I have counted it a privilege to be able to share with you while Eric has been recovering from his medical procedure.  The good news is that Eric will be sharing his blog with you again, starting this coming week.  Donna

Bill Britton was given a vision by the Spirit of God at a minister's conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma concerning "the inward rebelling of our own wills" and "the harnessing of our own wills."  Mr. Britton recorded the vision and titled it, The Harness of the Lord. I read the vision a number of years ago. It had a lasting impact on my life and I feel led to share it with you today.  I am going to give you a summary but will later include a link so you can read it in its entirety.

The vision began with Bill seeing a beautiful carriage, which was pulled by six large horses.  The carriage was not moving, because the driver was on the ground working on something between the front wheels.  The horses were disciplined, standing still, and quiet, waiting for the voice of the master.  Two young colts in a nearby field approached the carriage and seemed to invite the horses to play with them.  They raced across the open field, looked back, and did not understand why the harnessed horses did not want to play.  They asked if they were too tired or weak and said, "You need more joy in life."  After still getting no response, the colts asked if they wanted to join them in the shade and invited them to come eat some of the green grass and drink from the stream of cool water.  Yet again, there was no response.

Bill then saw the two colts being led with nooses around their neck to the Master's corral for training and discipline.  They were sad, had lost their freedom, and were confined in a place of training.  They were in what seemed a very hard place.  One colt rebelled, found a way out, jumped over the fence and ran back to the meadow of grass.  The Master let him go.  The Master then devoted His attention to the other colt, who had not followed his brother, but decided to submit his own will, and learn the ways of the Master.  When they were brought to the place of testing, training, and discipline, it revealed obedience in one and rebellion of the other.

After that stage of training was over, the colt who submitted, faced the introduction of the harness, which allowed him to only move where and when the Master spoke.

The vision continued with Bill seeing the "free" colt on a hill nibbling grass when the King's carriage came by.  He noticed his brother, strong and mature with lovely pom-poms, a gold bordered harness, and tinkling bells on his feet, being one of the lead horses!  Envy rose in his heart and he questioned why his brother was honored and he was neglected.  He wondered why he was not given the wonderful responsibility of pulling the Master's carriage.  (The Spirit of the Lord gave Bill this answer:  "Because one submitted to the will and discipline of the Master and one rebelled, thus one had been chosen and the other set aside.)

In the final part of the vision, there was a terrible drought.  The grass in the meadows was dead and the streams had dried up.  The little colt was running, as if in circles, desperately trying to find food and water.  He was weak and wobbly.  He saw the King's carriage coming down the road and again, saw his brother, strong, sleek, and beautiful.  The weak colt cried out and asked his brother where he had found food during the terrible drought.  His response was that the Master had a secret place in His house with granaries that are never empty and wells that never run dry. That was the end of the vision.

There is so much we can glean from this vision.

It is wonderful to be a part of the Family of God, to feed from His green pastures, and drink from the cool streams, to walk and live in the knowledge and revelation of what it means to be a child of God!  However, the time comes when, like the two colts - it will be necessary for us to grow up, to receive training and discipline, to mature, and be useful for the Master's work.

I recall when our sons were very young....."Don't touch the oven door!" (Sometimes they learned the hard way!)..."Don't play in the street!"..."Look both ways before you cross the road!"  We had rules they were to follow and when necessary, we disciplined them.

Later, we trained them to be responsible by doing chores, to pray, to finish their homework, to have daily devotions, to use caution in choosing their friends, to honor their word, to be honest, to be accountable, to love God, and so on.

God blessed us by enabling us to see the value of our having rules, training, and disciplining our children. When our youngest son was a Senior in High School he came in the house after getting off the school bus one day and said, "Mom, Dad, I need to talk with you in the living room."  We were thinking, "Oh no!!  Did he get in trouble today?"  He then proceeded to say, "You guys have had rules, you've disciplined us and have been very strict with us.  You made rules and expected us to follow them and I want to thank you! The kids at the High School are a mess!  They have no rules.  They don't have anyone who cares about them or loves them.  They are a disaster!"

As parents, we don't have rules, train, or discipline our children just to be mean, unreasonable, or exercise control over them.  No!  We love them, we want them to be safe, to be happy, to mature, to be successful, and to survive.

When you accept Christ as your Savior, you become a part of the Family of God and God becomes your Heavenly Father. Just as we move from childhood to adolescence to maturity in our earthly families, we follow the same pattern in our spiritual family.  What does our Heavenly Father do to help His children, those whom He loves, mature? He trains, corrects, and disciplines! (Sounds like the truth revealed in the vision the Lord gave to Bill Britton... The Harness of the Lord, doesn't it?)  Well, as I always point out though, more important than what I say, what does the Word of God say about it?

Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV), "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise (hate) wisdom and instruction (discipline and correction)."

Ephesians 6:4 (NLT), "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline (whole training and education of children) and instruction (admonition) that comes from the Lord."  I believe the thing that angers a child the most is feeling rejected, neglected, thinking nobody cares, and feeling unloved.

Hebrews 12:11 (NLT), "No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening--it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way."  Remember, discipline is not to be administered in anger.  God does not discipline us in anger, he disciplines because He love us.

Proverbs 4:13 (NLT), "Take hold of my instructions (discipline and correction); don't let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life."

Proverbs 8:33 (NIV), "Listen to my instruction (discipline, chastening, correction) and be wise; do not disregard (the King James Version says "reject" or refuse) it."  A lot of people hear the correction or chastening and reject it.  Why would that happen? Are they being rebellious or prideful? Often times we read the Word and think, "Oh yeah, I know someone who would benefit from hearing that scripture!"  God says, "be wise." Examine your own heart.  Look at what Psalm 139 verses 23 and 24 (NKJV) tells us, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."

Proverbs 3:11 and 12 (NKJV), "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor detest His correction; 12 For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights".  This truth needs to be buried deep in our hearts, He corrects us because He loves us!  He loves you!

Revelation 3:19 (NLT), "I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference." Thank God we are a part of "everyone"  He loves us and we will be corrected and disciplined.  I am thankful He loves me enough to show me areas in my life that are broken, that need fixed, that need work so I can be "a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master prepared for every good work" (2 Timothy 2:21)

Lastly, the shelter or secret place we have available in our submitted, obedient  relationship with God is described in Psalm 91 verses 1 through 16.  Read it and be blessed. 

Psalm 91:1-16 (NLT), " Those who live in the shelter (secret place) of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. 5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. 6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. 8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. 9 If you make the LORD your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! 14 The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. 15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation."

I pray you are willing to submit and learn the ways of the Master! I pray you will come to that place in relationship with the Lord where you will enter into that secret place with Him.

You can find and read The Harness of the Lord at:

https://sonlightministries.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Harness-of-the-Lord.pdf

NKJV New King James Version

NIV  New International Version

NLT  New Living Translation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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