To stand still does not mean to be passive or to rest on fate. Fate says, "Whatever will be, will be." But faith changes everything. Standing still is an act of faith, an active resting on God's promises, a cessation of all questions, doubts and useless strivings.
Ever since I have been in the ministry, a major area of striving for me has been knowing the voice of God. I believe this struggle is common among Christians. We ask, "How can I know if the voice I hear is God's or my flesh?"
Whenever I face a critical need that requires an answer, I turn to the Lord in prayer. I cry out, "Father, Your Word says You speak to Your people. Please, God, speak to me. Give me Your direction!" And then I quote Scripture promises:
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27).
"Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it" (Isaiah 30:21).
"[My] word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart" (Deuteronomy 30:14).
Indeed, a still, small voice often comes to us and as God begins to speak, we suddenly have a great sense of peace and calm. The voice is comforting, soothing, and we leave our prayer closet feeling wonderful. But sometimes the word we hear in prayer does not come to pass and we realize we have heard another voice — not Christ's. In such a case, it was either the voice of our own desires and ambition or the voice of our flesh.
Paul says, "There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification" (1 Corinthians 14:10). There are many voices, including a voice of the flesh, a voice of the will, a voice of ambition — and they all scream for our attention.
No matter how much we pray or how close we are to the Lord, we all are fallible and make mistakes. Our flesh still has a voice and at times it will get in the way.
Let me tell you how God brought me through this test of faith. I am convinced God prearranges and sets up all my circumstances. He has promised, by covenant, to lead me and guide me by His Spirit and to keep me from falling. So, now I pray in faith, believing His word to me and I stand still and wait for Him to act.
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.