The Tail Shaking the Dog

Those who are led of the spirit are the sons of God, scripture says, but what does this look, feel, sound like in the real, nasty-now-and-now world I live in? Somebody, please give me the definitive template whereby I will never be uncertain or mistaken again regarding the choices and decisions I must make - being someone in, but not of, this world system of thinking!

Much, if not most of our continued learning (as we grow in the grace and true knowledge of the one who has invaded us with his alien life) is inseparable from our unlearning, and that, my friends, is a costly given, and it has nothing to do with it being unpleasant to our fleshly, carnal feel-good cravings.
Maybe this is all about learning to deny ourselves, and that self we’re denying is the one that came into existence at the fall in the garden. As my friend Bill Landon has so succinctly put it, “the independent self is a mutilated version of the self that has NO permanent place in the Father’s design for His creation.”

That self is very much operative in each of us and the spirit that constantly appeals to it is the father of religion and lies, whispering, “You can be your own god.”
Prior to being re-birthed, and long after in most cases, we continue living as soulish, carnal beings, almost a knee-jerk default reaction to all that we feel and sense. This is not an indictment, just the sad reality of what is.
As I am prone to reiterate fondly, ‘it’s a revelation, not a seminar’ we’re needing, and this revelation is a constant flow of experiential intuitive learning that will, most often, be at cross purposes with our fixation for the ‘feel good’ mentality we still crave so badly.

Somehow within the Christian mindset, there is a pervasive, unfounded certainty that Jesus, the son of God, operated in this fallen dark world out of an unparalleled overflow of ecstatic, emotional bliss. We assume that his being led (by the same spirit available to us) had nothing to do with learning to “defer” to His Father in the daily crucible of living! It was, of course, a mere cakewalk for him, and yet somehow we continue to flounder trying our best to emulate this one who had extra assistance and “powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men” (to quote the line from the TV version of ‘Superman’.

Learning to defer to the One who is our only life in life’s unfoldings is never done without great personal cost and suffering to a self that demands to be its own god.

Rich

God Forbid

Self-centered and erroneous thinking

I find it most fascinating how the Lord is never going to allow Himself to be embalmed or become fossilized in someone’s static belief (view) systems. In the gospel account of Matthew, Jesus gets ever closer to the place where he is about to be glorified; his crucifixion in Jerusalem and he asks, ‘Who do men say that I am?’
That is used to bring about a much more succinct heart question; ‘Who do you say that I am?'

Peter blurts out that which was revealed to him as Jesus points out, ‘Flesh and blood wasn’t the source of this discovery, but my Father which is in heaven. Before I go on here I want to say, that in my opinion I see the divine set up He brings into our lives and all the time we, because of sin still very much alive within our fleshly members (and the impetuous behind it being Satan) seems to come screaming to the forefront of our erroneous thinking.

Living example, on the heels of this heavenly insight of Jesus’ true identity, Jesus begins to clearly make known what must unfold in a whirlwind series of events. He is about to suffer greatly at the hands of the religious establishment, to be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.
Peter not seeing or knowing why the revelation of Jesus’ identity was made known to him begins to unload a verbal barrage against Jesus ridiculous statements of having to die.
This verbal barrage was done by Peter taking Jesus away privately, away from the other disciples, and dumping his so called wisdom (insight) all over Jesus. 'God Forbid Lord!'
Jesus calling a spade a spade, lovingly but with no compromise enlightens Peter.“But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.”

Some where, some time not sure when, Peter has another wonderful revelation given to him by Jesus, oh joy pray tell what might that be?
Peter is informed he is about to be handed over by Jesus himself to Satan’s demands, to BE sifted as wheat, but interjected into the nightmare of this cataclysmic event soon to swallow Peter up, Jesus speaks such loving and gracious words of truth and hope.“But I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren.”
On the heels of this confusing (Jesus being confused, not Peter) news, Peter does what we all do best, God Forbid, we correct Jesus with our profound dumbness, e.g. “And [Simon Peter] said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death.”

As I shared with a friend today we say things like; ‘I know, you know, we all SAY we KNOW, re: being sifted like wheat, (the fiery trials-testings) but I’m here to TELL you-me, You know DICK -SQUAT about what this is ALL about that is coming upon you like some kind of plague.'
If we really did KNOW, then why are we admonished to ‘think it not strange concerning these fiery ordeals that have been ignited within us, or to count it all joy when we are surrounded by insurmountable difficulties, or where Peter himself says, I know my departure is close at hand, but as long as I am able, I will put you in remembrance of that which you already know.’
Funny how one can know the right stuff’, but somehow if its just part of a belief system, then no wonder we NEED to be reminded of the Truth. Why, because it's only the Truth that makes one free!

I plan on following up on this with additional thoughts in another blog entry soon.

Rich