Breaking Our Spirits

Luke 3:8
    Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
I just finished quickly reading a small book by Paul Washer called "Ten Indictments Against the Modern Church" (or something like this, I may not have totally right).  He wrote of a meeting he had with an elderly preacher, and the old man told him how God "broke the spirits" of those before they were saved.  This part of the book kept me thinking til I fell asleep, and it still is in the back of my mind. 
Another story was taught by John Hagee of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio.  He mentioned on how some teach wild stallions when they are caught and taming them so they can be broken and ridden.  The story was when a stallion was caught, it was tied to a mule and let loose.  While it spend its time bucking and trying to break free, it literally drags the mule around for miles.  The mule does not fight, for it knows it does not have the strength to match the stallion.  Eventually, after the stallion is exhausted and can no longer fight, the mule then drags the stallion back to the owner.
The lesson learned in this is that the wild stallion had to have it spirit "broken" by the humility of the mule.  In the old days of "them preachers" (John Wesley, Charles Finney, Jonathan Edwards) taught of sin and that people without repentance, even those who go to church, are on their way to hell.  They broke their spirits in need of getting those who heard the message to bear fruits worthy of repentance.  Look at these words from the John the Baptist BEFORE Jesus came:
Luke 3:7-10
    Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? [8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. [9] And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [10] And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
And this was said of his words:
Luke 3:18
    And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
We expect nice words to say to those in need of a Savior.  I call it the path of least resistance.  The sinner's prayer, say it once, and you are instantly saved.  No repentance.  No acknowledgement of sin, no change, no fruits.  No guilt.  At the end of the service, have everyone stand and repeat the same words so no one will feel "left out" or embarrassed, and you are automatically given the key to the kingdom.  No fruits worthy of repentance, then they walk out the door of the church no different from when they came in.
The Word says that the exalted will be humbled, and the humbled will be exalted.  Until the wild stallion in us gets exhausted trying to run from the "humbleness" of the spirit through conviction, we truly will not be bearing fruits worthy of the kingdom.  I lost everything at one point in my life.  Homeless for five years, even those homeless were stealing from me.  But I will still that "wild stallion."  Not until a relationship with a married woman (yes, not my wife) did I finally come the futility of running, and fourteen years ago I gave it all over.  At times, the old man wants to resurface, but finally all my spirit was broken, now I am continually being humbled by His Spirit.
I will never say I am better, it is a daily walk to take up my cross and deny myself daily.  It is now nice to be reminded of the need to have my spirit broken, so humility can keep it together.  I wonder what would happen of the good ole preachers would say to the church of today.  Jesus was beaten, embarrassed, tortured in public for YOUR SAKE.  It will cost you much of everything you are to follow Him and stand to be His witness on earth.  It may one day cost you your physical life, than your faith will be tested. 
Will you repentance show?

Michael
Jeremiah 6:16