I cannot think of His name right now but who is the artist that painted the picture of the hand of man, reaching out for the finger of God? Michelangelo. That is probably the most extraordinary picture that anyone has ever created, but you know, in the Church we have one hand reaching out for the Lord and one reaching out for the world as if we are supposed to be some kind of bridge, and that is not the call. The call is to let go of the weight of the world and reach out for the finger of God. 

If I could release in myself the life of God right now, I would do it and it would be to the words, “Touch God.” I am not talking about saying weakly, “Oh, I love you Lord. You are a wonderful God. You are so good to me.” The kingdom of God is taken by the violent and the violent take it by force. Violently touch God! Violently pursue God! Violently, with a vehement passion. Take all your passions from everything else to which they have been assigned and pull them back, refocus them, increase the measure of the passion with which you seek Him. Him! Him! Him! Him! Seek God! Seek the Holy One! Seek to be holy as He is holy, that you might know Him. More than you might know Him, but that you will become one with Him. 

Seek the Holy One. Seek God’s face with all of your mind, body, soul and strength. Seek God that you might become one with Him! Seek the Holy One. Seek God’s face with all of your heart, soul and strength! Take the walls out of your soul. Pull them down and press through until you have touched the very heart of God. Do not be the saint that you were yesterday. 

When you go into prayer, go in with one purpose, and that is the thought, I will touch God! When you have come out of prayer, come out knowing—I can touch God, but do not go into prayer expecting nothing. Do not go into the prayer closet with your little cup of tea or coffee and think, I am going to have a nice chat with God. Please, quit praying like that! Go into prayer with a passion to touch God! Touch Him with the violence of faith and love! Touch Him with the violence of holy passion! Touch God! Touch Him until He changes you. 

What an invitation. The most holy practice there is and Jesus says to do it and then, like a loving teacher, He tells us how to pray: “Hallowed be Thy name.” That means you can measure everything in the world—everything! Think about it. That means you get up in the morning, go about your day and think about everything that you have seen all day long. When you have accumulated all your thoughts at the end of the day, I want to tell you that above everything you have seen, there is something so glorious, righteous, pure, wonderful and holy, and He is called God! 

He is above everything you have seen all day long—everything you have put your eyes upon. Nothing can touch His beauty, glory, splendor, majesty or the grace that His presence gives to your soul. Nothing can touch it! Everything you have set your eyes upon all day long is meaningless in comparison to the One who holds your soul and who has called you to greatness. 

How can you go home to be with Him without being great with Him here? Ask yourself that question every day. The only way you can be great for Him is to be nothing, so that He can be everything. It is a call to come and die. Do not go home. Do not go to heaven without being all that He has created you to be. Live for Him nobly. Be what He is asking you to be, by dying, so He can do it through you. 

Hallowed be Thy name. If there was a church in New Orleans that really got a grip on living in the life, it would not have to take a huge church. It could take a relatively small sector of the church here with the vision and the passion to live in the glory, and they could turn this city upside down for Christ. My dear brothers and sisters, my biggest message is to make Him hallowed among men. Hallow His name among men. He is worthy is He not? Is He not worth giving your all to and for? Is He not worth giving your all to know that you want to be like Him? 

[In song] I want to be like You, Jesus. I want to carry Your glory, Lord. I want to come to the secret place and know Your glorious face. I want to live today, I want to live tomorrow to know the beauty of my King. I yearn to be transformed, to be transfigured Lord, for Your glory, here on earth. If I die, it is gain. If I live it is Christ. I give praise to the One who bought my soul to live for Him. I cling to the cross; by this I die. I die to the world and it to me, through Him who bore His cross. It is the power of life. It is the power of grace. It is the power of the knowledge of my God. I will cling to the cross.

If you are willing to die then come up to the front, but do not if you are not willing. No one is judging anybody—that is not what these messages are about. These messages and meetings are about walking into transformation. The promise of the cross is the promise of an uncomfortable life. 

Happy days are over, but days of glory are near at hand!

In His Amazing Love,

Nita Johnson