Revival Conference 2007 - Part 2 — Carter Conlon

The Cost of Refusing God's Correction

It's just the time, for example, in the future when Samuel just simply turns from Saul and says, I'm not speaking to you about this anymore. It's as if God is saying to Moses, I've been speaking to you about this for years.

And it's now come to the time where you've made your choice. You don't want to hear me. You didn't want to hear me. There's nothing more to talk about. I intended on taking you somewhere. I intended on doing something for you.

But now the fullness that you would have experienced, you're not going to experience it because you simply wouldn't let me look at this. I can't tell you over the years, the number of people as a pastor that I've counseled that have deep unresolved issues in the heart and they will not let God speak to them.

They come for counseling, but God can't speak to them. They are living in a manner that is going to rob them of what God has for them, but nobody can speak to them. He is right in his sight, she is right in her sight, and there's absolutely no way that God can break through this religious facade as it is and get through to the issue.

Transformation Into God's Image

And when the Lord wants to point something out in your life and mine, he's not doing it to condemn us. He's doing it because we are supposed to be a people who live in such a supernatural manner and I'm talking about his life being lived within us.

We so change, as Paul says, from image to image and glory to glory that the world literally has to stand up as they did under the Pentecost and say, truly, there is a God in heaven. That's how we're called to live.

We're not called to be ordinary. We're called to show forth the praises, as Peter says, of him who's called us out of darkness and into his marvelous life. My life is to be a saver of praise to God everywhere I go.

I'm to be a different kind of a man. I'm to be a man that changes, not perfect, but changing, constantly moving forward. God, you want to speak to this area? Speak to this area in my life. One of the greatest victories I think I've known, I've known many over the years, but one of the greatest is the day, I don't remember when it was, well, years ago, when all my defenses fell and I said to my wife, who knows me better than anybody in the whole world, you have free access into my life to speak to me.

I will not defend myself. I will not make excuses for what I do or say or how I act. Speak into my life. And she's a very gracious woman, very kind to me, and doesn't abuse that. But I do not raise my hands in defense, and it's been a great, great source of strength into my life.

I thank God for it with all my heart. The writer of Hebrews in chapter 12, verses 13 and 15, he says, make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but rather let it be healed.

Healing the Roots We Hide

Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Now that's the root, as it is that the author of Hebrews speaks about, but it can also represent other roots.

Things that have never been healed, they've been covered, they've been theologically, a theological nicety has been put over it, like it's under the blood, and so I don't have to deal with it. I can't tell you the number of people come in for counseling, men beating their wives, but it's under the blood.

See, I don't have to deal with it, it's all, well, it happened yesterday, honey, it's under the blood. She may still have the scars in her face, but it's under the blood. I have one man, folks, I almost put him under the blood in my office, I got so mad at him.

Quoting scripture, I said, you keep your mouth shut, they said, don't you say another word, I said, you're like an empty can, quoting scripture, beating his wife, but it's under the blood. And the whole time in my office, opening the Bible and trying to lecture her on what it means to be a Christian.

Yet this man has got a root in him that is going to lead him to destruction, but stubbornly refusing to see it, stubbornly refusing to let God speak to him. I had one couple come in for marriage counseling, and I basically closed the Bible, and I said, I'm sorry, I can't do anything for you, goodbye.

Scripture Must Govern Marriage and Conduct

And they said, well, you're an apostate, we came here for counseling. I said, you don't want counseling, you couldn't care less what the word of God says. You're just here to try to make me take sides with your opinion.

But when I opened Ephesians 5, and I say, husbands, love your wives as Christ loves the church. And I say, where it says, wives, reverence your husbands. You said, you're not even interested in what God's word says.

I said, you've come to the wrong place, there's nothing I can do for you, goodbye. They were divorced very shortly after that. Those of us who stand for God, we stand for God. Those of us who stand for Christ are under obligation to let him look within, and claim every part of these temples that rightfully belong to him.

Christ's Rights Over His Temple

I didn't enter into a religion with Christ, I entered into a relationship where he has bought me, and he's bought you, and he has lawful rights to every part of the temple. I have to invite him in, and say, Lord Jesus Christ, you've got to overturn the tables, where I'm selling junk, religious junk in my life, you've got to kick out the goats and the doves, which are the nice little religious things that we think are acceptable to God.

You've got to put them all out of this temple, that the glory of God may come, that there might be healing begin to flow through this life, that you might be able to use this vessel to make a difference in this generation.

God help us in this hour, we've got to rise up, Church of Jesus Christ, we've got to rise up in the power of our God, there's little time left. We've come to the day that Paul spoke about, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, he called it perilous times, now we're living there, we're not coming there, we're living there, men are lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural, I mean, family affection, truth-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, can't contain, can't retain truth, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.

In other words, having a form, going to church, saying I belong to God, but don't show me my wretchedness, don't change my life, I like my life exactly the way it is, thank you very much, Lord, you don't have the rights to this temple.

We've come to this day, and folks, it's, I am saddened to have to say this, but I travel much of the world now, and the religion of our day in America has become a cloak of covetousness, self-love, and pride.

It's a religion, largely, that loves pleasure, it creeps into homes and it traps lust-laden people, as the Scripture says, having a form of godliness, but denying the whole reason that Christ came, to unlock prison doors and to preach the gospel to the poor, and to see the blind give in spiritual sight, and to see the captive set free, to see the works of God go forward into the earth, and of this sort are they which creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with sins and diverse lust, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

As Janice and Jammers resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth, men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith. I'm ashamed of what American religion has exported around the world. We have a message that resists the true words and purposes of God.

Exporting American Religiousness

We've exported this profane religiousness into the far reaches of the earth, and folks, we've touched the apple of God's eye. I've become aware of this traveling through Africa as never before. We've touched the apple of God's eye.

Exploiting the Poor and Facing God's Judgment

In Proverbs 23, 10, it says, don't remove the old landmark and don't go into the fields of the fatherless, for the Redeemer is mighty, and he shall plead their cause with thee. I have watched as pastors largely in Africa have gotten the theology from America and from the media, and I've watched the poor coming into the house of the Lord and robbed of the last side since they got to their name.

Oh, it is heartbreaking, and one of my last times in Africa, not the last, but one of the last I was speaking at a pastor's conference, there were thousands of pastors, and the Holy Spirit came on me, and I began to cry and plead.

I said, now you've got to deal with this. You have to deal with this godless theology that is teaching you and causing you to rob your own people. I said, you've got to deal with it, and if you don't deal with it, the judgment that you're going to soon see in America is going to come and touch your own nation.

I tell you folks, the Holy Spirit came into that meeting. It literally sounded like a train came through the hall. Men got under their chairs. Some pastors get out of their seats and threw money at the altar because they've been stealing from the church.

God came.