Devotions

Theologians use a strange word to describe Jesus, saying He is “impeccable.” To be “peccable” is to fail, to sin, to be at fault, to struggle, to convey the idea that something in you can be riled up. But even in His human nature, Jesus’s divine nature overrode all that. No lust was in His eyes nor was pride in His heart. That in itself is glorious. Even in His human nature He remained sovereign, one with God (Matthew 18:18; Colossians 2:10).

Now consider these beautiful attributes: He is perfectly righteous (John 8:46) and full of justice (8:16). He is both just and our justifier (Romans 3:26). In other words, He finds a way to maintain His justice while justifying us from our unjust deeds.

He is eternal, existing forever (1 Timothy 1:17). He is worthy of our praise for eternity. And He is love (John 13:34) — a love that is unfathomable! He is omnipotent — almighty, with no lack of power. His hands are not tied by the devil nor by our free will; He has power over any situation at any time. He is omnipresent — everywhere at all times. And He is omniscient, knowing the beginning from the end even before the end arrives.

All of this flies in the face of a false teaching nowadays called open theology. This teaching contends that God does one thing in history and we do another — that He reacts to what we do and makes adjustments. No, never! When Jesus was crucified, God didn’t look on passively and say, “Oh, I’d better do something to redeem that.” He had in mind a Lamb of sacrifice long before the creation. He has all authority and He rules in perfect judgment. In sum, He is beautiful — the desire of all nations!

You may think you have certain things figured out about Jesus, such as His Second Coming and end-times theology. In fact, you may know these subjects inside and out, from premillennial to post-tribulation, and that’s fine. But you will never be able to fully comprehend Jesus’ beauty — His justice, His love, His righteousness, His sovereignty, His eternal nature.

When I speak in a crusade, I often search my vocabulary for words to express that supernatural sensation, the moment when Jesus stepped in and changed my life. But I have yet to do it justice. The best way I have found is through a simple analogy.

I tell people that I felt as if I were on an operating table, cold and angry and confused, and Jesus was the surgeon standing over me. My heart was broken. He gently reached over and closed my eyes, and then He opened up my chest, reached deep inside of me, and pulled my heart out. He held it in His hands, a heart filled with hatred and anger and bitterness that consumed me — the brokenness of my past and the curse that was destroying my life and soul.

Jesus slowly took my heart, brought it to His lips, and kissed it. He caressed it and mended the wounds. Then He placed it back inside my chest and closed me up. I knew in an instant that I was better, that my heart was no longer broken. At that moment I knew I was a new creation. I had a new heart — a heart of love and compassion and repentance. All the feelings of hate and resentment were gone. My sins were forgiven and at long last I was free!

I still fight back tears every time I use this analogy. The moment Jesus came into my heart and saved me is the most cherished experience of my life. Before that time no one had every kissed my heart. It was what I needed most from my new Father.

Thank you, precious Jesus!

Nicky Cruz, internationally known evangelist and prolific author, turned to Jesus Christ from a life of violence and crime after meeting David Wilkerson in New York City in 1958. The story of his dramatic conversion was told first in The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and then later in his own best-selling book Run, Baby, Run.

I once heard a missionary speak of great awakenings around the world. It was clear that in every case, the “spirit of prayer” is tied to the last harvest. In Vietnam, China, Siberia, the Amazon, Africa, God’s people are praying with fire and fervency — weeping and crying out to God, seeking His face, dealing with sin and turning to righteousness.

You cannot manufacture this kind of inclination to pray; it is the result of the spirit of supplication. We called for weeks of prayer at Times Square Church and experienced a small taste of this outpouring of the Spirit. Indeed, there is a measure of fire and diligence in prayer throughout this nation but we have not yet experienced the outpouring of the spirit of supplication.

God is showing me that even the desire and inclination to pray must come from the Holy Spirit. The answer is found in Zechariah 10:1: “Ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain. The Lord will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, grass in the field for everyone.”

We must ask the Lord for the spirit of supplication! He is telling us in Zechariah, “Ask and I will give you this burden from heaven. But you must seek it from Me.”

It is time we started asking the Lord, “Oh, God, pour out your Holy Spirit on me that I may learn to pray! Open up the fountain and let me be a part of Your final harvest!”

Once His spirit of supplication showers down upon you, you will find yourself praying for holiness, godliness, purity. You will intercede for your lost loved ones and weep over this dying world. But you must ask the Holy Spirit to do it in you — and then trust Him! 

Let us look at Daniel’s prayer: “Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications … incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations … for we do not present our supplications before You because of our righteous deeds, but because of your great mercies” (Daniel 9:17-18).

The word “supplication” is never used in the Bible except to denote a cry or prayer that is vocalized; in other words, it is not private or a meditation. Supplication definitely has something to do with the voice!

The Hebrew word for “supplication” signifies “an olive branch wrapped with wool, or some kind of cloth, waved by a supplicant seeking peace or surrender.” Simply put, these were flags of surrender and they signified a cry of total, unconditional surrender.

Picture a battle-weary soldier, ragged and worn, tired and overwhelmed, stuck in a foxhole of self-will. He is all alone and has come to the end of himself, so he breaks a branch off a tree and ties his white undershirt to it. He then lifts it up and crawls out of his foxhole, crying, “I surrender! I give up!”

This is supplication! It says, “I can’t fight this battle anymore. I’m lost and in despair.”

Supplication is not just calling on God to do what you want; it is not pleading with Him to assist you in your plans. On the contrary, it is a total giving up of your will and your way.

For centuries Christians have called on God while full of self-will, crying, “God, send me here, send me there, give me this, give me that.” But in the last days the Holy Ghost is going to fall with great power and produce a sense of spiritual bankruptcy. We will wake up to the fact that even with all our money, brains, programs, ministries, and plans, we have not even touched this world. The truth is, the Church has lost ground and become weak and pitiful.

There must be surrender! Our cries must be accompanied by a willingness to give up everything in our life that is unlike Jesus Christ.

The book of Titus tells us that grace is given to us as power over sin, to enable us to live sober, holy lives. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13).

There has been a marvelous measure of this grace in God’s people since Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has sent conviction of sin on all nations, teaching believers of every race and tongue how to forsake ungodliness and worldly lust. The result has been a people who live soberly and righteously and who long for the coming of Jesus.

The Bible says in Zechariah 12:10 that the Holy Ghost will be poured out as “the spirit of grace and supplication.” I believe this spirit of grace will turn God’s people completely from worldliness and produce in them a cry for purity of heart.

We are going to witness convicting, sin-exposing, repentance preaching beyond anything ever seen in history. All unrighteousness, ungodliness and foolishness will be exposed and those in God’s house will feel compelled to do right.

I received a phone call from a dear brother in the Lord, the head of a ministry. He and other leaders in this ministry had been gathering to seek the Lord and soon the Holy Ghost began to expose sin in their midst. Several on the ministry team were dismissed and the brother said to me, “Now that the Holy Spirit has come down, there is a pressure to do right.”

His phrase struck me and I couldn’t shake it: a pressure to do right. When the Holy Spirit comes down and exposes sin, those who have been lukewarm or are living in compromise become convicted.

Beloved, the pressure to forsake sin and do right is going to intensify in God’s last-days Church.