Hello everyone. Praise the Lord!
This was a testimony written to the Azusa Street Mission in 1906. It was published by William J Seymour and his book called, "The Azusa Street Papers."
Several years ago, when I was very hungry, seeking God and all His fullness, I shut myself away in my closet one day, and the Lord gave me a wonderful revelation. As I was kneeling before my Maker, beseeching Him to show me all he expected me to be, Right before my eyes I saw this wonderful vision. They're appeared a man with a large, long, knotty, but straight log. The man had an axe. Did you ever see anybody score timber? He was scoring the log, And it seemed to me the axe went clear to the bit. And every time he scored, it hurt me. He scored it on four sides and then took the broad axe and whacked off the knots. Then he took a line and with an adz he made it pretty smooth. Then he raised it in the air, and taking a great plane, turn to me and said: "this is the plane of the Holy Ghost," And he ran the plane up and down, till I could see the image of the man perfectly reflected in the face of the log, as in a mirror. He did this to all four sides. Then turning to me, he said: "thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee."
That is what God wants to do with us. He wants to take all the bumps, all the barnacles off. We have only begun to lay ourselves on the anvil of God's truth. The hammer is being applied to us. He may have to throw us back in the smelter several times. Let us stay in the fire till there is no more dross in us. Sometimes we think God has done all He needs to do; but something comes up that we do not like, And the old man can get up and hobble off on a pretty good shin.
Several weeks ago, I thought surely the last stroke is put in, And now I am dead to the world. But it was not very long till I found out there was a little self there. I was holding a meeting in a little village. We had to move a kitchen stove, And there was no way for me to get on top of that cook stove and ride behind an old mule team, And I found Sister Hall had a little life in her yet. Thank God, I am dead to that thing now.
Let us stay on the anvil of God, till we reflect the image of the Master. There is a place where we can get, thank God Almighty will say: "Thou art all fair, my love, there is no spot in thee."
William James Roop, M.A.B.S.
Roop-Crappell Ministries
Hospice Volunteer Stories
The Trucking Tango
Apostolic Theological Seminary
