Can You Imagine This?

    Can you imagine this?  Sitting in a service where people are shaking under the power of God, a tongue here with an interpretation, a prophecy here, a song of the spirit, Holy Ghost joy bubbling like a fountain, the presence of God overwhelming, the thirst for God erupting in believers with desperate passion?  Really, now, can you imagine that?  Weeeeelllll....can you imagine someone sitting in that, and then declaring later that they don't need all that emotionalism?  They just want mo' money!  Wow!  That takes dead to a new level. 

    Do I want the touch of God?  Yessss!  Do I want that touch on my body, soul, mind and spirit? Yessss! and double Yessssssss!  Old timers used to say "better felt than telt".  uh-huh!  We ministered in a church with a little bitty black dynomo lady pastor many years ago.  I have always remembered her saying "You can touch God and when ya do,he'll touch ya back,and when he touches ya back, ya'll know yo been touched".   My, my, how wonderfully true.  Oh, how wonderful to touch and be touched back.  Is that emotionalism?  Guilty, guilty, guilty!   But, you know, when the power of resurrection "quickens" it is a bit hard to stifle the course of God's power running through your body,soul and mind.

  You, know for those who worship the Bible and nothing else, I am sad for you.  Jesus is gooooone!  He left us, but not like orphans.   He did not promise to leave a book but He did promise to leave the Spirit of God, a comforter not unlike Himself.  Oh yeah!  And when that Comforter, God manifested on earth in my presence, touches you, supernatural meets natural and it gets exciting.  Bring it on God!  Do it again. Ever filled and stimulated with the Holy Ghost is my prayer (Eph. 5:18-19).  Do I love the Bible?  Yes.  Is it the Word of God?  Yes. But it is only words until the Spirit (who wrote it), gives life to it. That is what makes it special.  He can take that word and engraft it right into your soul, your emotional being, and you feeeeeel it!   YES YOU DO!  He can takes words and turn them into life and power.

   You know, some define prosperity has having lots of money.  That's okay but I could live with less if I had to.  Of course, I'll take all of the gold that comes my way and put it into the Kingdom. But, prosperity is also "as thy soul prospers".  Your soul, my friend, is not your spirit.  It is your emotional, rational being.  It didn't get born again. That was your spirit.  Your soul needs a little saving - regularly.  Your soul needs a little quickening.  Your soul needs wine and water. Your soul needs to party, to make  merry with God.   Oh, I can give up the gold, if I should have to, but I cannot give up the touch of God.

   Sad to say, men today have prospered and called it God, but it isn't. It is the deceptive power of riches.  You see, true prosperity is measured by "as thy soul prospereth".  If your soul "ain't" prospering, you "ain't" really prospering, not by God's standard.  You just have money.  Why not have the best of both?  Money, earthly goods and so much God you stagger under the load of His presence?   Can you imagine, having all the gold you could want but not being able to feel and enjoy the presence of God?  Of being so satisfied with "stuff" that you no longer desperately crave a touch of the Spirit of God?  Not for me - no sireee!  I like how the Amplified Bible says we are to ever be being filled and stimulated with the Holy Ghost.  I'm telling you that stimulation is sometimes like sticking your finger in a light socket. Sometimes is like the 29th shot of moonshine that suddenly catches up with you and your eyes cross.  Sometimes it is like an explosion of joy and you laugh and grin 'til your ears hurt.  Emotionalism?  mmmhh?  Yeah.  I like it.  Yeah - that's what I'm talking about.