Saturday, September 20, 2008

What Was I Thinking




In listening to this weeks God Journey pod cast, I couldn’t help but chuckle hearing Wayne and Brad talking about, “Troublesome Scriptures.” Either one or the other would comment, “I don’t see what is so troublesome about this or that scripture do you?”

That sets things up here for some additional thoughts I started over at ‘And Then Life Happened, (Osmosis).
This life of God that has invaded our spirit has perfectly joined us to God the Father making us one in/with Him. We did NOT study and then take an exam to be re-born, we simply choose to respond to His wooing all possible because of something we didn’t even know we had, a gift ‘of faith.’
We were saved by grace through faith lest we should boast.

There are so many things each and every one of us takes or accepts by faith except for, faith. Meaning, the ‘just shall live (walk) by faith.’ I’m addressing the child of God here folks.
How unfair is it of God to expect me to do something I have never learned or studied for, such as ‘walk in the spirit,’ or, be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect,’ or, ‘put on the new man,’ or, ‘let this mind be in you as it was in Christ Jesus’, and so many other things.

Did gravity cease to exist when we learned to ride a bike, was there never any bumps, scrapes, falls, we simply got on it and viola we were Zen Like?
Did any of us take a six week course on how to ride a bike, or go to an extended weekend retreat/conference of bike riding?
As silly as these questions are, they point to something far more bizarre in my opinion, that being us thinking by cramming enough information into our heads, we will then venture out to do what seems impossible.

Is this walk, journey we have entered, been called into, only possible because of what we know or how little we know, or is this meant to BE a supernatural natural walk, learning to walk out what has BEEN worked into us?
I often wonder if that’s what might have been ricocheting over and over in Peter’s mind that day he chose to step out of the boat, “what was I thinking” that I could walk on water?

Please listen up here, I’m only going to use a couple of names that I am familiar with to further illustrate my point here, you can just as easily insert the names of people you know and or listen to, ok?
Lord, you know I want to follow you all the way, as well as stay in step with your spirit, as well as putting on the new man etc., but I have not finished reading all of Wayne Jacobsen’s materials or listened to all of Darin Hufford’s pod casts yet. Not to mention as you already know, I’m barely into my one hundred week training course on, “Hearing the voice of God.”

Here is the real kicker, how does one implement, put into practice what one has NO knowledge of, such as ‘walking in the spirit, or hearing the voice of God,’ to name few?
Is His life in us as us, in fact the “quintessential” reality that makes any of this supernatural natural living remotely possible?
As always I am brought back to this; unless we have and are continuing to experience the constant abiding reality of the Father’s total unconditional loving acceptance of us, fear will keep us trying to learn what is already ours in us right now.

One of my favourite scenes in the early Star Wars movies was when Obi-Wan Kenobi says to young Luke Sky Walker, “Use the Force Luke, let go, trust me.”
I see this as a metaphor for our letting go of our fears and not trying to trust, but Trusting Him, the Father of our spirit in us as us bringing forth from our lives the very ability to do (what only appears to be insanity) what we were reborn to DO!

Rich

You can watch it here if you want, it's about eight minutes into the video, simply slide the bar along until you hit the eight minute mark.


4 comments:

Tracy Simmons said...

This is a very encouraging post, Rich! I think our flesh really likes to be learning as if THAT would do us some good :). Our spirit, of course, knows better!

Anonymous said...

Rich,
"How unfair is it of God to expect me to do something I have never learned or studied for, such as ‘walk in the spirit,’ or, be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect,’ or, ‘put on the new man,’ or, ‘let this mind be in you as it was in Christ Jesus’, and so many other things."

"Did gravity cease to exist when we learned to ride a bike, was there never any bumps, scrapes, falls, we simply got on it and viola we were Zen Like?"


Ah...Rich. I'm just so delighted in how in the past two weeks, Papa has been revealing and speaking within your heart really beauitfully. Your posts have been filled with such wonderful substance.



This got me thinking how God reveals in each and every one of us different "knowledge" at different times of our lives. I DO believe that Papa doesn't reveal to all of us the same exact Truths. And, in regards to Truth, all Truth does live within our heart. However, God in the Holy Spirit, reveals to us and allows us to "see" and understand different truths for each of us. After all, we would all be spiritual clones if He were to reveal all the same Truths to us all. We'd all know the same things. This, would, in fact damage the Church as a whole. Because we so beautifully and uniquely know different truths, this is another reason why we need to be in relationship with one another. We are all separate pieces of the Grand Puzzle that "fit" together. As well, the Holy Spirit then allows us to "learn" His Truths as we interact with one another.



Yet, at the same time, one person may have a specific Truth they need to live by, when their brother, does not. For example: the Holy Spirit may reveal to one brother a "truth" not to pursue a 9-5 job, but instead pursue writing a book and perhaps relying on God to financially provide for him. Yet, his friend, another brother may receive a "truth" from the Holy Spirit of being called to work a 9-5 job working as a landscaper to earn and support his family. Each's "truths" are different, and each is best to heed the Holy Spirit's directives in order to maintain a harmonious relationship with God.



As well, each of us has free will. We can, unfortunately, choose to not listen to, or heed the truths God reveals to us. In doing this, I believe it "delays" our growth, it deters us from accepting and thus, knowing important truths to guide us on our journey through life. When one is in a period of sinning, a truth that Papa may have wanted us to receive, sin's veil disenables us from moving forward in that knowledge. Thus, I believe this is one reason why, when a brother or sister is explaining a new "truth" he/she grasped, the person who may be sinning, may have a difficult time hearing from the Holy Spirit to confirm and receive the "help" needed to understand it.

So, in essence, we NEED the Holy Spirit, totally, to understand the "truths" and "knowledge" being offered to us in revelation that occurs literally all the time.

"One of my favourite scenes in the early Star Wars movies was when Obi-Wan Kenobi says to young Luke Sky Walker, “Use the Force Luke, let go, trust me.” I see this as a metaphor for our letting go of our fears and not trying to trust, but Trusting Him, the Father of our spirit in us as us bringing forth from our lives the very ability to do (what only appears to be insanity) what we were reborn to DO!"

Amen! Great illustration!

Blessings,
~Amy :)
http://amyiswalkinginthespirit.blogspot.com

Rich said...

Tracy,

Thanks, yes I agree.
The insidious lie fostered by the father of lies is that in learning more, it will help us in better living the Christian life.

Folks would say, Hey wait a minute,Satan wouldn't do this would he?
The independent-self is dupped into believing that it can do whatever it desires to do, but if it isn't the life of God being the impetus, then there is only one other source.

Rich said...

Amy,

Thanks for the encouraging words here.

I don't want to dicker over words, but what you said here I have to disagree with.

"However, God in the Holy Spirit reveals to us and allows us to "see" and understand different truths for each of us. After all, we would all be spiritual clones if He were to reveal all the same Truths to us all."

There is but One Truth being revealed to the church which is His body, and that is not 'truths' but the TRUTH of the Father in and through Christ.

Indeed the Holy Spirit might be doing numerous things in the earth, but Jesus said emphatically, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will reveal me and glorify Me.

Apart from seeing Him as The Truth, all of these other 'truths' are meaningless in my opinion.
The Truth of who He is in us as us, we are being fully processed are being fitted to bring forth that unique expression of Him in us as us.
There is NO chance what so ever of that becoming a cloned canned form, without the living substance.

As we continue to grow in the grace and the true knowledge of Christ the Truth, the dots will be connected, lining up so many other seemingly disconnected things in our lives.

I stick by what Jesus said; I have come to reveal the Father!
It's upon the foundation of the Father's total unconditional love for us that in experiencing this reality, we are prepared to open up our lives further to the ongoing transformational work of grace within our soul.

One last thing, I love how Jesus didn’t say, "Hey boys ya want to hear some really neat truths." But he did say, I am the TRUTH...He is here today asking the same thing to each of us, "Who do you say that I AM"?