Boundaries and Shores of the Life Giving River

I have pondered and meditated on this subject many times. This morning, there was a beautiful concise view with the prompting of the Spirit. May the Ruler of the Saints anoint my words and open our hearts to receive new faith.

Starting with a side note, there is a point that interested me for a while. If Job was the chronologically oldest text, why did it not come first? Apart from the obvious introduction to God in Genesis which is awesome and inspiring, I think it is the spiritual reality of the Garden of Eden, and the instructions from God for living with Him. The book of Job is a expansive painting, with many facets that are deep and colorfull. The story of Adam and Eve is a more linear accessible story line.

But these are my simple experiences with each, what is important today is a return to the Tree of Life. To gain eternal life with God, a source was placed in the garden that man was free to access. But a boundary was set, dividing that source from the rest of the transient world. The very first boundary was the living word of God, informing man not to eat of the other tree, the one that opened up the path of personal judgment. That tree, with its fruit yielding the knowledge of good and evil is not a particularly intuitive thing. Are we not to know right from wrong? Should we ignore inquiry into that which is good? As well as evil?

No, the knowledge of good and evil is the state where man decides what is correct, and what is incorrect, not based upon the eternal life God has provided, but based upon man's own capacity to judge. There is a beautiful logic here, and a hidden pearl. The knowledge itself is neither good nor evil. It was the act of eating it that revealed the propensity of man, and our natural condition.

Appart from the serpent, or any justification one way or the other, i.e. "The woman gave to me, and I did eat.", man ultimately chose to judge for himself whether the forbidden tree was beneficial or not. That was the true transgression. Let me reiterate most emphatically. There was no magic in eating the fruit, or in the opening of the eyes to perceive their nakedness. The schism, the tear in the soul, occurred when they decided to judge for themselves.

Setting ourselves up as the judge is the antithesis of God's eternal life. We step out of the River of Life at that point, to stand on the banks while the power and supply flows strongly by. Some reading this will ask questions about free will and "being a robot of God" and the like, but bear with me, I will address this, and my desire is that we can see the perfect marriage of free will and God's desire.

Before examining our will carefully, let us consider specific examples of the boundaries in everyday life. Clearly the Ten Commandments are a good place to start. Even the most devout atheist can perceive the wisdom in most of them. This indicates that the Ten Commandments are good social boundaries that allow more people to live together in a community. But there is a part that concerns the individuals practical life. Covetousness infects the heart and leads to discord, if not other worse problems. Adultery directly impacts the core of our soul, and is a scar that is hard to heal. In fact, violation of any comandment has a outward and inward impact.

So we have personal boundaries and social boundaries, and the purpose of these is to protect us as individuals and communities from failure and death. But this is all in the past, some long forgotten group wandering around in the desert, right? Not true, but if we don't look at it in the light of modern life now, it is easy to justify stepping outside of these protective barriers. Let us focus on a few simple boundaries we all deal with in everyday life. I will pick excess, gossip, and entertainment, as they are not to controversial and we all have crossed the line in one or the other recently.

If you disagree, and are in a place where you have not stepped up onto the beach following one of those, you are completely filled with the Spirit of God, and I deeply respect that, and wish to attain a similar state. But I am a vessel, a container that has been crushed. There are serious struggles in my soul to attain the self control that is a result of being continuously filled with the Spirit.

On the above list, I enjoy entertainment. Some of which is completely corrupted with the world. For instance, I really enjoy CSI, a modern techy, geeky, soap operetic crime drama. Watching that doesn't mean I go around plotting the demise of my neighbors. However, the show contains adult themes at times, and I just have to turn it off and tune it out. I don't lust after the bikini clad coed stabbed in the park, but clearly we are not gaining more of the Eternal Life sitting there watching. Cleanse us Lord from the images that are pure garbage, renew our imaginations to your perfect life, and the intention of Your will.

Now, if you are in a place where you are tempted by the images of lust, or worse have turned to overt stimulation based on entertainment, you have a harder road. Our bodies produce strong drugs, and the combination of sexual satisfaction and image stimulus is a very addictive cocktail. If you have transferred the physical part of your relationship to unrealistic imagination, severe problems are right around the corner. Oh, I know the itch. Especially after that first child, when everything can come to a screeching halt. But if you are there, call deeply to the Lord for Grace and Stability. He will answer, and you can begin a new adventure of sensual rediscovery.

Of course if you are a single young Christian, or recovering from a death or divorce, please don't torture yourself with these images. They will gnaw at you, even in the places you once sensed peace. Call out for healling and renewall. God is faithfull. If you are unable to stop torturing yourself in this way, you probably have other will related situations. Seek counsel, start with small things, and resolve to change.

Now on to one of my other weaknesses, excess. It seems simple, and not a boundary at all. But this is a hidden cancer in the faith of many solid Christians. I am not in the place where I can claim freedom from this. But I have made progress, through some simple steps. Here is a specific example. We love to shop at thrift stores, wether in times of plenty or famine. I just don't see the usefullness of retail for items which you can acquire in usable condition. Inevitably (and frequently), I purchase some piece of junk that I take apart and shove in the closet. So a system of bagging up the closet junk and donating more than we purchase was implemented. I can't say it always works, but I think about the impulse purchase now, and more than likely don't even bother.

I have literally been walking in Life at different times, pulled up to the thrift store to find someone pulling out right in front, gone in and found shoes, schoolbooks, dance costumes, many other things that our family needed at exactly that moment. The timing is perfect, and it is God's supply of the simple things. Conversely, I don't need another CD player, arctic canteen, disco light (yes, I did...), ten year old printer, fungus filled camera lens, the list goes on.

You may not have any trouble with this, and that is the place I am headed. It is Life that will lead us, the spirit of shopping will distract us. Try it for yourself, this simple test. Sit in your car at the mall, listening to a worship CD or just praising God yourself. Then go in and give yourself a strict ten minutes, just looking at a few items of interest. Now step outside the store and look inward. I have done this many times, and there is a battle waging in my heart. My soul is often fighting off the flow, the spirit of shopping that tries to lead you. What does this mean practically? Well, I don't go to the mall much for one thing.

Now lets switch gears to gossip. Here is a slippery, attractive distraction. We all talk about one another, wether to share our love or just build friendships. And in the Body of Christ, this conversation is on a deeper level. We often discuss the very core of someones life, or the depths of their mistakes. This can be healthy and life giving. Yet often, in a instantaneous flash, judgment encroaches.

What do I mean linking gossip to the place of judgment? Well this is the dark side of gossip, as it injects a venom into the listener and the speaker. for instance, how many times have you heard statements like these: "He hasn't even been baptized." or "Why isn't your husband here?" Simple statements of fact, right? Yet the implication is that the speaker knows the heart of the one being discussed. Furthermore, it can be not of true desire to love that person but to separate them from the speakers "acceptance group". It is VERY hard to develop a sense in this matter. Every one of us will slip up. Our very means of communication leave open interpretations, and loving statements can be interpreted as gossip.

Ask for forgiveness, seek to love the offended if it happens to you, overtly or by mistake. May the true Judge of all things heal our conscience to be aware of our gossip transgressions.

Now we have revealed some of the actual spiritual boundaries in the walk of life. Even these simple practical examples can turn into legalistic requirements both within ourselves and in our communities. Our choice is clear each and every day. Choose the life giving flow. Choose the tree that fills your spirit. Move in the river of life looking forward and you will not cross any boundaries.

The highest choice we can make is not to decide the fate of ourselves, or the fate of others. Even as a society, could we destroy the universe? We as of yet can not get much farther physically than our Moon, yet age to age our actions reveal the desire to rule the world, the universe. To judge the fate of others. It is the amazing mysterious trap for those who reject God. He gives us a greater choice. You, choosing of your own free will, to consume the waters of life, drink the Spirit, is the highest choice man can make. The President can't come close, sending armies here, relief there. Genghis Khan wasn't in your league even, with the vast conquering of Asia. Einstein created nothing but a description. All of these men and their accomplishments can not come close to the choice you can make every day of gaining more eternal life.

So to those who are still in that place, where they sense that submitting to Christ is somehow becoming a robot, or leads to individual confinement, I would ask you to call out to God for revelation concerning your free will. It is the natural fallen state of your soul to want preservation, want to control your destiny. It is the greatest lie that, you, sitting on the throne of your heart, judging what path will lead to success, is the Christian walk. You simply choose to know whats correct and what is incorrect. Then you attempt to live up to that, and cover up your nakedness. By this, you will not walk with God.

It matters not where you are as a believer. The greatest, holiest man alive today is Jesus in you. No other, be they good in your eyes or bad, believer or atheist, can measure against Christ. To focus on the boundaries is to become distracted. To consume more of Christ is the act of obedience, and the greatest application of our free will. No spiritual robots necessary.

If you find yourself in the torturous discusion externally or internally, about the boundaries and society, stop for a minute, and get a little bit of Life. This is the realm of philosophy, and has sent many a budding believer into a tailspin of grand proportion. You can navigate this realm, but you will need the Spirit, and the strong discernment provided by that life. Always remember this simple reality. If you experience renewed life, do that. If you are not experiencing renewed life, seek out the source. You can not fail, and God is faithful.

The Rock and the Work; Seeing and Believing

There is a spirit of confusion that roams the sea of Christian thought. Doctrine, dogma, legalism, and Christian mythos are many times infected with the seeds of confusion. We grasp onto these things, attempting to understand, seeking knowledge, and they grow into collective patterns that hinder spiritual growth. You can break free from many of these ideas and teachings, but some are so ingrained, so deeply rooted in the culture of modern Christianity that it takes real revelation from God to break through them. As a simple example, most modern depictions of angels are mythological constructs, far from reality.

Why pick on the angels? Well, it's a simple topic, and will be unlikely to offend most people. Be prepared, when you do see spiritual reality, to experience rejection at the hands of even those you are close to. The wise man holds his tongue in this regard. Let your speech about what God reveals to you be in faith, that way the rejection you experience will not have been in vain. Now, angels are in the texts, and come in two forms. Spiritual beings and humans. They are God's messengers, and deliver something from God.

They don't have wings. Oh, there it is, modern Christian mythology at its finest. There are spiritual beings in the texts that do have wings, but none of them are angels. So, believe me or not, or perhaps you already have this vision of God's messengers, it matters not. I simply raise this to illustrate a product of the "spirit of confusion". If you are a warrior, here is one of your enemies. Walking in the light with the anointing cuts straight through this devious evil. Do that in faith and you will experience victory.

How does this relate to the "Rock and the Work" you ask? Well, I get distracted easily. My ADHD and dyslexia with a couple cups of coffee sends the brain on trail after train of random thoughts at times. And when I ponder and meditate on God, listening for His voice, looking for new vision, these don't help much. And yesterday was one of those days, one too many cups of espresso. So I was following my two year old around, praying, and she pointed at a big rock, and tried to pick it up saying "Rock, rock!"

My mind went to Peter, who's name means rock, and to Jesus words:

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

This is in answer to Peter telling Jesus "you are the Son of the Living God".

The very foundation of all Christ has done, will do, and is doing in this world is in this vision, which is revealed to us by God, of Jesus Himself. The vision is what Jesus utilizes to build us together. It is so simple, yet we miss it so often. We must ask God to show us His Son. We must cry out for vision. Make yourself desire it, bend your heart to want it so badly it hurts. Agonize over it. Knowing that Jesus is the Son of the Living God is one thing. But lets see it, experience it, walk in that vision every day. I want to see the Son, more and more. I want my eyes to be opened to the fullness of Christ.

There is no confusion in this. From the first instant you received faith, to this moment now, seeing Jesus, gaining revelation, is not tied to any doctrine. The growing vision, see more of the Son of God, has no connection to our various practices and dogmas. It simply happens. God opens our eyes to see. And it is from that the Church is constructed.

Seeing the body built together is seeing Jesus. Perceiving the building of the Church comes from God alone. No teaching can make you see it, only revelation from God. This leads to my other huge desire, to build the body. To do God's work. How do we do it? What is that work practically? We see this same desire in the original disciples who wanted to do the work of God.

These followers, after seeing the works that Jesus had done, inquired about the work:

They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Ok, now that is beyond simple. There can be no confusion in Jesus words here. We must believe. But how is this the work of God?

To really believe requires faith. I could believe in Santa Clause, but I have never experienced Santa. To believe in Jesus, faith was put in your heart by God. That is certainly an ongoing process. If you want to believe more, get more faith. To get more faith, we need to ask for it, cry out for more faith. God will hear us, He will increase your measure of faith. And in that, you will believe. The work of God will happen.

Notice how it is not doing good works, or anything specific. No charity, no evangelism, no ministry, no giving of time or money. It is in simply believing that the work is accomplished. In gaining that new measure of faith, in walking in that increased belief, you will be doing the work. It could be anything, the whole range of your life's activities can be open for God to build His Church when you believe more and more. But now, through faith, it will be Jesus in you doing the work. And He will be doing it with power and love beyond anything you ever experienced.

As a caveat, don't stop serving because you are questioning what God wants of you. Don't stop giving, or donating, doing charity. But see that the only profit will come when it is the Lord doing it in you. And if you can't see that, if you don't feel it, you absolutely need more faith. God will give it to you. Your belief will increase beyond measure. And His work, that work close to the heart of God, will be accomplished.

Seeing and believing, the core of how we can become a powerful instrument for God. And it can happen right now.

Lord, give me a new vision of you, increase my faith to believe beyond myself. Grant to each reader that gust of wind that sweeps confusion away and makes clear the Son of the Living God right here walking with us. We want to see you. We want to expand our belief. We need an outpouring of faith. Let everything that can see You give praise. Let that life You have put in me, the very life which overcame death, explode in a fountain of thanks. Make us Your body, one which works Your works right here, right now.

The Practical Body of Christ

I had a revelation while pondering the blood of Passover. That revelation is going to change lives everywhere (not just me, through all who also see the same vision), as I believe it is the closest thing to God's heart right now. To begin with, I want to set the context of my thoughts. We were enjoying a Passover service, and it kept coming into my mind how fundamental it was that Crucifixion of Jesus, His sacrifice, was outside of the city of Jerusalem. Not just outside the temple, but outside the city itself. The God of Abraham and Jacob, the universes creator and God of the covenant, allowed His son to be the ultimate sacrifice. And it was not in the house of worship, not in the physical tabernacle, not anywhere associated with the Judaic dispensation. It was outside of that world.

The blood fell on the ground, rocks and dirt, the ground you and I walk. No longer was there a physical location, a grand temple, a physical Holy of Holies. God accepted the perfect sacrifice, and the path to Eden was opened. Access was granted to the real Kingdom, not the one ruled by man, but the one ruled by the King of Kings. Two worlds exist, and the one where we may walk with God, eat of the tree of life, worship Him and give thanks is freely available for us to enter right now. There is no need for a religious edifice, a construction of man to honor God. It is not acceptable anyhow. The building He occupies on Earth is not the one with the big cross on top. It is the Body of Christ, nothing else.

With this in mind, I felt the quickening, the wonderfull movement of the Spirit of God within my mind. I am always the most critical person I know. And even in the midst of what should be peaceful and edifying things, I can find the proverbial cow patty in the pasture. So to avoid such distractions, during this particular Passover service, I pondered what was the most accessible way to actually build the Body of Christ. How does one actually make it happen? That is the place where I saw this amazing revelation.

Obviously the Body is not constructed by mans accomplishments. Only the Spirit moving within us can make the connections happen. Gathering together for a sermon is not particularly constructive for the individual. Sitting in a pew does not really build much spiritually. Small group mettings are much better, but even there, what should we be doing? If the most important thing in your Christian walk is to build up the body of Christ, and be a functioning member, why is it not happening?

I can feel the resistance to those words. But let us examine what a functioning member would be. The Body of Christ is a working collective. The Spirit provides the power and support to each part, and that part functions toward God's purpose. The functioning member supplies what God has provided to other members. What is supplied? I believe the members will mirror what God has given to the Church as gifts. That may sound strange at first, but hear closely again: God has given gifts to the Church, lives dedicated to full time ministry and supply of the Body. The members, seeking God and wanting to function in the Body, will receive a measure from God. Would he give them something other than the gifts as described? No, so we now have guidelines and expectations about what God will do as we begin to function.

How does this translate to something practical however? It is interesting, makes allot of sense, and comes with the witness of the Spirit. But what does it mean practically? Well, lets look at the gifts and see if anything relates. He gave to us Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Preachers, and Evangelists. What these gifts do, we should expect to do in a personal similar fashion on a practical level.

You may have a vision or thought about a friend. Your praying together and God quickens something to your mind. Say it in faith! No drama necessary, no risk of being right or wrong, just believe God has revealed this to you for someone else, and tell them in faith. You don't have to explain it, defend it, or claim you are the voice of God. Just believe, and act. This is functioning in the Body, what a Prophet would do automatically. It doesn't make you a Prophet, or some strange voice in the wilderness, it makes you functional.

Or perhaps you are at bible study, and something finally clicks about a verse or two. Share what you learned! Don't try to explain all the details, or give a lecture. Sure, a few Greek definitions and a concordance add accessability, but it is believing God, and what He has taught you that will supply the Body with knowledge and guidance. That is functioning in the body, what a Teacher does automatically. And you should expect to be used this way. Doesn't matter how smart of simple you are, God teaches us all something different, and not sharing it is akin to not believing it. Exercises your faith, tell what you have learned.

Then there is the more familiar Pastoral aspect of body function. We all need to comfort and encourage one another. And we need to do it believing God can and will use us. Comfort in faith, not by human compassion. Encourage with the Spirit of God, not with natural positive emotion. But I would give this example of pastoral work. The Sheppard picks through the hair of the sheep, looking for hidden sores or bugs, and then treating any affliction. Don't be afraid of doing the same to one another, only do it in faith. If you see a member has a problem, ask God to give you faith to help them. You may be the one that prevents real trouble for that person. This is not license to go around correcting each other in all things! That only leads to legalistic dead relationships. But don't be restricted by decorum or social politeness, just do what you need to in faith, trusting what God has shown you.

Finally there is the reaching out to the lost. Do it together, do it alone, do it for friends and family members, but most importantly do it in faith. Bashing your acquaintances over the head with bible verses is not going to promote any interest. There are some who can do this in faith, and it is amazing, but if you do it, and it is out of a defensive posture protecting what you believe, you will accomplish nothing except animosity. Truly reaching out means praying, humility, patience and lots of faith. Do it in faith always, not because you think you have to. It is our commandment, and you will fulfill that commandment naturally by living the Body life, so don't fall into the legalism and dogma that is popular right now. This comes automatically to an Evangelist, and we should expect to be used in this way.

So, now you know what God will be doing in your life to build up the Body of Christ. It is not a exclusive list, you can serve the body in many ways. But to be built together, in the Spirit, and functioning towards the fullness of Christ, these are the core activities. Now, how to you "practice" them... This is the real revelation I received. I don't know what to call it yet, the "mini meeting" theory, or something. But the vision is that we should be looking for during the day, ten or twenty minutes where we are together with other Christians, and looking to God for the express purpose of suplying one another.

Not an hour long meeting, not a strictly scheduled event, not just praying together. What I see is like a quick trip to the gym with your workout partner. It could be over the phone, it could be over coffee. But the difference is that you meet together to for the express purpose of turning to God, and seeking something to give to one another, something in the mold of the gifts described above. It is more a change in perspective, a change in your expectations.

You will be looking for the Spirit of God, looking for the power to move between members. No matter if you find nothing, praise God for getting together. But you should expect to find something, every time. God wants to build up the Body, and once that building starts in earnest, even among a very few people, the power accumulates. Faith in you and those you are close to begins to interlock. Once that happens it is no longer under your control, and the Spirit moves in strength. You will be forever changed.

Ask God to give you more faith. It is a substance He delivers, and you can access more of it. Use that faith in simple ways to give Christ to those you are close to. Feed them the spiritual food God gave you. Deliver to the Body that supply, however small you think it is, in faith. Even the simplest words delivered in faith, with the Spirits anointing, can produce a rich result. If you do not see the Body, ask God to lead you there. If you do not sense the quickening, if you can not perceive the Spirit moving across you consciousness, ask God to bathe you in it. Do these things, and put on your daily schedule a few minutes to actually practice the practical Body life.

Finding the Body

What is the Body of Christ? How do we find it? More importantly than that, how do we experience it? God's Son has power in His presence. Just touching Him with faith results in miracles. So how do we touch Him now? What is our opportunity to experience His presence? Not just some “tingling” sensation, or abstract feeling, but the real deal.

Most of us have heard the rhetoric, read the passages, even experienced community that is the foundation of the Body. But what of fundamentally life changing empowerment through that Body? Can you point to it in your life? Does the hunger for unlimited life consume you? Do you want to see the Body materialize more than anything? To see power unleashed?

I have that desire. It has been implanted in me. But I suppress it sometimes. Ignore it other times. Practical life obscures my sight. And other times when I think of it, I experience fear and frustration at my own lack of surrender to it. But we can find a way out of that prison of self.

What do I mean? We are trapped in ourselves, unable to escape from our past, present, behavior, guilt, desires, choices, everything about us. Yes, there are some things we can change. I can learn new things. I can learn new skills, make new friends. But I can not control and modify the depths of my soul. It would be like trying to change both shoes while standing up. You can untie them, try to jump out of them. But you can not take them off without lifting a foot.

Our soul is even more complicated. You can't “step out of it”, or even get a good picture of it yourself. Much the same as listening to your own voice recorded, or looking at a video of yourself from behind. Most people generally think “I don't sound like that!” Or, “Do I really look like that?” There are things in your soul which you can not even see, so how do you fix them? Even more interesting, there are things in your soul that are completely hidden from anyone but God. Tell me, how do you fix those?

Well, we can find amazing guidance in an unlikely place. I want to examine two statements, keeping in mind it is the Spirit of God that shows you the Word of God, and that word can come from anywhere. Okay, first is this:

I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee: Wherefore I abhor myself , And repent in dust and ashes.

Lets reiterate that. Speaking to God, “I heard of you in the past, but now I see you. My self is wrong, I push myself down in need of forgiveness, cleansing.”

That is a bit rough, there is more to the sack cloth and ashes, more to repentance, but we can grasp the most important concept that there is nothing Job can do but give himself to God. He can not fix himself, can not even create his own peace. Can not make his own faith. He is completely stripped, and has no argument, self justification at all.

How did this happen? How did he get to this expanded self awareness? By seeing God with his own eye. Actually seeing God breaks through our mental computer that is alway measuring ourselves. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, our own standard, societies standard. It is a ingrained, automatic behavior. You can not stop it completely. It is one of those things deep in the soul. And God opened Job's eyes, he saw the perfect man, and the reaction broke through his mentality, behavior, and circumstance.

We can see God as well. He is right here, living inside His body. We can seek Him out. Just ask to see Him. It is no mystery. God is not hiding up in Heaven. Be ready when you do see Him, because you can not compare. You will be brought low. Just that vision will change you forever. But do you expect anything less? Don't be entrapped by the religious dogma that only some special people see God here, while they are alive. And that when you die you will finally get to Heaven and see God. He is living in His body, right here among us. You can see Him now. Challenge yourself to answer this if it bothers you. If you find it offensive, ask God to reveal His body to you. Ask God for a measure of faith to see the body.

What did Job do after this revelation? After being brought so low. His self did not endure. It was destroyed by the vision of God. Consider all that Job endured, all the loss, pain, suffering. But through it all he endured. It was not until he argued his case, justified God's allowance of such circumstance that God appeared. No, it was not the trials that made him strong. And it was not the trials that broke him. The natural man can endure. That is scary in and of itself, that we can endure until death in our corrupted selves. No, the natural man, Job's fundamental existence was crushed when he perceived the Lord.

So how did he break free of himself? Well, there is a simple explanation a bit further down the section:

And Jehovah turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and Jehovah gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job prayed for his friends. He was completely broken, sackcloth and ashes time. At the very end of himself, with nothing left. And God tells Job to pray for his friends. Where did Job get the ability to step outside his soul, his situation, his natural conscious and take up the plight of his friends? God changed Job fundamentally at that point. Oh, we can have concern for others, naturally and through the Spirit. But no man can exist outside of the natural boundaries of the soul without having some other life inside.

I can't begin to express my amazement and wonder at this simple principal. God wants always to build up the Body of Christ. The mechanism for that construction is when the eternal life force is exchanged between us. When you find something of Christ in me, and I find something in you. When we turn and act in the Spirit of God towards our brothers and sisters, we are touching the heart of God's will. Job was released from his captivity. Not when he had the vision. But when he walked in God's will.

Burn this into your heart. Finding the cross, experiencing death, realizing how ineffective the natural man is, and that you are that natural man, does not set you free. Freedom comes by practicing the body life. Oh how my natural being fears this. There is no shelter for the self in the body. We are fully exposed for what we are. Broken, ineffective, corrupted beings. And it is going to be painful sometimes. But will God forsake you? Are you alone, the only person to be exposed as a failure? Of course not.

We absolutely must find the resurrection life. We need to hear God tell us to pray for our brothers and sisters. We need to let the life of Christ penetrate through the habits, religious behavior, the very shells that surround us from the inside and pour out that life into our friends. This will unlock the prison of self, this will restore the man, a new man. Nothing is closer to the heart of God than seeing the body of His son increase. Desperately search for that body. Review your whole life as a Christian in this context: “Did I find the Body of Christ?”

Finding the body is not about sitting in a pew on Sunday. It's not about touring the "Holy Land". Not four years of seminary, giving to the homeless shelter, going on a mission. We can exist as Christians, devoting our entire lives to God, and never see God. In fact, many other things that are the trappings of the Christian life are just that, traps to hinder you from seeing God. They can be very good things, good things are the perfect distraction from God's true purpose. Find the body. Pray, cry out, pound your chest until God gives you that vision.

Lord, may these words and thoughts be useful to you. May my own path draw closer to your desire. Bless each reader with a renewed measure of faith. Faith enough to believe, faith to act on your word.

Self Control or Self Worship?

This morning my thoughts were quickened by that which abides within. I pondered that there is no self worship in the "self control" that is a fruit of the Spirit. Why does this matter? Look at yourself. Is the source of your self control your own strength? Are you able to resist those things you know are wrong because you are strong? A whore knows about the scarring of the conscience. Some "can not control themselves", but is the pious celebate any closer to God if that denial is the strength of man? No, in fact the whore sees her sin for what it is, yet the other denies the cross. Avoiding the realization that your strength, your self control, is something to be put to death on the cross will forever stunt spiritual growth.

How many are living a good and righteous life by the power of there own character? It will get you nowhere in the Kingdom of God. Consider the words of Paul to the Corinthian church:

Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? Even so run; that ye may attain. And every man that striveth in the games exerciseth self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Now why would Paul exhort us to run in a race where only one will win? Doesn't that sound like a futile pursuit? But one has finished the race. One man is the victor. The life that abides in you is capable of victory, has been proved dominant over all other competitors. Run with that.

And again, he reveals that man, biologic fallen man, can have self control and exercise it towards success. But what is the reward for your own strength? A corruptible crown. Not what you were looking for I assume. So why rely on that trait of the natural man? I do it because it is easy. I know I can exercise my will and resist many things. Should I give myself over to waste and wonton behavior? Of course not. But I begin to appreciate my success, my cleanliness. Maybee for you it is a big thing, like addiction, lust, or gossip. You have cleaned up that area, and now you are different, right? Wrong... You have just strengthened the natural man, the self that can not enter the Kingdom.

Am I telling any to go out and do whatever you want? To loose all self control, knowing and relying on the Blood? Never! To do what is just, what is good, to follow the voice in your conscience is the proper path. But we get confused, I get confused. Lord, what is my own strength? Where is your life inside of me? To clear away the fog, let us consider another passage:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such there is no law.

So it is the fruit of the Spirit, this self control that is not of the self. Kind of a paradox. You must give up yourself, step down of the throne of your own heart, abdicate in favor of another ruler. And when you do this, sweet succulent life nourishment is realized. Self control HAPPENS in your life, born of the Spirit of God, and satisfying to all who seek Christ around you.

Why does he mention that there is no law to be applied, no knowledge discriminating these fruits? You can interpret this in the literal, as some do, that it is not illegal to love, practise kindness, be meek and so on. But is that what he means to tell these Galatians? Perhaps the picture is more that when you do access the Spirit of God, when you get more life into you, that life itself satisfies the "framework" God has established. You need not be concerned with judging what is correct and what is incorrect. You are on a different path, one led by the quickening.

It is painfull when situations arise, and we use our own strength to try and satisfy these requirements. It feels good at first, you did it! But, when there is emptiness as a result, and confusion, self doubt, guilt, low self esteem, defensive behavior, ... well it sucks. All of which leads to denial far to many times. We, I, ignore the fact that it was our strength, our natural self control, that was relied upon. We have subconsciously ( or consciously for some) exalted our selves. Subtle self worship indeed. And then we bury it, justify it, gloss it over, and prepare for the next test. Where our own ability will fail again.

Look to Job here. God allowed him to be tested, far beyond what we would consider reasonable. Why? God knew he could not make it without the real source. God allowed him to be broken. Expect it to happen to you. You CAN NOT kill off your own natural man. It was the community leaders who crucified our Lord. The priests, those who do the work of God. And it will be your own brothers and sisters in Christ who will be the instruments to put to death your own self reliance. Embrace them. Seek grace, covet more of the Spirit. And let yourself go. I am afraid of this, the fear of God, working on me, through His body. Good fear. Consecrate this message Lord...