It is the suffering of self-denial, of thirst, of carrying our cross after Jesus, that brings us to fruitfulness and dominion. It is waters to the hips and then waters to swim in. The end is to be a tree of life planted by the river of the Holy Spirit.

If you remain at the Pentecostal level, water to the knees, you will never reap a full reward. The fullness of the inheritance goes to the conquerors, to those who overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb, by the word of their testimony, and by loving not their lives to the death. If there is a falling short in one of these three areas it is impossible to engage successfully in the final battle.

God does have some who will ascend this third level of consecration. You can be one if you wish. But if you draw back from the invitation God will not be pleased.

I expect you wouldn't be reading these words if the Holy Spirit were not challenging you concerning one of the three areas of sin. Let me, as a friend, invite you to taste of God's very best. It is for you but you will have to take hold of it. The opportunity will not last forever and once it passes I think it highly unlikely it ever again will be offered.

It will cost you everything to go for the gold. Things of great value have great price tags. The summit is there for the taking. What do you say?

We have mentioned two of the ways in which the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus delivers us from the law of sin and death. These are:

1. By ascribing to us the righteousness gained by Christ's perfect obedience to the letter and intent of the Law of Moses.

2. By leading us point by point to the total removal from our personality of all that is not pleasing to God.

3. The third way in which the law of the Spirit of life sets us free from the law of sin is by totally changing the remaining part of our personality including finally, at His coming, our body, into the image of Christ's Personality.

God goes to war against the worldliness, the fleshly sins, and the self-will that are part of our personality. This is what the sixth chapter of the book of Romans refers to as the "body of sin" and it must be destroyed from us. The idols must be driven from us. Better this than to have God answer us according to our idols!

The part of our personality that remains must be transformed. It is transformed by being made alive by the body and blood of Christ, the Divine Nature of God, that is born within us when we are "born again."

Our personality, the part that God chooses to keep, must be completely transformed and transfigured by being impregnated and welded together with Christ. There must not be the tiniest element that is not filled with Christ.

To be continued.