Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: He's calling. Wake up time, it's your time to shine. You are born for such a time as this. Such a time. Repentance is the highest theme up there. The fear of God and repentance, and confession of Christ, and the blood of Christ, and powerful prayer, and heartfelt fasting, and night seeking Him, and waiting on Him, there's a repentance that takes place. A deep yearning for the presence of God, and to even repent, Lord, I repent of my lukewarmness. I repent of drifting from you and putting other things before you. I've left my first love, and I need to go back to that. I repent, I change my mind from the bad direction I'm going, and I refocus on the direction You've called me to.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today, on Regaining Lost Ground, we hear part one of the message titled, 5 Things That Hinder the Presence of Christ. Prayer and Revival Evangelist Leonard Ravenhill once said, the secret of praying is praying in secret. A sinning man will stop praying, and a praying man will stop sinning. Please join us for this most powerful message from Pastor Shane, as he encourages us on how we may fully walk in God's spirit today. For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with The Idlemen Unplugged weekly podcast, and please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idlemen.

Pastor Shane Idleman: What I've been working on and just saturating on this topic is the title is, What Hinders the Presence of Christ? What hinders the presence of Christ? Now, if you're new or you haven't heard me say this before, I want to clarify this because it does get a little confusing. And I know it does, because people ask me, well, isn't God everywhere?

And He is, but the tangible presence, like when you can literally get up from praying and know that Jesus heard your prayers. You can feel the atmosphere. You can feel the atmosphere. And there's something where God is there, the presence of God, and you're being guided by the Holy Spirit. The fruit is there. Love, and joy, and peace, and longsuffering, and gentleness. And the enemy wants to steal that fruit. Amen. Today was Monday, and I was not filled with fruit for a little bit.

But there's a presence there that you can have. And if you don't think atmosphere matters, just compare this to an Ozzy Osbourne concert. Just compare this to sitting down with some people in their home smoking dope, and see where where with music on, that's not God. You tell me atmosphere doesn't matter. You tell me that you can't feel sometimes the tangible presence of God.

And that's what I want to talk about, because we can hinder the presence of Christ. And the theme of rend the heavens is an atmosphere of prayer. Praying for His presence is the title I was going back and forth on, but I want to just stick here with what hinders the presence of Christ, because when His presence is tangible, it's real. It changes everything.

It changes your desire for worship. I'm sure many of you were not in a hurry to leave during worship, I'm assuming. You know, it changes your marriage, it changes your parenting. There's the tangible presence of Christ makes a difference. And what we did with rend the heavens, it began with a prayer of desperation, did it not? Many of you remember that. It began with a prayer of desperation, oh, God, that you would rend the heavens.

That you would rip open the heavens and come down, and the mountains might shake at your presence. And he goes on to say that the enemies would know that you are the God of the Bible, that as fire burns the brush, and the wood, and the trees, as fire makes water boil, oh, God, would you make your presence known again? And that's what our nation needs. That's what our state needs. And that's what's happening. If you look around, they've drifted from the fear of the Lord. They've drifted, there is no God in their mind, so they become gods, and all kinds of perversion results. Romans 1, they gave up the truth, and God gave them over to a perverse and debased mind.

And that's exactly what if you're going, what is going on? That's what's going on. No God, no godliness. And so, I believe that's a prayer we can do. God, would you rend the heavens? And then I love what it says towards the end, who acts for the one who waits for Him. Who acts for the one who waits for Him? And many of you have heard me say that, you know, especially on Sundays, it was especially I like reading about the Puritans. I don't know why, just the pilgrims, the Puritans coming over the Mayflower Compact and for the glory of God, the advancement of the Christian faith. Strong Puritans like John Owen, William Burnell. Of course, you know, you've read Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan, William Bradford. I mean, these guys, it's amazing how much they just loved the Lord. And they got a little carried away on some things, I think, but, you know, at least I'd rather get carried away on that side than loosey-goosey.

But as I'm reading, it's always interesting in their journals, the Lord's Day. Now we, we call it the Lord's hour. And even when the story and things came out about what we're doing, why are you having church on Halloween? Why are you, why are you doing that all week? It doesn't, well, why aren't you? Why aren't you pursuing more of God? And so, that's where, that's, that's what my heart is, that those who wait on the Lord, the Lord's Day. They would come in, not be in a hurry, they would read some scripture, they would worship, they would sing psalms, they would have communion, they'd have fellowship afterwards and even eat a little bit and more worship. And it was the Lord's Day, the day of the Lord.

And I think especially now we, we, we know that phones can be a blessing and social media can be a blessing, and the busyness is can be okay, but if we're not careful, we can get too busy. And so, what began in Isaiah here and also in our own church with this cry, this, this prayer, Lord, rend the heavens. And it begs the question tonight, what else can begin with a desperate prayer?

And you're, are you desperate for your kids to know the Lord? Are you desperate to be healed? Are you desperate to to come back to the Lord and have the joy of the Lord in your heart again? Are you desperate to get rid of that critical spirit and that critical heart, and like Ronnie said yesterday, that unforgiveness that is eating you up? Something special can happen if you pray, oh, God, rend the heavens and clean me.

A book I was reading, it's called Fire Upon the Altar. He said this, the spiritual battle, the spiritual battle in which the Christian is engaged is fierce. Any amens on that one? Wow. It is no game. Satan is intent upon destroying the presence of Christ from our lives. There are no vacations from spiritual warfare.

Actually, when I go on vacation, that's usually when I don't feel as good spiritually. That is why the fire must be kept burning. And you you Bible scholars, you'll you know that when God came down and consumed the altar and brought his fire. They were they were called to maintain that fire and never let the fire on the altar go out. What a great picture in our own hearts. Never let the fire go out, whatever is distracting you or pulling you away from God, whatever is wanting to quench and put out that fire. That fire must keep going.

Every time the church is revived, she always goes back to the old paths. Did you know that? There's nothing new. There's not new methods or let's try this, or let's, let's, let's, let's try this hot luck kind of survey and also do a giveaway, and everyone who comes tonight gets a $100 gas card and, you know, you probably have more people.

But anytime the church is revived, or you personally, anytime you're revived. When I was revived and renewed and restored and and pretty much felt like I was reborn again. Anytime that happens, the person or the church goes back to the old paths. From Jeremiah, this is what the Lord says, stand at the crossroads. You have a crossroads. The road is turning. The the the broad road or the narrow road. When you're at the crossroads, He said, look, ask for the ancient paths, ask for the good old way. Ask where that good way is and walk in it, and you will find rest for your soul.

But they said, we will not do that. So what do you say to that question tonight? Will you walk in that good way? That old path, the narrow road? Desperation is where salvation begins as well. And I know there's people watching, even here tonight, you don't have a genuine relationship with Jesus.

Or you're being drawn to that, but you haven't yet fully surrendered and committed, and it begins here. Desperation is where salvation begins as well. See how important desperation is, a whole sermon on desperation would be pretty cool. The power of desperation, the cost of desperation. And because desperate people do desperate things. Have you ever seen those videos now when when those people are getting more brazen to try and just go grab a child in broad daylight? The mom goes mama bear on them. There's a there's a desperation. They're she's pulling their hair, she's kicking them, she's swinging her purse and hitting them because there's desperation.

And it goes back to that for believers and even unbelievers. You've got to get to a point you say, I'm not good with God. I don't know where I'm going to go. I can't live my life with a question mark here. I'm desperate desperate to hear from you, Lord. I need to know you. And that desperation leads to repentance. Woe be to the person who is okay.

Unbelief not only hinders the presence of Christ, it prevents it. Unbelief. Unbelief, won't hinder the presence of Christ. There is no there is no presence of Christ because deep repentance needs to take place. So I want to talk to you just about five hindrances to the presence of Christ. Number one, no secret here.

Secret sin. Secret sin always hinders secret prayer. It's hard to go deep in prayer when there's secret sin, isn't there? Jeremiah 8:12, The people no longer even blushed. And then Ezekiel 9:4, God said, this is incredible. Mark those, mark those who groan and sigh over the abominations of the land.

It would be like God saying to the Spirit of God, go and mark those in this service who are crying out to me and are so broken over the condition of this nation. They're so broken over the sex trafficking. And what we're we're we're actually we're going to vote that you can kill a baby up to birth. I mean, Lord help us. Or even after. I mean, who knows what they won't stop anywhere. See, that's the thing people don't realize. You give an inch.

And Lord, it breaks my heart with the LGBTQ and transgender agenda, not the people. What the agenda is trying to push on children. Lord, it breaks our heart, the abomination. And I want to love the sinner, but God, I've got to fight this agenda and and just look at what is going on. And God says, mark those. Mark those who sigh and are broken over the same thing that breaks my heart. And that's the people I'm going to mark. That's the people I'm going to watch and and raise up and listen to because their heart is the heart of my heart, the heart of the Father. Compassion and brokenness.

James 5:15-17. The effective, isn't this incredible? It doesn't say the prayer of a man avails much. I mean, that would be pretty cool, but he gets a little bit serious, I mean, he fine-tunes. He fine-tunes it for us. The effective, fervent, fervent. Anybody have any fervency? You got some tonight, I hope. There's some fervency. I'm, Lord, I'm targeted, and I'm I'm positioning. It was said that you could see where A.W. Tozer prayed in his office because the carpet was worn. It was said of John Hyde that he would stain the very breath of his walls with his prayers. It was said of another one of those Methodist Circuit Riders that after his death, the grooves in his hardwood floor were there because there was fervent effectual prayer, calling down heaven. Church, we need to get back to that. You might not rub things in your carpet, but you better pull down heaven at home.

There is no other hope right now for us. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man, a man who is in right standing with God, avails much, it will prevail. Thank God, the Bible paints an accurate picture. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. Wow, so he got upset?

I won't go too deep there. It could hurt. A nature like ours. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Lord, here's my heart, take and seal it, seal it in the courts above. Prone to wander. He was a man like us.

Basically, to me, there's no reason we can't pray like Elisha. There's no super Christians in the Bible. And he prayed, well, here's another word. He prayed quickly. Earnestly. Earnestly. You see, there's there's there's passion and fervency and and he said, it prayed, it would not rain and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.

And it was, of course, to judge the wicked king and in the land and things like that, but it's it's it's James is pointing out the context of James 5 is answered prayer. So the effective, fervent prayer. And again, the book Fire Upon the Altar. Where there's no communion with God, our lives are spent in darkness.

We see nothing, we hear nothing, we have no answers. Spiritual death sets in. And can we agree that this is where most Christians live? Most Christians live. They see nothing, they hear nothing, they have no answers. Spiritual death has set in because there's no communion, no fervency with God.

I just, oh, I'm going to step on toes, I think, tonight. Permission to step on toes? Okay. I would do it anyway, but that's okay. It's good to have. But a friend of mine was so discouraged. Shane, I can't believe how many people are, you know, saying things and mocking me because I'm not celebrating Halloween. I said, you know what? Don't worry about that. Just that really is a gauge of their spiritual health. You just need to pray with them.

And and and and when people come against you. Now, if you if you have pumpkin seeds and your kid dressed like a dinosaur, I mean, you're not, you know, but you know what I'm saying? There shouldn't be a love for the darkness. There shouldn't be a a love and and and I know people I can't go tonight because I'm trick-or-treating and they're dressing up as witches and and warlocks and and I, I would be very careful there. There's there's no, there's your communion with God might be suffering because darkness should never entertain. There there should be a desire for the things of God and and the desire to to not be dying spiritually.

And I know it's difficult. I mean, some people are opening their homes and passing out tracks, and there's flexibility. You know, let's not get legalistic, but there shouldn't be an excitement over over darkness and and wanting to dress up like witches and warlocks and put skeletons and graveyards in your front grasp. Folks, that's not a spirit-filled believer is not going to do that. I'm just telling you. So you need the presence of God. You need the communion with God.

I even walk through Home Depot and see the decor, and I'm like, oh, gosh. Man. And it's hard to explain and see, you have to know a lot of people, if they're not where you're at, you just have to show grace. Just show grace and love and understanding. And and they're not, I we're not, I wasn't there 25 years ago.

30 is probably my favorite holiday. We'll leave that we'll leave that alone. So we see here hindrance to His presence is secret sin. So deep repentance opens the door for His presence. The presence of Christ always starts for an unbeliever when they repent.

And it often is what draws the believer back to the heart of the Father when repentance takes place. Just read the letters that Jesus wrote to church. Jesus wrote the church letters. Is that amazing or what? You should pour over those as often as possible. Two of the seven did pretty good.

But five of them, he said, I have this against you. Or this, or you've done this. You say you're full, need of nothing. You've left your first love. Oh, you have sound doctrine, but you don't have the fire of God and the brokenness and return. What is repentance? It's to turn and return to the right path.

And folks, repentance opens the door to His presence. Of all the revivals I've ever read about, all the revivals I've studied about, repentance is is the highest theme up there. The fear of God and repentance, and confession of Christ, and the blood of Christ, and powerful prayer, and heartfelt fasting, and night seeking Him, and waiting on Him. There's a there's a repentance that takes place, a deep yearning for the presence of God. And to even repent, Lord, I repent of my lukewarmness. I repent of drifting from you and putting other things before you. I've left my first love, and I need to go back to that. I repent, I change my mind from the bad direction I'm going, and I refocus on the direction You've called me to. That will bring you back.

And number two, hindrance to His presence is is when we're too full. Did you know you can get too full of the things of the world? We all know, we we've reached our capacity many times. Anybody ever said, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown. I'm too busy. I'm juggling too many plates. I can't get a grip around things. I'm I'm falling behind.

And I I'm convinced now more than ever before that busyness is one of the enemy's greatest tools. Because you can be busy and be drifting away from God. But I'm busy doing good things. But are they God things? Are they taking the place of Him? Matthew 6:24, No one can serve two masters. No one can serve two masters. In other words, what would they? The image there is this person wants you to do this. This master wants you to do this. Okay, I want you to do this. God says, I want you to pursue me. And the world says, I want you to do this. Okay, well, try serving both of those.

Because as we know, one way or the other, as I pursue God, I give up these things. And as I pursue these things, unfortunately, God goes on the back burner. You cannot serve both of these. You'll either hate the one and love the other, or else you'll be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Too full. And while we're on the topic this month of of fasting, don't worry, this is the last day of October fast, so here we go.

One benefit of prayer and fasting is that it empties us. It empties us. From the book, God's Chosen Fast. If you have been brought low through personal defeat. Amen. If there is a call in your soul to a deeper, purifying work, to a renewed consecration. If there is the challenge of some new task for which you are not equipped, then it's time to inquire of God whether He would not have you separate yourself unto Him in prayer and fasting. Here's why this is so important. I just this is really hit a couple weeks ago. I shared I think with Morgan and Pastor Abraham and wanted to get it to you tonight.

We forget the power of moderation. The practice of moderation strengthens discipline. Does it not? Here comes that, you know what? The second serving. How many of us have done that? Man, that's my downfall. I tell you. If it first plate felt good, tasted good. And here we are, November. But in all things, moderation. Do do that thing that we're addicted to or we have too much of and it's now we thought we could control it, but now it's controlling us.

And and once you give up an area of of self-discipline begins to fade in one area, it affects other areas as well. That's why the Bible would often tie in gluttony and alcoholism and different things and lust for food, lust for meats. And it it's because once that that discipline of moderation begins to fade away, it's hard to walk that that narrow path.

Guest (Male): He's calling, wake up time. It's your time to shine. You are born for such a time as this. He's calling, wake up time. It's your time to shine. You are born for such a time as this. You've been listening to Regaining Lost Ground with Pastor Shane Idleman. You can find more information at westsidechristianfellowship.org. That's westsidechristianfellowship.org. And for all the latest on what God is doing with His ministry here, please be sure to follow us on most social media platforms. Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of Regaining Lost Ground, where we are reminded daily, times change, truth does not. I want to hear the Father when He calls. He's calling, wake up time. It's your time to shine. You are born for such a time as this. He's calling, wake up time. You're time to shine.