The Spirit calls to me this morning. A lot has happened circumstantially since I last journalled our morning conversations. His Presence and our counsel room "exchanges" have been an opportunity for getting things purged that stand in the way of my faith being built up for greater acts of spiritual courage and the miracles that come with faith.
My personal perspective of our temporal existence is that we are in a battle of epic proportions. It is a kingdom battle in the realm of the Spirit with earthly ramifications of victory or defeat. Trials are the evidence that I have a dark enemy who comes not but to rob, kill and destroy everything that is considered good in my life. This enemy has many tools and weapons in his arsenal but a lie is the handle that fits them all.
Within the framework of my personal perspective I seek the wisdom of my Heavenly Counselor to understand truth. I need His wisdom each day as the adversary plots to assassinate the truth:
The truth about God
The truth about myself
The truth about others
The Spiritual atmosphere that surrounds us is charged with the enemy's lies. Unless I can recognize and reject them, I become a victim of them. As a victim, I will not be able to love and trust the God who loves me. I will not be able to love and trust myself as God's beloved. I will not be able to love and trust others who like myself are struggling against the same lies from the same enemy.
Separation and isolation follows where we become even more vulnerable to the lies.
Without my early morning conferences with Holiness, the lies stand unchallenged and fester in my mind to corrupt my thinking and then extend to my reactions to the trials that come.
I could only wish that the battle is a figment of my imagination and that I really do not have to stand against such an evil arch enemy of the soul, but life and God's Word tells me otherwise. Even that thought, questioning the reality of the battle is laced with a toxic poison designed to neutralize the warrior in me.
The Holy One speaks to confirm my mission, "Write down our morning conferences. Allow others to hitch hike on our journey so they can know I want to talk to them as I talk to you."
Each one of us is uniquely designed by the Hand of our Creator. Each one of us was born with a purpose forged in the great heart and mind of the One who ordained our life. His gifts are likewise unique and each one of us has specific gifts, strengths and talents embedded within our being that the Holy One wants to use to connect with us and then with others as we agree to be His vessel or conduit.
The Majestic God of all Creation ever lives to pour out His bountiful, gracious, benevolent blessings into our world but desires to use His people to bring them into the earth realm.
It has been often said "we are blessed to be a blessing". That only works if we are blessed and know we are blessed. We can only be blessed if we are connected to the Source, for it is God from Whom all blessings flow.
The liar starts his work right there. We look around and do not see ourselves as "blessed". Then the half truth follows, "You are saved eternally and that should be enough". The cycle of guilt and condemnation begins. We want more here, we feel guilty since salvation should be sufficient and the sum total of our "blessed" life gets pushed away and awaits eternity. We resign ourselves to the theft of any blessing/miracle that might be ours to claim.
The liar lies! The truth about God and His word and His promises gets slammed and we wallow in our unbelief. Miracles are simply not sought until we get to the last ditch and at our most desperate wits end. We think that miracles were for another day and another time or even for another person but not us. There is even a "warning" that scares us out of claiming the power infused promise of the Holy Spirit and His gifts that came from Jesus and to us on the day of Pentecost.
Oh man, taken out of the earth but made in the image of God, whatever happened to you? With so great a spiritual inheritance bought and paid for by the Blood of God's One and only Son, Jesus, why do we not claim it and see our lives blessed by "supernatural" miracles even as we await the "supernatural" return of our King? Is one promise good but not the other?
I question my Counselor, "what blocks the miracles?"
The Holy One speaks His word into my ear. James 4:3, "You do not have because you do not ask. You do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures".
With His word comes a new perspective. At first glance we may think that this refers only to monetary or material blessings. Because I am asking for resources to live I need to promise to tithe or give away a portion of that "blessing" and "answer" and not use it to buy a boat. That we seem to believe gives proper motivation for the asking.
But use a more narrow definition of "pleasures" and I find a myriad of self exalting pride motives that represent flesh "pleasures" as opposed to God's Glory and Will. Not everything I need is monetary. Not everything I need is connected to a dollar.
If we are asking for things to highlight God's intervention in our life circumstances, for the revelation of His glory and renown in the world that touches our lives, those petitions are made from the right motives and the blessing we receive is not to be spent on such pleasures as self exaltation, religious or otherwise, or even just to be seen as a temporal relief to an earthly problem that fades with yesterday's pain. His Glory is the purpose behind the answer. How will His answer to our prayer bring Him the Glory He deserves?
To live in conscious connection with the Holy Spirit is to live with the assurance that He will convict me of anything that offends Him and anything in me that stands at cross purpose to His will and reputation. If I ask Him, He will make me aware of anything that is a blockade to His blessing. He is a patient and gentle Perfecter of His Holiness within me.
My flesh seems to represent a life long challenge to His rule. Repentance is the only proper response to such a loving disciplinarian who is in charge of my soul. I yield to the conviction and my need for His correction. I am thankful that He loves me enough to point it out.
I back it up and now realize the need to double check my petitions. Are they prospective in nature; likely to be answered on the basis of His promises and then more to the point of today's lesson, am I seeking for His Glory for His provision in answer to my prayers? Is the evil one and his lies pushed back and the Name and Glory of the Lord magnified?
The blessings that come to us are always to be heralded and used for the Glory of the One who sends them. Miracles should be a part of our daily lives as the battle really belongs to the Lord. Our job is to face the enemy. God's promise is to bring us the victory. The victory He provides is to bring Glory to His name, not mine. Time to get rid of any "flesh pleasure" that could be a blockade to His blessings. The cry of my heart is: Let the miracles I need and God's great Glory for them flow.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
My personal perspective of our temporal existence is that we are in a battle of epic proportions. It is a kingdom battle in the realm of the Spirit with earthly ramifications of victory or defeat. Trials are the evidence that I have a dark enemy who comes not but to rob, kill and destroy everything that is considered good in my life. This enemy has many tools and weapons in his arsenal but a lie is the handle that fits them all.
Within the framework of my personal perspective I seek the wisdom of my Heavenly Counselor to understand truth. I need His wisdom each day as the adversary plots to assassinate the truth:
The truth about God
The truth about myself
The truth about others
The Spiritual atmosphere that surrounds us is charged with the enemy's lies. Unless I can recognize and reject them, I become a victim of them. As a victim, I will not be able to love and trust the God who loves me. I will not be able to love and trust myself as God's beloved. I will not be able to love and trust others who like myself are struggling against the same lies from the same enemy.
Separation and isolation follows where we become even more vulnerable to the lies.
Without my early morning conferences with Holiness, the lies stand unchallenged and fester in my mind to corrupt my thinking and then extend to my reactions to the trials that come.
I could only wish that the battle is a figment of my imagination and that I really do not have to stand against such an evil arch enemy of the soul, but life and God's Word tells me otherwise. Even that thought, questioning the reality of the battle is laced with a toxic poison designed to neutralize the warrior in me.
The Holy One speaks to confirm my mission, "Write down our morning conferences. Allow others to hitch hike on our journey so they can know I want to talk to them as I talk to you."
Each one of us is uniquely designed by the Hand of our Creator. Each one of us was born with a purpose forged in the great heart and mind of the One who ordained our life. His gifts are likewise unique and each one of us has specific gifts, strengths and talents embedded within our being that the Holy One wants to use to connect with us and then with others as we agree to be His vessel or conduit.
The Majestic God of all Creation ever lives to pour out His bountiful, gracious, benevolent blessings into our world but desires to use His people to bring them into the earth realm.
It has been often said "we are blessed to be a blessing". That only works if we are blessed and know we are blessed. We can only be blessed if we are connected to the Source, for it is God from Whom all blessings flow.
The liar starts his work right there. We look around and do not see ourselves as "blessed". Then the half truth follows, "You are saved eternally and that should be enough". The cycle of guilt and condemnation begins. We want more here, we feel guilty since salvation should be sufficient and the sum total of our "blessed" life gets pushed away and awaits eternity. We resign ourselves to the theft of any blessing/miracle that might be ours to claim.
The liar lies! The truth about God and His word and His promises gets slammed and we wallow in our unbelief. Miracles are simply not sought until we get to the last ditch and at our most desperate wits end. We think that miracles were for another day and another time or even for another person but not us. There is even a "warning" that scares us out of claiming the power infused promise of the Holy Spirit and His gifts that came from Jesus and to us on the day of Pentecost.
Oh man, taken out of the earth but made in the image of God, whatever happened to you? With so great a spiritual inheritance bought and paid for by the Blood of God's One and only Son, Jesus, why do we not claim it and see our lives blessed by "supernatural" miracles even as we await the "supernatural" return of our King? Is one promise good but not the other?
I question my Counselor, "what blocks the miracles?"
The Holy One speaks His word into my ear. James 4:3, "You do not have because you do not ask. You do not receive because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures".
With His word comes a new perspective. At first glance we may think that this refers only to monetary or material blessings. Because I am asking for resources to live I need to promise to tithe or give away a portion of that "blessing" and "answer" and not use it to buy a boat. That we seem to believe gives proper motivation for the asking.
But use a more narrow definition of "pleasures" and I find a myriad of self exalting pride motives that represent flesh "pleasures" as opposed to God's Glory and Will. Not everything I need is monetary. Not everything I need is connected to a dollar.
If we are asking for things to highlight God's intervention in our life circumstances, for the revelation of His glory and renown in the world that touches our lives, those petitions are made from the right motives and the blessing we receive is not to be spent on such pleasures as self exaltation, religious or otherwise, or even just to be seen as a temporal relief to an earthly problem that fades with yesterday's pain. His Glory is the purpose behind the answer. How will His answer to our prayer bring Him the Glory He deserves?
To live in conscious connection with the Holy Spirit is to live with the assurance that He will convict me of anything that offends Him and anything in me that stands at cross purpose to His will and reputation. If I ask Him, He will make me aware of anything that is a blockade to His blessing. He is a patient and gentle Perfecter of His Holiness within me.
My flesh seems to represent a life long challenge to His rule. Repentance is the only proper response to such a loving disciplinarian who is in charge of my soul. I yield to the conviction and my need for His correction. I am thankful that He loves me enough to point it out.
I back it up and now realize the need to double check my petitions. Are they prospective in nature; likely to be answered on the basis of His promises and then more to the point of today's lesson, am I seeking for His Glory for His provision in answer to my prayers? Is the evil one and his lies pushed back and the Name and Glory of the Lord magnified?
The blessings that come to us are always to be heralded and used for the Glory of the One who sends them. Miracles should be a part of our daily lives as the battle really belongs to the Lord. Our job is to face the enemy. God's promise is to bring us the victory. The victory He provides is to bring Glory to His name, not mine. Time to get rid of any "flesh pleasure" that could be a blockade to His blessings. The cry of my heart is: Let the miracles I need and God's great Glory for them flow.
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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