Manifesting Presence of the Holy Spirit

I am not a conformist, nor will I ever be. I am a transformist.

Ro 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2Co 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

To be transformed is to live the supernatural lifestyle of being revealed to and then moving in the new thing of God daily.

To reject conformation is not rebellion unless it is a rejection of God’s likeminded leadership, either of the Spirit directly or of Spirit laidened church leadership.

The definition of like-mindedness is to be filled with the Spirit, to hear from the Spirit and then to move in the Spirit. That is the mind of Christ. It’s what Jesus died for to provide for the church. Everything else is of the mind of man, and which is of the flesh.

Phl 3:3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh…

Jn 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

Of what value is any argument that finds its basis in what man thinks? Every word from Jesus is spirit; therefore no word of man is spiritual until it comes forth from the Holy Spirit, the bringer of life.

How can any structure be in the center of God’s will that is not flowing vibrantly in the manifesting presence of the Holy Spirit, as did the first church? If the Spirit brings life, than what are we living in if the Spirit is not in residence?

It all comes down to right submission, not religious submission, right submission. It’s a selflessness from the top down that chooses to give the reins of control to the Spirit of God for understanding, power and growth here on earth.

When I am in right submission, I am essentially yoked to the mind of Christ. The only way for this to be so is to be directly connected to the Holy Spirit – and/or – under submission to a church leadership who themselves are directly connected to the Holy Spirit. Either way, the essential element is a complete dependence upon the continuously manifesting presence of the Holy Spirit. In such a way, I am not conforming, I am transforming. In such a way, I am dependant not independent. In such a way it is about Christ, not of any person.

Now I know that what I say next might sound a bit harsh. But these are radical times in the Kingdom of God. This is our time to shine! It’s now our time to bring forth a harvest for Jesus! But I sense the time is short. We no longer have time to wallow in corporate ineffectiveness. We need to be rightly positioned to be used of in the maximum. What I say regarding the church is not out of disrespect for God’s church today. Rather, just the oposite, I so hope for the church of God in these last days to be so filled with the Holy Spirit and moving in great power to do great and mighty things.

But we must be honest about the state of today’s church. When compared to the power and effectiveness of the first church of Acts, today’s church just does not measure up. When we consider that Jesus commanded us that we were to do even greater things than he did, and when we honestly measure how much of that statement holds true in today’s church, we can only conclude that something very greatly amiss in the vast majority of today’s church. It is with these thoughts in mind that I speak these following thoughts.

Regarding our church life, we have a responsibility to depart from places of spiritual dryness, unless the Lord leads one to stay in such a place to bring light. Even so, one should not stay long. The reality is that we are not waiting on God, he waits upon us. To go deep into his presence is as easy as can be and which can happen tomorrow, anywhere. It comes down to the choice of leadership to die to self and allow God to lead. With a hunger and thirst for more of God, he comes. When we wait, he comes.

So if one is burdened to stay in a dry place, one should not stay long. For a leadership need only to choose in an instant to change. But when dryness is the order of the day, rare is it that a place changes when people are unwilling to make the change to selflessness.

Religion does not die by a sweeping move of God, religion dies by choice. Every revival that ever was came by way of a leadership that was fed up with the ways of man. Desperation, spiritual hunger, coming to the end of self, these are the precursors of revival and right change. In fact all spiritual growth finds its beginning in these ways.

Willful dryness is religion and which is independent of God. In reality, all who will not allow God to lead their meetings are in rebellion. Those who flee such places, though being accused of rebellion themselves are themselves fleeing from a rebellious atmosphere.

We rightly conform to the laws of the land and which is scriptural. Such obedience gives glory to the Father. However, Kingdom speaking, church speaking, God clearly requires of us that we be in submission to authorities who are under submission to the Spirit of God.

In such Spirit filled places, testing and approving are not from the mind of man but the mind of Christ. In such places everyone has a release according to the Spirit’s release and timing. In such places, those with no talent are equal to those with large talent. In such places, people get trashed in the Holy Spirit! Trashed… everything of the flesh gets trashed.

Offenses are crushed, joy is released, the sick are healed, the oppressed are delivered and the dead are raised to life! And unity that no person can muster ensues.

One cannot be conformed in order to test and approve, one must be transformed by the renewing of the mind, then one can test and approve.

I’ll be the first to admit my fleshly state, my immaturities and my errors. I know full well of the need for correction and encouragement in my life. I know of my idols and of my pride. I know of my fears and selfishness. I know, I need mentors and fathers to minister to me such spiritual truths that I alone am unable to attain to. I need correction and rebuke, love and encouragement. I need the whole Body. I long for such leadership over my life. However, I have witnessed a clear and definable vast difference in my spiritual growth between Spirit filled places and non Spirit filled places.

Now this has been my honest observation between Spirit lead and non Spirit lead churches that I have been a part of, as it pertains to spiritual “coverage”. I know I expose myself to the critisism of woundedness in speaking these experiences. However, this is the testimony of what happened to me so that one might gain an understanding of the differences between Spirit filled and spiritless places. In changing away from the spiritless, I have been so greatly blessed and encouraged. Words can not describe the joy and liberty that we moved in to when we did. So take this as you will. Just know that my heart is not angry, but just wanting for those locked in spiritual dryness.

In my former experiences where the Spirit was kept in check, I was never corrected, never taught, never lead, I was only tolerated. No one sought me out to mentor me. I received no word of correction or rebuke. I was expected to remain seated until I had done my time, and then after such a time there came certain releases. However it was apparent that the only test was that of time and a consistency of service and of giving. There was no challenge and very little trust to release what God placed in my wife or I to release. Our children were left out almost entirely because of the clicky nature of the youth structures we witnessed. There was no real connection to the church and no real unity because there was very little Holy Spirit, even though they called themselves Spirit filled. It was all about the one man show. It was all about the most talented people.

But where the Spirit of the Lord was manifesting, when we dedicated ourselves to that place, almost immediately, the Spirit of the Lord began to deal with my heart and my mind. He used everyone to speak into my life. I was loved with a love that was almost nonexistent in former places; a love that was intense, true, of the heart and without any alterior motives. I witnessed no judgment, but found myself on God’s threshing floor time and time again. The Lord was breaking down my fears. He was doing business with my pride. He was crushing me with waves of mercy and love that I could physically feel. Because he was manifesting upon me, my “out of lines” and “out of balances” were snapping back in line with the Father’s heart. I saw the Father’s heart for me like never before.

I recognized that no longer was it about what I did in the church that gained acceptance for me, he accepted me as I was even in my faults. I sensed his release to me even in my imperfect state. Now I understood God’s testing and approving was nothing like mans testing and approving. God was releasing me while he was working on my heart! What a new way! What trust! What love!

Now I knew that I was righteous, not being made righteous. I knew I was a son, not a servant. The words of God over me took on a substance of proof that they were real. That is to say, it was not just words but the experience that followed the words. My faith, hope and love was increasing. It became liberating to just open up to him and to people to change me. It became a welcome thing, and which remains in my heart today. I know I am not perfect. But in my imperfection, I am lovingly corrected with substance and truth rather than for the ulterior motives of religion, or the fleshly fears of man.

In having made this change away from the religious church, we have come under significant persecution. Accusations have come our way, of not being under submission to authority. We have been accused of operating in a state of woundedness from former bad experiences, of making decisions out of the fleshliness of frustration, of leaving because of not being heard.  How false and sad were these accusations. However, the Father knows that my heart is indeed his to deal with. To this I have been absolutely true.

Those that seek the deeper waters of God’s presence must know there is a price to pay. It is exactly what Jesus meant when he said this:

Lk 12:51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

The division Jesus speaks of is between what is right and what is wrong, between what is flesh and Spirit, between the mind of man and the mind of Christ.

Such then is the difference between submission in the Spirit filled church as compared to places of dryness. The difference is a 180-degree opposite; manipulation verses love.

The dry church manipulates to favor the church purpose. The Spirit filled church hands all the reins into the hands of the Father. This church then grows out of Father’s hand of love which results in his purpose; his work, his word, his rebuke, his teaching, in his timing. This way requires a great revelation to understand it! Only those who submit to such places in faith gain such an understanding. Otherwise it would be accused of by outside observers as church anarchy with no leadership.

Bottom line is, far greater is the spiritual growth of a person in places of God’s continuously manifesting presence. Transformation happens in such places. Otherwise, conformity rules the day.

Religion is all about conformity, a submission to anything and everything at all cost. We become dependent only upon the high few who test and approve… This religious way is of the law and which denies God his right to control his church or to use “the least of these” to bring His message.

Everything about God is about the new thing, not the old thing.

To be transformed means to be changed out of something old into something new. It means to change from a lesser way into a greater way, an ever-increasing move.

To be conformed is to be changed out of some way into  “old tried and true ways”. It means to change from ways of disorder into ways of man defined order. It is always either a lateral change or decreasing or backward change. By it’s nature, it rejects the new thing of God for form of order or familiarity.

Conformation is man in control. Transformation is God in control.

I will submit and follow any church leader to the moon and back who lets the Holy Spirit control the meeting. Submission is right only when God is in control of the whole thing; only when God has hold of all the reins. Otherwise, it’s submission under the law and which stiff-arms Christ in lieu of mans ideals. It’s error and which results in religious bondage. People become crushed under the weight of the chains of mans limitations. The one tallent people are forced to go and bury thier tallent. Because, there is no place to release, no place to give or receive besides at one’s seat.

It is true that to whoever or whatever I submit, therein lies the limit of my spiritual growth. If I submit to sin, I become a slave to it. If I submit to the Spirit, I enter into the fullness the Spirit brings, namely liberty and joy, the very things Christ died to release! Whatever or whoever I submit to, and which is a principle of God, that is my limit.

Consider this…

Why drive an old worn out 20 year old car when we could be driving a brand new car?

Why settle for a tin shack when we could be living in a mansion?

Why would anyone sustain only on rice and water when God has invited us into his banqueting room full of food and new wine we have never partaken of?

Why put salve on our open wounds when God can heal them completely in an instant?

Why settle for one soul a week when we could have hundreds even thousands in a day?

Why is the church dead and full of strife when it could be alive and in great unity?

The answer is this… too much conformation and too little transformation; too much thinking and too little drinking. Too much of mans old ways and too little of Gods fresh increase. Too much mind and too little heart.

It comes down to this…. It’s time to die to self in as much as we are able to do. It’s time to give God all our reins. Then we can lead. Then we can reap. Then we can grow. Only in such a place is submission in right order. Only in such a place does submission lead to transformation.

T. Scott Morton