1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Ezekiel 10:4 Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the LORD’s glory.
Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be REVEALED IN US.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
John 3:15-16 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
What does it mean for a soul to believe in Christ Jesus?
If you knew there was a treasure in your backyard that would solve all your problems and give you all you desire, what would your response be?
If someone told you that if you took a pill and it would bring perfect health to your body, but you wouldn’t see the affects until you die, what would your response be?
In the first scenario, you would go digging and seeking, wouldn’t you? In the second, you wouldn’t give it a second thought because what would health matter once you were dead?
The Bible tells us of the first scenario, if we truly believe in Christ (the Word of life, truth) then we will have abundant everlasting life. God will make our paths smooth, defeat our enemies, deliver us, heal us, and give us the mind of Christ. To abide in truth, which is love, is a powerful reality. There are MANY beautiful and powerful promises for those who truly trust in God. What’s our response to those powerful words? Do we see most people diligently seeking to know the truth and to discover the paths of life while forfeiting all else to find that priceless treasure? Matthew 13:45-46 Do we see people living out those promises of rest, peace, and rejoicing in all truth?
Placebo of Religion
Do people truly believe in Christ? Or a religion built around the Bible and an image of God? What do people’s actions reveal? James 2:19, 26 One is the true treasure, the other a placebo. A person’s actions testify to their beliefs. Most believe steadfastly in a religion, which crafts an image around God and what it means to be a godly person, while the treasure hunt for truth is largely neglected. 2 Timothy 4:3 Why the blindness when it comes to what it means to believe in Christ? James 2:19 People cling to religion; not Christ, which is a huge difference, yet this difference seems to go mostly unnoticed.
The path of life is narrow and few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 Communing directly with God and learning to hear His voice and obey leads to the path of life. Seems easy, but in a world of lies, it’s much harder than it appears, this is why few do it. A corrupted self-will governed by lies keep people blind from seeing the truth. It keeps them imprisoned by focusing on the wrong things and not the right ones. In deception, you don’t know you are deceived, that is the whole point. To satisfy the longing in their hearts for God, many people have mistakenly fallen for the placebo; they took the pill of religion. It comes to them as the way to God (and an easy way – Satan knows us well); just follow what someone tells you to do and think, instead of learning of God yourself. However, we reap what we sow. If we reap religion, empty promises await. If we reap righteousness and the presence of God that is what we experience. Hosea 10:12 What a glorious treasure to really dwell in the heart of God’s love.
The pill of religion is a dead end, literally. It’s the most damaging of situations, because people think it leads to life, but it doesn’t, thus they are worse off than before. When you think you’ve found, you stop seeking and the doors that would’ve led you to truth have been blocked. Further, the closer a religion is to the truth the more compelling and imprisoning. Yet, this falsity of religion goes unnoticed because the “testifying results of the truth” have been removed until you die and go to “heaven”; when only then are you righteous, only then do you have abundant life, and only then are you free from suffering and pain. When the results of the belief are removed, how do you know it’s the right belief? The Apostle Paul spoke of results. He talked of the kingdom of heaven within us and what that meant for our lives, right now.
Paul spoke about growing in righteousness. 1 Peter 1:2, 15 If we weren’t, then he said our beliefs were in vain, thus null and void. 1 Corin 15:2 When someone truly believes something it affects him/her to the core. If people believed in Christ and the paths of life, their lives and this world would be totally transformed because true life would be here. 2 Timothy 2:19 Conversely, religion makes excuses to make nil the proof of spiritual health. Suffering and afflictions are accepted as a way of life, not the death Christ delivers us from. When the “testifying results” are removed people can’t see it for the lie that it is. Thus, everything around them remains cloaked in death. Without the contrast of true life no one is the wiser.
God is in us and we in God if we are being transformed glory unto glory. 2 Corin 3:18 When we experience increasing peace, rest, loving kindness, joy, mercy, wisdom, and gentleness beyond ourselves and from our core, then we are growing in truth, in Christ. Then we believe. Do you see His growing righteous love in your soul that is a true transformation and not a forced self-will of goodness cloaked in hypocrisy? Have you received Christ’s testimony; His life of abundant grace, power, and transformation? John 3:33
People believe money brings about certain freedoms, necessities, and blessings in this life. They sacrifice, strive, effort, work and give much of their life to gain money to provide for themselves and their family. They believe money is what they need to get want they need, and their actions reflect that belief.
Do people believe in God like that? Do people give their lives to know Him in truth and spirit as He is, and desire above all to walk in His ways? Conversely, most find it easier to trust in other things other than God and very difficult to trust in God. As for God, they’ve boxed Him out of their lives by religion.
True belief in God is stifled in a world of lies. When we are imprisoned in darkness how do we see the light? How do we break free from the web of lies in our minds and know the truth of God in all purity, which we truly hunger for? You’ve seen that darkness in others; you’ve experienced it for yourself. What hope do we have for this world; if so few find the narrow way?
AMAZING HOPE, thanks to the grace poured out to us in Christ in these days. The ability to truly believe comes by the power of God’s spirit in us … which I’ll address next time, God willing.
Recently, I clearly saw the beast in each one of us; the internal beast that Christ came to destroy and put His Spirit of righteous love in its place. It was very powerful, full of lies of destruction, and in a form often undetected for what it truly is, though it abides within us. Christ battle isn’t against us; it’s against this internal beast of wickedness that seeks to destroy us. Understanding the true battle is essential to understanding God’s plan of salvation.
This internal beast is our corrupted controlling self-will influenced by evil. 1 John 5:19 It’s the controlling spirit of our soul, which we are born with, that makes us slaves to sin. Romans 6:16-19 It’s a corrupted operating system governing every thought and action in the ways of death instead of life. This operating system is full of lies, feasts on lies, and serves lies. (Lies that we hold as our truth.) Its outputs are lies; lies about who we are, who God is, what love is, what truth is and on and on. The lies manifest sin, which manifests pain, suffering, and hardship, which leads to death. James 1:14-16 This beastly entity abides in all people, thus why all are dead. 1 Corin 15:22 It’s contrary to God; therefore all it produces are the fruits of death. By giving us His spirit, Christ came to free mankind from this beast that imprisons our souls and makes us corrupted, defiled, vile, and dead. Now is the time for this promise to manifest. 1 Peter 1:5, 9, 13
This internal beast spirit rules us, until it’s put to death and a new governing spirit takes its place. This new spirit is the salvation of Christ given to all. We’ve hoped in this salvation of receiving a new operating system, the mind of Christ crafted in pure truth and righteous love that enables us to be eternal creations with God. That hope is now being realized to those who have been waiting and watching.
Preparation Period: Putting on the Wedding Garments
Now is the time to get dressed. God’s spirit is preparing those who come to Him in truth and spirit by clothing them in garments of pure light/truth/righteousness so they can be married to Christ, which means people are starting to walk in true righteousness by the power of God like never before.
These garments are necessary to 1. Stand in the day of the fiery trial coming upon the whole earth Isaiah 33:14-16 and 2. Come into the wedding feast to be joined with Christ for eternity. Matthew 22:12-14
How? Christ is pouring the eternal life spirit into souls who are ready and willing to receive. John 6:63 This Spirit of wisdom is the mind of Christ and it starts small within us. 1 Corin 1:30, Luke 17:21. If you live in righteousness, you live in eternal life. As we listen and obey His lead, He guides us into the paths of righteousness where there is no death. He leads us to abundant life inside and out. He leads us into the kingdom of heaven here on earth. He leads us to safety and protection in a world whose ways are crumbling and becoming full of depravity, pain and suffering. Our part is to listen and obey His instruction to us, which we can by His power filling us as we heed His word. Ephesians 1:19
Christ the perfect husband washing His Bride in the word. Ephesians 5:26, John 17:17 His Spirit is personally speaking words of life to souls who are listening. He’s teaching, leading and enabling people to abide in paths of righteousness. There is a new power working in the souls of those receiving Him. John 14:23 He is opening their eyes to see their sin and the consequences of it, thus enabling them to chose the way of life. Luke 4:18 As they walk uprightly, everything around them starts to change for life is replacing where death once dwelled. We create our surroundings by our faith. If we are walking in His righteousness, His faith, which is life, then we create life, eternal life, and works without end. These lives will stand victoriously in the judgment coming upon the earth. Transformations into deep joy, abundant rest, blessings and true love are occurring as people walk the paths of holiness by the power of His spirit in them. As a result, they are adorned with garments of holiness and prepared to enter the wedding feast.
To go through this transition, first we have to understand what is currently controlling us. When we see and understand this internal beast in us, then we can die to it, which is abandoning it. It isn’t simply turning from a sin here and here, but the source which sin comes from. It’s knowing the very core of us is corrupt and abandoning our self-will altogether. Romans 7:4 When we no longer listen or follow it, it loses all power. A lie is only powerful if you believe it as truth. Once truth enters in, it becomes nothing. Psalm 91:4
Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
But then what/who are we following? If we truly abandon our self-will, we will embrace the new operating system of the Spirit of Christ. We have to follow something. It starts with small steps of obedience to God’s voice of righteousness within us, and continues until He governs every aspect of our lives. This transition is sowing on the wedding garments. As a result, we are transformed into eternal creations and the world around changes as righteous love flows from us, thus the kingdom of God starts to be established on the earth.
Rejecting Christ’s Spirit
Many will not head this voice, and embrace the cleansing spirit of Christ knocking on the door of their hearts. Revelation 3:20 They will continue to follow the dictates of their own hearts. Jeremiah 16:12 Outside the kingdom of God (not heeding His voice) will be a place without mercy, as mercy is lifted to expose the works of darkness and reveal hearts. Jeremiah 16:5 Those outside will face eternal fire, eternal punishment, everlasting burnings, weeping and gnashing of teeth, and outer darkness … all descriptions of the judgment of God that will destroy the corrupted self-will spirit they refused to give up. It will be a tribulation unlike any other because wickedness and our corrupted self will perish.
All will be seasoned with fire. Mark 9:49 But if we have the garments of righteousness, the fire will not harm us. Instead we will be greatly rewarded and be to the praise, honor and glory of Christ. 1 Peter 1:7 If we don’t then we will suffer great loss, punishment for correction, and judgment by the works of our own doing. 1 Corin 3:15 Now is the time to seek God. To reap mercy and righteousness .. that He may pour His righteousness into us Hosea 10:12-14.
God will not be mocked we will reap what we sow. Sow the wedding garments so you can be married to Christ. Galatians 6:7 He has poured out His grace, that you may walk with Him in righteousness. Abide in this grace. 1 Peter 1:13
Thank Christ for the amazing gift of His spirit which can be united and enter our soul and govern us instead of the beast. This is our salvation, our defense, and our life for it is the spirit of eternal life.
God’s plan of salvation is far bigger and more loving that what is commonly taught. Here I share what God has been showing me in His Word about the perfection of His plan for mankind to do what they can’t for themselves, bring them into eternal life. It is a fulfillment of His holiness, righteousness and perfect love that drives out all fear.
Hebrews 4:10-11 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.
In this video, I discuss a very important truth of entering into God’s rest.
There are two kingdoms your soul can abide in; one of this earth, one of heaven; one of man’s wisdom, one of God’s wisdom; one of darkness, one of light; one of death, one of life; one of lies, one of truth. John 8:44, James 3:15-18 One kingdom is governed by evil and the other by righteousness. 1 John 5:19 The kingdoms are each governed by their respective kings; Satan, Father of lies represented by following our will separate from God, and Christ, the Truth represented by following God’s will.
Whichever kingdom we seek life from is the one we dwell in; life meaning purpose, value, peace, joy, rest, happiness, and love. We seek life from them by listening to their messages (what we consider wisdom) and acting on them. Both kingdoms promise these aspects of abundantlife, but one’s ways returns void, and the other’s fulfilled.
We dwell in whichever kingdom based on which one we have cultivated faith in. Faith is knowing a concept, believing it and acting on it with the hopes of fulfillment of what we desire.
These two kingdoms are represented throughout the Bible. From the beginning God made a clear distinction between them and the results of our choice …
Deuteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
Which kingdom’s path we choose to learn of and travel determines the results of our lives, one leads to curses and the other to blessings.
The kingdom of darkness engulfs this world. Satan governs this earth and all the man-made established systems of this earth; economics, politics, financial, education, health, religions, media, and so on. His messaging and instruction of his kingdom are EVERYWHERE full of promises of life, yet never delivering but always creating the hope. He promotes partial truth making it a twisted lie. As a result, people sacrifice, strive and become a slave to many empty philosophies in hope that one day they will find the life they seek.
Conversely, the kingdom of light isn’t dominant in this world, yet. But we can abide in it, if we seek. We are born into the mind of the kingdom of darkness, but if we seek, we can move into the kingdom of light by the knowledge of truth. We have to seek because the kingdom of darkness is consuming. Matthew 6:33 As we seek the truth of the kingdom of light, we know it, believe it and thus act on it. Bit by bit, our faith is transferred to the kingdom of light as our lives bear the fruit of it and we realize it’s where true life abides. As the kingdom of darkness fades from our lives so does all it created; death, pain, suffering, hardship, unrest, worry, fear and afflictions.
Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
To abundantly aid us in our seeking, God gave us the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, to teach us all things about walking in the kingdom of light down to the very details of our lives so in every way we can abide in His Kingdom of life. We simply have to make time to engage Him, which leads me to my next point.
How do we leave the kingdom of darkness and enter into the kingdom of light?
From the Holy Spirit, we learn to transition into the kingdom of light in two main ways, two ways that work hand-in-hand.
Each day we seek the Holy Spirit’s instruction through the Bible with a desire to know the truth, thus to know God as He is. We let Him be our perfect teacher as God gave us Him to be.
We listen and follow the Holy Spirit’s counsel in our lives. The Holy Spirit will tell/prompt us to do a certain act. A voice in our head will say, do it this way. At first, we will ignore or justify away the counsel and do what we’ve always done or follow someone else’s counsel. We’ll see the results and realized we should have followed that still small voice. But another day we’ll heed that voice, and witness the perfection of its guidance. We are like an octopus with a vast number of tentacles attached to the kingdom of darkness, but as we listen and follow the Holy Spirit each one is detached and our faith moves to God’s truth.
As we start engaging the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, we will see the perfection of His counsel and it will increase our faith to listen more carefully and follow. His voice is of truth, love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, and contrary to the world’s wisdom.
The door out of the prison of darkness has been opened, so that we can be free. It’s the truth that sets us free; freedom begins with our beliefs. Seek the truth from the One you’ve been given to teach you truth, the Holy Spirit, and begin to enter the kingdom of light, the only place where you will find true life.
How many genuinely happy faces do you see? Lives speaking of rest, peace, joy and blessing? Souls abiding in love, truth and right-mindedness?
There are two different paths we can travel in this life. These two paths manifest two different spirits within us. One of these paths leads to happiness, the other empty hopes. Whichever path we give our minds to determines the type of spirit we are.
One path, taken by many, is directed by this world’s wisdom and ways, and manifests a spirit of corruption within. This life is preached to us in every dimension. You can’t escape its messaging that penetrates the airwaves. When we trust and live by this wisdom, which we all start out doing, a spirit of corruption is fed and grows within us. James 3:15 This spirit manifests a life of sorrows.
The other path, traveled by few, is directed by God and true wisdom and manifests the spirit of God within. James 3:17-18 This life is taught to us by Christ. Matthew 11:29 Its instruction doesn’t come from the society and culture around us, but from the Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:27 When we learn of this wisdom, the spirit of God makes its home within us. John 14:23
These two spirits create different outcomes. The spirit of corruption is of fear and produces suffering, pain, anger, depression, afflictions and angst. When you give your mind to the messaging of the world, this spirit reigns in you. The spirit of God is of love and produces health, rest, joy, blessing, compassion, and peace, which you see very little of because very few truly seek instruction from the Holy Spirit, the source of truth.
The Creator of this world desires for you to live in a reality of truth, wisdom, love, rest, and peace, and yes happiness …to walk the less traveled path. Matt 7:13-14 Yet most don’t believe that God truly is this good or this powerful in their lives, therefore most don’t look to Him to manifest this life in their lives. Their unbelief keeps them from seeking God, because why bother? What difference would it really make? For a lack of seeking, they remain bound to lies and on the path of destructive mindsets, generated by worldly wisdom, leading to sorrow.
God’s power is real, yet it has become futile to people. God’s power and promises have been contrived to empty shells of hypocrisy. People declare the peace of God, when there their soul is full of angst. They declare the love of God, when anger reigns in their souls. They declare the righteousness of God, when sin is ruling their spirit. These souls are still bounded by the spirit of corruption. They haven’t walked or failed to continue walking on the path leading to God’s spirit indwelling their soul.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
The fruit of our lives reveals the spirit within us. When we get honest with our spiritual state and stop calling it what it isn’t, then we are open to seek truth.
If you are 30 lbs overweight but tell yourself you’re not. What will you do? Nothing. If you think you are what you aren’t you are deceiving yourself and thus hurting yourself. If you are honest with your situation, then you can start to do something about it. As long as we think God’s power and promises aren’t really real and life is lacking this side of heaven, then we won’t seek. This self-deception is one of the greatest forms of bondage.
When we seek to be taught about life from the Holy Spirit and put our trust in what He teaches, He prepares our souls to receive God’s Spirit. Once we truly start seeking, our lives shift to the path of life. As we persist, we are sanctified by truth. John 17:17 Ephesians 1:4-5 As we are refined and purified, the spirit of God begins to fill us. What we experience is becoming a new creation; old things pass away, all things become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Many haven’t experience this transformation, because they haven’t walked the path governed by the Holy Spirit. It’s a completely different wisdom and way of life than that of the world. What you feed your mind, you are.
When God’s righteousness dwells within you, you are transformed, you can’t help but be. Not by your own accord, but because the spirit of corruption has been replaced by God’s Spirit. As you don’t effort to sin, you don’t effort to be righteous; truth and love simply flow from the fountain of life within you. When God starts to take up residence in your soul, you know it – EVERYTHING is transformed; your mind, desires, actions, words, heart … truly become new. You experience rest, peace, joy blessing, love, truth, soundness of mind, and yes happiness.
When you understand the reality of this blessed life with God occurs this side of heaven, you will seek and you will find. Matthew 7:7,11 God is powerful. When we trust Him, our lives change in very tangible ways that lead to an abundant life. The power that raised Christ from the dead moves in and through us affecting our lives even to the most specific details. Ephesians 1:19-20
When I pray that you truly will be happy it’s a significant prayer, and one that God desires to fulfill. Don’t be frustrated if you see the spirit of corruption in your life, this is where we all start, and awareness is the first step toward the right path. Get on the path of life and headed in the right direction, and you will find the happiness you seek and all you deeply desire.
Isaiah 35:6 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in thedesert
God has been teaching me this “streams in the desert” level of trust He desires of His children. A level of trust in which His people KNOW He is able to make streams in their deserts so that they act on that faith. If you truly believe in this power of God in your life, how different would your responses be to life’s impossible circumstances?
Do you believe God can make streams in Your deserts? Honestly? What do your actions show? This level of trust is what God desires of us because this is who He is to those who trust in Him to be their God.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
When the circumstances of life exceed our illusionary control, do we believe God can make something new within those situations or do we run? Quitting jobs, leaving vocations, getting divorces, running from responsibilities, sedating emotional pain, withdrawing from life, and retreating from ourselves; when we come against a roadblock and we see there is no more strength or resources to continue forward, what do we do? Do we run? Does God run?
Many of us tend to run. I know I have in the past. Either, physically in abandoning a situation or relationship, or emotionally in withdrawal, or as our pride likes to frame it moving on, which sounds so much better, doesn’t it? Within our human means running away can seem like the only viable option. And it’s true when we rely on our strength. But what about God’s? Who does He say He is to us? Deut 3:22, Isaiah 45:2, 52:12, 58:8 God doesn’t run. Time and time again, He shows how He makes streams in the deserts. The Bible testifies to this power, and our lives testify to it if we are willing to stop running and walk His paths. I’ve seen it, have you?
God’s love always endures, always hopes, and never fails. He is the Creator and can do anything, and if He is OUR God then His power and strength abound to us IF we abide and trust Him. John 15:7, Eph 3:20
The turning point in our lives that enables us to experience the power of God is TRUSTING Him in TRUTH and SPIRIT, which comes from being a new creation in Him. It seems, we trust more in a psychologist or doctor to help us than God. We trust in self-help and the wisdom of this world to work through our “issues” more than the creative hand of our God who says He makes all things new for those who are in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Are you exchanging trust in someone else, for trust in God? God does use the elements of this world for our good, but where is your trust? Big difference. God’s creative power isn’t a theoretical concept, it’s God in your midst.
If God is so powerful, why don’t we see more deliverance by His mighty hand in the lives around us? Lack of trust, real trust based on becoming a new creation fashioned by God. Trust is the fruit of abiding in the Word of God and being taught by the Holy Spirit, which transforms our souls into partakers of the divine. Romans 10:17
We can’t do what we don’t know. Without individually abiding in the Truth and letting the Spirit of Truth write the Truth on our minds and hearts, fear binds us to a carnal reliance on a physical world that is only a shadow. Fear sets in, takes over and we start running or fight in our strength, which is just as bad. Meanwhile, the power of God is dampened by the lack of belief. Matthew 13:58 Fear keeps us from trusting and waiting on God’s deliverance His way.
God offers a much better way. He goes before us to fight our enemies, He delivers us, and He makes our paths smooth, IF we TRUST Him in truth and spirit. (If we are trusting in a false image of God, it isn’t real trust, but idol worship) As we daily feast on the bread of heaven; abiding in the Bible seeking His face and to be taught by Him, then trust is the fruit. As He regenerates our lives into a new creation, His power starts flowing through us making streams in the deserts, our deserts.
In difficult challenges where there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, no hope … remember God’s ways are not our ways. Isaiah 55:8 There is no limit to His power. This powerful Creator working in our lives is who He is to His children; to those who seek His face. His people don’t act out of fear or hopelessness, but in power, truth and love.
In Hebrews 11, know as the faith chapter, God says He diligently rewards those who seek Him. Heb 11:6 Seek Him and abide in His truth and righteousness and see the Creator at work in your life creating something incredible from what seemed dead and hopeless.
Instead of running, seek the regeneration of God so that by the power of His Spirit in you, you love your husband, love your children, Titus 2:4, respect your bosses and employees. Colossians 3:22, 4:1 You work as to the Lord. Colossians 3:23 You lean not on your own understanding that sees no way out. Proverbs 3:5 You don’t complain, which doesn’t glorify the power of God. Phil 2:14 You don’t harden your hearts by being stubborn in continuing to do it your way or giving up. Heb 3:8 Seek the power of God, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think. Eph 3:20
God is looking for those who trust in Him, not in their own strength and resources or of this world’s, but Him. Who do you trust in really? God has tremendous things in store for those who do. Psalm 31:19
1 Corinthians 13:7 love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Awhile ago during my quiet time, I felt the Spirit give me a new exciting direction in my calling. With my passion ignited, I went off to enjoy the day, but soon the dampening cloud of discouragement moved in. I started to think; What’s the point? Would anyone really care? Who am I to do this? Perhaps I’m wasting my time. Is it really God’s will? As those thoughts started to invade my mind, discouragement and frustration started to set in. Immediately, I recognized that “discouragement” as the enemy’s attack. I began to pray. After you’ve been hit enough with it, you start to recognize it – usually. I prayed and it wasn’t too long before those thoughts were fleeting. Though I was still seeking clarity and confirmation regarding God’s will – there was no more discouragement.
One of the enemy’s biggest suppressors to us moving forward in God’s will is discouragement. It is a very effective strategy because many of us have a layer of self-doubt, and often what God calls us to do is beyond ourselves so it’s easy for that self-doubt to set in.
Believing lies are the death of us in many ways. Today I read in Jeremiah 28-29. Several times it said believing lies is rebellion against God. Jeremiah 28:16, 29:32. Never really thought about it like that before, but it reinforced how diligent we need to be in purging the lies in our lives by having a LOVE for the TRUTH.
2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
God’s love for us is tremendous. In His perfect love, He has given us all we need to dispel all unrighteous deception – His Word. The Truth is extremely powerful and when it abides in us, because we abide in it, then we can overcome all. But it’s up to us to abide in that pure Word in faith letting it penetrate and become active in our daily lives.
Do you read and meditate on the ENTIRE Word of God? (All of it’s applicable to us today.) Do you read God’s pure Word with a passion for truth or some other reason? Are you reliant on others’ writings?
When you have a love for the truth you question your beliefs. You ask why you do what you do because you desire to be living in the Truth. And it isn’t questioning necessarily what you say you believe, but what your life SHOWS you believe.
For a lack of LOVE for the TRUTH, many are in bondage, afflicted, and troubled. John 8:32 Lies are at the root of most bondage. There are many types of bondage and only by dwelling in the Truth will the lies be exposed for what they are. Otherwise we will continue to believe them to be accurate. The only way out of deception is for us to come face to face what is real; Truth that comes from God’s Word – not man’s interpretation of it. THE Truth is to be the foundation of our beliefs, because it affects everything else.
Often we do what we do without deeply considering why or where we learned those thoughts and behaviors. Not questioning allows the lies to remain, thus the bondage. Further, we are often blinded to what is happening in our own lives, because we’ve lived with our way of thinking, be it right or wrong, for so long. We don’t question it or stop questioning it. We let unexamined thoughts and beliefs drive our decisions and behaviors.
As 2 Thessalonians 2:10 states, in theses days, the most important thing we can do is have a LOVE for the TRUTH – otherwise we will fall prey to the unrighteous deception that will be posing as the truth of God. Because of the times we are in, I strongly feel we must fully know that we are listening to God’s voice and not someone else’s. Therefore, we need to seriously start questioning what we are thinking and why we do what we do in light of God’s truth and let God guide us to the paths of righteousness.
A PODCAST (click here to listen) is available on the deeper meaning of fasting you often don’t hear discussed. You can also get it at Itunes. Search for Stirring the Deep under podcasts.
Overview: Fasting is an area that is greatly misunderstood and misused. When we understand the spiritual implications behind it, then it has tremendous power in our lives.
Here I discuss this act and the spiritual depth and meaning behind it. I hope this explains unanswered questions about it. Hint: it’s much more than not eating.
Living Light 