Has Your Veil Been Rent?
By Steven Lambert
“And Jesus CRIED OUT AGAIN with a loud voice, and YIELDED UP His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn (rent, KJV) in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Mat. 27:50-51).
On the Cross, Jesus used his last, remaining breath to cry out to God “again” with a loud voice, and then He “yielded up His spirit” to God, and died. At that very moment, the veil in the iconic temple in Jerusalem was rent, or torn, from top to bottom, as the Spirit of God, which had dwelt behind that veil burst forth, never again to dwell in temples made with human hands, but forevermore in human “temples” of the Spirit—i.e., Born Again, Spirit-infused Believers in Christ!
Through the Apostle Paul, the Spirit of the Lord communicated the revelation that every Born Again, Spirit-infused believer was now a holy “temple,” in whom the Holy Spirit now dwelt:
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. (1 Cor. 3:16,17)
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Cor. 6:19)
Many believers, even those filled with and immersed in the Holy Waters of the Holy Spirit, all of whom are “temples” in whom the Spirit of God dwells, still live with a “veil” over their hearts that is containing, constraining, and constricting the Holy Spirit from being released into their own life, and in turn into the lives of others, themselves being a conduit through whom God wants to release the Living Waters of the Spirit.
What is this personal, metaphorical unrent veil that constrains the Spirit within the human spirit? I would offer that they are varied and numerous. Only a few examples would be the veil of carnality; the veil of unbelief or inanimate faith; the veil of spiritual ignorance; the veil of religious, sectarian, or denominational spirit; the veil of false teaching, doctrines of demons, and deceiving spirits; the veil of diffidence, low-self-esteem, and inferiority; the veil of fear–of man or failure; the veil of unforgiveness, anger, hatred, prejudice, and bitterness; the veil of unabated, persisting, practice of sin, i.e., unrepentance; or, the veil of demonic oppression, deception, confusion, discombobulation, and indecision.
All of these metaphorical veils can keep the Holy Spirit constrained and constricted from performing the supernatural works of sanctification and empowerment within the believer that He, the Helper, the Paracletos—the one who comes along beside to help and enable—that He is completely capable of being and has been “sent” by God to do.
And REND your HEART and not your garments.” Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? (Joel 2:13-14)
So, how does one “rend” the veil remaining over one’s heart (i.e., human spirit)?
There’s only one answer, one way—the SAME way it happened with Jesus—THE CROSS! You must call out to God “in a loud voice,” metaphorically speaking, YIELD your human spirit and everything it contains TO GOD, and DIE—not physically, but to self and sin!
Jesus is the Heavenly Model in all things spiritual for the Holy Race of the Redeemed. He set the pattern and precedent: The cross, yielding, dying, must always precede the rending of the veil! You must yield to the will, purposes, and plans of God, and die to your will, your purposes, your plans. All that is what is represented in THE CROSS OF CHRIST!
When the veil is rent, the Holy Spirit, who has been dwelling behind that veil all along since you invited Him to take up residence within your heart, is released from behind the veil, bursting forth, no longer dwelling in temples made with HUMAN HANDS, i.e., human hindrances!
If you are finally at the place you are ready to YIELD UP everything to God today, CRY OUT AGAIN with a loud voice to God and YIELD IT ALL UP TO HIM!
He will in no wise forsake you in your hour of greatest vulnerability—the hour in which you have yielded all to Him and followed Christ in DEATH! Rather, He will receive your spirit, and take charge of your life, as you yield it to Him.
When you do, YOUR world will shake as the Earth did the day Jesus died on that “Old Rugged Cross,” and the rocks of your heart will be split, rent by the Spirit!
Do it today, Dear Friend! Do it NOW!
Lord, Jesus, I pray now for every person reading this word, that the Holy Spirit will come along side and be the Supernatural Helper that He is, and help every reader make a once-for-all complete surrender of the ownership of their life and destiny, and commit it entirely to You, knowing that you can never fail or forsake them. Thank you, Lord. Amen.###
