were accusing a woman caught in adultery and getting ready to stone her. He said, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7). We must look to see if we have any shortcomings or sin before we pounce on the shortcomings or sins of others.

After He said that, Jesus stooped down and began to write on the ground; and I believe He was writing the names of the women those men had been with. The men left one by one until they were all gone. Then Christ asked the woman, Where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:10,11). The Lord forgives people of their sins; but they must go and sin no more because the Bible says, He that committeth sin is of the devil (I John 3:8).

We must have the Holy Spirit of truth living within us and speak only truth. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16,17). The Spirit will never leave you.

Be Yielded Clay

Like Moses, we must never want to do anything without the anointing of God, which is His presence. And he [God] said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest. And he [Moses] said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence (Exodus 33:14,15). Moses was saying, “Don’t take us anywhere and then abandon us”; and God will never do that.

Isaiah the prophet wrote, And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing (Isaiah 10:27). You must take a fresh anointing from God for each trial because it will help you to turn every problem fully over to the Lord and let Him work. Without God’s anointing, you will not be able to do that; and your prayers will never be answered.

You must know that you are clay in the great Potter’s hands and allow Him to mold and make you. Isaiah said, But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand (Isaiah 64:8).

Jeremiah also spoke of the great Potter. The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house [but some people will not go], and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels [He knows just how to work with us.]. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it (Jeremiah 18:1-4).

God is saying to us, “Let me have your yielded clay and let me mold you for a special purpose. Then let me break you and make you again for another purpose.” God wants to make us into the vessels He needs us to be each day, but some people will never go to the Potter’s house and yield.

We are to be yielded, earthen vessels that God can manifest His power through. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (II Corinthians 4:7).

Receive the Holy Ghost

You can only have divine power and be able to work with God like you should when you have the Holy Ghost. Jesus was the Son of God; but as a man, He had to receive the Holy Ghost to be able to finish His work on Earth. John the Baptist saw the Holy Ghost come upon Him. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him (John 1:32).

If Jesus needed the Holy Ghost, then so do we. He is the one who will guide us, comfort us, lead us and teach us. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26).

The Holy Ghost is a person, and Jesus proved it when He referred to the Spirit using personal pronouns. In just one chapter of the Bible, He referred to the Holy Ghost as a person thirteen different times. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:7,8,13-15). Jesus wanted the disciples to know that when the Holy Ghost came, He would be a person who would live inside of them and stay with them the rest of their lives.

The disciples knew when the Spirit came because the Bible tells us that He spoke through them in another language, and He was the one who gave them the utterance. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). Nobody should speak in tongues at will.

Paul knew the importance of the Holy Ghost; and he told Timothy, That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us (II Timothy 1:14). Paul had committed so much to Timothy, and he knew that the only way Timothy could keep it all was through the Holy Ghost who dwelled in him.

Yield Completely to God

After receiving the Holy Ghost, you must seek the Lord the right way through prayer, fasting and living in His Word until you can yield to Him in everything. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). Fasting humbles you before God, and even people in the Old Testament knew the power of fasting. The prophet Ezra said, Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. So we fasted and besought our God for this: and he was entreated of us (Ezra 8:21,23). If fasting worked under the Law, how much more so will it work under grace?

We must yield to God knowing that we would be nothing without Him. Jesus said, I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit [meaning we will win many souls for the Kingdom]: for without me ye can do nothing (John 15:5).

Paul said we are nothing without God’s love. Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity [love], I am nothing (I Corinthians 13:1,2).

We must have the same mindset Jesus had. He said, I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work (John 9:4). Jesus was bound in His spirit to do the will of the Father, and He never became careless in His mission. But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [constricted or bound] till it be accomplished (Luke 12:50)!

Are you determined to get God’s work done no matter what the price may be, or are you determined to do only what you want to do? People who are not anointed by the Holy Ghost get into a lot of trouble because they always think their way is better than God’s way, but the Bible tells us that only God’s works will stand when the end comes. Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built there upon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire (I Corinthians 3:13-15). Some people will just barely get into Heaven while all of their works will be burned up.

Crucify the Flesh

God’s children must all work together as one in divine love, divine peace and divine faith. No one has to be highly educated, popular or rich because God has all power and all knowledge. Paul had all of those worldly things, yet his desire was to have the knowledge of Christ Jesus. He said, Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:8).

Paul told the Corinthians, For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called (I Corinthians 1:26). God does not call many people who are mighty or noble in the eyes of the world.

The Bride of Christ knows that there is no good thing in her flesh and that the flesh does not want to yield to God. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not (Romans 7:18). You can’t trust the flesh because it is weak, and it will get you into trouble. You can only be made strong through the power of Heaven.

And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts (Galatians 5:24). When you really find Christ, the flesh is brought under subjection to the perfect will of God. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). This means you are dead to sin, unrighteousness and anything that God hates; and you are in God by dwelling in Christ, the Only Begotten Son.

You must keep the channel clear between you and your God. You cannot clutter it with excess pleasures of the world and always be running to and fro trying to find new ways to fulfill the desires of self. God needs you to Himself more and more so He can work through you to accomplish His will, and you never need to apologize if it causes you to cross the will of man or the devil.

Surrender All

God cannot have free reign in your life until you surrender all to Him and trust Him completely. The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence (II Samuel 22:3). The horn of our salvation is the Gospel, and we are sounding it forth to the world. God is our high tower because He sees all of our tomorrows and guides us accordingly.

When Jesus is your all in all, you will relinquish everything to Him and lean on Him. Who is this [the Bride of Christ] that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved (Song of Solomon 8:5)? If God calls on you for a special work, you will do it knowing that He will enable you to do whatever He calls you to do. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (I Thessalonians 5:24). You must not look at your own inabilities and worry; you must look at the Lord’s abilities saying, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Philippians 4:13).

You must yield to the will of God as Jesus did in the Garden of Gethsemane when He prayed, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:39). When you do that, God can work with you and for you. If you do something little, God will do something big. If you do something that appears foolish to the world, God will do something wise. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty (I Corinthians 1:27).

You must learn to put your life into the hands of the One who has all power. And Jesus came and spake unto them [the disciples], saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). Only Jesus can satisfy your longing soul. For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness (Psalm 107:9). His goodness refers to the works of the Spirit and the joy and peace they bring.

God’s Promises Are True

To let God work, you must be delighted in Him. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4). To delight in Jesus means that you live free from all sin and do the perfect will of God. Then you will know that all good and perfect gifts come from Him. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).

You must realize that the Lord is the one who prospers your way. Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (III John 1:2). You can never say, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth (Deuteronomy 8:17). You must give the Lord all the glory for every blessing, knowing that He is the one who gives you life. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25).

Most people today are seeking to save their lives, but children of God must seek to lose their lives in Christ by putting everything into the Lord’s hands every hour of the day. When you obey Him from your heart, He will work to perform what He has promised.

Jesus’ mother believed what the angel had told her about Christ’s birth; and the Bible says, Blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord (Luke 1:45). Then Mary, who was a virgin, miraculously conceived and gave birth to our Savior. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Don’t think about what people can do; think about what God can do.

Never Waver

You do not have to be afraid to let God work for you because He will never leave you nor forsake you. Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). His amazing grace is sufficient for whatever you need. And he [the Lord] said unto me [Paul], My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9). When you love through grace, speak through grace and use faith through grace, you will get results.

Paul went on to say, Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Corinthians 12:9). Many spiritually dead preachers claim that sicknesses and diseases glorify God, but that is ridiculous! God gets no glory from people being sick. The infirmities Paul was speaking of referred to trials, persecutions and temptations; and he was determined not to let those things get him down so that the power of Christ could rest upon him.

Those who are still holding onto the things of the world will not surrender to God and let Him work. They will keep looking back; but Jesus said, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62). You can never look back, much less go back. It is when you halt between two opinions that you become miserable and confused. And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word (I Kings 18:21). The people at that time were afraid to say anything because they had been worshipping Baal.

The Bible declares that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8). Paul tells us that double-minded people will end up in all kinds of false doctrines. That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive (Ephesians 4:14).

People who waver are tossed about like the waves of the sea. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord (James 1:6,7). You must stand strong in the Lord and live by faith or you will never receive anything from God.

Wavering only causes confusion, and confusion is not of God. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace (I Corinthians 14:33). God brings peace, not confusion; so why allow yourself to be tossed about when you can surrender everything and know without a doubt that God is working all things out for your good? And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). God calls people for His purpose.

Trust in the Word

When you are yoked together with Christ and letting Him work, you will study His Word and live according to it. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15). The Word will be a light on your path. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105). Only by having clear, spiritual vision will you be able to understand what the Word is revealing to you and see the Word in action.

You can trust God’s Word because it has been tried and tested. The word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him (Psalm 18:30). You can hide yourself in the Word because it will never pass away. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away (Luke 21:33).

You must have faith in the Word; and with that faith, you can quench all the fiery darts of the devil. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (Ephesians 6:16). That shield of faith is part of the armor of God, and that armor can be yours if you will accept it and use it. Then you can put up that shield of faith, and the fiery darts of the devil will fall at your feet.

Follow Christ through Faith

Faith is a gift from God, and God has given everyone a measure of it. God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Then you must take that measure and contend for the great faith of the saints. Ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 1:3).

To have that faith, you must put self down. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).

The Lord is giving His directions so freely to the Bride in this last hour, and you can have understanding of them all if you will take on the mind of Christ. Paul spoke of that mind saying, Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16). Jesus came to Earth and took on the form and fashion of a man, and He had the same kind of mind we have; but it was filled with divine ingredients, and ours must be, too.

Jesus gave His life so we could have everything Heaven affords, so we should consider it our reasonable service to surrender all to Him. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). True members of the Bride will do that, and it will make them a force to be reckoned with. Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners (Song of Solomon 6:10)? God has made the Bride strong, so she does not have to bow to the world or to any of the works of the devil.

We must be ready to live or die for the sake of Christ just as the Apostle Paul was. He said, I am ready to preach the gospel (Romans 1:15). For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13). In his last letter to Timothy, Paul said, For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand (II Timothy 4:6).

When Rapture Day arrives, the Lord must find you working for Him. You must be doing His will and be ready to be changed in a twinkling of an eye. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (I Corinthians 15:51,52).

Let God In

Are you ready to let God work for you? You must stay completely yielded and let nothing take the right spirit away from you because all that matters now is redeeming the time for God. He must have all of you and be able to use your mind, your hands and your whole being. You must be able to say with your whole heart, “I have come to do your will, oh, God.” You have to get rid of anything that would hinder people from coming to God through you, and let Him work. Thus saith the Lord, the Bride has to shine at this time.

God can never work for you until you feel the need of a Savior and of being born again. Then you must repent with sorrowful repentance. If you are not saved, say the sinners’ prayer today and mean it from your heart. Oh, God, I need a Savior to work for me. I need to be yoked to the One called Jesus who died for me. I know He died for my sins, so I know He has power to forgive me. I believe there is power in His blood to wash away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come on in!

If you meant that prayer, He has come. Keep Him in your heart; and one day, Heaven will be yours. It is a wonderful place, and Jesus made it possible that whosoever will can go there.

Let God Heal You

Now that you have Jesus in your heart, you can have a miracle. Jesus went to the whipping post for us; and the Bible says He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). It also says, By whose stripes ye were healed (I Peter 2:24). Healing is already there for you; all you have to do is reach out for it through faith.

Lord, I bring those with AIDS, cancer and other deadly diseases to you; and you will heal them through this prayer. You will heal those with arthritis, diabetes, or other afflictions; and you will re-create hearts and lungs. You will take paralysis out of people’s bodies, and you will make crippled children whole. You have done it so many times, Lord; and we thank you for the thousands of miracles you have given through this Jesus ministry. Heal! in the blood-name of Jesus. Heal! in the all-powerful blood-name.

The healing power is flowing. Accept it now, and be thou made well. Jesus made me whole all over when I was about to die at just twenty-three years of age, and I am still whole after all of these many years. How wonderful God is! I never doubt Him, and neither can you.