The world swirls like circling gulls over
your head, the shallow wash of waves
breaking ever so softly upon the shore
as you stand with your hands lax at
your side, the setting sun a beacon
of light hovering above the horizon,
the scorched sky lingering before
your eyes like the red and orange
flames of a torch licking each staggered
layer of gathering cloud, the wind light
and brisk as the faint breath of a
will-o-wisp fading into the night.
You are weightless, a feather suspended
in flight, your bones hollow as the bones
of an owl, floating slowly upwards in the open
air, your hair flowing behind you, glinting
like silk in the warm glow of the sun. Behind
you, the crawling moon is but the fading song
of a lovelorn loon, crying quietly for captive's
sake, his heart held high in the sky like the prize
of some heavenly hunter who is enraptured
at the mere sight of you, at the size of the setting
sun that seems to spread itself out like canvas
upon this page, at the sound of the waves
lapping the space around your ankles, already
free from the gritty grip of the sandy beach
that threatens to overtake you, that drinks
the rising tide like one dying of thirst,
wandering in the dry heat of the desert
for over a lifetime, seeking only rest
but finding none in the wilderness.
Still, you hover above all bitterness
of spirit, lifted far beyond the reaches
of earthly entanglement, the truth of a life
lived in the fulfillment of every divine
promise glistening like oil upon the skin
of your forehead, the holy anointing
appointing you as His beloved Bride to be
joined forever together with the King
above all Kings. You are a new creation, a being
transformed by the splendor of His majesty,
born out of love and bearing the mark of His glory,
radiant and alive in the heat of His mercy,
your heart purified in the light of His fiery
countenance, shining like the sun in all His brilliance.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Absolute Truth In Love
Compromise is not peacemaking. Absolute truth in love is peacemaking. God did not call us to compromise with the world in order to bring peace, but He called us to agree with Him in truth about His love. Only when this happens will the world truly know peace, and this will only happen when every man, woman, and child comes into agreeance with Him, that His love is the only true love. Until this happens, the world is at war with itself, for the world is at war with Him.
Jesus Himself said this when He talked about His coming to earth as a Man. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34) He is the Word of God made flesh, and His Word is the sword that proceeds from His mouth. Only until the whole world comes into agreeance with His Word will the world know peace.
Anyone that proclaims world peace apart from this proclaims falsely, for this goes directly against God's Word, and anyone that proclaims love apart from His Word proclaims love that appears to be, but is not. This is harlot love, love that claims to be, but is full of emptiness, of death and destruction, and those that place their faith in this love, in this peace, drink of the same cup, the golden cup that on the outside appears to be good and perfect but that is full of all matter of abominable things, all matter of perversions of the truth, all of which are the fruit of death and destruction.
Why are they abominations? Because they are the twisting of the truth, the true love that is found only in the Word of the Living God, who is Himself love, Pure and Holy in Himself. I myself have tasted and become full of this harlot love, have drank the cup of abomination to its inevitable end in very literal way. I was brought to the gate of death in my desperation, seduced and deceived by that which the world calls love, but that was only an empty shell. I was helpless and hopeless, devoid of all meaning and purpose, desiring either true love or death, and I willingly chose death.
Climate change, world peace, unity through love, justice, equal and good distribution of resources; these are all things that are only possible through the Word of God. No one else can fulfill their promises to correct the wages of sin upon this earth, for all of these things are the solutions to the corruption of sin upon the earth. Until the time that the Word of God made flesh returns to the earth to make all things right, the earth cannot know the perfect restoration of all things, and He has already proclaimed to us the truth of His coming. He has shared with us His perfect plan, as well as equipping us with everything that we need to withstand the time of tribulation that is coming. Out of the time of tribulation will emerge a pure and spotless Bride, the Bride that agrees with Him, that longs for Him as a bride longs for her bridegroom, for the moment of the marriage.
"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." Romans 8:19-22
Right now, we are being subjected to the futility of the world attempting to establish world peace on its own, of the world attempting to live in unity with a love that is not love, of the world attempting to right the effects that mankind has had on the climate on its own, of establishing its own system of justice apart from the true justice of God, of creating a system of good and equal distribution of resources of its own accord. All of creation is experiencing the consequences of the failure of mankind to lead himself, for no man or woman can deliver on his or her promises to restore the earth to the state of perfection.
There is hope in this, and this hope is the emergence of a people that will place their faith wholly in the only One who can deliver on His promises to right every wrong and restore all things whole again, to show all of mankind the emptiness of the false promises of man apart from God in sharp contrast to the glory revealed in those who come into agreeance of the Word of God, who place their faith in Him and clamor for His return upon this earth. This is the revealing of the children of God, those who willingly place themselves under the covering of sonship through the blood of Christ Jesus, who wield His Word like a sword and proclaim His Truth, even in the midst of the lies of the world. This is the way that the pure and spotless Bride will emerge, whose light will be set upon a hill and not be hidden, to proclaim the coming of the King of kings, the Lord of lords, to be a lamp in the darkness to the world.
Do not compromise with what the world calls love, with what the world calls peace, with what the world calls good. Do not become corrupted by that which claims to be something that is not, that deceives through the promise of gaining every good thing without losing anything in return, that seeks to cover up and do away with our differences, that speaks smoothly with the tongue pleasant things to the ear to pacify our longings for restoration, that lulls our spirits into a false sense of security and comfort, for the same serpent that promises to give what he does not have is behind it all, and the sting of his bite is death to those who place their faith in him. He is the father of lies, the corrupter of everything good and perfect.
In Christ, death has lost its sting, for the serpent who is the father of death and deception has been defeated, but in order to come under His protection, we must proclaim His Word and hold fast to His Way, and this is only possible through His Spirit, which dwells within those who receive Him. Jesus spoke of exactly this in His conversation with the woman at the well; "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)
To worship Him in spirit and in truth is to love Him in spirit and in truth, for that which we love, we worship. This is the fulfillment of His Word to us, to love Him first and foremost, with all that we are and all that we have, and in doing so, we are actually loving all those around us, for His love is the only true love and all love comes from Him. Through the power of the Spirit who dwells within us and the power of the truth of the Word of God, we have been equipped with all that is necessary to live in agreement with Him.
This is the call to all those who will to humble themselves before God, to lay down their own understanding of what love is and to wield the Word of God in its place, to place their faith not in what they see, but to proclaim the coming of what they do not yet see upon this earth. God is love, and His judgements are perfect in love. Get into a conversation with God about this. Ask Him to reveal His perfect love for all creation to you, to see how His judgements are good and pure, that His plans laid out throughout all of scripture for the day of judgement are executed out of His love for us. All of creation is crying out for His return. Will you?
Jesus Himself said this when He talked about His coming to earth as a Man. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34) He is the Word of God made flesh, and His Word is the sword that proceeds from His mouth. Only until the whole world comes into agreeance with His Word will the world know peace.
Anyone that proclaims world peace apart from this proclaims falsely, for this goes directly against God's Word, and anyone that proclaims love apart from His Word proclaims love that appears to be, but is not. This is harlot love, love that claims to be, but is full of emptiness, of death and destruction, and those that place their faith in this love, in this peace, drink of the same cup, the golden cup that on the outside appears to be good and perfect but that is full of all matter of abominable things, all matter of perversions of the truth, all of which are the fruit of death and destruction.
Why are they abominations? Because they are the twisting of the truth, the true love that is found only in the Word of the Living God, who is Himself love, Pure and Holy in Himself. I myself have tasted and become full of this harlot love, have drank the cup of abomination to its inevitable end in very literal way. I was brought to the gate of death in my desperation, seduced and deceived by that which the world calls love, but that was only an empty shell. I was helpless and hopeless, devoid of all meaning and purpose, desiring either true love or death, and I willingly chose death.
Climate change, world peace, unity through love, justice, equal and good distribution of resources; these are all things that are only possible through the Word of God. No one else can fulfill their promises to correct the wages of sin upon this earth, for all of these things are the solutions to the corruption of sin upon the earth. Until the time that the Word of God made flesh returns to the earth to make all things right, the earth cannot know the perfect restoration of all things, and He has already proclaimed to us the truth of His coming. He has shared with us His perfect plan, as well as equipping us with everything that we need to withstand the time of tribulation that is coming. Out of the time of tribulation will emerge a pure and spotless Bride, the Bride that agrees with Him, that longs for Him as a bride longs for her bridegroom, for the moment of the marriage.
"For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now." Romans 8:19-22
Right now, we are being subjected to the futility of the world attempting to establish world peace on its own, of the world attempting to live in unity with a love that is not love, of the world attempting to right the effects that mankind has had on the climate on its own, of establishing its own system of justice apart from the true justice of God, of creating a system of good and equal distribution of resources of its own accord. All of creation is experiencing the consequences of the failure of mankind to lead himself, for no man or woman can deliver on his or her promises to restore the earth to the state of perfection.
There is hope in this, and this hope is the emergence of a people that will place their faith wholly in the only One who can deliver on His promises to right every wrong and restore all things whole again, to show all of mankind the emptiness of the false promises of man apart from God in sharp contrast to the glory revealed in those who come into agreeance of the Word of God, who place their faith in Him and clamor for His return upon this earth. This is the revealing of the children of God, those who willingly place themselves under the covering of sonship through the blood of Christ Jesus, who wield His Word like a sword and proclaim His Truth, even in the midst of the lies of the world. This is the way that the pure and spotless Bride will emerge, whose light will be set upon a hill and not be hidden, to proclaim the coming of the King of kings, the Lord of lords, to be a lamp in the darkness to the world.
Do not compromise with what the world calls love, with what the world calls peace, with what the world calls good. Do not become corrupted by that which claims to be something that is not, that deceives through the promise of gaining every good thing without losing anything in return, that seeks to cover up and do away with our differences, that speaks smoothly with the tongue pleasant things to the ear to pacify our longings for restoration, that lulls our spirits into a false sense of security and comfort, for the same serpent that promises to give what he does not have is behind it all, and the sting of his bite is death to those who place their faith in him. He is the father of lies, the corrupter of everything good and perfect.
In Christ, death has lost its sting, for the serpent who is the father of death and deception has been defeated, but in order to come under His protection, we must proclaim His Word and hold fast to His Way, and this is only possible through His Spirit, which dwells within those who receive Him. Jesus spoke of exactly this in His conversation with the woman at the well; "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)
To worship Him in spirit and in truth is to love Him in spirit and in truth, for that which we love, we worship. This is the fulfillment of His Word to us, to love Him first and foremost, with all that we are and all that we have, and in doing so, we are actually loving all those around us, for His love is the only true love and all love comes from Him. Through the power of the Spirit who dwells within us and the power of the truth of the Word of God, we have been equipped with all that is necessary to live in agreement with Him.
This is the call to all those who will to humble themselves before God, to lay down their own understanding of what love is and to wield the Word of God in its place, to place their faith not in what they see, but to proclaim the coming of what they do not yet see upon this earth. God is love, and His judgements are perfect in love. Get into a conversation with God about this. Ask Him to reveal His perfect love for all creation to you, to see how His judgements are good and pure, that His plans laid out throughout all of scripture for the day of judgement are executed out of His love for us. All of creation is crying out for His return. Will you?
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
The Voice of One Crying In the Wilderness
What is required of the church today is the same thing that has been required from the church from the very beginning; to repent and to come under the leadership of Jesus. It is not up to us to decide what is true or not, but to place our trust that Jesus' judgement is right. It is not up to us to formulate true love; its already been laid out for us. It is not up to us to correct others, but to point others to the One who holds all righteousness in His hands.
As the Bride of Christ, we must understand that this word is just as much for us than it is for the world, and indeed, it is entirely for us, for we are the ones who have responded to the voice of Jesus. Just as John the Baptist proclaimed repentance to all those who would receive his message, we must also realize that in order to fully come under the leadership of Jesus, we must repent. Without repentance, we cannot receive the One who is to come.
The way of the church is to reflect the way of Jesus, and when a church does not reflect the way of Jesus, than it has been cut off from the root of Jesus. This is a very real thing that is talked about over and over in the Word, and the more that we as the church try to brush this under the rug, the more pertinent it is that we understand the importance of abiding in Christ, for this surely is a sign that there is something to hide, to be ashamed of. This is an attempt to control Jesus, to establish for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, which is the story of the fall of mankind from the very beginning.
Jesus is the Tree of Life, present from the very beginning to the very end to beyond, and only through abiding in His Word can we be grafted in to His Vine, can we eat of His fruit. Apart from Him, there is no life. Apart from Him, there is surely death. All other roads, all other ways, lead straight to death, for they are cut off from the source of life. There is no middle ground, no gray area that covers those who wish to live but are not submitted to His authority. Everything either leads to life, or it leads to death. Everything is either helpful or harmful. The idea of harmless is a lie, the same lie, in fact, that the serpent spoke to Eve in the Garden of Eden, for God created all things and called them good. He said there was one thing that was bad, that they should not do, which was eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He didn't create everything and say that there were good things, that there were things that were kind of good, that there were neutral things, and then there were bad things. When He spoke of the fruit in the garden, He said all of it was good to eat, except the fruit of the one tree.
As a church, we must believe this. We must hold fast to the truth, to the Word of God, even in the midst of persecution, of being cursed and called names, of being labeled falsely, of being accused of being evil, the source of all the problems in the world, of being despised in the world around us, in the churches that claim to be part of the church, but that have cut themselves off from the Vine. We are not called to conform to the world, but we are called out of the world, to live in the world and apart from the world simultaneously. We are called to be set apart, holy as the One who called us out of darkness is holy, to proclaim His truth, no matter the cost to our own selves. He is our identity, He is the one who gives us our names, not the world.
He has already equipped us with all that we need to withstand the evil one, the son of perdition. His Word is a two edged sword against all deception. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our path. What we need to do is start wielding it, to align ourselves with His Word, to run towards His truth with all that we have, not to bicker among ourselves about who is right, to manipulate His Word to fit our own understanding or desires, to justify ourselves just as we are, but to come into agreeance with Him.
We ought not be looking for ways to make our ideas fit with the Word, but bringing our thoughts in submission to the Word. Heaven is brought to earth when we align ourselves with heaven, not when we align heaven with earth. We must not try and take His place, for this is the same spirit that has been present from the beginning of the fall of mankind, the spirit that wishes to replace the true kingdom with a stolen kingdom, the same spirit that has set itself against Christ throughout all of human history.
He is calling all of us freely, and it is up to us how we respond to His calling. To choose His leadership is to choose His love, His life. To choose the leadership of this world is to choose the leadership of the fallen one, the one who promises life but can only deliver death, for no life resides in him. This is the calling that will unify the church, for as the church begins to gather around the leadership of the true Head, Jesus Christ, every part of the church that has replaced His Word with their own leadership will either be corrected and connected to Him or else they will fall away and be cast into the fire.
In this way, we need to start seeing the church as a unified body, and we need to begin gathering around Jesus's feet while we still can. It is not a matter of agreeing on theology or doctrine, it is a matter of agreeing with Jesus. He holds the words of life. He is the only One who can rightly judge right from wrong, and as such, we must come into agreeance with Him. To begin to see the church as a unified Body, gathering around the Head who is the Christ, is to step into the true identity of the church, the pure and spotless Bride.
The time for repentance is now. The time to align ourselves is now. The time to come under the authority and leadership of Jesus is now. Until the time of His return comes to pass, we must believe His word and prepare ourselves expediently for His return. Over and over He tells us to keep watch, to ready ourselves, to stay awake, for He is coming like a thief in the night to those who are not expecting Him. Do not wait until tomorrow to begin allowing Him to be Lord over your life. In even the smallest areas of our lives, whatever we submit to Him and allow Him to have preeminence over, He will prepare our hearts to receive Him. He is the source of our repentance and our reward.
As the Bride of Christ, we must understand that this word is just as much for us than it is for the world, and indeed, it is entirely for us, for we are the ones who have responded to the voice of Jesus. Just as John the Baptist proclaimed repentance to all those who would receive his message, we must also realize that in order to fully come under the leadership of Jesus, we must repent. Without repentance, we cannot receive the One who is to come.
The way of the church is to reflect the way of Jesus, and when a church does not reflect the way of Jesus, than it has been cut off from the root of Jesus. This is a very real thing that is talked about over and over in the Word, and the more that we as the church try to brush this under the rug, the more pertinent it is that we understand the importance of abiding in Christ, for this surely is a sign that there is something to hide, to be ashamed of. This is an attempt to control Jesus, to establish for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, which is the story of the fall of mankind from the very beginning.
Jesus is the Tree of Life, present from the very beginning to the very end to beyond, and only through abiding in His Word can we be grafted in to His Vine, can we eat of His fruit. Apart from Him, there is no life. Apart from Him, there is surely death. All other roads, all other ways, lead straight to death, for they are cut off from the source of life. There is no middle ground, no gray area that covers those who wish to live but are not submitted to His authority. Everything either leads to life, or it leads to death. Everything is either helpful or harmful. The idea of harmless is a lie, the same lie, in fact, that the serpent spoke to Eve in the Garden of Eden, for God created all things and called them good. He said there was one thing that was bad, that they should not do, which was eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He didn't create everything and say that there were good things, that there were things that were kind of good, that there were neutral things, and then there were bad things. When He spoke of the fruit in the garden, He said all of it was good to eat, except the fruit of the one tree.
As a church, we must believe this. We must hold fast to the truth, to the Word of God, even in the midst of persecution, of being cursed and called names, of being labeled falsely, of being accused of being evil, the source of all the problems in the world, of being despised in the world around us, in the churches that claim to be part of the church, but that have cut themselves off from the Vine. We are not called to conform to the world, but we are called out of the world, to live in the world and apart from the world simultaneously. We are called to be set apart, holy as the One who called us out of darkness is holy, to proclaim His truth, no matter the cost to our own selves. He is our identity, He is the one who gives us our names, not the world.
He has already equipped us with all that we need to withstand the evil one, the son of perdition. His Word is a two edged sword against all deception. It is a lamp unto our feet and a light upon our path. What we need to do is start wielding it, to align ourselves with His Word, to run towards His truth with all that we have, not to bicker among ourselves about who is right, to manipulate His Word to fit our own understanding or desires, to justify ourselves just as we are, but to come into agreeance with Him.
We ought not be looking for ways to make our ideas fit with the Word, but bringing our thoughts in submission to the Word. Heaven is brought to earth when we align ourselves with heaven, not when we align heaven with earth. We must not try and take His place, for this is the same spirit that has been present from the beginning of the fall of mankind, the spirit that wishes to replace the true kingdom with a stolen kingdom, the same spirit that has set itself against Christ throughout all of human history.
He is calling all of us freely, and it is up to us how we respond to His calling. To choose His leadership is to choose His love, His life. To choose the leadership of this world is to choose the leadership of the fallen one, the one who promises life but can only deliver death, for no life resides in him. This is the calling that will unify the church, for as the church begins to gather around the leadership of the true Head, Jesus Christ, every part of the church that has replaced His Word with their own leadership will either be corrected and connected to Him or else they will fall away and be cast into the fire.
In this way, we need to start seeing the church as a unified body, and we need to begin gathering around Jesus's feet while we still can. It is not a matter of agreeing on theology or doctrine, it is a matter of agreeing with Jesus. He holds the words of life. He is the only One who can rightly judge right from wrong, and as such, we must come into agreeance with Him. To begin to see the church as a unified Body, gathering around the Head who is the Christ, is to step into the true identity of the church, the pure and spotless Bride.
The time for repentance is now. The time to align ourselves is now. The time to come under the authority and leadership of Jesus is now. Until the time of His return comes to pass, we must believe His word and prepare ourselves expediently for His return. Over and over He tells us to keep watch, to ready ourselves, to stay awake, for He is coming like a thief in the night to those who are not expecting Him. Do not wait until tomorrow to begin allowing Him to be Lord over your life. In even the smallest areas of our lives, whatever we submit to Him and allow Him to have preeminence over, He will prepare our hearts to receive Him. He is the source of our repentance and our reward.
The Truth About Submission
Each one of us is individually responsible before God for our own actions, not those actions of those around us. We are responsible for our own thoughts, not the thoughts of the majority. We are responsible for what we choose to believe. Culture is not part of our conversation with God. Just because the culture of today, especially the changing culture of the church, says and does one thing, does not give us individually permission to follow blindly in their footsteps. God never intended us as humans to follow the crowd; He created us to follow Him. The only way we can completely enter into His covering over our lives is by giving Him the first place in every aspect of our lives, our thoughts, our beliefs on what is true and what is deceit, our motivations and desires.
How do we live lives that are reflective of His lordship over us? Through constant submission to the Word of God, to the Holy Spirit, and to other members of His Body. Just as we live in a nation that has in place a system of checks and balances in the government, so too must we live in the system of checks and balances in the kingdom of heaven. Even as members of His Body, the more that we individually seek after Him, the more that we are able to see as He sees, the more capacity we have to speak life into others. This is not the same as every member of a church following blindly after the man or woman placed as a shepherd of a church, for Christ is the head of the church. No man or woman can take the place of Him.
What is submission? Submission is simply softening our hearts to receive encouragement and correction from others. In this way, we can worship God in our jobs, regardless of what they may be, by submitting to those that have been placed in authority over us, not to do that which is contrary to the Word of God, but to honor those placed in authority over us. Just we are all individually responsible before God, so too are those that are placed over us, as well as those who are placed below us. In truth, those distinctions are distortions of how the kingdom of heaven works. When we submit to others, when we lay down our own rights for the rights of others, when we allow others to occupy the place that we want for ourselves willingly and joyfully, we are actually stepping into greatness in the kingdom of heaven. This is the inverse relation of the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of earth.
Those who are willing to lay down their lives, their possessions, their rights and dreams and desires, not for the sake of pleasing others or attaining glory from men, but for their reward in heaven, step into the cycle of life giving life. When this happens, Jesus is both the source and the reward, for it is out of our love for Him that we forsake our worldly standing, and our reward for doing such is a closer relationship with Him. This is the active transformation of our spirits to be more like Him, and the more that we become like Him, the greater capacity we have to experience Him. It is all about getting as close to Him as possible, to willingly run into His arms, to dying to ourselves and living unto Him.
How would you react if someone told you that tomorrow, or next week, or next year, the world economy would completely fail? That all of your assets, all of your money and possessions, all of your worldly inheritance, would suddenly be worth nothing? That your standing in your job, no matter how low or how high, would suddenly be eradicated, that there would no longer be a job to go to? What would you do if you found yourselves without a house to go home to, without a car to transport you, without a television or a computer to entertain and distract you? Where would you stand before God if all of those things were suddenly wiped away?
This is the place that we need to begin operating out of as a church, as individuals that make up the church, for it is out of this place that we begin to see how the kingdom of heaven operates. The more that we give now while we have that which we cannot hold onto, the more we will gain that which we will never lose. It is not out of our love for our possessions, for our money, for our good and charitable deeds, or even for our neighbor, but it is out of our love for our Creator, for our Savior, for our Bridegroom. When we stop allowing what the world says is good to get in the way of our relationship with the Giver of life, we begin to operate as if He is the Lord over our lives, we begin to submit ourselves to His authority.
What's most important to remember about all of this is that His authority is love! He desires us, He wants to be Lord over our lives, not because He wishes to exert His power and control over us, but because He wants to pour His love into us, to sustain us, to draw us ever closer to His heart, which is the source of all life!
He has placed us specifically in a system of checks and balances in the heavenly kingdom for this very reason. Through the authority of the Word in our lives to be a light in the darkness, to be the truth in the midst of the deceit of the world, through the authority of the Holy Spirit to guide us and convict us, to bring to remembrance His Word, and through the authority of the Body of Christ to speak into our lives, to rebuke and encourage us, He has equipped us to walk upon the narrow path of safety. However, this is an individual act. No one else is responsible for my walk but me.
How do we begin living in the reality of the kingdom of heaven; how do we begin operating out of the economy of heaven and not out of the economy of the world? When Jesus went up upon the mountain and delivered the sermon on the mount, He was actually giving us the road map of how to do exactly this. His instructions, His sermon, was delivered specifically to give us the exact way to enter into living in the kingdom of heaven while we are still living in the world. The more that we desire to be transformed by Him, the greater capacity we are given to willingly give up our lives, and this process starts with us believing on Him, by believing His Word, that what He said is truth. We cannot operate in the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven except by faith, that His Word is true, and this faith begets faith as we begin to see the truth manifest itself in our lives.
This is nothing new. From the very get-go of Christ's ministry, He spoke these things. It is also no wonder that these things are the specific instructions for the church to stay on the narrow road. This is protection for that which is to come, the time of His return to the earth, the transformation of the church into His pure and spotless Bride, a transformation that only comes about by dying to ourselves and living unto Him, the great tribulation of the world, which is a terror to the world but a joy to those who love Him. He is coming, and this is the time to ready ourselves by willingly living out the sermon on the mount. We want to be counted among the Bridesmaids who are found ready, with lamps full of oil, and we can be ready by walking out our death to our own selves willingly, by allowing God sanctify our hearts while there is still time to do so, and not by waiting till the last possible minute, not by holding on to our lives until we see our Bridegroom parting the skies, for if we wait until that moment, than it is too late. It was out of this same mindset that Paul operated, the single greatest contributor to the New Testament, for he understood full well the urgency of preparing the world for Jesus return.
How then can we walk this out, responsible only before God, but still in submission to the Body of Christ? Does this not seem to contradict itself, if there is the possibility that there is a chance that the church has been swayed by the winds of the world today? If we are, in fact, living out the two greatest commandments, in order, than we will not be swayed, nor will we blindly follow after the leadership of others, because we are looking first to God and His Word and allowing His Spirit to guide us before we look to the church. We must test each church by looking to the fruit that it produces, for everything can be known by its fruit. If the fruit of a church is not in line with the fruit of the Spirit, if it is not fruit that draws us closer to the source of life, to Jesus, if it is contrary to His Word, if it promises false comfort and peace, if it flatters with the tongue and agrees with the world, then it is not of the root of Jesus. In this, we must not condemn others, but point them to the truth in love.
What this will produce in the days to come is a unified church, such as the world has never seen before. This is the Bride readying herself for the Bridegroom, to receive Him in all His glory, to become pure and spotless before Him. We must choose, each of us individually, to step into this, to die to ourselves and live a life a submission, of humility, of love, first to God, and then to our neighbors. There are very real consequences, both good and bad, to the choices that we make today. The sooner that we, that I, choose to relinquish my own hold on my life, the sooner that I can begin readying myself for that glorious day, for that day is coming, regardless if we are ready for it or not.
What have you been holding onto in your life? Is there anything that you can think of, an area that He has been highlighting in your life recently, that you have fought to have control over? I encourage you to take this before God, to submit to Him these areas, to allow Him to have more authority over your life. Talk to someone in your church about these things and allow them to speak into your life. Dig into the Word and see what it says. Pray about these things and ask God to transform your heart. Ask Him to open your eyes what is truth and what is deceit. Ask Him for more opportunities to become more like Him, and ask Him for the strength to respond to those opportunities, to lay down your rights for others, to be more generous with your time and money. This is not something that is done once and forgotten about. This is not something that is easy, but it is worth doing, for what you gain is Him. After all, what does it profit you if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul?
Side note: These questions are just as much for me as they are for you. I am desperately in need of living this out every day. It is out of my own desire to become more like Him that I am writing, not to correct anyone else or pretend that I have figured everything out, because I clearly have not.
How do we live lives that are reflective of His lordship over us? Through constant submission to the Word of God, to the Holy Spirit, and to other members of His Body. Just as we live in a nation that has in place a system of checks and balances in the government, so too must we live in the system of checks and balances in the kingdom of heaven. Even as members of His Body, the more that we individually seek after Him, the more that we are able to see as He sees, the more capacity we have to speak life into others. This is not the same as every member of a church following blindly after the man or woman placed as a shepherd of a church, for Christ is the head of the church. No man or woman can take the place of Him.
What is submission? Submission is simply softening our hearts to receive encouragement and correction from others. In this way, we can worship God in our jobs, regardless of what they may be, by submitting to those that have been placed in authority over us, not to do that which is contrary to the Word of God, but to honor those placed in authority over us. Just we are all individually responsible before God, so too are those that are placed over us, as well as those who are placed below us. In truth, those distinctions are distortions of how the kingdom of heaven works. When we submit to others, when we lay down our own rights for the rights of others, when we allow others to occupy the place that we want for ourselves willingly and joyfully, we are actually stepping into greatness in the kingdom of heaven. This is the inverse relation of the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of earth.
Those who are willing to lay down their lives, their possessions, their rights and dreams and desires, not for the sake of pleasing others or attaining glory from men, but for their reward in heaven, step into the cycle of life giving life. When this happens, Jesus is both the source and the reward, for it is out of our love for Him that we forsake our worldly standing, and our reward for doing such is a closer relationship with Him. This is the active transformation of our spirits to be more like Him, and the more that we become like Him, the greater capacity we have to experience Him. It is all about getting as close to Him as possible, to willingly run into His arms, to dying to ourselves and living unto Him.
How would you react if someone told you that tomorrow, or next week, or next year, the world economy would completely fail? That all of your assets, all of your money and possessions, all of your worldly inheritance, would suddenly be worth nothing? That your standing in your job, no matter how low or how high, would suddenly be eradicated, that there would no longer be a job to go to? What would you do if you found yourselves without a house to go home to, without a car to transport you, without a television or a computer to entertain and distract you? Where would you stand before God if all of those things were suddenly wiped away?
This is the place that we need to begin operating out of as a church, as individuals that make up the church, for it is out of this place that we begin to see how the kingdom of heaven operates. The more that we give now while we have that which we cannot hold onto, the more we will gain that which we will never lose. It is not out of our love for our possessions, for our money, for our good and charitable deeds, or even for our neighbor, but it is out of our love for our Creator, for our Savior, for our Bridegroom. When we stop allowing what the world says is good to get in the way of our relationship with the Giver of life, we begin to operate as if He is the Lord over our lives, we begin to submit ourselves to His authority.
What's most important to remember about all of this is that His authority is love! He desires us, He wants to be Lord over our lives, not because He wishes to exert His power and control over us, but because He wants to pour His love into us, to sustain us, to draw us ever closer to His heart, which is the source of all life!
He has placed us specifically in a system of checks and balances in the heavenly kingdom for this very reason. Through the authority of the Word in our lives to be a light in the darkness, to be the truth in the midst of the deceit of the world, through the authority of the Holy Spirit to guide us and convict us, to bring to remembrance His Word, and through the authority of the Body of Christ to speak into our lives, to rebuke and encourage us, He has equipped us to walk upon the narrow path of safety. However, this is an individual act. No one else is responsible for my walk but me.
How do we begin living in the reality of the kingdom of heaven; how do we begin operating out of the economy of heaven and not out of the economy of the world? When Jesus went up upon the mountain and delivered the sermon on the mount, He was actually giving us the road map of how to do exactly this. His instructions, His sermon, was delivered specifically to give us the exact way to enter into living in the kingdom of heaven while we are still living in the world. The more that we desire to be transformed by Him, the greater capacity we are given to willingly give up our lives, and this process starts with us believing on Him, by believing His Word, that what He said is truth. We cannot operate in the knowledge of the kingdom of heaven except by faith, that His Word is true, and this faith begets faith as we begin to see the truth manifest itself in our lives.
This is nothing new. From the very get-go of Christ's ministry, He spoke these things. It is also no wonder that these things are the specific instructions for the church to stay on the narrow road. This is protection for that which is to come, the time of His return to the earth, the transformation of the church into His pure and spotless Bride, a transformation that only comes about by dying to ourselves and living unto Him, the great tribulation of the world, which is a terror to the world but a joy to those who love Him. He is coming, and this is the time to ready ourselves by willingly living out the sermon on the mount. We want to be counted among the Bridesmaids who are found ready, with lamps full of oil, and we can be ready by walking out our death to our own selves willingly, by allowing God sanctify our hearts while there is still time to do so, and not by waiting till the last possible minute, not by holding on to our lives until we see our Bridegroom parting the skies, for if we wait until that moment, than it is too late. It was out of this same mindset that Paul operated, the single greatest contributor to the New Testament, for he understood full well the urgency of preparing the world for Jesus return.
How then can we walk this out, responsible only before God, but still in submission to the Body of Christ? Does this not seem to contradict itself, if there is the possibility that there is a chance that the church has been swayed by the winds of the world today? If we are, in fact, living out the two greatest commandments, in order, than we will not be swayed, nor will we blindly follow after the leadership of others, because we are looking first to God and His Word and allowing His Spirit to guide us before we look to the church. We must test each church by looking to the fruit that it produces, for everything can be known by its fruit. If the fruit of a church is not in line with the fruit of the Spirit, if it is not fruit that draws us closer to the source of life, to Jesus, if it is contrary to His Word, if it promises false comfort and peace, if it flatters with the tongue and agrees with the world, then it is not of the root of Jesus. In this, we must not condemn others, but point them to the truth in love.
What this will produce in the days to come is a unified church, such as the world has never seen before. This is the Bride readying herself for the Bridegroom, to receive Him in all His glory, to become pure and spotless before Him. We must choose, each of us individually, to step into this, to die to ourselves and live a life a submission, of humility, of love, first to God, and then to our neighbors. There are very real consequences, both good and bad, to the choices that we make today. The sooner that we, that I, choose to relinquish my own hold on my life, the sooner that I can begin readying myself for that glorious day, for that day is coming, regardless if we are ready for it or not.
What have you been holding onto in your life? Is there anything that you can think of, an area that He has been highlighting in your life recently, that you have fought to have control over? I encourage you to take this before God, to submit to Him these areas, to allow Him to have more authority over your life. Talk to someone in your church about these things and allow them to speak into your life. Dig into the Word and see what it says. Pray about these things and ask God to transform your heart. Ask Him to open your eyes what is truth and what is deceit. Ask Him for more opportunities to become more like Him, and ask Him for the strength to respond to those opportunities, to lay down your rights for others, to be more generous with your time and money. This is not something that is done once and forgotten about. This is not something that is easy, but it is worth doing, for what you gain is Him. After all, what does it profit you if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul?
Side note: These questions are just as much for me as they are for you. I am desperately in need of living this out every day. It is out of my own desire to become more like Him that I am writing, not to correct anyone else or pretend that I have figured everything out, because I clearly have not.
Friday, May 6, 2016
Heavenly Economy Vs. Worldly Economy
Truth: The heavenly economy is the opposite of the worldly economy. The world's economy functions on a system of scarcity, whereas the economy of heaven operates on a system of abundance. The worldly economy places those with an overabundance at the top, whereas the heavenly economy places those who lack everything at the top. The worldly economy encourages us to store up money out of fear, whereas the heavenly economy encourages us to be generous with our money out of love. The more we put our faith in money in the global economy, the more established we become in the global economy, but the more faith we put in the provision of our heavenly Father, the more established we become in the heavenly realms.
The whole purpose of our lives here on earth is to draw us back into relationship with the One who created us, to come under His covering, His love, to restore the perfect unity that mankind enjoyed with God before the fall. Every hardship, every trial that we experience here on earth, especially as those who believe on Him, is designed simply to draw us closer to Him through giving Him more and more authority in our lives and hearts. Those who press into Him when times get hard, who trust in Him, that He is good, that He is the source of all provision, receive the fruit of their choices, trusting not in their own strengths and circumstances, in their own understanding and abilities, but in the love of the Father.
In the heavenly economy, God is the source of wealth. His wealth is His goodness, His love, which He gives freely to all those who ask. This is complete nonsense in the eyes of the world, for the world economy operates on a system of having to work for money, of working for our own provision. However, even now we are seeing a sort of undoing of this way of thinking in the form of socialism, of expecting the government of the world to provide for us. Just as there is danger in trusting in our own selves to be the source of our well being, just as there is danger in trusting in money to be the source of our provision, so too is there danger in trusting in the government of the world to be the source of our life. It is not simply a matter of realizing that there is something wrong with the economy of the world, of the established ways of the world, and trying to come up with our own solutions to the problems, it is a matter of bringing those problems before God and trusting that He alone has the solutions to those problems.
The heavenly economy already operates on the equality that this world is seeking to establish on its own terms apart from God. To those who ask of Him shall receive more of Him, and as He is the source of life, this is to receive the abundance of life, simply by asking for it. When times get tough, when things begin happening in our lives and in the world around us, instead of fleeing from them in fear and hiding, instead of blindly trying to make our own way, to hold onto the very things that are keeping us from receiving life, these are precisely the times that we ought to turn to God, to submit to Him and invite Him in to those areas, that we might experience His goodness, His provision, His love.
This is the opposite way of viewing hard times as the world views hard times, as obstacles and trials in the heavenly realms are opportunities to receive more and more life, whereas here on earth they are viewed as that which steals and destroys life. Through this, what the world calls evil actually works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. The worldly economy is changing quickly as the desires of man are changing. To place your hope and faith in the economy of the world, the way of the world, is to build your house on the sand. Likewise, to place your hope in faith in a worldly leader who promises to fix all things wrong with the world economy is also to build your house on the sand.
The storm is most surely coming, but we have the choice to begin building our houses upon the rock, to begin to exercise our faith in God's economy, to prepare ourselves, simply by trusting and submitting our lives to Him. The more that we do this, the richer we become in His kingdom, for these are the riches that are eternal, that no moth or flame can destroy, that do not depreciate over time, that do not become worthless and inflated beyond recognition over time. When we have lack, when we experience hardship, all we need to do is go before the throne of God boldly and ask Him, not for what we think we need, but for Him, for His provision, trusting fully that He will provide exactly what we do need.
This way of thinking is radical. It is not the way of the world. It is not compatible with the logic of the world. Just as God is the infinite source of life, He has also created us with the infinite capacity to be filled with His life and given us the key to unlocking the way to enter into His throne room, and all that is required of us is to be bold enough to believe His word and simply ask, to seek Him, to knock on His heavenly door, to wait on His provision in our lives.
He holds the solution to every problem in America today. He holds the solution to every problem in the world today. That solution is Himself, and just as certainly as He created all things, just as certainly as He came to earth as a Man to redeem the earth, He is coming again to restore the world to perfection, to the good and perfect world that He intended it to be. The world wants peace, He is the Prince of Peace. The world wants love, He is the source of all love. The world wants equality, He loves each and every one of us with infinite love, He created each and every one of us out of His unfathomable love for us, He has placed unimaginable value on each of our heads, completely surpassing the world's idea of equality by going straight to the heart of the matter, which is the value of each and every human life. He made us all different, but with individual purpose, unique and gifted, and when we begin to see ourselves as He sees us, we are able to step into the freedom of simply being who He created us to be.
As a church, we need to start living life like this is true, to begin pressing into His goodness, into His provision, placing our lives fully in His hands, crying out to Him day and night to provide all things, trusting in Him and His goodness now in such a degree that we are completely cut off from the world's way of seeing, living in the world but not being of the world, for when the world begins to shift, if we are still holding onto faith in the world, we too will begin to shift.
Already, the church is experiencing this shift. By replacing faith in God with faith in what the world says is right, there are parts of the church that are beginning to place the spirit of the world in place of the Spirit of God. God is the hope of the world, not a man, or the government of a man, but God Himself, and He is true to His word. The more that we see the shifts in the world around us, the more that we ought to be turning to God, crying out to Him to reveal Himself, to enthrone Himself upon our praises, to see His kingdom come to earth, not the opposite. We shouldn't, as a church, sit passively by and just wait for things to get better. We should be responding, and by doing so, we not only are receiving the most abundant life possible here and now, we are also are storing away riches in heaven, growing closer and closer to our most beloved Groom, being transformed from glory to glory into His likeness for now and forevermore.
The whole purpose of our lives here on earth is to draw us back into relationship with the One who created us, to come under His covering, His love, to restore the perfect unity that mankind enjoyed with God before the fall. Every hardship, every trial that we experience here on earth, especially as those who believe on Him, is designed simply to draw us closer to Him through giving Him more and more authority in our lives and hearts. Those who press into Him when times get hard, who trust in Him, that He is good, that He is the source of all provision, receive the fruit of their choices, trusting not in their own strengths and circumstances, in their own understanding and abilities, but in the love of the Father.
In the heavenly economy, God is the source of wealth. His wealth is His goodness, His love, which He gives freely to all those who ask. This is complete nonsense in the eyes of the world, for the world economy operates on a system of having to work for money, of working for our own provision. However, even now we are seeing a sort of undoing of this way of thinking in the form of socialism, of expecting the government of the world to provide for us. Just as there is danger in trusting in our own selves to be the source of our well being, just as there is danger in trusting in money to be the source of our provision, so too is there danger in trusting in the government of the world to be the source of our life. It is not simply a matter of realizing that there is something wrong with the economy of the world, of the established ways of the world, and trying to come up with our own solutions to the problems, it is a matter of bringing those problems before God and trusting that He alone has the solutions to those problems.
The heavenly economy already operates on the equality that this world is seeking to establish on its own terms apart from God. To those who ask of Him shall receive more of Him, and as He is the source of life, this is to receive the abundance of life, simply by asking for it. When times get tough, when things begin happening in our lives and in the world around us, instead of fleeing from them in fear and hiding, instead of blindly trying to make our own way, to hold onto the very things that are keeping us from receiving life, these are precisely the times that we ought to turn to God, to submit to Him and invite Him in to those areas, that we might experience His goodness, His provision, His love.
This is the opposite way of viewing hard times as the world views hard times, as obstacles and trials in the heavenly realms are opportunities to receive more and more life, whereas here on earth they are viewed as that which steals and destroys life. Through this, what the world calls evil actually works together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. The worldly economy is changing quickly as the desires of man are changing. To place your hope and faith in the economy of the world, the way of the world, is to build your house on the sand. Likewise, to place your hope in faith in a worldly leader who promises to fix all things wrong with the world economy is also to build your house on the sand.
The storm is most surely coming, but we have the choice to begin building our houses upon the rock, to begin to exercise our faith in God's economy, to prepare ourselves, simply by trusting and submitting our lives to Him. The more that we do this, the richer we become in His kingdom, for these are the riches that are eternal, that no moth or flame can destroy, that do not depreciate over time, that do not become worthless and inflated beyond recognition over time. When we have lack, when we experience hardship, all we need to do is go before the throne of God boldly and ask Him, not for what we think we need, but for Him, for His provision, trusting fully that He will provide exactly what we do need.
This way of thinking is radical. It is not the way of the world. It is not compatible with the logic of the world. Just as God is the infinite source of life, He has also created us with the infinite capacity to be filled with His life and given us the key to unlocking the way to enter into His throne room, and all that is required of us is to be bold enough to believe His word and simply ask, to seek Him, to knock on His heavenly door, to wait on His provision in our lives.
He holds the solution to every problem in America today. He holds the solution to every problem in the world today. That solution is Himself, and just as certainly as He created all things, just as certainly as He came to earth as a Man to redeem the earth, He is coming again to restore the world to perfection, to the good and perfect world that He intended it to be. The world wants peace, He is the Prince of Peace. The world wants love, He is the source of all love. The world wants equality, He loves each and every one of us with infinite love, He created each and every one of us out of His unfathomable love for us, He has placed unimaginable value on each of our heads, completely surpassing the world's idea of equality by going straight to the heart of the matter, which is the value of each and every human life. He made us all different, but with individual purpose, unique and gifted, and when we begin to see ourselves as He sees us, we are able to step into the freedom of simply being who He created us to be.
As a church, we need to start living life like this is true, to begin pressing into His goodness, into His provision, placing our lives fully in His hands, crying out to Him day and night to provide all things, trusting in Him and His goodness now in such a degree that we are completely cut off from the world's way of seeing, living in the world but not being of the world, for when the world begins to shift, if we are still holding onto faith in the world, we too will begin to shift.
Already, the church is experiencing this shift. By replacing faith in God with faith in what the world says is right, there are parts of the church that are beginning to place the spirit of the world in place of the Spirit of God. God is the hope of the world, not a man, or the government of a man, but God Himself, and He is true to His word. The more that we see the shifts in the world around us, the more that we ought to be turning to God, crying out to Him to reveal Himself, to enthrone Himself upon our praises, to see His kingdom come to earth, not the opposite. We shouldn't, as a church, sit passively by and just wait for things to get better. We should be responding, and by doing so, we not only are receiving the most abundant life possible here and now, we are also are storing away riches in heaven, growing closer and closer to our most beloved Groom, being transformed from glory to glory into His likeness for now and forevermore.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
The Currency of Heaven
Truth: Desire is the currency of heaven. God, in His infinite goodness, created mankind with an infinite supply of desire. This is not a hard concept to grasp. Even those with a seemingly endless supply of resources here on earth will never run out of things to desire, just as those with hardly any worldly resources will never run their desires dry. The saying that money does not buy happiness is true, for money is simply a resource with which to expend on those things that we think will fulfill our desires. However, it is not those things that fulfill us, but the object of our desire.
In marriage, we get a more complete picture of how the currency of desire works. Pure desire is pure love, a longing to be close to the beloved, the object of our desire. This desire, this love, is not a self-seeking desire, but it is a desire rooted in the beloved. This love does not see the obstacles placed before it as unmovable walls or waves that overwhelm, but as simply opportunities to grow closer in relationship with the beloved. This desire, which stems from the self, does not desire the self, but desires the relationship, through which the desire, the love, is fulfilled.
No matter our access to resources here on earth, we have all been given the same measure of this heavenly currency. Now, we have also been given the choice as to what to spend this currency on. We can choose to spend our desire on things of this world, inanimate objects that do not fulfill our desire, the longing of our hearts, or we can choose to spend our desire on pursuing a relationship with the only One who can truly fulfill the longing of our hearts, the One who created us in His image, with the capacity to experience Him as no other creature can. The way to experience this relationship was opened by the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus, and is open to all who choose Him.
Whatever we expend our desire on becomes the object of our affection. When we spend our desire upon our relationship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we are loving Him first and foremost. Out of this love, we are filled with the fulfillment of our love for Him, which is the overflow of His love for us, for it is because He first loved us that we have been given the capacity to love at all. The fruit of this is love for others. This is the fulfillment of the two commandments given to us by Jesus, and it all starts with realizing that our desires are the currency of heaven, that love truly is the fulfillment of all things, and that God is the source of all love, for He is love.
The more that we desire Him, the more that we are transformed into His likeness, the more His love is perfected in us, the more this love spills out of us in our relationships with others. On our own, we do not possess the fulfillment of love, and as such, we cannot look to ourselves, or anyone else, for the fulfillment of love, for He is the only one that possesses this love. All love is a gift from Him, as well the currency of desire that He has given without measure to each and every one of us. It is our choice whether or not to spend that currency on receiving more of His love, for not only has He given us desire without measure, He has also given us the way to spend that desire on our relationship with Him through His Son. He is both the beginning and the end of our desire.
How can we spend more of our desire on Him? By seeking Him out. By asking to know Him more. By knocking on His door and awaiting His presence. The more that we desire Him, the more He reveals Himself to us and in us. This is not just expecting Him to do all the work for us, for it takes us sacrificing our desires apart from Him, us giving up the things that we think might fulfill us, and giving our desire to Him, trusting Him and allowing Him to fulfill those desires within us. This is the relationship that He desires to have for us, for this is the love that He has for us, and the door is open for all that will receive Him.
You cannot conjure up this desire, just as you cannot conjure up love. You can, however, ask Him for more of the desire for Him, and He will not leave you empty. It is His desire that you are constantly asking for more of Him, for He says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness sake, for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6
What are you spending your desire on? What are you allowing to be lord of your life, and is it worth it? Do you feel unfilled and wanting, regardless of your finances and circumstances? I encourage you to take these things and lay them at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to show you the truth, that in all things, He is the answer. Ask for more of Him, for more of His authority in your life, and you will not be disappointed. His love is open to us, it just takes us wanting to want Him, longing to know Him, desiring to see Him.
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
The Truth About Our Words
Truth: It takes just as much energy to complain as it does to pray and sing praises to God. One speaks forth our submission to our circumstances, the other speaks forth our submission to the One who is control of our circumstances. There is power in words, and you possess that power. You always have a choice in how you respond. To respond in prayer and song is an act of faith, that God is in control, and this is the response that brings life and hope into every circumstance. This is not dependent on how we feel at the moment, but rather, it is dependent on who He is, the truth found in His Son, Jesus, and He is the One that is enthroned on our praises. To praise Him is to set Him in His rightful place in our lives and submit ourselves to His authority. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, so when we submit our circumstances to Him, we are actually aligning our lives with the truth and coming under His covering, the price for which He already payed for at the cross, and allowing His will to be done in our lives. Precisely this is how we will begin to see a real and tangible change in our lives and others.
This is especially important to remember in the political environment that we find ourselves in today. No man, no politician, no worldly leader can bring about the good things already promised to us by our Father in heaven. To put love of our neighbor before love of God is to miss the whole point of love, that love does not exist without God. Peace, love, joy, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are all fruits of the Spirit, not fruits of man's attempt to bring these things to fruition on his own. God is the only one that can deliver on His promises, so let's turn our eyes to Him and the rest will simply fall into place, just by aligning ourselves with Him in our words and actions. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Matthew 6:33.
The point of this post is simple. Our words have power. It does not take much to see the impact of our words on those around us, simply by logging on to Facebook and reading the posts and comments of others. How quickly the spirit of anger and bitterness spread, ignited by the choice of our words! Let us instead choose to react to the depravity of the world around us in prayer and praise of who God is in truth, and we will begin to see the good change that only He can bring about. It is good to get angry at injustice and oppression, but let this anger fuel our love for who our God is, for He also hates injustice and oppression. Let us magnify Him in our words. Praise the Lord, and allow Him to fight our battles for us! The following passage speaks of exactly that.
Psalm 149:1-9
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the Lord!
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