Jesus urged His followers into a deeper relationship when He said: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
It is tremendously important to understand that, in our lives as believers, before there can be a greater outpouring, there must be a greater yielding on our part.
We have a tremendous example in the life of John the Baptist that we are to replicate in our lives: He must increase, but I must decrease. Before there can be an increase of His life evident in and through our lives, there must be a putting away of our confidence in the flesh.
The Holy Spirit of Almighty God cannot fully work through a life that continues to exalt itself. The Father’s earnest longing is not simply to bless our lives but to transform us into vessels through whom His Son is revealed. This requires a stripping away of our self-sufficiency and an ever-growing dependence upon His Holy Spirit.
The Father continues to seek hearts that are fully His, hearts that have laid down personal ambition, self-confidence, and dependence upon natural strength. He desires a people who no longer trust in what they can accomplish through their own might, power, wisdom, or ability, but who rely wholly upon His Holy Spirit. There are searching questions that confront every believer:
- Is there anything being held onto that hinders the fullness of the Holy Spirit’s work?
- Is there confidence in the flesh where there should be dependence upon Jesus Christ?
- Is there resistance where there should be surrender?
The Father seeks those who will humble themselves before Him, acknowledge their complete dependence upon His grace, and yield fully to the work of His Holy Spirit. Such hearts become vessels through whom the life of Jesus Christ is revealed, and through whom the Father’s longing is fulfilled on this earth.