The path fire on the mou.., p.1
The Path (Fire on the Mountain Series), page 1
Table of Contents
Title
Copyright
Contents
Chapter 1 THE VOICE
Chapter 2 THE CALL
Chapter 3 THE CHOICE
Chapter 4 THE PATH
Chapter 5 THE TEST
Chapter 6 THE TEACHER
Chapter 7 THE LIFE
Chapter 8 THE CHALLENGE
Chapter 9 THE LEADER
Chapter 10 THE SEEKERS
Chapter 11 THE REASON
Chapter 12 THE TURNING
Chapter 13 THE SHEPHERD
Chapter 14 THE PROPHET
About The Author
More From MorningStar
Fire On The Mountain: The Path
by Rick Joyner
Copyright ©2013
Distributed by MorningStar Publications, Inc.,
a division of MorningStar Fellowship Church
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www.MorningStarMinistries.org
1-800-542-0278
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Italics in Scripture are for emphasis only.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Cover Design: Eunjoo Jun
eBook Layout: Scott Swires
ISBN— 978-1-60708-529-4; 1-60708-529-1
For a free catalog of MorningStar Resources, please call 1-800-542-0278
Table of
Contents
Chapter 1 THE VOICE
Chapter 2 THE CALL
Chapter 3 THE CHOICE
Chapter 4 THE PATH
Chapter 5 THE TEST
Chapter 6 THE TEACHER
Chapter 7 THE LIFE
Chapter 8 THE CHALLENGE
Chapter 9 THE LEADER
Chapter 10 THE SEEKERS
Chapter 11 THE REASON
Chapter 12 THE TURNING
Chapter 13 THE SHEPHERD
Chapter 14 THE PROPHET
About the Author
More From MorningStar
CHAPTER ONE
THE VOICE
I thought every step would be my last. The hunger, thirst, and weariness all combined into the greatest crisis I had ever experienced. Death had to be very close. The fog was so thick I could only see a few feet in front of me, and it seemed to perfectly fit my mental state. I was determined not to stop as long as I was still conscious, but I knew that could not be much longer.
I was trudging through a dense forest on a narrow path. My eyes burned. My clothes were frayed so badly they hardly gave any protection from the thorns and sharp limbs that stabbed at me continually. I had gone far beyond the point where I thought I could not go any further and each step was torture. Death became desirable. Even so, if I died I did not want it to be because I gave up. I knew that if I ever stopped I would not be able to start again, so I plodded on step by tortured step.
I thought of why I had entered this wilderness. I had been shown a great purpose on the other side. Now my whole purpose was to die while still trying to go forward. This would at least be some measure of victory against this wilderness that now seemed sure to be my doom.
Just when I was sure my next step would be my last I saw a faint sparkle through the fog ahead. I thought I must have imagined it and that my mind was playing tricks on me, but I gathered all of the resolve that I had to stumble forward a few more feet. I saw it again. It could not be very far, so I determined to reach whatever it was.
I emerged from the forest and was standing in front of a small lake. It was the most beautiful water I had ever seen, not just because I was so thirsty, but it was like a scene out of heaven. The water was a deep blue that sparkled from within. Large rocks and trees seemed to have been arranged around it for a special beauty. It looked completely natural and yet divinely landscaped.
I tried to kneel down, but fell on my face at the edge of the water. As thirsty as I was I just stared at it for a long moment. The water seemed alive with light. It then occurred to me that it must be some kind of radioactive pool. It could kill me to drink it.
“So what!” I thought. “I’m going to die if I don’t drink it, so I might as well try it.” Still, I cautiously dipped the tip of my finger into the water and touched it to my tongue. It felt and tasted strange. It was charged with some kind of energy, but it was also sweet. I felt energy and drank more. The more I drank, the stronger I felt.
I kept drinking until I felt stronger than I ever had in my life. It was as if every cell in my body was being awakened. Just moments before I felt worse than I ever had, and now I felt better than I ever had. I went from hell to heaven, from being on the edge of death to being more alive than I had ever been. I was in awe.
I began to look around. My eyes had brightened so that I could see through the fog. The water had not only quenched my thirst, but my hunger as well. “What kind of water is this?” I thought. Then I began to think that the water had been radioactive and had done something very strange to me physically. I considered that it probably would kill me pretty soon, but it would be a wonderful way to die! I felt so good it was hard to be negative about anything.
The mental clarity was as invigorating as the energy I felt flowing through my body. I could never remember feeling this good or sharp. As I looked around I seemed to take in every detail quickly. I saw things I would have never noticed before even if I had stared for a long time. My mind was going at hyper-speed, but with order and precision.
I was thinking that if I would have had this water while going through the wilderness, it would have been the most enjoyable journey ever, not the death walk it had been. I was then startled to see a man standing so close that I could not believe I had not seen him approaching, especially with the way I was able to see and take in so much.
“Who are you?” I asked. “Does this water belong to you?”
“This water belongs to anyone who will drink it,” he replied.
“Are you an angel?” I asked.
“No. I am a man like you,” he replied. He stared at me for a moment and then continued, “The stream that feeds this pool was very close to you in the wilderness you just came through. You could have refreshed yourself with it at any time.”
“I did not see any stream in that wilderness,” I protested.
“You did not see it because you did not look for it,” he replied, dispassionately.
This was a shocking thought. If I could have had this water through the wilderness I would have run through it singing praise to God instead of suffering the torture I endured!
“I was not told anything about this water in the wilderness,” I replied.
“Even the youngest disciples are taught where to find this water and how to drink from it daily. Is there no discipleship left? Did you not have a mentor to teach you this?” he said.
“No. I did not have a mentor. And there is not much discipleship left,” I answered.
The visitor hung his head as if deeply grieved. Finally he continued, “Well, your endurance was impressive. It will serve you well on this journey, but you must save your endurance for the battles ahead. The wilderness is intended to be hard, but not as hard as you made it. The living water is available to sojourners at any time and in any place, if you stay on the right path. When you are on the right path it will always be close to you, so find it, drink it often, and never go far from it. This is one of the most basic lessons you must learn for where you are headed and what you are called to do.”
“I don’t think you will have to tell me that again,” I responded, “but how do you know where I’m going and what I’m called to do?”
“I’ve been waiting for you and the others. I’m here to help you. There have not been many coming this way in recent times. This has to be the result of there not being much discipleship left. Are there no fathers left?”
“Spiritual fathers and mothers are rare in these times,” I said. “I think, in general, the leaders have given themselves to building organizations more than building people. We do have some great ministries and organizations being raised up, but great saints are becoming rare.”
“What about you?” he inquired.
“I am as guilty as anyone else. I have not been a good father or mentor. I too have spent more time building organizations than building people,” I replied.
“Would you do it differently if you got another chance?” the visitor asked, looking at me as if this was the most important question he could ask.
“I would like to try,” I answered. “I’ve always been clumsy in relationships, but I know how important it is. I just have not done much about it.”
“You are correct,” the visitor replied. “The world has had the greatest ingathering of new believers in history in your time, but very few are are finding this path. If they do not come here they will not be prepared for what is coming upon the earth. If they are not prepared,they will be lost.”
“What is coming?” I asked.
“Do you not know where you’re going?”
“I do know I am going to the mountain, but you spoke of something coming. What is coming?” I asked.
“I know you have been to the mountain and that you have fought battles there, but what is coming is the greatest battle there has ever been on the earth. It is the last battle.
“We are here to prepare you for your purpose, to finish what has been lacking in your training, which is much more than I was expecting. We must get started. I’ve brought you these,” he said, and held up a new set of clothes that he laid on a nearby branch.
I looked at the clothes and then back at him, but he was gone. I was sure he could not have moved fast enough to get beyond my vision that quickly, yet I could not see him. I thought he must have been an angel as I turned to look at the clothes.
The clothes were made out of a material so thin and light they did not seem to have any weight. I thought they would be too fragile to wear. I tried to make a small tear in the tunic to test it, but as hard as I tried I could not tear it. I then tried to poke a small hole in it with a sharp stick, but as hard as I tried I could not even make a mark on it.
I removed my torn rags, washed in the pool of water, and put on the new clothes. There were boots, a cape, and a hat, all made out of the same material, and they all fit perfectly. I then heard the voice of the man who had just been with me coming from the forest. I could not see anyone in the direction the voice seemed to be coming from.
“They are more than clothes. They are part of your armor. You will need it to get where you are going now.”
“Where am I going now?” I asked.
“You are going to your home.”
“Who are you?” I asked, still looking for the source of the voice. “Where is my home?”
“I am the Voice that cries in the wilderness,” he said as he stepped out of the forest so close that I could not believe I had not seen him. Then he continued as if he had heard my thoughts.
“You did not see me because I cannot be seen until I move. Are you prepared for this journey?” he asked, looking at me with great intensity.
“With this living water I feel ready for anything, but honestly the answer would have to be ‘no.’ I am not prepared. I know I’m going to the mountain, but I don’t know how to get there other than to follow this path. I have not been this way before,” I replied.
“I am not surprised. Those coming here now are like an army that does not even know how to hold their weapons, much less use them. Even those who have been leaders of thousands who show up here are weak, with minds that have not been renewed or transformed. They are worldly, foolish, and not prepared even for this journey, much less for what is coming upon the earth,” he lamented.
“I’m sorry. I’m as guilty as anyone, but what can we do about it?” I asked.
“We must do the best we can with what we’re given to work with, but we are getting very close to the last battle. It will be the climax of the ages, the ultimate battle between light and darkness. You are so far from being ready for it,” the Voice continued to lament.
“I’ve never known anything but battles my whole life. I’ve known the last battle is near, and I’ve been preaching and writing about it for years. But not many want to hear about it, and of those who will hear it, few will act on it. I don’t even think I have done much to act on it. Few have set their affections on things above and not the things that are on the earth.
“I’ve not been here before,” I continued, “but it does seem familiar. I do not know what you mean by ‘my home.’ I’ve had many homes. Am I going to one of them?”
“Do you remember what you were seeking when you began this journey?” he asked.
“I do,” I replied.
“You are seeking the city that God is building. You want to be a part of what He is doing, not just what men are doing. That is what everyone who comes here is seeking,” the Voice continued. “This seems familiar because you have been here before. You have passed this place a few times in the circles you have been going in. You will understand all of this in due time, but you are right to think that you are not ready for the journey. You are not ready.”
“What do I do to get ready?” I asked.
“You are already doing the main thing—walking this path. You admitted to not understanding even the basics about the living water. You do not feel ready. Maybe you are humble enough to learn what you need fast enough. It is those who think they are ready who are always the first to get lost here.”
“I really do not remember being at this pool before, but I do feel that everything is familiar,” I said. “You even seem familiar.”
“Everything here changes over time,” the Voice continued. “You have been here before, but it did not look like this. You must understand this for the journey. The familiar things you are looking for to give you bearings are not the same, and you are not the same. Therefore, your guidance must come from your heart, your spirit. You must see with the eyes of your heart more clearly than you see with these eyes, or you will not stay on the right path.”
“There is more than one path?” I asked.
“Yes, and all but one go to a place you do not want to go. There are delusions, deceptions, distractions, and traps all along the path. They are all there to divert you from your purpose. It will take more discernment, more wisdom, and more courage to stay on the right path than anyone has.”
“Then how can I make it?” I asked.
“You will need help. You will need the Helper. You will have to depend on Him and stay humble enough to keep depending on Him.
“You must also have the living water. You must never let it out of your sight again. You must drink from it as soon as you begin to thirst. Even drink when you are not thirsty when you can. It will keep you alive. Staying close to it will help keep you on the path.”
Everything he said seemed to go deep into my heart because my perception was so keen. I felt that I could recall everything perfectly anytime I needed to. I have been such a concept-oriented person that I struggle to remember details accurately and consider this one of my greatest weaknesses. I was elated that I could perceive and remember every detail with such clarity and depth now. I felt as if a whole new part of my mind had been opened.
The Voice drew his head back as if he was suddenly interested in something and said,
“You have understanding. The mental clarity you now have is because the Spirit quickens your mortal body. The Spirit will turn your weaknesses into strengths. If you will walk in the Spirit, you will always be strong in what you need. To make it to your destiny, you must abide in the Spirit. The waters you are drinking are Spirit and life. It was the Spirit that quickened Moses so that he did not grow weaker with age, but stronger, and his eyes never grew dim.”
“Do you mean I can feel like this from now on?” I asked.
“You can, and even more so. It is up to you. How well you learn this will determine how well you do on this journey and whether or not you complete it. To feel as you do now, to think as you can now, and to be able to see as you can now, is the natural state of the new creation you are.”
“I don’t think I have ever been as close to death as I was just a few minutes ago,” I said. “After drinking this water, I don’t think I have ever been this alive. I have a mental clarity I don’t remember ever having except when I was before the throne. Just a few minutes ago I could hardly think at all. Now you say I can be this way all of the time?”
