I'll just finish with this. Can you imagine - many of you have seen this. You've seen a wedding take place, and you've been in here and seen the couple come up, and oh, the beauty of it all, and the emotion of it all. The intentions are all so good; and how tragic some years later, when you see that they're totally separated, and living apart. Everyone in our heart knows this is not right, and there are lots of reasons, and all the kinds of things that come up, but in your heart you know love was meant to be forever. This is the same with our relationship with God. Our love is meant to be forever, to stay passionately in love with Him. What has got in the way? What is causing your light to flicker? What is draining out the oil of the Holy Spirit? What sorts of things? You know the Bible tells us: don't grieve the Holy Spirit, and let your light begin to flicker. If you're angry with people, and bitter with people, hold anger, unresolved issues in your heart - don't do that! Why? It'll stop the flow of oil, the flow of the Holy Spirit! Be passionate for the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life and do whatever you need to ensure it's there.
Let's just close our eyes. Father, we thank you for great promises of a great day. Oh, what a great day when our groom, when Jesus Christ Himself comes, when He gathers us up, and takes us into a new dimension of intimacy, and then influence, power and authority to change this world. What an immense privilege we have. Lord, today I pray that every one of us would become fired in the Holy Ghost, to have a fresh love for the spirit of God, a fresh yieldedness to the Holy Ghost, fresh devotional life, and to carry with our life a bright and shining light, that flows from inside.
Just while our eyes are closed, has God spoken to you today? How is your relationship with the Holy Ghost? How is your prayer life? Are you praying? Is there passion? Are you in the word and reading, and God's speaking new things to you; or are you living out of yesterday's experience? Are you receiving fresh insight from God, because you stay hungry to learn? I realised it's not what's external that counts. It's that: am I still hungry in my pursuit for Jesus? Am I hungry in my pursuit for the Holy Spirit? Am I doing the things in my life, to position myself for Him to flow through me, and in me; and my light shine brightly?
Has God spoken to you today about your devotional life, about attitudes of heart that are quenching your life? Would you raise your hand, so God's speaking to me today? I need to make some change - God bless, God bless, God bless, God bless - many hands going up. Father, we thank you. Father, I pray for great grace to come upon each person that responded to you today to change and to build a great and powerful life with you, that overflows with light into our community and everyone says ... Amen!