Living Light

Stirring The Deep

Tag Archives: obey


by 14 Comments

Time for Renewal in You, In the Earth

Time for Renewal in You,

Thus in the Earth

 

How this new year goes comes down to this …

Most likely I’ll be speaking about obedience in the next several posts; as obedience is key to regenerating into a new creation; which has now begun in those of the Day. Matthew 19:28  Thus instruction in this area is pouring forth. Personally, I’m transitioning in ways I never have before; in essence from learning truth to becoming and living the truth. These are incredible days we are living in to say it extremely lightly.

The idea of obedience has negative connotations, and rightly so. The ones we’ve obeyed in this earthly existence lacked pure love, thus obedience has often been harmful and unproductive.

But obedience to a perfect loving Father is TOTALLY ABSOLUTELY different. Obedience to the heavenly Father is a path to the attainment of our deepest desires (purest of love, wisdom, joy, purpose, peace, purity, and blessing, which are all characteristics of our Father). This obedience is a delight because you walk in the purest of love thus receiving the purest of love. Put aside the negativity around obedience and seek to know it in relation to the heavenly Father who loves you. Remember His obedience is different; it is love. Put aside your expectations and listen. Matthew 11:29-30

Obedience Now Possible

Obedience wasn’t possible until the Father came in Christ reconciling Himself to the world. 2 Corinthians 5:19 That plan has been playing out for thousands of years. On the dawn of Christ’s rising in our hearts; that obedience is possible. 2 Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:16 As He returns within us, His righteousness mind becomes our own. Luke 17:21

We’ve had the instruction of the Holy Spirit teaching us about the Father, about His love and ways. 1 John 2:27  For those listening, the truths gained purified us to enable a marriage with Christ within us. John 17:17, John 15:3 We’ve learned from this Spirit, and now as the Light dawns in our hearts those truths are deepening and growing in power to transform us. It’s Christ spirit resurrecting us giving us His mind in place of our own that empowers us to walk in His ways.

As the Light dawns in us we begin to see much clearer. We realized what we saw before of our Father was a stick figure drawing of understanding. Knowing the heavenly Father as He unites to our spirits through Christ produces a MUCH deeper understanding and wisdom than we have ever had before. This is the new wine; and now different it is from the old.  At His return, the oppression of the enemy that kept us bound to unrighteousness is being lifted and replaced with His power to live in righteous love. Matthew 5:20-48

It’s an intense spiritual growth happening as we gain the mind of Christ by our spirits being knit to the One who is our salvation, the Lord Our Righteousness. Jeremiah 33:16

As Christ returns to reign in righteousness, we have a new power to obey, a new power to walk righteously; for this is what it means for Christ to reign in righteousness. His reign is in our souls. In walking in this Light and power, our lives are transformed into something amazing, beyond anything we’ve imagined. Are you experiencing this? Blessed are you for you will be a light to others. Isaiah 10:21-23

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.

With this Light rising in our hearts, the power to leave the pit is given. The prison doors are flung open. The Light is shining in a place, our soul, that once was dark. It leads us, the prisoners, to freedom. Our acts of disobedience imprison us; the acts of obedience set us free.

Christ gave us His spirit not so we didn’t have to walk in God’s will but so that we could. Matthew 5:17-18 When we are righteous the law is fulfilled. Matthew 5:48 He enables us to do what we could never do on our own – be righteousness. Do you believe this? If you don’t your lack of faith will send you into tribulation. If you do, your faith is your victory.

Isaiah 9:3-5 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian. For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

As long as you choose to stay in disobedience or believe you can’t do any different; that mindset will cast a darkness in front of you. Though the Light is near you – you can not see it. The Light will always be at your back until you turn to it. 2 Chronicles 30:9, Jeremiah 2:27 You turn by obeying His words spoken to you about your personal circumstances and life. (It isn’t following religious doctrine; it is living in loving kindness to all)

Examine Your Life; By Examining Your Heart

Take a look with the Father into your heart … there is an area you know you are walking contrary to His will and ways; perhaps a sin or temptation that has plagued you. Now is the time to break free as the prison doors have been opened. The strength of the enemy, the power of lies and deception, is being cast down. Take that area and seek the truth from the Father who loves you and ask for the truth that will set you free. Then whatever way He leads you to obey – do it. It may seem like an unrelated area, but obey. He is building your trust in Him and that His ways truly do lead to life and that His ways truly are good and He is far more loving than you thought.

As you obey, you’ll experience more power as with each step you move out of the pit and into the Light, His presence of peace. He is truth. To be united to Him you must be in His ways; this is what unity means. Obedience leads you straight into His heart; a heart of peace, love, joy, unity, wisdom, blessing that you experience in your spiritual and physical life.

Wisdom (understanding God’s truths in your life) leads to obedience (walking in God’s ways) that leads to power (those ways transforming your life) and that power feels like pure love.

Obedience is easy to do when you understand the wisdom behind it and see the abundant love in it. Then your response is “of course!”


by 27 Comments

Here Comes the Son

Here Comes the Son

 I woke to “Here Comes the Sun” in my head; and rightly so …

as obedience to truth sets you free and manifests the Son in you.

 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Psalm 107:20

Not man-made commands, religious rules, formalities, or protocols, … anything external, but the words of the Eternal Father spoken to your individual heart is what sets you free from the pit of death and the prison of your mind. All of which, Christ made possible. It’s His spirit speaking to your spirit words of life; as they are words infused with His spirit and His faith. When His words are heard and received, spirit to spirit, then obedience is possible and exponentially powerful because of the love exudes.  He is speaking; are you listening?  Jeremiah 11:7-8, 9:13-14 When you listen within, for that is where the Father speaks to you, He gives YOU the truths that YOU need to be free.

A personal reflection  …

The other day, I saw a “funk” rising on the horizon of my soul. It’s like a dark cloud that manifests various thoughts contrary to peace, truth, and love. I’ve learned it’s the sensation of a battle rising in my mind as God is bringing in a glorious truth to reveal and dislodge a lie. As the truth moves in, it transcends me into a deeper level of love; thus power and freedom in my mind and soul.

Knowing what was approaching; I asked for the truth to set me free. (A very powerful prayer) And God answered …

“Seek to put on immortality; think nothing of the flesh that is quickly passing away.”

Now this may not mean much to you, because it was for me, but those words burned like fire into my soul. I heard them before, but this time they went much deeper. They burned off the muck of lies clinging to the sides of my mind causing me to act in ways contrary to the love of the Father. Because of it being the Father’s perfect revelation at the perfect time, I readily received it. I embraced it and the lie I had been serving was expelled; thus obedience.

With this truth written on my heart, I obey/live in this Truth and no longer the lie. The living/obedience to this truth is easy because of the previous truths He has assembled in me supporting it in combination with His power at work in my soul. Ephesians 1:19 See the grace in the midst of obedience? Immediately, the dark cloud dissipated and the Son rose on the horizon of my soul. Victory gained. 1 John 5:4

A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:19-21

If you ask, listen, and obey, the Father is faithful to give you the truths that shatter the prison bars of your mind. This is the process of the flesh-mind burning, being destroyed, purged, and dying, and His Divine Mind being knit to yours.

The fire of truth will season us all. 1 Corin 3:13-15. Question is do you recognize the fire; know what to seek, how to listen, and walk (obey) in that truth? Do you embrace the heat and learn the truth in love? Or do you wallow in the muck and misery of your imprisoned soul?

Obedience Tainted

The concept of obedience has been greatly tainted with various doctrines/philosophies calling to the extremes; all masking its powerful truth. When the Father is talking about obedience, He is talking about pure love; loving Him, loving you, and loving others.  All His words spoken to your spirit serve love. 2 John 1:6 AND to truly love is impossible without attachment to the Diving Mind of God for He is truth and pure truth comes from His spirit directly to yours. He is the Truth and power you need to truly love. To obey Truth is to love.

To love with the love of God is to know and abide in honor, holiness, purity, righteousness, and wisdom, which are all different angles of His love. All these characteristics we must be taught by God the true meaning of. These concepts are all deeply intertwined and cannot be separated. For those who separate these in their beliefs; for example … “yes, he is love, BUT he is just …” which is spoken to justify horrific doctrines (ie. eternal torment), they aren’t serving God, but Satan. The separation makes them not truth and thus they are the doctrines of lies and false images. Satan is the father of lies, there is no truth in him. He can’t put together these concepts because they are truth so under his doctrines they remain broken false images and counterfeits of the real thing. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 Doctrines that keep you from the power of obedience in love are not of God but of the god of this world who feigns truth.

Knowing the Father is knowing these characteristics and their concinnity. Jeremiah 9:24

Obedience Lived

Each one of us has our own network of lies that keeps us from knowing love, having love and giving love. Only the Father who knows the interworking and depth of our spirit can give us the truth we need right now; the next building block to freeing our minds. The truth builds. HE assembles the truth in you. YOU go to Him directly, listen and follow. Ask for the truth to be set free as He reveals the bondage in your life. He’ll reveal one by one, and with each transition from a lie to the truth; you step away from the pit toward the light. Psalm 107:9

Truth is truth. When we live/obey in the words of God; we become spiritually alive and our lives bear the glorious fruit of truth. John 17:3 Christ enables us to obey as He comes intimately into our soul and instills the truth and the power to live it.

The disobedience that will destroy you and keep you in the pit and prison of your mind, is a refusal to listen and obey the beautiful truths your Eternal Father is speaking to your soul to set you free and abide with Him in love. Jeremiah 13:10, 12:17, Hebrews 8:10

Obeying the truth allows Christ to manifest Himself to you, for He is truth … Here Comes the Son.


by 12 Comments

Attune to the State of Your Soul

Attune to the State of Your Soul

Matthew  6:19–20 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

1 Corinthians 15:1-2 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you–unless you believed in vain.

View on YouTube


by 5 Comments

Holiness Leads to Happiness

Holiness Leads to Happiness

Do you believe this truth; holiness leads to happiness?

My life testifies to this truth; though when I look around it’s dismissed by a multitude of lies, as it once was in my life. The main one being you can’t be truly holy AND happy because the path of holiness leads to continual sacrifice, thus suffering and lack. This is the world’s lie, when in reality the opposite is true; holiness leads to happiness. This lie keeps us from seeking it, thus truly seeking to walk in oneness with God and His perfect wisdom that makes our lives a continual feast. Psalm 138:8, Proverbs 15:15  To understand this dynamic of holiness and happiness is a part of knowing the true God.

Purging False Images

To understand this truth and for it to become real in our life, we first have to set aside all images of holiness; cathedrals, nuns, convents, contrived humility/meekness, anything eternal. Mark 7:7-8, 15 Holiness doesn’t come from the external, but internal. It’s of the heart, thus to know it ALL images related to it have to be purged. When we willing offer this clean slate to God; then the deep instruction of God begins. He destroys the lies and replaces them with truth.

What is Holiness?

Holiness =  feeling, thinking and doing what is the most loving and honoring (2 sides of same coin) for ourselves, others and God.

Holiness is the result of an inner transformation of the soul affecting our heart, spirit, and mind. It’s the interworking and result of purity, truth and love that come from being a part of God and obeying God’s truth. We become holy as we obey God’s instruction within our soul; for that is where God communes with us. When we obey we love. We obey when we love God. We obey because God’s ways are love. As we obey we become united to God. Then, holiness shines in us and lights the space around us.

If you continuously abide in pure love for yourself, others and God, what do you suppose the state of your soul will be?

Yes. Happiness.

Brings Abundant Life

Walking in God’s truth, which is obeying His counsel within our soul, is walking in true wisdom. When we act in wisdom, our life is recreated inside and out. Wisdom transforms not only us, but the space around us. It creates a life of inner and outer growing peace, purpose, rest, purity, healing … truly all things that bring abundant happiness and everlasting joy. Christ spirit in us is our wisdom. 1 Corin 1:30, 2 Peter 1:4 His Spirit within us counsels and instructs us in all wisdom, which is the most loving and honoring decision that results in holiness.

Becoming a Vessel of Honor

Once we truly start seeking God, our sin is used for refinement. The consequences of the sin (as an illness, hardship, angst, unrest, stress, etc) present a sign that we are going against God’s will, which we don’t desire for it leads to all those things we don’t want. If we are of God, we desire to abide in love and not have any sin abiding in us. We want purged all that is contrary to God, so we can dwell in perfect unity with Him.  2 Peter 3:11, 13-14 We need wisdom’s rebukes in our spirit so we can walk in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 1:23 As we grow in obedience, which is growing in love; the result is holiness. If we take away honor or love, then we take away holiness and joy.

Happy is he who trusts in God. When we trust we obey. If we trust external things to bring us honor/value/love, we’ll block holiness thus happiness.

Psalm 146:5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Ask God to build this truth in your life. This transformation within your soul is now possible as Christ is making His home in the souls prepared for Him. Rev 3:8, John 10:9 His spirit in us compels, enables, and empowers us to walk in the purest of love. Without His spirit, we can do nothing. With it nothing is impossible. His spirit is the morning star that is now rising in our souls. As we go through this transition, we are becoming a part of God’s house built without hands for Him to dwell in forever. Ephesians 2:20-21

Psalm 144:15 Happy are the people who are in such a state; Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!


by 20 Comments

Defeating Illness

Defeating Illness

 

3 John 1:2  Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

It’s quite straightforward really …

Fear = disease       Love = health

Every time you act in true pure love, you heal. When you act in fear, you proliferate disease.

Many are suffering in the afflictions of illnesses and sicknesses. Healing springs forth when a transformation occurs within. Whatever is the state of your heart; so your life will be. When you think, speak and act out of the pure love of God, then all you are and all around you prospers in blessing, peace, rest, beauty, and loving kindness. When you think, speak or act from any other motive, then you and all around you deteriorates in suffering, illness, hardships, sorrows, and pains. This truth has been given to us from the beginning, yet it’s manifesting more powerfully in these days as truth increases. Proverbs 4:23, Luke 6:45

Deuteronomy 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:

The key to vitality is for your truth to be God’s truth. The truth of God is true love and God’s love is the truth. Mark 12:30-31, 1 Timothy 1:5

Whatever your truth, it manifests itself in your life and surroundings. If you are bound in lies that create fear and its subparts: anxiousness, worry, guilt, blame, and anger, then in your life you create what you hate (all the negative outcomes including illness). In seeking and following after THE Truth/love; all that you hate is removed because the sources of it, the lies, are replaced by Truth.

If you are facing sickness and illness; become aware of God’s wisdom speaking to you from within; where He speaks intimately with YOU. No one can listen and find the answers for you. Only the spirit of God can search your soul and reveal your lies that you hold as truth; lies that are destroying you. Others can only confirm what you have heard. Ask for His wisdom regarding your circumstances. Desire to come into HIS truth and have all that isn’t of Him purged from your life. And be aware of the great manipulator; hypocritical love. It can be difficult to see. Romans 12:9

James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

As you listen and obey, health will start to fill your soul and body transforming you, inward out.

When a thought or situation arises that causes you to respond in fear, chose to trust in the love of God. When you trust Him in the midst of a situation, (thus you feel a deep letting go and peace), you infuse His power into your circumstance and the outcomes are full of His perfect grace and love. This display of power is also how you know you are trusting the true God. When you truly trust THE GOD, you see His power. Psalm 34:10

When you feel pain within your body; seek God’s counsel to understand its source. Be aware of the acts or thoughts His Spirit within you brings to mind for you to stop and which new ones to embrace. It may be these incorrect thoughts/acts are manifesting the pain or illness. When you obey God and walk according to His perfect love; your obedience creates peace and power in your life across many dimensions.

God has given you all you need for what you seek; His spirit of wisdom/love which longs to commune and be united to your soul. 

John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”


by 6 Comments

Path of TRUE Salvation

 Path of TRUE Salvation

Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your OWN salvation with fear and trembling;

1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

Fullness of Salvation

Christ died for all people. 1 Tim 4:10, Romans 5:8 In Christ, all are forgiven and are able to become sons/daughters of God. There is nothing we did to earn this forgiveness. It’s God’s gift to us. Is this salvation?

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

It’s part of salvation. Salvation in its fullness is our souls redeemed from the kingdom of darkness (lies, sin, pain, suffering, torment, death) and brought into the kingdom of light (truth, love, rest, peace, life). 1 Peter 2:9 We are literally delivered from all that torments us, this is salvation. Imagine abiding in complete rest in your soul; no fear, worry, angst, suffering or stress? Imagine being directed by God’s perfect counsel, will and love in every way? This is salvation, abundant life. John 10:10

Salvation is not simply believing Christ is who He is or what He did. Salvation is becoming a part of Him; a truth has been largely neglected because few intently seek for God, which you would do if you understood this truth.

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe–and tremble

What is neglected is true repentance. The demons don’t repent. They know who Christ is and even tremble at His presence, yet serve another master.

People remove the concept of true repentance from salvation, as they remove Lord from Christ who is our Lord and Savior. In both cases, they go hand-in-hand and both are required for eternal life.

True Repentance

In many cases, repentance has been taught to be more of an acknowledgement; an acknowledgement that you are a sinner and you know your ways are wrong and you need forgiveness.

This is an aspect of repentance, but repentance is turning from your ways to God’s – doing a 180 degree turn in your life. God calls us to confess sins and forsake them. This means leaving our ways behind and following God in every area. It’s obedience to His Words, His words to you personally for we all lead our own lives with our own issues and problems.

Obedience by God’s Power

But it’s not obedience by our strength. It’s obedience by the power of God in us. Ephesians 1:19 This is the power of Christ.  This isn’t being legalist. Being legalist is trying to follow rules in our own strength or for our own merit, “to be a good person”.  What God is talking about is us walking in His ways by His power because it’s actually Him working through us. It’s His righteousness pouring through our lives. It’s about becoming one with Him.

Seeking, Listening, Obeying

Our part in this journey is hearing and obeying God’s counsel to us. Because, how can we walk in God’s ways if we don’t know them? If we aren’t seeking? If we aren’t listening? We seek, hear, then obey. It’s His abundant grace that enables us to walk as He desires. 2 Corin 9:8 We need to seek His instruction then draw upon His infinite power available to us through grace to do as He asks. In grace, you can do what you could never do on your own, it’s a true power in your life.

Further, on this journey of purification, we can’t follow our perception of what is good or the image of a good person .. that is following our will. God is the potter not us. We are God’s workmanship. Ephesians 2:10 Yet many try in their own way to be a good person. They try to be the image of a Godly person instead of letting God direct that path in a very personal way, purging sin and instilling holiness bit by bit.

We are like broken down house. God starts rebuilding on one part and asks us to walk in that piece so it becomes a part of our life. As we do, He moves onto the next. We’re not transformed all at once. It’s a process of renewal. We grow bit by bit. As we learn a truth, His goodness leads us to repent, then the lie is purged, the truth instated, and it becomes our reality because it is our truth. Then God moves onto the next area. As we do we begin to leave the kingdom of darkness and move into His kingdom of light.

If we are following our will, we will be trying to walk in one way, like not complaining, and fail because God hasn’t worked on that part yet.  In doing what we think is right, we aren’t listening to Him and we don’t have the power to act as we desire. He gives us power to walk as HE builds. Because it’s God working in you, He determines the path in what, when and how. This is another reason why God needs to be the Teacher in our lives. Matthew 23:8. He knows exactly what we need to learn and when and in the process of HIM teaching us, He changes us.

We are forgiven, but now we are to seek God, listen and follow.  This is why it says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

To be continued …


by 6 Comments

Drawing Close to God

Drawing Close to God

The ultimate choice we have to make is between following God and following self. Following God leads to eternal life and following self leads to death. To be in unity with God, we have to turn from our self-will (true repentance) and follow God’s will. In following God we seek to do only His will, just as Jesus did. John 5:30 But we don’t know God’s will unless we seek to know – thus why God tells us to seek and live. Amos 5:4 When following self we do what we think is good and right – whatever it is.

To learn about God through the Bible a similar approach must be taken in order to draw near to God in truth and spirit – we have to deny self.

God tells us to believe in Him. The Bible with the instruction of the Holy Spirit is a gateway to deeply knowing God so we can believe in Him as He is. This venue isn’t everyone’s; for we are all unique. But it is a part of my journey, and for you who feel called to this thought-provoking venue will resonate with my journey.

Reading the Bible isn’t about learning “techniques of good living” to then fulfill our own purposes and desires. We have to let go of all our self-will in coming to God in order to really know God and for Him to be our Lord.

There are three areas of denying our self-will when abiding in the Bible in order to learn about God, thus draw near in truth and Spirit.

The first area is in regards to making time to seek God. It’s putting abiding in the Bible to be taught by the Holy Spirit as the priority. Consider all the times you’ve put something above spending time with God, when God has told you to seek Him first. Matthew 6:33 Times you choose to sleep in, attend to another person, do a task, or get consumed in work. At those times, YOU are deciding what is more important versus doing what GOD has told you to do – love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, to put Him first, and to diligently seek Him. This choice to do what you want is following your self-will. When you continue this pattern, deep down you think you know better, otherwise you would do what God says. So who’s will is dominating in you?

The second area is who you focus on when you do abide in the Bible. To get to know God through the Bible, you have to set your needs, wants, and expectations aside and focus on God. If you read the Bible with the mindset and motive that is focused on you, then you aren’t denying self, you are putting self first. You are putting your self-will and what you think the time in the Bible should be about above seeking to know God. Instead of saying, God, what do you want to teach me? What do you want me to know about you? It’s always about fixing you, searching for a certain answer, or preparing for a Bible study. Whose will is in control at this point?

If your interactions with your spouse were always about you, you would learn very little about her/him. There would be no true intimacy or bond. You would do what you thought that person wanted, but you really wouldn’t have a clue. You haven’t sought to know him/her intimately because every interaction has been about you. Therefore you wouldn’t have a real relationship, certainly not a healthy one. With God it’s the same. We have to realize we don’t know God unless we individually seek to know Him. Until we do we have a false image of Him, which means we have a false relationship. It’s necessary to seek Him while putting ourselves aside to know Him as He is. Then we’ll start to develop a real relationship.

The third area has to do with conforming the Bible to your beliefs versus the Bible molding your beliefs. It’s realizing that you have filters and ways of viewing God and the Bible that are wrong. That you hold ideas that you think are “truth” but aren’t. When you come to learn of God, you have come with a humble heart which is willing to receive and hear anything God may teach you instead of trying to fit the Bible to your paradigms. If you think you already know, you don’t really seek. You conform what you read and hear to what you already believe. If you think you already know then who are you following when you abide in the Bible?

In order to know God through the Bible, there is a choice to make, God or self. It’s a prelude to the ultimate choice of choosing Him in everyway over our self-will.

The way to life is choosing God. The only way for the Bible to be unsealed to you so you can draw near to God in truth and spirit is to choose God in these areas. If you don’t deny self when coming to the Bible to be taught by the Holy Spirit, then you are reading for your own purposes and goals based on what you think is good. Your will is in control. This is how the Pharisees could know the scriptures, but be totally off. They used them to fulfill what they determined was right and good.

God has to be first. He is Lord. He can’t be second.

One side note, letting go of self-will isn’t about losing your identity. It’s coming to the understanding that God’s will is good and leads to true life and therefore that is what you want to do. If you were walking through a dense forest and you had a guide with you who knew the best and safest way to get through it, what would you do? You would follow him. Same with God. God knows the path to life. We walk with Him when our will is submitted to Him because then we are walking in His footsteps. The journey leads us to what we’ve always truly and deeply desired, because God is that good.

Tomorrow when you sit down to learn about God through the Bible consider these three areas. Ask the Spirit to examine your heart; are you really making this about God and seeking Him or about you?


by 5 Comments

If Love Me, Keep my Commandments

If Love Me, Keep my Commandments

 

John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.

Obedience for a believer who is growing in the knowledge and grace of God is more of a desire than obedience. If you are born of God and abiding in His Word, your desire to do His will is strengthening because you are growing in love with Him.

It is important to recognize the ones maturing are the ones who experience this desire and not the burden of obedience. Many Christians aren’t growing and still think and act like carnal men. Therefore deep down they don’t desire the ways of God. They may act certain ways because they feel they have to but it is out of pure obedience and not love. Romans 8:7 What they have is a religion of rules and not a relationship of love. They lack a strong inner spirit to walk as a free spiritual being who isn’t rule bound but love bound. 1 John 2:5 Unfortunately, those rule bound people who think they are mature can be quite destructive and misleading to others about what the Christian faith is all about.

Kids are given the rule, don’t run into the street, because they can’t yet grasp the deeper truth that running into the street means you might get killed. It is the same with an immature spirit – all they can grasp are rules so they cling to them. But staying in this condition isn’t what God intended when He sent Christ to us. God desires a bride in love with Him and following Him because of love not a maidservant following the rules because that is what you should do.

This is why in the verse above love comes first. Obedience as God desires, with our hearts not just our actions, has to come from love not brute discipline. When we love Him, we want to follow Him.

Because Christ stands in our place, we have completely fulfilled the law now and always as He did. Covered in grace, we could go about sinning – however if you are truly born of God that isn’t your desire. Romans 6:14-16 You desire what God does because now you are a part of Him. God took care of our sin at the cross. Being free from the judgment of sin, the lessons of our lives are about walking in God’s will because that fosters intimacy and love with Him. He teaches and leads us down paths to accomplish that closeness; paths that instruct us what is His way and what isn’t. When He reveals a path we are walking that is counter to His, it isn’t to condemn us we have already been judged in Christ – it is to lead us closer to Him because sin distances us from being united to Him in truth, love and will.

And at its core, His will is about love, loving Him and loving others. Every command of God is what it is because that is the most loving thing to do. As a maturing believer you desire to grow in love – not a love of this world but a love beyond what we as flesh humans are capable of. John said that by our love others would know we are His – that means it is a love that mere men aren’t capable of giving – otherwise why would it set us apart? John 13:35

God’s love is much greater than ours. Most of us assume we know what love is, but what we know is a tainted version of His. We have to seek what is true love and what isn’t. And from what I am learning it is beyond what I ever considered as loving. The extent of His love – just the purity and selflessness alone and what that looks like in my day to day – is amazing. As you grow in love you begin to understand the depth and the reasons behind His commands and you desire to walk in them.

If you love God you want to do His commands of love therefore they aren’t burdensome. 1 John 5:3 If you want to do something it isn’t a burden but a joy. This is the experience for those spiritually maturing. It isn’t about following the law, trying to be perfect, or following some rules. It is about seeking God’s heart in each situation with a desire to love others with the power of His love flowing through you. You aren’t focused on following rules. You understand that Christ is your righteousness so you cease from trying to earn your own. You do what you do because you want to. And the closer we draw near to God the more this desire grows.

Since I started seeking God, I have seen this transformation in myself. It doesn’t happen over night it is a process of growing in love with Him by spending time with Him. From that time comes a true desire to follow Him. I want to do His will. It isn’t that I’m not tempted. I am. We all get blindsided by our Mr. Hyde personas – but the Spirit waves a flag shows me how that isn’t the most loving thing to do and I think oh, yeah, I don’t want to do that.

If we love God then we will obey Him because we desire to abide in His love. John 15:10