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Stirring The Deep

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Perspective Adjustments

Perspective Adjustments

 

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

This past week God adjusted my perspective in two significant ways.

Years ago, God opened my eyes to the powerful truth of Matthew 6:33. If I simply focused on seeking Him and His righteousness, then He would take care of the rest. I lived by this truth and put all aside and sought Him. The freedom was remarkable, and He did take care of everything else. My focus would wane here and there, but for the most part it was on seeking His kingdom and His righteousness.

But lately my perspective started to alter and stay in that altered state. As God exposed my heart this past week, it unveiled the two areas that had slipped to the top of my seeking heart instead of His kingdom and His righteousness.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

First, I started putting seeking my life purpose above seeking His kingdom (His presence) in my life. I was getting too wrapped up and anxious about the next steps. God reminded me that seeking Him comes first, then all else follows. When we seek Him, we are able to trust Him with the rest. We are able to let go and know He is leading and guiding us in the perfect way right now.

When we seek God’s kingdom, our focus is on His love among His other characteristics. We can let go and trust God with areas of our lives, like our life purpose, when we trust in His love toward us. If we deeply believe in His love, then we would never worry or be anxious for anything. We would pray and trust all to His care. We would let go of all concern, trust He is working it out in our lives, and fall into His arms, free without holding onto anything.

However, when we doubt His love, we hold onto our ways and expectations of how our life should be playing out. We get nervous, anxious, and doubt He is in the midst of our situation. We question if He is helping us or wants to. We aren’t able to trust in His ways, which are very different from our own. We aren’t able to fully trust He will fulfill our desires like living a purposeful and meaningful life, good health, fulfilling relationships, emotional deliverance, and provision. Therefore, we try to take control, push forward and hold onto our methods and ideas because we think life isn’t playing out as it should if He was helping us. We intervene trying to make our life fit how we think it should be moving forward.

God reminded me that all is secondary to seeking His Kingdom. If we seek Him then the rest follows as it should. When we seek His kingdom, our focus is on Him and all that He is.

Joel 2:13b And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful , slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

This morning God impressed this verse upon me. Do I really trust in His great kindness, mercy, grace, and patience in my life? If I do, why am I worried or anxious about anything? When we seek and focus on God, our trust grows in His immense love and we are able to let go of what we are holding onto other than Him because we know He has us in His protective embrace.

God tells us He is a good Father and knows our needs and will provide for them. We are to put everything in His trust and focus on seeking a deep relationship with Him. Matthew 6:24-32, Matthew 7:11

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Second, in seeking for healing in a particular area, my focus moved from being on God’s righteousness to my own. My obedience was about my righteousness, not love. My healing was about my righteousness, not His love. If I obeyed God near perfectly in a particular area, then I’ll be healed – was what I thought. By focusing on my obedience as the solution to being healed, my thoughts were about my righteousness not His.

Now, sin can be connected to health issues. Sin corrupts, destroys, decays. And when we are walking in sin then our bodies can suffer for it. Sometimes we suffer in our bodies to draw attention to a sin we are living in that we need to repent of and seek deliverance from. Sin hurts us and others. God doesn’t want us living in it blindly as we sometimes do. Physical aliments can be a way to get our attention that something is amiss in our spirit. However, healing comes from the acceptance of God’s love and mercy toward us, nothing that we do. We trust in His mercy alone, in Christ’s righteousness that covers us for healing. When it was about me walking in “perfect” obedience for healing, it became about my righteousness. God doesn’t want us to be slaves of righteousness, but sons of righteousness – (meaning we are righteous because we are born of Him)

God also reminded me that all I do is to be driven by love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 We are to be obedient to His Word, but the motive of the heart is love nothing else – like punishment and reward. I needed to let go of the punishment and reward focus in this area and let my attention rest on letting His love flow through me for what He was asking me to do. Obedience is about love. John 14:23 We do what we do because we love God.

Instead of trusting in my obedience (my righteousness) for healing, I needed trust in Christ’s righteousness, and then walk according to His ways out of love not punishment and reward.

With these two adjustments of focusing on seeking His kingdom and His righteousness, incredible burdens were lifted. I had no idea now much I was carrying. I’m so thankful for the Spirit’s instruction in these areas – truly an incredible week.

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The Book

The Book

For several years I worked on a book, Stirring the Deep. As I enquired, what now Lord? God told me, “Rachel, people don’t need another book. They need THE book, the Bible. Lead them to read my Words, the words of life.” Now that may seem disheartening, but it actually wasn’t but exciting.

We’ve all been encouraged and inspired by the words of others. It’s a sweet fellowship to connect to another through their words. But now more than ever, God desires us to come to Him in a very intimate way, not through middle men and women (leaders, pastors, writers, etc). God is calling us to abide in a rich deep union with Him, one-on-one. He is revealing Himself to those who are seeking Him with all their heart, soul and mind in powerful and personal ways. It’s an extraordinary time. It’s time to remove all that hinders and dive in deep into Him.

Books, like teachers and pastors, can often impede the development of our intimacy with God when we lean on them when we should be dependent on God. Books can be encouraging and enlightening. God uses others in our lives in many ways. However, we can easily depend on them when we should be depending on God. That is what happened to me.

Years ago, the majority of books on my bookshelves were self-improvement, Christian and non-Christian. I wanted deliverance, healing and to be the woman I envisioned. I figured the knowledge in those books would take me as they seemed to promise. Reading them was exhilarating, uplifting, and motivating, but it was more of an emotional high then anything substantial happening in me. After I had been reading the Bible for a couple of years, the spirit prompted me to get rid of all those books. For the next couple of years, they were expunged from my life. I didn’t read one. At the time, I didn’t fully know the reasons why or the impact it would have, but I knew it had to do something with learning to abide and trust in God’s Word first and foremost, which it absolutely did and more.

During that time of solitary focus, I developed a solid foundation with God and on His Word. It became my source of truth. It opened me up to a powerful communion between me and God. It imploded truth into my life. As the years passed of abiding in His Word getting to know God, the deliverance I sought (often in those books) started to come. I wasn’t abiding in God’s Word to be healed, but that is exactly what happened. I wanted to get to know, draw close to Him. But the healing came and it wasn’t just the healing, but abiding in His Word started to affect EVERYTHING in my life. That difference fueled my passion in writing a book about it. I wanted to share what I discovered with others.

Removing those books from my life revealed my dependency on them. I realized how much I was seeking deliverance from those human writers. I believed reading their words was a sufficient replacement for reading the Word. I thought truth was truth. But reading God’s Word isn’t just about gathering knowledge it’s about cultivating a relationship, a relationship with God. In that relationship your life truly changes; not because of your efforts but because of His presence and promises at work in your life. Nothing can replace that dynamic.

At first it was hard (though I knew those books weren’t “working”), because those books were easier to read and more straight forward. And I was so use to thinking that is what you do. But they are the words of man. Though they may have been expressing God’s truth, they weren’t God’s words. They lacked the power of what dwelling in His pure Word trusting His Spirit to teach you imparts.

A couple years later, I picked up my first Christian book. I couldn’t believe the contrast! It had good content that back in the day I would have been reveling in. The writer spoke truths of God that He had taught me early that year. It was incredible. But what stood out to me is how the author’s words paled in comparison to what I received from the Word – which was powerful beyond my expectations. To fully understand the difference, you have to experience it. The gap between abiding in God’s Word verses someone else’s is enormous. Why would we settle for human words when we have His?

It’s easy to become dependent on others, whether authors, preachers, teachers, and/or leaders, when we should be on God. But this dependency makes them into an idol. And often we don’t realize our dependency until they are removed from our lives. If we don’t have a dependency, then we can live without them and God is more than enough.

Putting away those books was one of the best actions I took for my relationship with God. Previously, it was like I in a marriage with my husband and everyone else and often spending much more time with everyone else. When it is just you and God, the intimacy gained is astounding. This is why abiding in the Word of God alone during your quiet time is so critical. Give sole attention to God, and read those other books at another time. Give Him all of your attention, the attention He deserves. You may feel you get more from the other books so that you need them, but that is because you truly haven’t experienced a deep intimacy with God that is far greater. Allow time for that intimacy to develop. It isn’t instant. Though it may be tough at first because you are use to those other voices, if you can stick with it – it will reap tremendous benefits. Then when you do read another’s book, it’s a sweet fellowship, not dependency.

I’ve been reading, So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobsen and Dave Coleman. It’s a good book. It resonates with much of what God has taught me over the past couple of years. I enjoy the way the writers state aspects of God’s truth. But reading the truths these two men have learned doesn’t replace me learning those truths from God. When we learn from Him, He changes us and it becomes our truth. We don’t want to exchange the intimacy we could be gaining with God by being reliant on others’ experiences of God – it’s a grave loss.

As for my book, it was a tremendous time of healing, renewal, learning and growing. God used my writing to focus my mind on the truths He was teaching me in His Word. It laid the foundation for what I do today and probably will do in the future. It laid the foundation for passion I have in helping others cultivate a real relationship with God. I wouldn’t change those years spent writing for anything.

My passion isn’t for people to read my book, but to read God’s book for it’s a fountain of life. And not to read it like a text book, but to dive into its pages as you would spend time with a loved one to cultivate a deep relationship. I’ve learned the difference between man’s words verses God’s Word – I want you to have the very best and to abide in His for there is where the power lies.

We only obtain a relationship with God if we start talking and listening to Him ourselves; not from reading about another’s journey with God but living our own.

Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

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Just Don’t Have Time

Just Don’t Have Time

In a conversation with an acquaintance, I was sharing my passion of helping others to develop an intimate relationship with God. I have a long way to go, but I’ve discovered a path that has absolutely changed my life. As I was talking about spending time each day to cultivate that relationship, he said, “That’s great, but who has the time?” Very few people do.

The reason for not taking the time to abide and meditate on God’s Word, pray, talk with Him and be still to hear His voice, is not having extra time in the day. This excuse is probably the number one reason I hear. It used to be mine. But I learned something very important . . .

We don’t have the time because we aren’t making that personal one-on-one time with God a priority.

We all have the same amount of time. It’s OUR choice how we spend it. Now, we may of made a slue of wrong decisions so that we are a slave to so many things that discretionary time is non-existent, but bad choices aren’t written in stone, especially with the power of God at work in your life. God can reconstruct our lives starting today by us making better choices, specifically putting Him first in spending time with Him. This issue of making better choices brings up the first reason why we need to make spending time with God a priority and how that CRITICAL decision gives us more time to do what we need to. There are many reasons, but in consideration of your time – I’ll list four ☺

1. Wisdom – How we all could use more wisdom! God tells us that wisdom is the principle thing and to ask and seek for it. Proverbs 4:5-7 Our life is full of choices every day – and without wisdom from above we will make choices that enslave us instead of free us and keep us from moving forward toward where we REALLY want to go. Without wisdom we make bad decisions that bind us, so that we don’t have enough time for what truly matters. Wisdom comes from abiding the Word of God in faith. Got wisdom, got time.

2. Live of Balance and Rest – God desires us to have a balanced life – not one of chaos, frazzled and hassled– something very few people have as reflected in the fact that they don’t ever have enough time. Throughout the Bible there are verses about how God desires this soul state for us. Abiding is His Word brings this equilibrium into our lives. When we abide in truth, He starts to reorganize our life and priorities, which leads to a life of balance and rest. If we put Him first, He works out the rest. I’ve experienced this truth over and over. Putting Him first, requires trust and letting go, two things that come from cultivating a real relationship with Him. Got balance, got time.

3. Life free of lies – Lies bound and enslave us. The truth frees us. Many of us have bondage in our lives because of the lies we’ve mistaken for truth. We lack the healing and deliverance because we don’t have the truth. Truth heals. This bondage steals our time. For example, we try to prove and earn our worthiness by taking on all sorts of obligations. When you spend time with God each day – the truth starts to replace the lies and freedom is the result.

Women in particular, perhaps because I’m a woman, have fallen for many lies influenced by society about who they should be and what it means to be a successful woman. Ultimately it’s a life demanding EXTREME busyness. It’s an insane standard of existence. Believing those lies has created many unhealthy women on many levels. What is the way out? The truth. The truth comes from drawing near to God, because He is truth. When we draw near to Him, He invades our soul and brings the Truth with Him. Got truth, got time.

4. Power of God – As God invades our soul as we spend time with Him, His power and all that He is starts to manifest in our life. His power enables us to do things we never could; make our paths smooth, surround us with godly favor, makes us more productive and effective, defeats the enemies within and without that cause hardship, brings healing and the list goes on. All these outcomes of His power at work help us to live smoother, more productive, and restful lives. Got power, got time.

We are trying so hard to strive for __________. When we are neglecting the One who can make all the difference in moving us into a place we desire to be.

A life WITHOUT an intimate and growing relationship with God, isn’t life. It’s a mad house of extreme effort and never getting to where you really want to be.

God is life. Only by being deeply and actively in communion with Him do we have true life as well. Because, ONE – He desires to be in an intimate union with us, so it will never work apart from Him. TWO – He desires for us to live a purposeful life glorifying His power and love, the one He uniquely created for us to live. You can’t disconnect the two for together they are the fulfillment of our purpose.

Not making time to spend with God keeps us in a place where we will never have the time. Not having time is no longer an excuse, because it’s the answer. Now rethink and reorganize your day and put Him first. It’s a decision that will put you on a path headed to where you really want to be, consumed in Him and abiding in abundant life.

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Breaking the Mold

Breaking the Mold

 

Spiritual hunger, afflicted souls, unbound wounds, lack of wisdom, famished souls, and constant hardships; bondage seems to be increasing among God’s people.

There are several reasons for these troubles, but I want to address one many may have not considered. Plagues, pestilence, and famine are pronounced upon the House of God in the days of judgment, which I feel we are entering. Jeremiah 24:10 Therefore, it’s essential to examine in accordance to God’s truth our place in the church system (CS). Revelation 18:4 In the end, we are going to see a lot of turmoil in the house of God as the enemy, “Satan” (our deceiving self-will), takes over the sanctuary. Lam 2:7, Jeremiah 25:10 If we are in a place of the “father of lies”, our souls are in a perilous position. John 8:44

Why perilous? First, the CS is an anchor of trust for many people, which in these days is a dangerous place to put your confidence. Church should be like going to the in-laws for a Sunday brunch. We hang out, chit chat, disagree, and encourage. It no way should replace our marriage (our relationship with God). Yet for many, church and religious leaders have moved into people’s lives, where God should be reigning. They have to go or they feel guilt or unfulfilled. It is their spiritual nourishment, focus, and priority and for that they have fallen for the lies and their marriage has suffered.

Second, the Bible says a multitude of leaders will lead many astray by their unrighteous deception (lies posing as God’s truth). One of the most effective deceptive tactics is twisting God’s Word just enough. (A good reason to be leery of the recent Bible translations that are moving further and further from the original manuscripts.) If we are under a leader’s influence, who is knowingly or unknowingly given into lies, we aren’t giving our spirits much of a chance. If that is our trust and our place of truth, then we will fall prey to the deception. Jeremiah 23:16-17, 34, 40 A wolf in sheep’s clothing looks like a sweet, caring, innocent sheep, remember that.

God doesn’t want any to fall for this deception. He has given us what we need His truth – it is OUR LOVE for the TRUTH that will save us. But we need to take heed to it. 2 Thessalonians 2:10

Being in CS is one of those beliefs Christians rarely question, I never did. Because of the lack of questioning and the pressure to conform, people remain where they are despite what is happening in their spirit. They ignore or justify what they feel. However, there are a growing number of believers who are seeking greener pastures. Being prompted by the Holy Spirit and seeking the truth from God’s Word, they are leaving the CS. Not the true church, which they are actually are clinging more to and becoming. They are moving into the green pastures of God’s Word and into the true church. This move isn’t easy because of the pressure and other various reasons, but it’s the call on their hearts.

Inquire of God about your place in the CS and be willing to hear any answer. I recommend taking a break for 3-6 months from the CS and abide faithfully in God’s pure Word (like the KJV) every day to hear and discern His voice among the others. Seek to know and draw near to His heart, He’ll reveal it to you. If God is truly your trust and not the CS, you’ll be able to take a break. I suggest this because if you are seeking while under the influence of the father of lies you aren’t giving your soul much of a chance to really hear. Don’t think that you are stronger enough, deception is called deception for a reason. Seeking takes time as you read the books of the prophets who foretold these days (i.e. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Amos, Revelation), and trust God to teach you. He is an incredible Teacher. There is nothing more important, because it affects your soul and those around you. I once assumed that to be a Christian was to be in the CS. It was an error that kept me in deep bondage. God has taught me something quite different and it changed my life.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions like:

Why am I in the CS, really?

Have I really sought God’s will about it for today, the time we are in?

Do I go because of that’s what I do? That’s what others do? That is what a Christian does? Why do I think that? Because others say so, my pastor says so? Because it is God’s will? Have I really sought His will?

Have I read God’s pure Word seeking His will – and not only listened to a person’s interpretation of it?

If I were to stop going, how would I feel? Why do I feel that way?

Who do I really trust? To nourish, protect, counsel, and provide for my spiritual needs? The CS on some level?

Where does God really want me?

Do I make abiding in God’s Word a priority in my own quiet time?

God desires none should fall prey to deception. He has told us what to do, how to fight and now to conquer any harm that might come our way – a LOVE for His TRUTH is our guard and defense. But we must own it and act on it. We are to abide in it with faith and a heart to follow God’s truth and no one else’s. You have nothing to fear, if you are truly seeking Him and His truth in His pure Word.

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Victory Begins in the Mind

Victory Begins in the Mind

 

Where we are most spiritually compromised is in our minds. Believing lies destroys us. Like, the one who believes she deserves to be beat up emotionally, the one who believes God doesn’t care, the one who believes his life doesn’t matter, the one who believes in false doctrine, the one who believes her ability to control defines her, the one who believes work and success define him and the list goes on. Once we believe the deception, then WE are the ones to create the destruction in our lives. When you break it all down to where the battle really is – it’s in our minds, thus that’s where the path to victory begins.

Among our thoughts, it’s very difficult to fight the battle between truth and lies, because our thoughts are very close to us. They feel like us, and most of the time we don’t question if they are true or not we assume they are. But often they aren’t. Consider your thoughts throughout the day – do you think most come from the truth or lies?

This past weekend, there were several instances that I had to fight lies in my head. It is VERY difficult, because to us our minds are believable and when backed by emotion (pain, hurt, pride, need for acceptance, value, etc) they become even more convincing about what is true. Sometimes isn’t an easy battle. First we need to realize our thoughts are only ours if we own them – this understanding allows us to question them. For example, I can have the thought that I’m useless, triggered by someone’s comment and reinforced by a past of neglect, but unless I own it, it will pass. But if I hold onto it and support it with other thoughts and emotions, then I will start acting on that false belief. Once we are able to question them, then we can go to the next step, recognizing lies and fighting against them. BUT the only way we are able to recognize AND fight against them and the destruction they bring is with the Truth.

When we know and trust the Truth, lies have no impact. When one comes flying into our mind, we discard it and instead chose the wisdom from above that brings freedom, joy, peace, and love. James 3:15-17 But we can only chose what we know. And that is why a lack of LOVE for the truth is the downfall for many. They are living in deception that steals life and have no idea because they don’t have the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:10 The impact of our thoughts is why it is our work to believe the truth. John 6:28-29 Yet, we see many not really considering their beliefs but simply on acting on them whatever they may be.

Look at the lie Eve believed. Genesis 3:4-6 Look at the ramifications of acting on it. By falling for it, fallenness and hardship manifested in her life as well as those around her that was never suppose to be. On the other hand, look at Jesus battling the lies thrown at Him in the wilderness. Luke 4 Jesus didn’t fall for them because He deeply knew and trusted the Truth – – and that is the secret of not giving into lies, knowledge and trust in the Truth. We have been given what we need to stand strong, the Truth. When light (truth) comes immediately darkness (deception) flees.

The Bible says the whole world is under the sway of the wicked one 1 John 5:19. The “wicked one” represents the ultimate in pride, selfishness, lies, deception, and a seeking self-will not God’s will. Most people are living by lies not truth, and when we look around we see this is the case by all the destructive behavior that is in the world. Bound by deception, we create afflictions, troubles, hardships, pain, and destruction in our lives and the lives of others. Often we can see the false beliefs in someone else’s life because we are on the outside. But with ourselves, because of the nature of our mind and we are in our mind, it is much more difficult. The nature of deception is that you don’t know it isn’t true until you know the truth.

Not only do false truths create destruction in our lives, but on the flip side they rob us of the promises of God. There are MANY promises to those who TRUST in God. When we know and trust in those promises that truth becomes a powerful force. But if we don’t know those promises and don’t believe they are true and for us then they are stunted. Now God is merciful, so even in our lack of faith He often pours His blessings into our lives. But there is a clear correlation in the Bible between our trust in His Truth and the presence of His promises in our lives.

Knowing His promises is the starting place and it is a process. By abiding in His Word, His truth consumes our thoughts, and our beliefs are crafted on what is true. Only then can we act on them in our lives. Second, trust isn’t just something we decide to do one day; it comes from spending time cultivating a real relationship with God based on truth, which means spending time in His Word on a regular basis with a heart to know God as Lord in our lives. If we doubt God’s promises are for us, we are believing a lie being thrown our way. Don’t believe it. Abide in God’s Word and seek to believe on Him. Ephesians 1:3, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 31:19

When God’s Truth is ours then we are able to stand against the lies thrown at us on a daily basis coming from all directions; lies that derail His promises. In Ephesians 6, all the armor of God that the Apostle Paul instructs us to have either comes from the Word of God or is the Word because the Word provides a foundation of truth from which we can counter the deception we face. Without an outside source of truth to ground our beliefs in we have nothing to fight the vast number of lies that surround us. God gave us His truth to give us light to dispel the darkness of deception.

• “girded your waist with truth” – His Word is truth
• “breastplate of righteousness” – understand our righteousness is from Christ, who is The Word
• “shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” – gospel of peace, is the gospel of reconciliation which is the Word
• “taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” – faith comes from hearing the Word
• “take the helmet of salvation” – understanding of our salvation is gained from the Word.
• “and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” – obvious

Victory begins in our minds. How are you going to gain it? What are you going to do to prepare yourself to be victorious? Most of us our battling the wrong thing, we are focused on the outside when we need to focus on what is happening in our minds. The epistle of our lives starts in our thoughts. To be victorious in our lives in every area, we need to know and trust the TRUTH.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

2 Thessalonians 2:10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

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The Spirit Language: “Tongues”

The Spirit Language: “Tongues”

Recently I’ve been reading several articles/posts on the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues. And not long ago I was at a retreat and the discussion of tongues kept coming up. Crazy so much fuss over a little gift. But, this is a very important topic for people to understand because it can and is leading many astray. Here are some of my thoughts.

Speaking in tongues is a spiritual gift. When spoken in private, it edifies the speaker. 1 Corin 14:2 When spoken in public, it’s a sign to unbelievers because upon hearing it they would understand their own language like those in Acts 2. 1 Corin 14:22 This gift was necessary particularly in the days of Apostle Paul as the gospel was going out to all people, not just the Jews. Knowledge of different languages was required to communicate the message of truth.

This gift is something given and directed by the Holy Spirit. It isn’t at our will, but His. (very important point) 1 Corinthians 12:10-11 As the other gifts, it is to be used purposefully. AND, like the other gifts it takes GREAT DISCERNMENT to know if it truly is of the Holy Spirit or a spirit of deception. And with tongues, it takes even GREATER discernment, because if someone speaks a language unknown to those around him, who is to say he isn’t truly speaking in tongues? This is one reason I believe Paul said to have an interpreter; so there wouldn’t be any confusion. With the other gifts it’s easier to discern what is true and what isn’t from the outside. Because of this difference with tongues, it can be used very easily to manipulate and mislead and I think this happens a lot. It leads many astray to believing they are in God’s will when they aren’t. And as proof that someone is in the spirit, when in fact it may be another spirit altogether and not a good one. It’s a serious problem.

It leads people astray not only because of it’s nature, but also because it seems “mystical”. But it only appears mystical because of the improper use and mimicking of the true gift. When sharing the gospel to another nation and being able to share in their language isn’t so mystical and I think this was its main purpose and demonstrated in Acts 2. This misuse is why there is so much discussion and division about this gift and not the other gifts. When it is abused, then the Spirit in true believers reacts.

Manipulation and Deception with Signs and Wonders

I want to meantion two types of misuse of this gift we need to be able to discern. The first is when it isn’t of the Holy Spirit, but of our imagination. Many people LOVE signs and wonders and when acts like speaking in tongues (as it is improperly done today) occur people get hyped and discernment often flies out the window. That is incredibly dangerous, yet it is happening all around us. Revelation 13:14

Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

People are attracted to tongues because of the mystical appeal that has been created. This is why his greatest tools of deception will be of signs and wonders in the name of Jesus – but another Jesus, a false image. 2 Corin 11:4 “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted–you may well put up with it!”

Consider the girl in who Paul casted out the unclean spirit. She was speaking things that had elements of truth as any deception does, but it was not of a honest spirit in her. Acts 16:16-18 We need to be seeking and asking for discernment, and abiding in the Word of God to be able to discern what is of God and what isn’t. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

Spirit of Conformity

The second misuse of this gift is from a spirit of conformity. How often I’ve heard of instances where people have been prodded over and over by others to ask for the gift of tongues, so they can “have all God has for them”. These prodders put tongues in a separate group from all the other gifts to be one we all should have as proof of the power of the Holy Spirit coming upon us. They get this from Acts 2, which in my opinion is a stretch. The Spirit gives what, when, where and to whom as He wills for a reason. There isn’t a formula to the gifts. When we make it as such we are playing God. It is no longer about being spirit-led but man-led. It is to be His will, not ours.

The power of suggestion is tremendous, (side note: look at the power of hypnosis, which is all about suggestion). If you tell someone, especially repeatedly, they need to speak in tongues, how spiritual it is, etc. they are going to feel less than spiritual if they don’t. Their emotional response will kick in because you are touching upon two of humankind’s greatest needs the need to be accepted and to feel valued. Our minds are very powerful. They cause our bodies to conform to our thoughts. Even for those who are “strong”, given enough prodding they will start to question, which leads to conformity. Because when they do speak in tongues then everyone treats them as spiritual and special.

For those in this group, it is an emotional release leading to babbling, not speaking in tongues. Though, they truly believe they are speaking in tongues, but it is in their head. We are great deceivers to ourselves. Most are babbling out of social acceptance, to feel “spiritual”, to be like those around them, etc. Never underestimate someone’s need to be accepted or to feel spiritual – even those we admire. The gift of tongues as it is often done today, can EASILY be mimicked, so that even those who are doing it are deceived. We can speak garbled language and with the powerful desire to conform, be part of a group, and seen as spiritual we easily convince ourselves and truly believe it was of the spirit.

Rules of Engagement

For these two reasons and among others, Paul tells us about how it is to be used so this confusion and misuse won’t happen! And so the body of believers can more easily discern the spirits. When someone does speak in public they need an interpreter and that interpretation needs to be in accordance with God’s truth – if not they need to keep silent. So if we have this gift; we should ask ahead of time if someone has the gift of interpretation to interpret if not we are to keep silent. If the spirit is calling us to speak, then He will provide and interpreter other than ourselves.

With this and every other gift we need DISCERNMENT. We need to be in God’s truth with a LOVE for the truth to be able to discern between the holy and the profane.

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The True Church

The True Church

One of the first questions you get as a believer is, what church do you belong to?

Here is the “church” I desire and am finding:

It is the true body of believers located around the world. We are connected by spirit and truth. Ephesians 4:4 We are united because we are one in Christ. We are the temple of God whose foundation isn’t brick and stone, but the Word of God. Ephesians 2:20-22 It is a place without walls. It is about the body of believers coming together in spirit and truth and worshipping our God in the same. John 4:24. It is about the heart – as true love flows from God to each other. Gathering together isn’t about being in the same place, but being of one heart and united in the Spirit of God – though sometimes we are in the same place; in homes, coffee shops, nature. We meet other members all over. Membership is about the heart. We fellowship when and wherever. We pray when and wherever. We help each other (as led by the spirit) when there is a need. We are spirit-led not man-led. It isn’t about a building, a day, a time, a place, a format, a program, it is about our lives.

It is about unity not divisions. 1 Corinthians 1:12-13. Vulnerability, authenticity and honesty are fostered because there isn’t the pressure to conform or to fit a certain profile, but a freedom to be who we are as children learning and growing in Christ. Matthew 23:28

Each one is longing for and actively cultivating an intimate relationship with God, then comes together to share in the fruit, gifts, and questions of that personal relationship. Our passion is for God to be our first love. We seek to hear His voice, as we spend time listening. We long to go wherever He leads. The source of our spiritual nourishment is the Word of God, not man’s interpretation of His Word. We go there to feast on the truth. We are filled, satisfied and transformed. Truth is searched out no matter what it may be. Motives are purified. Honesty is grown within our lives as we are uncovered. There is confession and forgiveness. There is the sharing of burdens and fervent prayers for one another. True hope abounds. Mercy and grace prevails. Love consumes. Lies are revealed and expelled. We are exposed, delivered and healed.

The Holy Spirit is sought as each one’s most trusted counselor. He is our Teacher. He is our Authority. Spiritual gifts are manifested from the spirit of God not of spirits of deception. There is true accountability because the Holy Spirit dwells within each member convicting and leading. God is truly the head, not man. He is the Lord, the Shepherd, and the Leader. Ezekiel 34:23, Ezekiel 37:24

Belonging to the church, the true church is about the state of the heart.

This temple is found in the hearts of true believers. It isn’t a place made with man’s hands, but with God’s, and it is tremendous.

Related Posts:

Unhealthy verses Healthy Fellowship

Foundation for Young Believers (Address the issue of not forsaking the assembling of ourselves)

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Marriage of the Heart

Marriage of the Heart

 

We’ve been talking about divorce and remarriage in the last two posts. But what if we are in a marriage we don’t want to be in? You may be thinking this isn’t freedom. It is bondage. What about the grace of God? What about His promises of deliverance? What about happy is He who trusts the Lord? Proverbs 16:20

There are many women and men who feel they are trapped in a marriage because it is God’s will they don’t divorce. So, they “endure”. Is this what God wants for His children?

We aren’t to divorce (except in certain situations abuse, adultery, etc as led by the Spirit), so we endure. We tolerate. We do the minimum amount. In our heart we long for a way out. We want it to end. We lose ourselves in other things; children, friendships, work, and ministries, and our spouse slips toward the bottom of the list. . . Most of us have felt feelings similar to this at some point. But, this isn’t a marriage, because true marriage is about the heart. This is a heart of divorce and not God’s will. With this mindset and heart, we are cultivating division instead of peace and love. We are our own worst enemy in wrecking havoc in our marriage. This may be a hard truth to face for those of us who have lived in this mindset. But being in this place is bondage. There is a much better way. God wants so much more for us. God wants to heal and renew our marriages. He doesn’t want us to divorce. He doesn’t want us to live in misery either. He wants us to believe and experience His power of His love at work in the marriage we have.

Marriage isn’t about a piece of paper just as divorce isn’t about that. In the eyes of God, it is about the state of our heart, a heart of love. God instituted marriage to illustrate our relationship with Him. With Him, what is most important is our heart, not our outward actions. The same is true with an earthly marriage. Ephesians 5:25. All of God’s commandments are grounded in love including marriage. 1 Timothy 1:5 He doesn’t want us to simply “endure” but abide in satisfaction. Proverbs 19:23

In marriage, like everything else, our thoughts create much of what happens because our emotional output and actions carry the truth of our thoughts. The movie Fireproof is a great example of this concept. The main character, played by Kirk Cameron, did “nice” things for his wife in a last effort to save his marriage, but his wife knew that his heart wasn’t in it. He didn’t want to do them and that is what she felt. So his actions meant little to her. But when his heart surrendered to God, then he was filled with God’s love and that love filled his actions. When it did, she noticed a difference – a change that made all the difference and saved their marriage. It isn’t just about our actions and our actions without love flowing into them from our core don’t mean much.

People feel our core, which our thoughts reflect. And ladies, men feel it too. We wonder why he can be so detached and unaware as he sits around on the couch lost in the TV or buries himself in his work or hobbies – but it’s probably to escape our negativity coming from our thoughts. Not that this is always the case, but it is a lot more often than people think. How often we hear people say; I do this and that for him and he still ignores and disrespects me! It is your heart he is responding to. Men, it’s the same with the ladies. If you are being unfaithful, disconnected, and not loving your wife in your heart, she feels is and responds. We can see the vicious cycle it creates as we feed and respond to each other’s true thoughts. We love to blame others because we’re being so “nice”. But are we really? What if our spouse could hear all our thoughts? How nice would we be? Well, that is what they feel. Though they may not know exactly what they are feeling from someone, they feel it good or bad and react. If we are pouring his coffee and cursing him in our heart – it is the cursing he feels and will react to. It all starts with our thoughts. They are often the culprit feeding our problems. 2 Corinthians 10:5

This impact of our thoughts is why counseling can be constructive and helpful to a marriage. Counseling helps us to have more understanding, which leads to compassion and a change in our thoughts. It brings to light the error of our thinking as we talk through issues. We gain new perspectives. Fundamentally, we learn from counseling to think differently and that impacts our marriage. However, what we learn from counseling is at a surface level. And though it can be helpful, there is something else that cuts through everything including our thoughts, the love of God.

When we truly come to know the love of God it changes how we think and feel about others at our core. God’s love is powerful to make a significant change in any relationship.

Unlike the movie Fireproof, for me experiencing the love of God that was beyond myself took a long time. For years, I prayed to know His love. One day God filled me with it and it changed how I felt (not fleeting emotions, but a deep unchanging care) about me, God and others. Since then it has never left but grown. It came from developing a relationship with Him by abiding daily in His Word. As I grew to know God and drew near to Him, He drew near to me and His presence including His love filled my life. It started to change how I deeply felt about others. His love is powerful beyond anything we know. It seems daily I learn more and more about its purity and perfection in our lives. Most don’t understand its power and therefore don’t trust in it, because they haven’t experienced it. It is worth the heart-felt request to ask to deeply know His love. When it takes over, it renews us in so many ways including us, our heart toward our spouse, and our marriage. It isn’t an instant process but it is a process that will blow your mind. Where there once was coldness, hardness, bitterness, resentment, pain, anger, indifference, is now love; a love that is pure and strong because it is of God.

Marriage isn’t about just staying in the same house. It is about the state of our heart. But what if our spouse is unlovable? Look at God. How He loves us. His love is powerful. It isn’t by our own strength that we love but by His. Philippians 4:13 It is His love flowing through us; the love we gain by cultivating a relationship with Him. When His love flows through us it can change everything. 1 Peter 4:8

There have been several times God has called me to love someone that was unlovable at the time. The difference in those people when they felt His love through me was incredible. They may have not realized exactly what it was they felt or what changed but they felt it because their demeanor and actions changed, and the dynamic of our relationship followed. One very important note, the only way I was able to truly love was because of God’s love in me. There are two scenarios in which I didn’t have that love of God for others. One, before I had a close relationship with God, I didn’t have true love that has power. If we aren’t closely connected to Him in truth and spirit we’ll lack the power of His love. Second, my heart got hard out of pride. When I confessed that pride and prayed with a sincere motive to truly love that person then God’s love flow toward them. James 4:3 Pride is a huge enemy of love.

Every commandment of God comes down to love. Marriage is an emotional, physical, and spiritual oneness. Some of us may be far from this now. And for many of us we are a big part of the problem because the thoughts we are holding and feeding about our marriage. We need to get our hearts right about our marriage and we do that by abiding in God’s truth and letting His Words of love wash us, through prayer, and knowing that He desires a marriage of the heart – a marriage of love. And this is very important – we must believe He is powerful enough to renew our marriage and that He wants to. It is easy to doubt God’s power in this area when we are face to face with all the issues. We can easily get too focused on what is and not focused on Him. Is a renewal too hard for God? Is God too weak? Is His love to frail? Is His mercy to small?

God wants our marriages to represent our union with Him. And our union with Him is all about love – true and powerful.

A fellow blogger, Ruth, wrote a piece sharing her heart about marriage, Learning about the Precious Concept of Marriage, I encourage you to check it out.

A resource for prayer for your marriage is Proverbs 5. These ladies have a heart for marriage especially in the area of intimacy. It is there desire to pray for you.

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Remarriage (PART II)

Remarriage

(PART II)

Divorce Part I

Back to the question if we do divorce (understanding what it creates from the Part I), God’s Word seems to say if you remarry you commit adultery – unless you reunite to your ex-spouse (if they haven’t remarried since the separation) or he/she dies.

Romans 7:3 “So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.”

This truth may seem tough, that if one divorces then they aren’t to remarry. However, except for the two reasons above, it seems the Word of God says it is better for us and others not to remarry. As I’ve dived into this issue the past couple of weeks, I wonder why I’ve rarely heard anything about this topic of remarriage? Am I missing something in the scriptures that makes it a non-issue so that we can remarry regardless?

Perhaps the issue of why it seems to be a non-issue is we often don’t seek God’s will but our own. We listen to our own justifications and rationalizations and those around us. We listen to society that says we have to be married to be fulfilled. Yet look at the many unhappy marriages? Perhaps God is right? It is better for some to stay single. Our leaders haven’t helped much either. Many church leaders have followed their own will in regards to divorce and remarriage and therefore reinforce it in their listeners. We let passions rule us instead of God’s will, truth and love. And as long as we are ruled by our will instead of God’s, pain and destruction is what we will create and receive.

Seeing this issue of not remarrying as difficult is looking at it from society’s perspective and giving into its emotional rule in our lives. We need to trust that God’s will is truly better for us and everyone else. And that perhaps we really would be happier and more fulfilled by not remarrying. Who knows what God has in store for us? How He will use us and fulfill us in other ways that satisfy us beyond our imagination? How little we really trust Him. If it is His will and we honor His will, don’t you think He will give us what we need to fulfill it?

Society makes us believe if we don’t remarry we are missing out, but then again society doesn’t lead us to the path of life, but the path of death. Society leads us in so many ways away from God’s truth and will. We have to re-associate our thoughts according to the Word of God. What truly equates to life according to Him? This isn’t about legalism, it’s about love and what is truly loving.

1 Corinthians 7:39-40 “A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. But she is happier if she remains as she is, according to my judgment–and I think I also have the Spirit of God.”

Psalm 31:19 “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men!”

Psalm 112:1 “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments.”

Our deliverance from this growing epidemic of divorce is to heed God’s Word and seek His love. We need true love to choose the right spouse, to love that spouse, and to make the right decisions if divorce occurs. God designed this world to work in a certain way. We need to trust His counsel because He is the only one that truly knows the right answer and He is love. We’ve proven we don’t know it. And if more people realized that they shouldn’t remarry after they divorce, perhaps they would and be slower to marry in the first place and not give up so easily when problems arise, but seek how to live in a fulfilling marriage by the power of God.

Every commandment of God comes down to love. Only He knows what is truly loving in any situation. We need to trust Him at His Word that His truth is best for us and others. 1 Timothy 1:5 “Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith”. We each need to seek the counsel and wisdom from the Holy Spirit above all others in this area of our life.

If you have been divorced and remarried. What is done is done. Consider that it may have been outside God’s will and move forward in truth and abiding in love in your present marriage. Never underestimate the extent of God’s mercy and love, especially for the choices made in ignorance. God can renew you, your spouse and your marriage as if it was your first marriage and give you a tremendous gift in that mercy. He can make all things new. I’ve witnessed it. Psalm 57:10, 2 Corinthians 5:17 And moving forward in future decisions, walk in His truth and will.

The answer to all this mess we’ve created is to focus on seeking God’s Love, abiding in Him and in His Word, and cultivating a deep and real relationship with Him because that changes everything – this is our deliverance from ourselves, which we so desperately need. The best thing you can do for your marriage or if you are single preparing to marry is to cultivate a personal and intimate relationship with God.

Someone referred me to this paper written by John Piper on the issue. He breaks down the Biblical verses related to this topic. I found it very interesting. It is worth the read. Divorce & Remarriage: A Position Paper

Titus 2:4 “that they (older women) admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,” — We need more admonishing toward love.

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Divorce (PART I)

Divorce

(PART I)

The question I’m looking at in this two part blog is: According to the Word of God are you to remarry after you divorce?

A friend and I were talking about this very sensitive issue, which prompted me to look at all these verses – and trying to without any justifications or trying to find loop holes – what is God’s will in this area?

Romans 7:3 So then if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law, so that she is no adulteress, though she has married another man.

I wondered if it mattered who initiated the divorce in terms of if you are free to remarry. If my husband divorces me – I really don’t have a choice, so do I still commit adultery if I marry another?

1 Corinthians 7:15 But if the unbeliever departs, let him depart; a brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases. But God has called us to peace.

Mark 10:11-12 So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”

Matthew 5: 32 But I say to you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Why does God seem to be “tough” on this issue? The problem is the land becomes greatly polluted when people are marrying, divorcing, and remarrying and so on.

Jeremiah 3:1 “They say, ‘If a man divorces his wife, And she goes from him And becomes another man’s, May he return to her again?’ Would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me,” says the Lord.

Malachi 2:16 “For the Lord God of Israel says That He hates divorce, For it covers one’s garment with violence,” Says the Lord of hosts. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, That you do not deal treacherously.”

I want to back up for a moment and talk about divorce. It has struck me lately how marriage is the foundation of society, as our relationship with God is foundational to our lives. If you want to destroy society, which evil does, then destroy marriages, which we see happening on many levels. When marriage is destroyed by divorce (when I speak of divorce – it is all the emotions and actions prior to, during and after – not just the actual legal separation – for these emotions and actions are what are so destructive) the ripple affect is great. Families are broken, which creates broken people, which creates issues on all levels of life– therefore all suffer the ramifications. We don’t live in isolation; all we do influences the whole.

Marriage represents out relationship with God, to teach us about our relationship to Him. The seriousness and impact of a marriage is what it is because of what it represents. The damage created by divorce is great because when we break away from God the damage is horrific in our lives. People’s spirits are torn apart in divorce as they are when they aren’t rightly related to God (though with God obviously the damage is much greater). We are to be filled with love, but divorce fills us with anger, pride, and pain. When our spirits are filled with these emotions, it is very caustic to ourselves and others. Obviously, staying married with these emotions is also extremely harmful. But we aren’t to live with them, but to keep from them or move out of them through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. Let us never underestimate the power of God’s love in our lives. It isn’t about being miserable in a marriage but putting our trust in God that if we honor His will, He will help us and give us what we are looking for – love.

When we marry something changes on a spiritual level within us. We become united to a person unlike we do in any other relationship, again because of what it illustrates. God created it with a spiritual impact. We can’t change that characteristic regardless if we believe or not. It is what it is. Therefore, when we divorce it tears our spirits apart, but not into two intact pieces as before, but ripped, torn, and damaged.

Marriage doesn’t work without God’s love. A lack of His love is the source of this proliferating problem. We have destroyed true love, the one thing that saves us from ourselves, with our pride, anger, and selfishness. We have destroyed it from a lack of seeking God’s face with diligence and passion. We have lost Him as our first love, therefore have lost love.

Only God’s love enables us to do what He calls us to do in a marriage – truly love. We can’t do it without Him – as we are seeing. The divorce rate and the numerous wrecked marriages testify to the lack of knowing and possessing God’s love. We gain God’s love in our spirits to know and to give when we cultivate a real, deep and intimate relationship with Him, which few are truly taking the time to do. Look at what we have created by going our own way. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen so much pain and damage created by divorce. It isn’t the solution. When we don’t seek God’s face, abide in His Word, and draw near to know His love – damage, pain, and pride fill our lives.

Further, our understanding about this topic has been warped by society, which says – just divorce and make it all go away, and start over and make it better. In reality, it doesn’t work that way. We create death in us and others and that is what we have to contend with. On so many issues, we have compromised our beliefs and truth by what society impresses upon us. May we pray to know and live the truth that our lives may honor God’s ways and not man’s. There are few times when divorce is an answer, but that is another blog.

This all being said, I also want to say that God’s mercy is great toward His children; far greater than we ever would be toward one another. We all have all fallen short and do on so many accounts. I’ve seen God’s redemptive work many times in this area. But there still was so much pain and damage done. We are called to seek His truth and His will to live by it in our lives and that is my goal with these posts.

Now that we’ve laid out what divorce really creates in our lives . . . next week we’ll look at the aspect of should we remarry after divorce?

Pray and seek God’s truth on this subject this week and let me know your thoughts.

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