Is there a Spiritual force at work that wants to appear to be “God” but is truly against God?

Yes. We are told that the Spirit of Anti-Christ is already at work in the world. This spiritual force seeks to replace Jesus Christ. If we can be deceived into being influenced by the Spirit that is against Jesus, Satan has turned those who seek to be followers of God into enemies of God.
While it seems this would be evident to all and easily avoided, our studies of history should reveal otherwise. Adam and Eve were no fools, in that Adam named all the animals and they walked with God. Yet even these who lived in paradise were subject to the deception of the evil one.
Satan still comes and offers to us the “good” if we will only do things his way. Like the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness we too must face the evil one and resist any pathways that are not of God. In a culture that is so driven to succeed, promoting ambition and honoring of independence; we should take note.
The way to defeat the spirit of anti-Christ is not self-promotion or success, it is the way of the cross. Jesus shows us the way in that He did not choose a different path, but the path of humility, death and sacrifice. Jesus was obedient and not driven.
In every area of our lives that we do not embrace humility, sacrifice, honoring others more than ourselves, we also hold open a door to deception. Yet as is the case with deception, we do not know we are being deceived. So the very one who lives to themselves is also avoiding the power of the cross through others. This power in others is the very think that could redeem them.
While it is not a pleasant thing to think of Satan’s power to replace Jesus Christ as our Lord, we must be aware of this scheme. The remedy is humility, brotherhood and love. Those who desire to find their life loose it and those willing to lose their life – find life eternal.

How do I deal with the reality that I can never love God enough?

On this point let me be blunt. You just get over it!
Having issues about never loving God enough is just pride in your life trying to find a way to stay alive and be “religious”. It is humbling that we can never be worthy of the love of God and embracing that reality should only make us love God more.
To live with the ongoing condemnation of not loving God enough is nurturing a desire to be “good enough” or “worthy”. It isn’t going to happen – well not in the way we think.
There is a point of authentic maturity that comes into rest. As you grow up in Christ you can find the place of mutual contentment with God. He is pleased with you and you are living in the place of total devotion to Him. You have matured beyond “how much” and not just live in Him and for Him.
This is my side note on this. All those who I have known come into this place never mention it. If you ask them they will tell you but they just never need to analyze how well they are doing in Christ Jesus. They live daily willing to be evaluated by God and take no burden to tell themselves how they are doing.
On the other hand I know of some who talk about being in God’s “perfect will” and “totally surrendered” and “fully devoted”. Yet those who need to tell you they are, are seldom telling the truth. But you and I don’t need to judge them, the judge is already here.
It appears that the one who rejoices in their humble situation is different than the one who boast in their goodness. Better a humble lover of God than an righteous man accounting his assets and works.
My final comment to the one who really, really, really, really wants to be worthy of loving God enough – You have all eternity to work it out!

If I asked you to explain the “idea of loving God” what would you say?

This is a much harder question than it may appear. For in describing to you what the “idea” of loving God is, I would be telling you my idea. As much as I have matured and grown in the truth of God my idea should be right. But in every area where I am weak, so is my idea.
It is our “idea” of loving God that gets us into some trouble. The more serious we are, the more this seems to be true. Like the Pharisees in the New Testament who studied and lived for the coming Messiah, they missed Him because He did not come in a form or “idea” that they thought He would.
This same problem of “God not doing something in a way we think He will” affects our expectant or rejection of revival, healing, spiritual gifts and loving Him.
Because God made you, not just randomly but specifically, you are actually made to have a unique relationship with God. As you hear the patterns, boundaries and principles through the Word of God you give them flesh as you and God develop an authentic relationship.
So in loving God we do start with some idea, but as we mature that idea is transformed in us by God who is making us into the ones He loves to love.

Is loving God something that you do on your own, or do you do it with others?

Loving God is both something we do on our own and with others also. We first start out with a desire to love God and that grows within us.
As the desire grows, God allows the cares and issues of life to compete with our desire for Him, and this gives us the opportunity to choose Him over our own desires.
In time, as you go along, these external cares and issues of life will be people. In loving these people and staying true to the Lord, you will find pace with God. Yet some of these you will love will be your enemy.
To love your enemy, truly love them, you will need to encounter more of the love of God. So the external can either drive deeper the quest for the love of God or it can destroy it all together. While good people can help you too, it is actually the “not so good” that will end up blessing your life as they are the refiners fire to you.

A Great World

With so many people telling us "what is wrong with the world" how are we suppose to be able to focus on what is right. I recall my old football days. We did not focus on how to do things wrong, but right. You only need to be aware of the bad if you have no idea of what is good. But when you know what is good, the whole idea of bad looses it's importance. What I am trying to say is that we should not seek to live lives based on "What we did wrong". If we do, we end up having a "good day" only when we feel like we have only a few "wrongs".

The truth is that even on the worst of days, things are very good. We should rejoice and be glad most of the time. We have lives filled with love, grace, bueaty and wonder. It would be a mojor effort for us to try and live one day with only a few good things surrounding us. Think of all the goodness we take for granted.

Homes, cars, food, clothing, friends, drivers who stay on their own side of the road, birds that sing, trees that bloom, air to breath, water to drink......

Just think of how wonderful all of creation is and how you get to be a part of it. We just celebrated the 40th anniversity of landing on the moon. What that event taught us was more about the wonder of earth than the discovery of the moon. Here you and I are spinning around and around, floating in space, interacting with the Sun, planents and other space stuff. When you truly think of the earth you might rightly consider that we are the speck on the clover. Just travel a few billion miles in space and you will strugle to notice earth at all.

If you ever feel all negative just pretend to stand on the moon and watch little planet earth rise above the horizon. Give out a yell, "It is good". It is.

Imagination

The same God given ability to name all the animals can work against us since the fall. I have noticed in my personal life and in the life of others, we are not very quick to deal with our thoughts. Since these are some of our most personal expressions, we tend to live like those things that happen in the confidence of my mind are not making an effect on others.
But if we are to live lives full of the Holy Spirit and in unending fellowship with God, we must also deal with our thought life and our imaginations. To get to the point quickly, there simply are some things we cannot entertain in our imagination. Of there are sexual acts not in conformity to the will of God, acts of violence or revenge, acts or passions and activities not in harmony with the will of God and acts of personal freedom apart from Christ Jesus.
If you know of the power of the inner man to dream you also should be aware, on some level, the fruit of that ability. God has given us much freedom and that freedom is not to be used to fulfill the desires of the flesh. But used rightly there is numerous inventions, art, music, literature and aspects of science yet to be unleashed.
Try shutting the TV off and making your own entertainment in the beauty of God and in the wonder of all creation. Go to http://www.neave.com/ and see what you and God can come up with.

The Stuff of Life

In the last few weeks I have been overwhelmed with the love of God and the love of others. Since I know, all to well, that I do not deserve any good thing, all the great stuff I am given on a daily basis is very pleasing. In this fast paste world of needing more and more each day, it is easy to not see all the ways I are loved. While I can stand for hours singing that the Lord is the air I breath, I can also breath all day long and each breath seems to be filled with stress, anxiety, fear, worry and busyness.

But the practice of living each moment aware of God is a life infilling discipline. It is wonderful how practicing the presence of the Lord is more than an idea. In all the days ahead I long to abandon the life of living on my own and freely receive the never ending love of God for me. To do this we each must humble the daily rush of life and moment by moment allow our heart to behold the one who loves us.

Yesterday was a hard day in the Kingdom of God. Brothers and sisters in Christ all around the world suffered harm and death. Many who had very little in this world, had the little that they did have removed from them. Yet in the darkness a great light shines. On the earth today are great saints, simple human beings who have been transformed from the bondage's of this world into burning examples of light, life and glory. Covered with gas and burned, shot in the head, beaten in prison, tortured for Christ, and those who live in the most prosperous cities in the world yet do not bow their knee to greed, materilism or sinful pleasures: all these live to enjoy God. Thanks God for such a family!

Being New

So you want into your “prayer space” and want to come out totally new. How can you do that?
Being something we are not is an issue that every person has. Even those who very, very, very much like who they are, still have areas where they want to be changed or different. It is not uncommon to desire to be two seemly opposite things at the same time. You may want to be more creative and spontaneous while also desiring to be more ordered and thoughtful before responding. That is a part of the trouble of desiring to be something new. It truly is an endless choice.
So last night I went into the place of prayer and wanted to make a difference in the world and in my personal life. I wanted to be a better man coming out than I was before. So what happens? In the typical mode (each of us has a typical way God deals with us) here is what I experience.
1. I start to have the opposite of what I desire. If I want to be creative I seem to shut down. If I want to love, I seem to be cold hearted and dry. This is actually a gift from God so that we can work through the circumstances and gain what we seek. Having the desire often opens the door to working on the transformation. Yes, God does have supernatural transformation, but most of the time it is through discipline.
2. The stronghold of my flesh can arise. By this I mean that anger, pride, jealously or fear; whatever is my main fleshy stronghold tries to take over. This is because this monster of the self does not want to give us it’s place. It is a normal situation in the flesh and in the spirit. Don’t be upset because of the battle, thank God that the will to change has exposed the stronghold. Use the sword of the Spirit, the word of God to attack the enemy of your soul. Have you mindset on what God says and over rule the thoughts of the enemy or self.
3. God pulls a 180 0n me by showing me that the thing I desire is truly rooted in self and I am just seeking a way to be a “better me”. Better in that I am becoming more of a self and not truly seeking to be more as in the sence of bringing glory to God. God usually does this “U” turn to me by using my pride, ambition or creative pride to fall flat. It’s the humiliation that could have been avoided by simple humility.
4. I encounter grace. In the Spirit I enter a place where I am free to become, to change, to risk and to find the reward of seeking. It may not always be great on the outside, but I am changing from the inside out. It is like the desire goes from a thought to internal activity. “I am doing it”. It just may not be mature in the doing.