SPECIAL PRÉCIS ON THE WAY BACK TO MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION: FROM LUKEWARMNESS TO FAITH ON FIRE – A CODICIL

SCRIPTURE. “Cry aloud, spare not. Lift up your voice like a trumpet and declare to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins! …

If you take away from your midst yokes of oppression [wherever you find them], the finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and every form of false, harsh, unjust, and wicked speaking, And if you pour out that with which you sustain your own life for the hungry and satisfy the need of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in darkness, and your obscurity and gloom become like the noonday.” – ISAIAH 58:1, 9-10, AMPC

KEY TERM: “TAKE AWAY YOKES OF OPPRESSION!” ‘Sur’ [תָּסִ֤יר]: “A primitive root, ‘To turn off, call back, depart or eschew; to remove or withdraw from.’ NOTE: “The Hebrew verb ‘sur’ primarily means to turn aside, depart, or remove. It is often used in the context of turning away from a path, removing something from a place, or departing from a course of action. In a spiritual or moral sense, it can refer to turning away from sin OR departing from God’s Commandments.”

QUOTATION. “Getting into the Deeper Life is a real trial, just like the children of Israel discovered. They left the desert, went into Canaan, and experienced battle after battle. But every battle made them stronger. Every battle prepared them for the next battle. And God was on their side, leading them, and they were walking by the cloud by day and the fire by night, and nobody could resist them.” ― A.W. TOZER,  A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night: Finding and Following God’s Will for You, 2019; edited

COMMENTARY. “The Holy Spirit had Hypocrites of every age in view. Self-love and timid Christians may say, ‘Spare thyself!’ Dislike to the Cross and other motives will say, ‘Spare the rich and powerful!’ BUT GOD SAYS: ‘Spare not! And we must obey God, not men!’ We all need earnestly to pray for God’s assistance in examining ourselves. Men may go far toward Heaven, yet come short; and they may go to Hell with a good reputation.” – MATTHEW HENRY, Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, 6 vols., 1708-1710; edited

DK’S TAKE. As Addendum to the previous Teaching on Magnificent Obsession with God, here we offer “The Way Back” from a lethargic, lukewarm and half-hearted faith to one that is vibrant, dangerous, and fruitful! It originates with the Trump Christian Nationalist Spiritual Coup d’etat I tell you still again, and puts to Death genuine Love of Christ and shall yet send multitudes to The Flame.

God Says This as Remedy: “All you need to do is to stop oppressing the weak and stop making false accusations and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry! Help those in trouble! Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you shall be as bright as day.” – ISAIAH 58:9-10, TLB

It’s that simple, beloved. “The Simple Gospel!” as South African evangelist RIENHARD BONKKE sobeautifully and very frequently expressed it. ‘Do thou this, Christ-follower, and all shall yet be well with thee – till He Comes!’

Selah.