Humans are not all that powerful

Humans are not all that powerful

[To have imbalance or a false teaching all you need to do is emphasize one truth over all the others.  Rather than live by every word of God, live by a chosen few.  My thoughts are always only but a part.]

Whatever we walk with (sometimes listen to or spend time with) influences our lives greatly.  We are mostly deceived at how skilled we are at keeping things “out of us”.   Things both good and bad.

Some, using fear as their main motivation, proclaim evil as “easy in and hard out”, while good is just the opposite.  This is not true.  A little leaven of heaven does a great work or how would anyone come to surrender to the Lord?  The journey to God may seem to be all uphill, but there is a great wind behind us.  In the Bible book of Daniel, it is a stone that cruses all the world powers.

A great human pitfall is the desire for “self-rule”.  We think self is in control and wrongly believe that freedom is independence.  All freedom we are given by our ruling authority.  Even the expressions of personal responsibility exist because this expression was given to us.  Freedom in the direction we tend to think of it(action and choices) comes from God.  His permission to us, His granting us the ability to turn from Him and reject Him, is given, not inherent.  All things created are given all things.

Self-control is the fruit of God’s Spirit within.  This is very different from “controlling pride” which appears to be like self-control, only it is all about self.  Self-control is all about others and the environment of love.  One restrains “for others”, the other for “self”.  One is gentle and kind, the other self-righteous.

Figuring this and many other things out can be a blessing, but only if we live in the light of God.  Being in the light is far better than being self-aware.  Some of our most foolish things are the result of self-awareness without God’s presence.  It is a great darkness to have “self” discover sin.  This is “pride” judging the inner self and establishing itself as judge; seeking to abolish faith, hope and love to the land of the mystics.  “By reason alone” it boast, but without reality, it seeks to discern.  Great deception is in the self-man.  When he is even fully evil, deceived is he in his own evilness.  Some weak Christian light can make a shadow of him.

Light shines upon a world of trouble and fears it not.  This is true both internally and externally.  Light shows the way to all.  God has a common grace to all things created.  Receiving this grace is a daily choice of where we walk and who we have fellowship with (I am not talking about people here). Everyday light comes to the most evil of men.  Everyday the evil man must push away the kindness of the Lord that calls.

At time the sun or light becomes a scorching place, a place that burns the earth and the inner man.  This is not because the sun has changed or made a decision to harm.  The Light is unchangeable.  Circumstances other than the sun bring the burning.  God is not mad one day and they happy the next.  God has both a kindness and a severity that are constant. 

We “feel” the light of God differently because the wind stopped blowing, the rain does not fall, the trees have been abused or misused and the provision of shade and breeze are gone.  The light manifest in harmony with living.  The conditions of our lives reflect conditions within our lives.  Most of the time in small minded, self-centered living, we think that our living conditions is all about us and a result of our choices.  Most of the time this is not true.  Most of the time our life circumstances is about the Kingdom of God working within the world and within us and about our history and community.  Self-rule hates this thought.  Just read the Bible and look at the thousand of times where the conditions of a persons life was more about what God was doing than what they were doing.  Behold, even evil kings like Nebuchadnezzar lived under the control and influence of God. 

Even peace of mind comes from the light, for dwelling upon lights revelation brings peace.  Peace of mind is not something we can do for ourselves.  All anxiety must be cast from self to the Master who care for you in order to be free.  So even in the most basic of mindsets – peace, we are unable to arrive through self-rule.  We need another, the light of the world, to shine upon us and show us the way, and this His does every day we live.

Humans are not so powerful as we think.  We cannot even live by our selves.

Questions

The Lord instructed us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. We know that all who seek Him, find Him. And also we are told to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to us.

Do you need to seek the Lord the right way? Will any kind of seeking suffice? Is there a right way? God is pleased with whatever we give Him, isn’t He?

Why bother much with human effort, does not God’s love for me negate all my effort? God loves me, even when I sin, so shy not just enjoy that love, why seek? Isn’t the age of Martha done, all that the Lord requires now is that we set at His feet, is that not true? Human striving and effort, even in seeking the Lord, is a reflection of man made rules.

Is there a mark or standard for finding Him? Is finding the Lord just an idea, a mental encounter? Do we each individually get to say when we have found the Lord or is it something that is revealed to us?

How often do I need to put God first to qualify to receive from Him? If the love of God cares for sinners and saints, why not enjoy His provision for all? Isn’t it religious to have different standards and rewards in Christianity? Are we not all His favorite? Are we not all receiving the same love and care? Are not all of God’s promises for all of His children?

Knowing God

The very best thing we can do in this hour is to know God.  The type of knowing I am referring to is not knowing about God, although that would be good.  Knowing God in the manner I am referring to, is knowing God relationally.  It is knowing what He likes, what He is doing on the earth, what He is sending, releasing or withholding. 

Where can you go to know the Lord?

While the prayer room, the worship event, the sermon and the small group meeting are all great places, even places of encounter; the best place to know God is in your inner man.  The Christ who dwells within you desires for an internal meeting and transformation.  The pace, security and direction you need for life in this day, is found within.  The Kingdom of God is within you.  The holy dwelling of God in within true believers.  It is great to have outward signs and wonders, but these will do little fi we do not abide in Christ Jesus and have authentic fellowship with Him.

There are many distractions that keep us from encountering the Lord.  We often stop at worship, prayer or peaceful feelings.  We are easily distracted from pressing on to the prize.  Jesus prayed that we would be one with Him, with the Father.  How often do we press on until union with God is achieved?  How often do we go beyond wondrous feelings and enter into holiness and sanctification?  Our God is a consuming fire and union with Him burns, wonderfully burns.

In the garden of Gethsemane Jesus asked the disciples to watch and pray with Him, then he went a little further and prayed.  Why didn’t Jesus gather them up into a small group, hold hands and pray words of encouragement over one another? I am not slamming that type of prayer, but what to reveal it limits.  There is this prayer of corporate prater of seeking the Lord in intimacy.  Together along!  Together alone we encounter the Lord.  This has been a pattern from Jesus, the disciples, the desert Fathers, the monastic movement and through all cultures of God’s redemption. 

In the time we live the influence of media and people is so powerful that we must literally fight to be free from it’s rule over us.  It is about being a part of a body but connected to the head.  We will find our unity, maturity and security all related to our connection to His headship. 

Finding God in the prayer closet at home is great,  But we also need to be able to enter into the fullness of God in public.  This is learned by entering into the fullness of God in public.  We need, you need, to be able to enter into union with God in public.