God is looking for a first fruits company of sons and daughters who have been ripened in the crucible of preparedness to go out and meet the bridegroom in the midnight hour, with their lamps full, and their feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, wearing the whole armour of God of readiness, being the garment of the bride, that together they may go out into the dark night of the tribulation (the midnight hour), and bring in the great harvest. Which is a company of sons and daughters who do not have a stagnant spirit.

In Zephaniah 1:12, it says: “And it shall come to pass at that time THAT I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and punish the men who are SETTLED IN COMPLACENCY (stagnant), who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will He do evil.’” And of those lamps, does the word of God not say that “the spirit of man” is the lamp of the LORD that He may search the inner depths of man? (Proverbs 20:27). Shall the LORD not use the lamp of our spirits to search our hearts and examine our minds to see if we are a bride made ready? Being those who like the wise virgins are those whose lamps are full of oil?

A spirit that is settled in complacency is a stagnant spirit. For how do we lose the posture of being a bride who is ready to meet the bridegroom when He comes? By having a stagnant spirit. Being those who like the foolish virgins, are not yet ready. Being those who have not yielded sufficiently to the finished work of the cross and the word that their lamps (vessels) may be full of oil.

And just like God says that He will hold us accountable for every idle word (Matthew 12:36), He will hold us accountable for being complacent or idle in spirit. Which is a spirit that is not producing fruit after its own kind. Which is the fruit of life. In John 6:63, God says the words that He speaks are Spirit and life. As Spirit, they are a seed that produces life. Which is to produce fruit after their own kind. Which is the fruit of life.

God has not called us to be stagnant ponds, but that from our bellies shall flow rivers of LIVING water. Which are rivers that are always moving forward, always busy, always doing a new thing, always breaking new ground. If you stop and think about the nature of a river for a moment — it never stops trying to get to its goal. Which is the open mouth of the sea. And in spiritual symbolism, this means to the open mouth of the sea of humanity. If a river hits a mountain, it goes through it, or around it, or under it. Sometimes over it. But it is never idle. It is never stagnant.

So how do we maintain the posture of the spirit of the bride that is not stagnant? Romans 12:10-3 says: “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honour giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.” Not lagging in diligence, being fervent in spirit, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs and given to hospitality all speaks to not being stagnant in spirit.

And of course, we need look no further than the example of Jesus. When Jesus healed the man’s withered hand on the Sabbath, He was accused of sinning for being the exact opposite of a stagnant spirit. And what was His response to the religious people of the day? He said, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” (John 5:17). Which tells us that God is not a stagnant Spirit. God is forever busy with His work – which is the work of letting perfect love do a perfect work at a perfect time for a perfect outcome.

For if God is love, and God is to this day at work, then love is not stagnant – it is always busy. For love is as love does. For love is both a noun and a verb. In God’s kingdom, love is never idle. Which is why He will hold us accountable for idle words. Which are words that don’t assume the posture of producing life. Like the words birthed out of perfect love that produced life out of a withered hand. In Romans 12:20-21 it says, “Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Which tells us what? That a spirit that is not stagnant or complacent is a spirit that what? Overcomes. And in Revelation 21:7, it’s says; He who overcomes shall inherit all things.

Just like God said of the first Adam, it is not good that man should be alone and produced for him a bride and a helpmeet out of his rib, God is looking for a bride and a helpmeet for His Son, the last Adam. Which like the first Adam, is a bride that will be produced out of the rib of the last Adam. Being a bride produced by the finished work of the covering of the blood and the washing of the water of the Word that flowed from His rib. Being those that have yielded fully to the cleansing of the blood and the rebuilding of the water of the word (bread of life), being the marriage emblems of the holy communion, into a bride who is ready when He comes, so that together, in the dark night of the tribulation, the Spirit and the Bride may say unto the great harvest “Come!” (Revelation 22:17).