AN OBSERVATION

The scriptures say that whatever we sow we will reap. It's a fact that if you sow corn the crop you reap will be corn. And in like manner if you sow hatred you will probably reap hatred. Anyone who thinks has probably come to this realization themselves and yet many still hate.

                In another place the scriptures say that if you sow to the flesh that from the flesh you will reap only destruction. Why? The flesh is temporary - dust to dust. Whatever is out of the earth returns to the earth. Some things consumed are not beneficial to the longevity of the flesh and so the time of return to dust is hastened.

                It is my observation that Americans are obsessed with sowing to the flesh. Food and drink is one type of seed that is sown. Spas, gyms, nail shops, autos and parts, drug stores, clothing stores and on and on it goes, all serving the flesh.

                There is great demand for those who will serve others flesh. So where is their focus and what are they sowing to but a never ending cry of the flesh to be served.

                But is it really the flesh? Not really. It's the soul (mind, will and emotion) that retains the memory of feelings of momentary pleasure. It is the soul that is hungering to be satisfied. The soul merely comes into agreement with "whatever feels good do it". For many it's the touch of the body to the body (their own or someone else's). For some it's the feeling of being in control over their body. For far too many it's the feeling of being in control of others. And sadly for most it's the attitude, "I want it and I want it now" regardless of tomorrow.

                The end result of that path, that behavior is that people come to the end and are not satisfied but instead are filled with regret. As the song goes, "Looking for love in too many places, searching for love in too many faces..."

                The Apostle Paul addresses this when he continues his statements about sowing and reaping by saying, "...but he who sows unto spirit will out of the Spirit reap that which is out of eternal life". Jesus came to save the soul and said, "I AM Eternal Life."

                So the question must continually be asked of the Spirit, "Is this of You?" It's not the same answer for each thing for each one for we all have our God purposed destiny. One thing is clear, however, that whatever is of the flesh will end but great is the promise that whatever is birthed out of the Spirit is forever.

THE TREE

Only when you’re hanging on the tree of Life because of the words/actions of others is it then that you can say, “Father, please forgive them for they do not know what they are doing”. They who persecute can even kill the man but they can never kill the God in the man. The one who has died to his flesh is the one who can live of the Spirit.

                How is it that we who have been delivered out of the grip of eternal separation from God be so self focused that we once again go to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to think that now it’s OK to again eat there from? I think we may have not in full measure understood the difference in forgive and remit or receive.

The flesh wages war against the soul. It has an ungodly desire to be in charge. But is it really flesh? Of course not, it is the house of cards we've built with lust filled lies in our mind.

                True forgiveness results in absolution of the event, a judgment of not guilty. That is what God has already done through Jesus. How can I do that? Only by going to the cross ourselves is it possible. If we can’t love our brother and sisters enough to forgive something he/she has done how is it that we can say we’ve received the love of God?

                Come now let us reason together. If my sins have truly been remitted, taken away by Jesus so I can never find them in the sea of God’s forgetfulness, then how can I go back to doing the same thing over and over again? Could the answer be that I have not really fully received and used the gift I’ve been given. I have been given freedom from ever missing the mark again so how is it that what has been taken away I go try to dredge it up again?

Like Eve have I been deceived by my thinking that once enlightened I will be able to  go on as if nothing needs to change in my day to day? Yet it is worse than Adam and Eve. They were ashamed and tried to hide from God.

I became so arrogant that I became everyone's critic and all the time I was eating of the wrong tree. It is by grace and through faith freely given that I live in the Truth Tree and not of the liar's tree.

            Jesus said if you want to follow Him you have to give up that old way of thinking, die to it by putting it daily upon your cross that you carry. Later He made the way to accomplish that by hanging all the sin of the world all the way back to Adam and Eve and all future sin on the cross and after doing so was raised as the New Adam of the new earth and to give us eternal life out of that earth. That is why He said, “I am the way…” He has made the way for you to think as He thinks… Holy, Pure, Perfect and empowered you to Love with the Love from above. Do not neglect so great a gift. HE IS OUR EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD (Gen 15:1).

A FREE PLACE TO DWELL

The differences between God and man were reconciled through the payment of a debt owed by us and freely to us paid by Christ’s death and now the books are in balance and we are NOW restored to and within the love and favor of God.

It is a free gift. But a gift that is not received is worthless to the beneficiary. If you freely with no strings attached give me money to pay for a debt and yet I do not take it, and use it, what good is the gift to me? Or in the case of all unbelievers and many believers if you do not know, if you are not even aware of the gift, or the full extent of it, it has done and is doing you no good.

In like manner Christ paid a debt we could not and if we do not receive we therefore remain without that which has been freely given. Jesus came and has come again by His Spirit, this time with no respect for sin but that you may come to know the fullness of what you have been given.

If you receive a gift box but you do not open it you in effect have not received its most important part, the benefits that are inside the box. Unbelievers have no idea there is a box given. Many believers have only opened one or a few of the boxes inside the box which contains an infinite number of gifts.

Let’s say I am given a house, a very large house with many rooms, but there is one condition to receiving the gift of that house and that is that I must walk down a certain narrow path to obtain the gift. So if I go down that path and find that house and go into and live only in one room you would say, “What is wrong with you?’ and then I replied, “I am not worthy to receive all this gift” you would then reply, “Are you crazy?” the obvious answer to which is a resounding YES!

Jesus said, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places, if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you and will come again to take you to Myself so that as I exist you exist also.”

We need to know that giver and trust Him. He said, “I am the way, the truth and eternal life.”

ARE YOU DIZZY YET?

We confess our sin. We say, “I repent”. Then later when again tempted we succumb to the temptation and here we go again…confess, repent, tempted, succumb and on and on it goes. Or better, around and around we go in the wilderness of our soul never going up the mountain but going around it. We make camp in the wilderness around the word unmerited which closes our eyes to the completed work of Christ rather than looking into His grace (favor).

                When we finally get to the place that we truly have had enough of this and truly begin to work out our salvation in fear and trembling and turn to Him and only Him we will find Him waiting to reveal our true self which is within Him. He has been there waiting for us to come to Him who is our life.

We will never come to know Him apart from His word because He is His Word and it is established forever. To look for multiple ways to get out of our mess that we created out of our own mouth is what the Apostle James calls double minded.

Actually the literal Greek says such a one is two souled, is unstable in all his ways and he should not expect anything from the Lord.  The word unstable in the Greek is even stronger than unstable for it is close akin to anarchic.

In Eph 4:22-25 Paul says to once and for all with all finality throw off the lie that we now have two natures and to cast off in one final act the old man which was corrupted in lust filled lies and renew our thinking to that of the spirit and thereby once and for all put on the new man which has been created out of God within righteousness and holiness out of the veritable manifested essence of truth.

If you have been born from the highest place out of the spirit of God (Jn 1:13) you have been given His promises to partake of and thereby receive a divine nature (2 Ptr 1:4) as one birthed anew.

If you have been born anew you are seated NOW within Him in heavenly places. RENEW YOUR MIND AND TAKE YOUR SEAT! From that place of seating you will be at rest and will be ready to administer His love and all which His love contains.

These three remain forever – faith, hope, love – the greatest of which is unconditional love!

ILLUSIONS

I’ve seen magicians perform some amazing illusions through the years. But these guys have nothing on Christians for we have been given authority to speak things as though they are.

                All things are possible to those who believe. So if you believe there are hindrances to your receiving from God then there will be hindrances. 

                Several days ago while in prayer for someone I love very much I saw by the Spirit walls all around us and yet these walls were, except to the eye of the spirit, invisible. Then upon realizing (by the Spirit) they were illusions they immediately went away, disappeared and in their place was open space freedom in brilliant light. The light of revelation is a brilliance that never hurts the eyes for it is out of the love of God.

Then I heard the Lord say, “The only reason those “things” were there was because you believed they existed. You created the illusion. When the Holy Spirit revealed to you the Truth they had to leave. Lies (and liars) cannot stay in the presence of Truth.”

I then began to pray in the spirit. The next day the person was freed and I was overjoyed at what had been revealed to me. And so it is with every hindrance, every blockage and every stronghold.

Another thing I discovered during these events was that I had been meditating on the love of God and that the love of God had been given in full measure when I believed and received Jesus Christ my deliverer and all that was now needed was for me to accept that full measure. With my heart I received faith (Jesus) but with my mouth I proclaimed my deliverance. When I agreed with Truth and spoke, the lie simply was removed. He who joins himself with Christ is one spirit with Him.

We must come to Him not because He makes a demand but because He is ever holding out His open hand to take ours and lead us into the Land. His is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory. Hallelujah!!

MUCH IS BEING SAID

MUCH IS BEING SAID of the grace of God today and that certainly is as it should be. I was introduced to His greater grace about eighteen years ago when I was accused of something I did not do by my supervisor and it was documented in my personnel file.

The following morning I was driving and really angry and screaming (we all know God is hard of hearing) to let God know how I truly felt about the matter. After some minutes I paused and heard, “Are you through?”

I paused and then replied, “No I am not!”

And He said, “When you are, then we can talk.”

I broke. With hot tears rolling down my cheeks I said, “I just do not understand why they can’t see me as I really am.”

He then said, “Why can’t you mete the same grace that I have meted you?”

I replied, “You want me to forgive.”

He said, “Yes.”

I did. Right then in the car, while hot tears were rolling down my cheeks I realized that I wasn’t mad at the person; I was really made at God. More hot tears accompanied this time of repentance.

When I got to work the air was fresh, clean and all of the past was blown away. I released all of yesterday and God stepped in.

By grace, through Jesus I was delivered because “God so loved”. Now it’s my turn, for out of His abundant grace freely given I have now freely received. Know this: the now of God never leaves, never fades, never fails for He not only is in the now, He is the true now that forever is.