What Do We Most Need Right Now?

There are many subjects about which our people love to discuss and write. Prophecy, the personality of God, creation, and the apostasy of the church are some big ones that come to mind. Is there anything wrong with talking about these subjects sometimes? Not as such. However, at this time, what we need is not these things. These things are serving to distract our people from what we most need to hear about right now: repentance and revival.

We need the Holy Spirit, brethren. Without this power from on high, all our talk on other subjects will not be as profitable as we desire. God cannot use us to the degree that He wants to unless we fully surrender ourselves to Him. Moreover, until we receive His life-giving Spirit in greater measure, we will not be able to avoid even worse distractions. We will be taken in by truly unprofitable talk, such as gossip and politics and false prophetic messages.

On this subject, I wish to share an excerpt from a letter from Sister White to her son, Willie. Please, read it carefully, especially the last paragraph. All emphases added by me.

What We Need Right Now, According to Inspiration

The light has been given me in a very marked manner that there is allowed so large an amount of gossiping and accusing of the brethren, which places us on Satan’s side of the line. I have been shown that this kind of base material is brought and laid on the foundation stone as a precious commodity, but it will be consumed, and if the actors are saved at all, it will be as by fire. They will be refined and purified by fiery afflictions until they shall see their errors and repent and be converted. Afflictions and sorrow and loss they cannot escape. Then is it not wise for us as God’s people to stop garnering up the rubbish of falsehood, of misrepresentation, which grows as it is passed from one to the other and does great damage to the work?

I have been having a marked experience in light given that what our people need is the Holy Spirit of God to cleanse away the defilement of unkind rubbish of talk and passing judgment. Until this is done, all the counsels that we may have will prove a detriment. Unless they are a savor of life unto life, they will be a savor of death unto death. The lips need to have the living coal placed upon them to cleanse away the self-assured conversation which hurts souls and is spoiling the work of God. It is the strange fire that many are handling, and Christ’s words to them in the 13th chapter of John, and in the 14th and 15th and 17th chapters, are not heeded.

I was instructed to say that our people are losing in spirituality, for they do not believe many of the messages of truth for this time and the testimonies of the Spirit of God. There is more confidence in their own tongues’ wisdom than in earnest, intercessory prayer. If we pray in faith, if we wrestle with God as did Daniel in behalf of himself and the Israel of God, we shall be kept by the power of God from our own foolish conversation. We need now to have the Holy Spirit’s power, which will clothe us with Christ’s righteousness and give us heavenly wisdom that we shall sit with Christ in heavenly places. If ever we are as a people to become elevated, cleansed, and purified, to reach the highest standard, we must now seek Him with heart and soul and voice, with fasting and prayer.

— E.G. White, Letter 264, 1902

This Is a Solemn Warning

Do we want the Holy Spirit? Do we really want it? Beloved, God is calling us higher, even to perfection! Moreover, His Word has the power to create that perfection in us, if only we will let it. So, please, let us plead before the throne of grace with weeping. Let us seek the Lord with our whole heart. He has been waiting for us to do this for so long, brethren. How can we continue to wound our Saviour by continuing to live in sin when we have the opportunity before us to bring His suffering to an end? How can we crucify the Son of God afresh by our rebellion? “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23). Do you remember what the Bible says about witchcraft, iniquity and idolatry? Let’s take a look:

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance … and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

— Galatians 5:19-21

Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? … And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.

— Matthew 7:22-23

Let’s cease to be idolaters, beloved. Don’t resist the working of the Holy Spirit on your heart. May the Lord create in us all clean hearts, that we may worship Him in spirit and in truth. Amen.

Related: Are We Still Clinging to Idols?