The war of the believer is not aimed at conquering but at submitting.
I do not conquer my flesh, I live in His Spirit.
Huge difference!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
FAITH
Though He slay me yet will I trust Him",
this was Job's words following the loss of family fortune and health;
I could not compare my loss to that having lost only job,
possessions, home, and am loosing my sense of value after
making a sacrifice I thought significant for the benefit of others,
only to my own burden. I cannot find a job nor even get an interview in my trade and my profession. Don't get it
this was Job's words following the loss of family fortune and health;
I could not compare my loss to that having lost only job,
possessions, home, and am loosing my sense of value after
making a sacrifice I thought significant for the benefit of others,
only to my own burden. I cannot find a job nor even get an interview in my trade and my profession. Don't get it
Friday, January 2, 2009
WHO'S THE TEACHER?
It may be presumptuous of me to think that what I have to say is so important that you should listen, yet there resides within me the compulsion to express that which GOD has so graciously shown me from His Word and it's outworking in my life. So I would ask you to bear with my arrogance in purporting my heart to this blog with the anticipation someone might actually read it and even more presumptuous the thought they might actually gain something of value from it.
I would like to speak of who teaches us the word.
WHO IS THE TEACHER - the text is Isaiah 28:9
"Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom
shall He make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk,
and drawn from the breasts."
Who teaches knowledge and makes one
to understand doctrine? The LORD of hosts
Whom does He teach? Them that are weaned
from the milk and drawn from the breasts.
GOD, through the prophet Isaiah, has told us
that He in deed teaches and gives understanding.
Jesus said the same thing in the book of John (New Testament),
when He stated that the Spirit would "guide us into
all truth": But GOD also through Isaiah teaches us that the instruction and understanding He gives He gives to those who no longer need the milk of the Word. When we have grown to the point of eating the meat, (Hebrews 5), when we are able to chew and digest the meat, then GOD Himself will teach us.
When we ourselves can sit down with His Word and study it carefully and prayerfully for the truth of His knowledge and the understanding of His doctrine without someone interpreting it for us, and begin to go beyond the obviously stated doctrine and begin to dissect it, compare and contrast it, define it in it's own realm, then He Himself will become our schoolmaster - our teacher. It will become a personal intimacy between us and our Creator; and He will begin to teach us precept after precept, line of thought after line of thought, a little knowledge from here and from there, and piece by piece GOD will construct our hearts and lives with His knowledge,
[knowledge of Him - an intimate knowledge, not academic], with His ways, with the thoughts and intents of His heart;.......
but you see it is only going to become a reality that we gain knowledge & understanding when our dependence for learning is no longer from, or on, the preacher, the teacher, the scholar, or any other human being, but rather we have come to a point in our life where we personally seek to know the heart of GOD - when we make it a personal relationship with Him - when we desire to no longer be spoon or bottle fed, but have been weaned off the knowledge and understanding of others and are seeking personal knowledge of GOD, first-hand and intimate knowledge of and from Him. [At some point we might expound the 2nd chapter of Proverbs, the first 15 verses in this regard.]
Brother I want to sat that sitting with GOD our Father and seeking to know what He has to teach me is in deed a place of rest for me, and His knowledge flows freely from His heart to mine as He opens the eyes of my understanding and speaks knowledge of Himself to me - without stuttering and stammering, but rather with clarity, conciseness, congruence and comprehensiveness. Oh how delightful are the hours spent alone with Him, how delightful when here or there in life the lights go on and one sees GOD'S precept in reality, when GOD'S principles are no longer good teaching but everyday realities of life revealing the truth of His Word; when GOD begins and continues to show Himself through His Word in conjunction with everyday life and learning is no longer rote memorization but living realityy with Him, in Him, by Him and from Him. Such hope and excitement that comes from the realization of His presence, His teaching, His personal interest in us individually. This is where learning takes place - this is where understanding is illuminated, this is where we see our faith is not blind: WHERE? When we are acutely aware that we are in Him and He in us, and we are personally being taught by the Creator Himself.
WHERE? Where it is just YOU and me - my heart and Your heart melting together as one - when being alive with the joyful realization that it is You and I together and I am in the covert of Your wings with the ears of my heart tuned into Your "still small voice." Your voice that stills the raging sea whithin and makes light work of the tempestuous trial of life without. WHERE? Where Your teachings, Your speaking to me does not cause me distress, does not beat me down, does not break me to such a degree I cannot be put back together, does not bring me harsh conviction that I run from or feel trapped by - But rather Your voice to me is calming, gentle, assuring, restful and delightful, and molding to my heart and soul - Yea, the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Now let me say this, no human being can grow themselves, IE makes themselves enjoy hearing the voice of GOD in their heart telling us of His ways, His desires, His heartfelt intents. To enjoy the presence and person of GOD, without intentional exercise of will power in causing it to be so, is something only the very Spirit of our LORD in us can and must bring about within our most deceitful and desperately wicked hearts'. He must grow us or we will not truly grow; and yet we are so judgmental of ourselves and otherds because we and/or they are not all we expect they should be.
How does this attitude in life fit with the saying of Hebrews 6,
"Let us go on onto perfection
and this will we do
if GOD permit."
He is permitting or not permitting growth.
He grows us up or we don't grow up.
He weans us off the milk and the breasts
and unto the strong meat. [note Hebrews 5/6]
We might take note that Isaiah writes of GOD teaching the "weaned", and 800 years latter the writer of Hebrews speaks of GOD allowing us to be eaters of "strong meat" and no longer drinkers of "milk" - of GOD allowing us to go on onto perfection ("maturity").
[How comprehensive are His unchanging ways,
and His ability to compose Himself with congruity
into His written word without error.]!
I would like to speak of who teaches us the word.
WHO IS THE TEACHER - the text is Isaiah 28:9
"Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom
shall He make to understand doctrine?
them that are weaned from the milk,
and drawn from the breasts."
Who teaches knowledge and makes one
to understand doctrine? The LORD of hosts
Whom does He teach? Them that are weaned
from the milk and drawn from the breasts.
GOD, through the prophet Isaiah, has told us
that He in deed teaches and gives understanding.
Jesus said the same thing in the book of John (New Testament),
when He stated that the Spirit would "guide us into
all truth": But GOD also through Isaiah teaches us that the instruction and understanding He gives He gives to those who no longer need the milk of the Word. When we have grown to the point of eating the meat, (Hebrews 5), when we are able to chew and digest the meat, then GOD Himself will teach us.
When we ourselves can sit down with His Word and study it carefully and prayerfully for the truth of His knowledge and the understanding of His doctrine without someone interpreting it for us, and begin to go beyond the obviously stated doctrine and begin to dissect it, compare and contrast it, define it in it's own realm, then He Himself will become our schoolmaster - our teacher. It will become a personal intimacy between us and our Creator; and He will begin to teach us precept after precept, line of thought after line of thought, a little knowledge from here and from there, and piece by piece GOD will construct our hearts and lives with His knowledge,
[knowledge of Him - an intimate knowledge, not academic], with His ways, with the thoughts and intents of His heart;.......
but you see it is only going to become a reality that we gain knowledge & understanding when our dependence for learning is no longer from, or on, the preacher, the teacher, the scholar, or any other human being, but rather we have come to a point in our life where we personally seek to know the heart of GOD - when we make it a personal relationship with Him - when we desire to no longer be spoon or bottle fed, but have been weaned off the knowledge and understanding of others and are seeking personal knowledge of GOD, first-hand and intimate knowledge of and from Him. [At some point we might expound the 2nd chapter of Proverbs, the first 15 verses in this regard.]
Brother I want to sat that sitting with GOD our Father and seeking to know what He has to teach me is in deed a place of rest for me, and His knowledge flows freely from His heart to mine as He opens the eyes of my understanding and speaks knowledge of Himself to me - without stuttering and stammering, but rather with clarity, conciseness, congruence and comprehensiveness. Oh how delightful are the hours spent alone with Him, how delightful when here or there in life the lights go on and one sees GOD'S precept in reality, when GOD'S principles are no longer good teaching but everyday realities of life revealing the truth of His Word; when GOD begins and continues to show Himself through His Word in conjunction with everyday life and learning is no longer rote memorization but living realityy with Him, in Him, by Him and from Him. Such hope and excitement that comes from the realization of His presence, His teaching, His personal interest in us individually. This is where learning takes place - this is where understanding is illuminated, this is where we see our faith is not blind: WHERE? When we are acutely aware that we are in Him and He in us, and we are personally being taught by the Creator Himself.
WHERE? Where it is just YOU and me - my heart and Your heart melting together as one - when being alive with the joyful realization that it is You and I together and I am in the covert of Your wings with the ears of my heart tuned into Your "still small voice." Your voice that stills the raging sea whithin and makes light work of the tempestuous trial of life without. WHERE? Where Your teachings, Your speaking to me does not cause me distress, does not beat me down, does not break me to such a degree I cannot be put back together, does not bring me harsh conviction that I run from or feel trapped by - But rather Your voice to me is calming, gentle, assuring, restful and delightful, and molding to my heart and soul - Yea, the joy and rejoicing of my heart.
Now let me say this, no human being can grow themselves, IE makes themselves enjoy hearing the voice of GOD in their heart telling us of His ways, His desires, His heartfelt intents. To enjoy the presence and person of GOD, without intentional exercise of will power in causing it to be so, is something only the very Spirit of our LORD in us can and must bring about within our most deceitful and desperately wicked hearts'. He must grow us or we will not truly grow; and yet we are so judgmental of ourselves and otherds because we and/or they are not all we expect they should be.
How does this attitude in life fit with the saying of Hebrews 6,
"Let us go on onto perfection
and this will we do
if GOD permit."
He is permitting or not permitting growth.
He grows us up or we don't grow up.
He weans us off the milk and the breasts
and unto the strong meat. [note Hebrews 5/6]
We might take note that Isaiah writes of GOD teaching the "weaned", and 800 years latter the writer of Hebrews speaks of GOD allowing us to be eaters of "strong meat" and no longer drinkers of "milk" - of GOD allowing us to go on onto perfection ("maturity").
[How comprehensive are His unchanging ways,
and His ability to compose Himself with congruity
into His written word without error.]!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
UNITY
I recently joined Gospel City which is a web site produced by The Spirit of Life Mission India our sister ministry located and native to Tamil Nadu India and founded by Dr Hannah Nesmani.
Please check out the web site and support this ministry which buids churches, rescues women being trafficked, and ministers to the Dalit (sub class, 'less than human' - or so they are considered by the class system of India). Pictures and more info on our sister ministry available through contact us in the U.S. through our website spiritoflifemissioninc.org. We wish to promote the unity of the body of Christ that ought by nature of the one Spirit indwelling all believers, exist between us.
Please check out the web site and support this ministry which buids churches, rescues women being trafficked, and ministers to the Dalit (sub class, 'less than human' - or so they are considered by the class system of India). Pictures and more info on our sister ministry available through contact us in the U.S. through our website spiritoflifemissioninc.org. We wish to promote the unity of the body of Christ that ought by nature of the one Spirit indwelling all believers, exist between us.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
FAITH:
What is faith?
What does it mean to walk by faith?
What is "obedience to the faith"?
I really do not want to do a theological study of faith at this point:
For 2 and 1/2 years I have lived a life based on the belief that GOD was
leading me in a specific direction, and had laid before me a task
which now I come to think the possibility that he may want me to drop
the pursuit of it's fulfillment. What does that do to my faith?
What is faith?
What does it mean to walk by faith?
What is "obedience to the faith"?
I really do not want to do a theological study of faith at this point:
For 2 and 1/2 years I have lived a life based on the belief that GOD was
leading me in a specific direction, and had laid before me a task
which now I come to think the possibility that he may want me to drop
the pursuit of it's fulfillment. What does that do to my faith?
Monday, January 14, 2008
Perfect in Christ
What is a "perfect" Christian? The word perfect does NOT mean sinless.
It DOES mean 'mature? So how do I recognize maturity in myself?
I am going to give the texts with very little commentary
because I think GOD has said it quite clearly and He does not requie
a great deal of elaboration by me. So here are some signs that
I am mature or at least maturing:
1. Forgetting the past reaching for the future:
Philippians 3:13-15
"Let us therefore,
as many of us as be perfect, be thus minded...
forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of GOD in CHRIST JESUS.'
2. Carnality - envy, strife, division = NO unity:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
"And I brethren could not speak unto you as spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in CHRIST..."
"...for you are yet carnal: for whereas
there is among you envying, strife, and divisions
are you not carnal, and walk as men?"
3. knowing the Father intimately:
1 John 2:12-14
"I write unto you little children..."
"I write unto young men..."
"I write unto you fathers because you have known
the Father... because you have known Him that is from the beginning."
the 'know' is an intimate knowledge NOT an academic knowledge;
[a topic for another time].
4. being spiritual - living in the Spirit NOT under law = love:
Galatians 5:22
"The fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,
against such there is no law."
5. the "body" characterized by unity, eddification of one another, love, truth:
Ephesians 4:14-16
"That we henceforth (from here on) be no more children..."
but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things...
makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
(note "all things", in verse 15/16)
It would be appropriate to summerize these scriptures by saying intimacy with the Father brings walking in the Spirit which results in unconditional love thus breaking down the walls of division and bringing unity and edification to the body of Christ - the church.
It DOES mean 'mature? So how do I recognize maturity in myself?
I am going to give the texts with very little commentary
because I think GOD has said it quite clearly and He does not requie
a great deal of elaboration by me. So here are some signs that
I am mature or at least maturing:
1. Forgetting the past reaching for the future:
Philippians 3:13-15
"Let us therefore,
as many of us as be perfect, be thus minded...
forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of GOD in CHRIST JESUS.'
2. Carnality - envy, strife, division = NO unity:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
"And I brethren could not speak unto you as spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in CHRIST..."
"...for you are yet carnal: for whereas
there is among you envying, strife, and divisions
are you not carnal, and walk as men?"
3. knowing the Father intimately:
1 John 2:12-14
"I write unto you little children..."
"I write unto young men..."
"I write unto you fathers because you have known
the Father... because you have known Him that is from the beginning."
the 'know' is an intimate knowledge NOT an academic knowledge;
[a topic for another time].
4. being spiritual - living in the Spirit NOT under law = love:
Galatians 5:22
"The fruit of the SPIRIT is love, joy peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance,
against such there is no law."
5. the "body" characterized by unity, eddification of one another, love, truth:
Ephesians 4:14-16
"That we henceforth (from here on) be no more children..."
but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things...
makes increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
(note "all things", in verse 15/16)
It would be appropriate to summerize these scriptures by saying intimacy with the Father brings walking in the Spirit which results in unconditional love thus breaking down the walls of division and bringing unity and edification to the body of Christ - the church.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
MAN TO KNOW< GOD TO BE KNOWN
Some time has passed since I last posted and there is reason not easily explained for that. To know GOD sometimes takes much waiting upon Him, and so it has been: But I know not that even now He has actually moved me to write or if the movie I just watched, "The Grace of My Heart", has moved me to pursue that which thrills my heart and brings me a sense of being where I belong - and where is that? - here expressing what He has shown me of Himself for our own personal relationship. So what ever drives me in this oh so wee hour of the morning, here I sit in hopes that something that is shared herein will be used by my Father to touch your heart for your edification and the furtherance of your pursuit of the knowledge - experiential - of the heart of the Creator. It has long been my conviction that GOD created man for the purpose of Him being known, not only by the "principalities and powers in heavenly places" (Ephesians 3) but by His creation also. Take for example the statement King David of Israel - under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit - writes in a song, Psalm 106, "...nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known." The key phrase here is "...to be known." He desires to be known; He desires His mighty power to be known. GOD wants us to know how very powerful He is. He desires it not out of pride, but rather because He is GOD - He is almighty, none more powerful. In fact He gives out power. He, Jesus, said to Pilate the Roman potentate over Jerusalem, that He would have no power unless GOD had given it to him. That's power: When the only power available to any one is the power you give them you can honestly and rightful say you are all powerful - and GOD wants that known. Besides are we not like sheep who would walk off a cliff were it not for His protection, who would starve to death were it not for His provision, who would walk in darkness were it not for Him speaking light into existence? How much power when a mere shh calms the raging waves of the sea, when a mere word brings worlds into being, when one can pick up a handful of dirt, mold into the shape of a human being and then breathe into the nostrils of that mold clay and it become a living soul. How much power? And where is the pride in desiring it to be known? Is it not for our own benefit that He find glory, is it not our honor to be the vessels He uses to demonstrate His power in and with and through? Why would we not want to see such glory? Why would we shun such power in our lives. To grasp the fact that GOD wants to be known is paramount to the understanding of His heart - If indeed a man can even begin to fathom the depths of the infinite GOD. So I would challenge you to seek to know Him - not know about Him - but rather strife for that intimacy, that experiential knowledge of the one who created you and I out of the dirt He created, and then breathed life into our soul. And I would encourage you to ask GOD for a heart that desires to see His power and not man's.
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