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Jesus said, "I AM THE WAY, I AM THE TRUTH, I AM THE LIFE, NO MAN COMETH TO THE FATHER EXCEPT BY ME". That is the simplistic sum of all the questions we can come up with. Everything begins and ends in the LORD Jesus Christ. Without Him, we do not possess life. Without Him, all of our good works are nothing more than wood, hay and stubble, and will be destroyed at His appearing. HE IS our refuge from the storms of this life. HE IS our safe haven. There is no other. We are individuals. Our walks may possess similarities. We may be able to relate to one another's experiences, but God deals with each one of us uniquely - one on one. The point is not to become clones or robots, but to be individual expressions of God's love in this world. ONLY GOD can bring us into HIS UNITY by HIS SPIRIT. This is not something we can rationalize, analyze, or get our minds around. We cannot make anything happen, except as we are brought to nothing. When we come to the end of self, then and only then is the Spirit free to use us in the manner HE desires. That is a very scary thing, especially in today's world where there is rampant fear, terrorism, and spiritual darkness. Man is full of pride, and self-exaltation has been crammed down our throats for the past 30 years. Humanism has infiltrated the Church to the point of total acceptance of "tolerance" and "compromise" for the sake of "peace". There is a sense of urgency, our flesh cries out and is compelled to "Do Something", but what? Waiting on the LORD is not a popular option, now is it? All of our "knowledge" is of little value if it has not brought us to the death of self and the LIFE of Christ within us. No longer can we separate what we believe from what we are living - that is the crux of the matter. Religion allows us to have lofty, glorious ideals and aims, while falling short of living the reality of those same ideals - to be like Christ. All of our knowledge points to the future. All of us have been caught in the same snare. We "expect" great things. We project what God is going to do someday. Well, these prophecies of the LORDS imminent return are not a fairy tale. We have all been guilty of projecting the glimpses God gives us of HIS PLAN into the future. Someday God will move in a mighty way. Why do we "think" we are any different than Moses? For 40 years, he lived on the backside of the desert, cut off from his people, separated and apart from the life he once knew. But the day CAME, when the Lord showed him a burning bush! The hour and moment ARRIVED, when GOD SPOKE, and told him what he wanted him to do - set MY people free. We too, have been in the wilderness, but the wilderness is not forever, it is for a season. The seasons change. God has been telling us to prepare. Are we as prepared as we think we are? Do we really comprehend, that just as the commandment came to Moses, God is going to give us the commandment to "Now BE and DO that which I command you"?!!! 1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. This verse is a perfect example of how we "project" God's promises to us. Notice that Paul is paraphrasing Isaiah 64:4 For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him. This promise does not actually say, "after we leave this life". It does not say, "the things which God hath prepared for us in heaven". Yet that is how most of us have been conditioned to read it. In reality, it is for NOW, not 'someday'. If we read the entirety of what Paul is saying to the CHURCH (that would be us) he continues: 1Co 2:10-16 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. This is not future! This is NOW! We can have the mind of Christ! BY THE SPIRIT, NOT THE FLESH. Our carnal, rational, reasoning mind will never, ever, grasp the things of God, except as it is brought into SUBJECTION to the SPIRIT OF GOD. Because they are spiritually discerned! Praise God!!! All of our plans, and goals, and agenda's to reach the world and do the work of the Lord are pitiful and fall short of the mark. Why? Because we are operating in man's wisdom. All of our good intentions fail to bear the desired results. We have not been called to operate in our strength, or our limited knowledge. We have not been charged to implement the ways of the world to attract converts. Nor has God declared that we should attach ourselves to any man or group so that we might grow to perfection. We have been called to Follow Christ, even unto death. The death of self in all its forms of expression. How did Jesus operate in this world? John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. If we would follow Christ, then we must have such an intimate relationship with the Father, that we too say and do only what we see the Father do. We must walk in this world by the power of the Spirit and not the power of the flesh. We can no more imagine what God has in store for us to accomplish .anymore than Moses could ever have conceived what God planned for him to do. Do you think Moses ever dreamed that God would choose him, a murderer in hiding for 40 years, to be the chosen vessel to lead the Israelite's out of Egypt? Or that Saul ever thought for one minute that his zealous persecution of the early church was anything but exactly what he should be doing, as an upright and devoted member of the religious system, until the moment on the road to Damascus when Jesus revealed Himself to him, drastically changing his perceptions of God's will forever altering the course of his life. Does not. "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" appropriately apply here? And if here, then in our lives as well? Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 2Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. 2Peter 1:3-4 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Exactly WHO are we striving to please? Whose validation of our efforts are we seeking? Men or God's? If we are truly doing that which God has told us to do, then the fruit will be there. Not because of our efforts, but because of the operation of the Holy Spirit in response to our obedience. If we are operating out of our own accumulation of knowledge, doing what seems right in our own eyes, we may well miss out on what God is doing now. John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. 1Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. We can know what our Lord is doing. Think of that. Note above, the sequence of events. We can be made perfect, we can be established, we can be strengthened, and we can be settled. when? After that we have suffered a while. After that our flesh has been brought into subjection to the Holy Spirit. Does your heart yearn to walk with God? That desire did not originate in your self. God alone planted that desire in your heart. We must daily choose will we be partakers of His divine nature? The choice is all ours. Which will it be? Will we take up our cross, as Jesus commanded us, and daily crucify our flesh, or not? Who will we obey? Rom 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? Jer 12:5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan? Compared to many countries in this world, we have yet to face religious persecution here in America. If we get discouraged and falter now, then how do we expect to stand when real persecution comes to our door? If we flounder and turn aside because we are misunderstood, or rejected now, what will become of us when we are called to make a life or death decision? So whose servants are we, really? What did Jesus say? What is He saying today? Can we separate between the voice of God and the voice of man (religion)? Are we exercising our spiritual discernment, or are we trying to appease others? What are we offended by? Do we honestly believe that God sees the very thoughts we think, and knows the intents of our hearts? Praise God, for we do not have to try and accomplish God's will in our own strength!!! Heb 4:9-16 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Throughout the plan of salvation we have a responsibility. If we don't hold up our end, we will lose out. It is not enough to want the good things we can get from God. We are commanded to BELIEVE, to OBEY, and to come into a REVERENTIAL FEAR OF THE LORD. Deception is rampant today. The great APOSTASY is no longer coming "someday", it is HERE NOW! How can we know the truth? How will we recognize error? There is only one way and that is by pressing in to an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ. By bringing our thoughts into subjection to HIS thoughts. By walking in obedience to what the Spirit tells us, even when our rational mind is in full-blown rebellion. If we refuse, if we harden our hearts and stiffen our necks, then we are deliberately bringing the wrath of God on our own heads. This is not a popular word, it is not a feel good message, but we are not called to live by feelings - we are called to live by faith in the Son of God. There is a cry going forth over the face of the earth, even now. "Choose this day, whom you will serve". How each one of us responds to this cry will determine our eternal destiny. Zechariah 4:6.Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. This is the only way we will ever do anything for the Kingdom of God. By the Spirit of God. There is no room for the flesh. Do we believe that? Are we walking in the Spirit? Or are we turning aside, listening to other voices? Now is the time to examine our hearts. Time as we know it is running out. 2Pe 1:10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: Phi 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Phi 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. May we take to heart what Jesus said, "I AM THE WAY, I AM THE TRUTH, I AM THE LIFE, NO MAN COMETH TO THE FATHER EXCEPT BY ME". Please pray for us here at Living-Walk, that we would watch and see the Master at work, and understand what He would have us do. Your friend in Christ Jesus,
Cathy |
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