Abiding In The Vine

GTF Elder C. Edward Smith

June 13^th, 2009

Connecting the ‘dots,’ one will discover many impressions that point to what the Spirit of the Lord does “supernaturally” with the “word” spoken out of the mouth of God.

We hear “words” like: [Phil 2:13] “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” [Matt 4:4] “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every ‘word’ that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” [Jn 6:63] The ‘words’ that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” [Jn 15:5(c)] “Without me ye can do nothing” [Jn 15:7] “If you abide in Me, and My ‘words’ abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”[Jn 15:5] “I AM the Vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:”

I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I heard “You can’t connect with (God), but God has to connect with you (even your insides)”

What a paradigm shift to consider that “No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal.” [Matt 11:27]  So, unless the Lord reveals Himself and His purpose to us, and “causes” us to give the correct “response” to His calling, we will woefully miss the “mark.”

The interim lesson, here, regarding how we are to “Experience His Doing” is: “It is imperative that the Lord be seen (magnified) in the midst of (our) (fiery trials), before He brings us out.”  It is written: “So shall My word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:it shall  not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” [Isa 55:11] The Lord declared, through the prophet Jeremiah, “I will hasten my ‘word’ to perform it.” [Jer 1:12]

Even now our Lord is “(rejoicing) over (us) with joy …and (joying) over (us) with singing” [Zeph 3:17]; and He sings:

I WILL BE WITH YOU, IN JOY AND IN PAIN. YOUR CRY FOR MERCY ECHOES MY NAME. NOW AND FOREVER I’LL BE AT HAND; I WILL BE WITH YOU, I WILL BE WITH YOU, FOR THAT’S WHO I AM.

I WILL BE WITH YOU, I’LL BE ON YOUR SIDE. YOUR PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE WILL NOT BE DENIED. I’LL FIGHT THE BATTLES THAT EVIL MIGHT WAGE. I WILL BE WITH YOU, I WILL BE (WORKING)(IN) YOU, TIL THE END OF THE AGE.

[words & music: Bill Batstone; artist Denny Correll]