Jeffrey & Kathi Pelton
We have been invited into the complete work of the cross. Over the past forty days a remnant of the global family of God has received the invitation to yield their body, souls, and spirits to that completed work. It has been a supernatural work of the Spirit, partnered with our prayer,
“Not my will but Your will be done.”
God gave instruction to Israel, and also, to us: “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44-45; 1 Peter 1:15-16). We have been yielding to the Lord to bring us into an encounter of greater purity and intimacy.
Yet so often we’ve bowed our heads in despair rather than lifting our hands in surrender as we looked upon our human weakness. Even this season of “yielding” that we have taken part in could have become a source of discouragement if we allow ourselves to be measured by any human understanding of God’s commands to us.
But here is a precious truth: Our Father wants us to be holy even more than we want to be holy.
“Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. Moreover I will give you a new heart. I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Ruach within you. Then I will cause you to walk in My laws, so you will keep My rulings and do them. Then you will live in the land that I gave to your fathers. You will be My people and I will be your God. So I will save you from all your uncleanness. I will call for the grain and make it plentiful. I will not bring a famine upon you.”
(Ezekiel 36:25-29 TLV)
The same promise is spoken in Jeremiah 31:32,
“I will put My Torah within them. Yes, I will write it on their heart. I will be their God and they will be My people.”
So, the cleansing He has done this season has been a work of His own hand, by His authority, according to His power and mercy. And, we are astonished to discover that our great and awesome God wants us. He desires to fellowship with us, because we are His treasure and we belong to Him—corporately and individually. He has called us each of us by name, so that we become aware of His individual concern and care. He nurtures and protects and cherishes us.
Every unique individual bears an imprint of the Eternal, and He loves the personality and gifts and expressions He has placed within each of us. Before creation—before anything was—He prepared promises and treasures for each of us, to give Him glory and bring us pleasure and fulfillment.
These gifts, and the close fellowship with our Maker, create who we are and release wonder in the earth. He does not stand in opposition to us because of our weakness; rather, He is for us, and nothing can condemn or stand against us.
So, at the end of these forty days, with the eyes of our hearts open and filled with light, we see Joshua the high priest, no longer condemned, but clothed in purity because the Holy One decreed it. We see the menorah in the temple glowing brightly, miraculously, with pure oil, day after day, because the Holy One created it.
We see ourselves, cleansed and purified and fully clothed in righteousness because of our Savior. We are ravished by His love; we are fearfully and wonderfully made; and we are beckoned to continue into the romance of becoming one spirit with Him, joined forever.
First love has been restored and becoming one spirit with our precious Savior has been completed by the miraculous power of His Spirit who lives within us. We have yielded to our King and He has been faithful to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. We prayed, like Mary,
“Be it unto me according to your word.”
It has been done and is now complete. Our Messiah came and purified our lives and created a resting place for Himself in each of our lives. Our light shines brightly—just as the Son—for all the world to see.
We complete these forty days of yielding with the knowledge that we have crossed a threshold into a new realm where the shadows of old have passed away and unfiltered light shines like a lamp stand in a darkened world. We declare today,
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come! Let Earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room and Heaven and nature sing!”
May peace and joy, and the depth, height, and width of His love rest upon you and your loved ones. The King has received and responded to our yielding!
Amen~
(Day 40: The Yielding)
Oceans in the Desert 
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