June 3, 2024

From Dutch

This week Ceci and I will be spending time with our amazing DSM staff for a time of staff enrichment. Since we have employees in four different states, we feel it’s important that we spend time together periodically, face-to-face. While away, I’ve asked 5 of my ministry friends to share with you.

Today, you will hear from Sarasota Pastor Brian Gibbs. Brian is an anointed, on-fire pastor who will challenge us regarding our passion for Jesus. I was inspired listening to this teaching, and know you will be too.

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Introduction

It’s a great honor for me to be with you all once again today, as Dutch and Ceci are getting some much-needed time away for rest and refreshing. I thought it would be most appropriate to pray and speak a blessing over them together:

Father God, together, we speak and release fresh oil from the Holy Spirit over Dutch and Ceci today—and their entire team. Envelop them and love them. May their time together be beautiful in every way. May it be refreshing—spiritually, emotionally, physically, relationally and financially. We speak abundance over their ministry!  Lord, may this time together be filled with new experiences and filled with joy and romance. Thank you for their lives, their marriage, and for this ministry contending for revival, awakening, and reformation in this urgent hour. In Jesus Name, we pray. Amen!

Today’s title is:

Those Who Tremble At His WORD

“This is what the Lord says, ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where, then, is a house that you could build for Me? And where will My resting place be?  For all these things My hand has made, So all these things came into being [by and for Me],’ declares the Lord. ‘But to this one I will look [graciously], to him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.’” (Isaiah 66:1-2 Amplified Translation)

God says that this is the person He’s going to look for: the one who’s humble, the one who’s contrite or broken, and trembles at the sound of His voice, and honors the Master’s command. This is who God Almighty is searching for. Who is that person? Is it you? Stop reading (or listening) for a moment and ask yourself: Do I match the description of the person to whom God is looking for? And here’s the part that really crushes me. It’s that last phrase: the one who “trembles at My word.” 

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” (NKJV)

Jeremiah, the mighty prophet, describes this trembling as a burning fire inside his bones. “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.’” (Jeremiah 20:9 NKJV).

The greatest thing in all the world is to hear the voice of God, as far as I am concerned. My heart stands at attention and also sings with joy when I hear His voice. I would rather hear God's voice in rebuke than anybody else's voice in flattery.

Psalm 2:11 says, “Serve the Lord with fear (honor and reverence) and celebrate His rule with trembling” (NIV). That is awesome!

Isaiah 66:5 says, “Hear the word of the Lord, You who tremble at His word” (NKJV).

Again, Isaiah declared by the Holy Spirit, “But to this one I will look [graciously], To him who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who [reverently] trembles at My word and honors My commands.”

To tremble is: to revere, honor, hold with deep esteem and sacred respect, to be in awe, appreciate, cherish, value, and treasure.

Cherish the voice of the Lord speaking to your heart from His Word each day—in the still, small voice, the inner witness of His Spirit, and in quality time with Him in prayer and worship. His voice can most certainly be audible as well.

We must be people who honor His awesome Holy Spirit! Honor attracts the anointing of Holy Spirit. Humility sustains the anointing. Living clean and holy (a consecrated life) protects the anointing in our lives. If you do these things—you can be a man and a woman trusted to hear His voice and obey. And we must be these vessels of honor, His own special people, who are hearing from the Lord in this most critical and urgent hour.

If we tremble at His word—this means, it is a manifestation of fearing Him. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is a gift. When we do this, we will obey Him instantly. We will not procrastinate, hesitate, or deviate from His Word. We won’t take what He is speaking to us casually. We’ll step forward and obey it. We’ll be alert in our spirit and follow His assignments with clear obedience.

When we have the true fear of the Lord, we will obey Him, even when it doesn’t make sense. The generation we’re living in is so adamantly set on having everything explained to them before acting on anything. God asks for our obedience to be done by faith—not by having full understanding. Faith comes first; understanding comes later. In the famous words of Morpheus to Neo in the Matrix movie: “Your comprehension is not a prerequisite of your participation.”

When we tremble at His word and grasp the true fear of God, we will obey Him, even when we don’t see the benefit. It is too common for Christians to expect a picture of the benefits before they decide to obey God. Our reward for acting in obedience should not be our motive. We should give, pray, be stretched, and sacrifice…getting in the presence of God because we love Him and because we fear (revere) Him!

When we tremble at the word of God, we will obey Him to completion—just as Abraham did when walking with Isaac to the top of Mt. Moriah to offer Him up, even believing God would raise His promised son from the dead. Abraham trembled at God’s instruction and honored His word, which took him to a new dimension of revelation with the God of covenant (see Genesis 22).

To become a voice for God, we must honor and cherish (holding in the highest regard) our relationship with Jesus and His Word as the ultimate authority in our lives. In a generation that venomously despises and mocks God and all that is sacred—we must tremble at His word to become carriers and burning messengers of His holy Word.

John the Baptist said, “But the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29–30 NKJV).

John was a burning and shining lamp not because he passionately burned before the people, but because he stood before the burning One and was set ablaze with holy passion. John was the man who became a forerunner and the voice “preparing the way of the LORD”!

John’s training and discipline were in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where no one is exempt. It’s a place and time where there is pruning, shaping, sculpting, fashioning, disciplining, and rebuking. John was forged in the wilderness to tremble at the word of the Lord and become a trusted messenger.

In Luke 1:80 (ESV), speaking of John, it says: “And the child continued to grow and become strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance (or manifestation) to Israel.”

John’s level of humility was not something he just came out of the womb possessing. He was just as human as you and I. Humility was forged in his heart through years spent in the wilderness, where he learned to hear and love the voice of God. He came to believe his identity was sure before heaven and chose a lifestyle of extravagant devotion and consecration. He courageously obeyed the call of God on his life by trumpeting a call of repentance to lost people and a nation.

John did not seek to be great before men. His quest was to seek out the One whose greatness is beyond measure, and he was set on fire in that journey. John had a divine obsession that overpowered his humanity, indifference, natural pride, and ambition.

If you are like me, and perhaps you are, your heart longs to make a real impact in this chaotic world. You long to put your hand to something of eternal significance. If that’s you—then go to Him. Spend quality time alone in the secret place with JESUS. Hear Him. He will set your heart on fire. Let Him give you a real message and commission to this generation. I’m not talking about a good sermon or a tweetable truth. I’m speaking of the reality of becoming so obsessed, so on fire for the glory of God, that you tremble and become a chosen messenger—a voice for GOD, not an echo, but a voice that penetrates the thick and gross darkness upon this prodigal nation.

JESUS invites each of us to not just raise a torch, but become passionate for Him, a burning torch—a burning blazing man and woman of God who trembles at His word and honors His commands. And like John, He gives us a message of hope for a lost people, and the ultimate message that our King is coming again soon.

Pray with me:

Father God, we pray that our hearts will burn within us and tremble at Your word. May we be the people who honor Your commands. May we find and discover our voice when with You. May Your voice thunder through us. May Your roar of righteousness be released through us to bring hope, salvation, freedom, deliverance, victory, and life. God, You are pouring out Your Spirit just as You promised, and may Your­ sons­ and­ daughters­ prophesy. May Your young men see visions and Your old men dream dreams (see Joel 2:28). Pour out Your Spirit and thrust us into radical, unstoppable revival and national awakening! Shake our nation now, Spirit of the living God. Send us into the universities, the highest places of government, into the streets, into our cities, into our churches, our schools, and into the darkness. Let there be light! Let there be victory! In Jesus Mighty Name. Amen.

Leonard Ravenhill said: “The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized in the lifetime of that opportunity.” 

Our time is now, friends!

Our decree:

I will tremble at your holy Word, Lord JESUS. I will honor your commands. I will become a voice of righteousness for this generation.

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Today’s GH15 was shared by Pastor Brian Gibbs. You can find out more about Brian, including his books and other resources, at VictoryFLA.com.