I've been reading lately between A.W. Tozer, The Counselor and A. B. Simpson, Christ In You, and have been filled with a lot of good straight talk on faith, what it is and what is expected. The Counselor talks a great deal of specifics on The Holy Spirit, "the promise of the Father", that was sent to the original apostles as a gift. This Spirit of God has never stopped flowing and is available to all who call on Jesus, Yeshua as Lord and Savior. I was particularly interested in what Tozer spelled out as the process of being "filled" based on several scriptures - that of offering up our bodies as living vessels, asking for the Spirit to Come, being obedient to what the Spirit leads and having faith. The combination of the two books is really a blessing because the concept of faith is also illustrated in these two books as that of a river. The River of God's Will. When we jump into His River, we go with His flow and follow as He leads. We are the ones that change to become His purpose here for us. This is how He is glorified ~ through our filling and then outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
My main site has been down for a little while and i sure have been itching to get back to some regular content work on that site. I will have it back online this week. Many irons in the fire right now, but there has been an amazing sense of calm in the quiet time before this brewing storm... while each Peace is put into place in this beautiful drama of Life that God has Created. What i have experienced along the way is pretty comforting and something that i want to share with everyone else today - this day. A scripture defines where i am in this walk - and the beauty of how the Word, the pure Truth in it becomes your life. I am very fond of this Passage as it is one that i was given to memorize before i moved to Mississippi.
Phillipians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
There is a great process that God performs inside you when you pray, with all your heart and mind to Him that His Will be done. A dear friend and client shared with me the beautiful aspect of praying for God's Will. God is pure and perfect and constant in love. God doesn't change, so He changes us to be In and To Be His Will - you know for Him while we're here. :) This scripture doesn't say how your requests will be answered, it does state that you will be at peace and not worry - God will take it if you let Him have it. But first, just let go and relax.
The unfortunate thing is that this is not obvious to all "Christians" that walk half the line and don't fully die to self. It is past time to drop the old man off at the trash can and walk out through that door that Father has put in place for you - or through that window you have left cracked, just in case you needed to go through it. Now is the time to get off the fence and earnestly seek God's face.
Ask Him to show you His Glory, boldly like Moses wanted - or like David... seeking Him always. Put forth the effort in building your relationship with Jesus as your number one priority and let this effort replace the one that thing is now most important to you. You will not be disappointed.
God is True, Jesus has a sense of humor, The Holy Spirit washes and leads and Comforts. You will not be disappointed.
In the beginning of this year i began to have a very hopeful anticipation of where Life was heading. Let's face it, we have all been going through some stuff and many people are looking for some relief, maybe some normalcy, or stability. There is chaos around us all in varying degrees of "realness" and yet the guys working the knobs and switches behind the curtain keep telling us the water is just fine. I feel your pain. But consider the trials and tribulations as being "purified". Through this same process we have to become humbled. One important point is that when i had lost everything, when God was the only thing left that i could count on, that is when i realized that He was really all i ever needed to start with. That has led to this great search to want to know God better, to know the Trinity, each separate yet all One and One inside me as well.
Well, tonight was mostly a ramble and a wanting, yearning, need to share. i am reading a great book right now - The Counselor by A.W. Tozer. He covers in detail, through many sermons, the Person of the Holy Spirit. Very good, simple, nuts and bolts read - powerful.
In talking with a friend a couple weeks ago, we stumbled upon a brief discussion of The Bible, Jesus and our general beliefs. What i heard from this friend was something that i remember others saying in the past - that the Bible was merely a bunch of fictional stories and that Jesus was just another enlightened being.
There was a sadness in my heart at hearing this and i realized that who i am now is wholly different - a new creation from who i was. The sadness was because of the emptiness i knew was in the heart of this friend for not knowing the truth of What and Who The Word truly means. I have come to Know Jesus and Know The Bible as Life - plain and simple. It is hard to put into words because the experiences that i have been blessed with are so deep and so filling - bone deep enough to take your breath away.
i pray this day that the Holy Spirit anoints those that do not know Jesus, those that take the Bible as just another story book, and that this beauty is revealed to them as The Living Word of a Living God. In Jesus and in His Word we find our purpose - layer upon layer revealing more and more of the Love He has for us.
