Spiritual Things and Natural Things

Borne Out of the Fire

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Borne Out of the Fire

We desire to go on with God… But what we do not see is that we are carrying things that cannot go with us – things we cannot take with us to walk in the next level of His glory… But because we do not see all of this in proper perspective.. (there is so much right now that we do not understand)… Indeed it does seem as though “we look through a glass darkly”… And thus we urgently plead, “Lord help me!”

And of course He is always there to lead us… (He can’t take us unless we ask – because in His sovereignty, God gave man authority on the earth – so that as James 4:2 tells us “…you have not because you ask not.”)  So – ask, we do – not seeing or knowing that between where we walk now and the place we desire to be – is “the FIRE or the RAGING waters!” But we ask, and so he leads us out… But before long, we began to think… “This must surely be a mistake!” I mean.. we were wanting to go upward, to get better!… But instead, here we are in a frightening place!

Now, water and fire can both destroy and wreak havoc… But carefully tended and directed, they cleanse and ready the ground for new growth – so that in the time that follows, out comes a thing for God’s use and our “beauty.”

Then through tears of joy, and with strengthened devotion – we look back – and our understanding is lightened!… Now I see!… There is no other way, else He would surely bring us… But should we come another way – I mean that He would just “zap” us – we would be “there” all right… And “there” would be “perfect!”… But who would He be?… Would we even know Him??

You see, there is so much “distance” between who He is and who we are – a world of difference – that it takes a lifetime just to begin to understand that difference… So that, how could we ever have a proper view of Him… if we had not seen the things that “fill up the way” between our mortality and Him??

Sure, now we see through a glass darkly… But each new level we press to brings us closer to His light, and we grow in our personal knowledge of Jesus Christ… Then from this new place of glory, I see Him more clearly, and do better understand the futility of the unregenerate man…

Indeed later, I shall see Him as He is – but for now I’m just learning and growing – so that I simply see Him in the best way that I can… I see him now through the eyes of my fellowship with Him, and as the word of God reveals…. Indeed that is God’s plan!

Thus He brings us through the fire.. or through the “raging waters.”… And frightening indeed it seems – until we come to the place of understanding.. THAT WE CAN TRUST HIM!  And that those hurtful things are brought along our path by our adversary (I Peter 5:8) who is seeking to devour any closeness of relationship we try to form with God… But God our Savior seeks to bring us safely to the other side… And thus you and I who seek Him, are “borne out of the fire.”

 

 

Battles – and “Suddenlies”

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When our desire/design is to go forward in the things which God has shown us, or asked us to do…. we WILL encounter some battles!…  And often, some very unexpected things may come our way as well. The word of God often refers to those things..as a “SUDDENLY.”

We see two kinds of these “suddenlies” in the scriptures, as well as in our own lives.  One kind is initiated by our enemy/adversary  (aka the Devil – 1st Peter 5:8). This “suddenly”seems to come out of nowhere – hits us from somewhere out in “left field” – threatening to overthrow the things we thought we had gotten a handle on… and pull us down into all kinds of care…

But thank goodness!..there is another kind of “suddenly”- the kind that comes along when you’re still hanging in there…but it looks like there would be no way for change anytime soon – not for the circumstances we’re facing!

BUT… because we persevere and fight the battles – even in the midst of conflict with our own soul…you know….the battle to “believe God”… even while your mind and senses are saying “you can’t win this fight!”  And when you do fight..the good fight of faith…there will always be conflict  with your own soul… as you make up your mind “WHO” AND “WHAT” you’re going to believe!  (Shall I believe what I see right now – or hold on to what God has said??)

It’s not easy to win over what we see, hear, or feel – but this is the very time that we must – do battle and labor – not necessarily to “fix things”- but to keep our eye on God!… We keep our eyes on God as we remember the integrity of His Word – in what He has said to us… AND.. the effect of praising God…  right in the midst of our tough situations… like we see in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas in prison.. were singing praises to God!…

Yes, they worshipped Jesus right in the middle of their problem.. which put God “in charge”… And indeed God came right into the midst of that problem… For suddenly there was a great earthquake.. so that the foundations of the  prison were shaken…  (representing the very root of the problem)… And immediately all the prison doors were open!!

All the prison doors were opened – and all of the prisoner’s bands were loosed!…So that everyone in the situation with them.. were affected for good.. by Paul and Silas’s victorious attitude.. even the attitude of worship and praise while still confined to a prison.. Which attitude opened the door for God.. to release this big “suddenly” – even the earthquake that opened the doors – for all of the prisoners!

You see, we can have good suddenlies when we invite God to be involved – “Suddenlies” – of various “shapes and size”- which can overthrow the negative things that the enemy has sent to overwhelm us … Because God is able to do much more than we can ask or think .. when we have the faith to worship and praise in the midst of our problem… AND.. say, concerning our need… the thing that God has said….

And those are the very things, likewise… that are prescribed by the Word of God… to bring the battle with your own soul and its contrary thinking..to naught!…. which will make it much easier to keep moving forward in the things which God has shown you,  or asked you to do!  So take heed to pay attention to the things prescribed by the word of God… And remember with joy each “suddenly” He has already sent to rescue you!…Which will cause the peace of God to “rule in your heart”….as you – through faith and patience – obtain every promise!

 

 

 

Things to Know About Bringing Light Into Darkness

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Romans 8:37-39 tells us something that is pretty incredible… where it says that we “are more than conquerors through Christ” – and “that there is nothing that can separate us from His love!”  And I John 4:16-18 tells us that.. if we “know and believe” this love that our Father God has for us.. then we can walk free from fear… which means that we do not have to live and walk in the oppression of the things that come against us from the enemy….

And when we know  that all the promises of God are “Yes and Amen” in Christ Jesus (i.e. they are forever settled in God’s mind)…Then we can “hold forth” the words which God has spoken..and begin to overturn the operations of darkness that our adversary the devil (I Peter 5:8) sends to work against us to rob us of what God has promised…. Because when we speak  in agreement with what God has said… we “let God arise and His enemies be scattered!”

This is because God is one with His word… If He says it He means it.. and He purposes to bring those things which He says to pass!  Indeed, He watches over His word to perform it… He just needs our agreement with those things which He has said to us… (He needs our “agreement”because God gave dominion and authority on the earth to man – for a season….Genesis 1:27,28 & Psalm 115:16).

And if something is working contrary to what God has said, then it is indeed an “enemy” to His will!… And that is where (and why) we come in and speak His word over that situation… Thus we “let God arise” – to begin to scatter those things that are opposed to His word/His will for that area of life…. Indeed.. when we speak according to God’s word, we are saying – in effect – “Father, let Your will be done in this situation”….  Thus we bring the light of His word and His will into the areas of darkness!

 

A Very Present Help in Trouble …. He’s God Right Now!

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“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”  (Psalm 46:1)

God IS the Great I Am…. the ever present, eternal, self existing God.

And He’s “God right now! 

He’s not going to be God.. He IS God – right now!!

We often remember the good things He’s done in the past – how He helped us and delivered us in some difficult situation… And indeed, we should remember!… For that’s our experience with Him… And “experience gives HOPE” –  hope for the areas of life where we need His help TODAY!

As believers – when we accepted Jesus as our personal Savior – God accepted us into His Kingdom as members of His family.  So now, more than ever, God IS our refuge and our hope…and He IS a very present help in time of trouble!   (FYI.. “Present” in that verse in the original Hebrew text means:  “to come forth to”.. + “be enough”…. He is there and He IS ENOUGH!! )

God wants us to learn to trust Him.. and out of that trust..to call upon Him for the help we need – for our own life or to secure help for someone else…  We can call on God our Heavenly Father.. with confidence..knowing that He hears and He cares!  And the great thing is that.. He does not wait for you and me to be perfect before He will answer our prayers and our call for help…It’s enough that we recognize our need.. and WANT His help….

And even when the need that’s pressing heavily upon our heart..involves a problem area in our personal life – an area where we need to make a change in our behavior or in a habit pattern.. He is so ready to listen… and forgive… Ready to extend His grace to us to help us start making the adjustments we need to make…

Whatever the problem.. when you and I call on Him in our time of need – be it urgent or otherwise – He WILL come forth to help us!  Our part is to “call on Him” ..ASK!.. Because He’s God right now.. and He wants to be there for you in your time of trouble.

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(How many times have I called on Him for help in some serious situation that comes up – or just to help me turn things around when I’ve done something “dumb”?… how  many times?  More than I would like to admit to you – but how glad I am that I did turn to Him.. Jesus… He is my help, my hope and my God… totally able and reliable.. and for me, completely unforgettable… He’s God right now… and He loves and wants to be there just as much for you.)

 

 

The Lamb of God… Love’s Perfect Sacrifice

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Lamb of God… love’s true story.. brought the Lamb down from glory…

Love divine.. Jesus made it yours and mine

God so loved – His holy Word says…

That He gave His Son to redeem mankind…

He came to redeem us… from the effects.. of the law of sin and death…   (Romans 8:1,2  &  Romans 5:12-21)

Indeed, Jesus came not to condemn..

but to redeem – to buy us back – from sin’s default…

Even the deepest kind of poverty and lack .. manifested in spirit and soul…

Never enough of any good thing and always searching for that missing part.. something that would light up and bring hope and comfort to a man’s heart…

That’s why Jesus came – and even as the scripture says… “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.. will set you free… It can deliver any man.. from the law of sin & death”! …

And that truly means something .. because there’s nothing on earth you can “buy”.. that will allay the effects of that darkness which doth reside…

In the spirit of the one who has never in some way cried “Lord Jesus forgive my sins…Come in and heal my life…and with me forever reside.”

That’s why Jesus came… the Lamb of God…  love’s perfect sacrifice….

Jesus came and laid down His life..

That you and I might know the love God has for us…

To know Jesus is to know the God kind of love…

And to follow Him  (learning to listen to the direction the Spirit of God gives) is to know the God kind of peace…and the abundant life that only He can give

That’s why Jesus came… to be the Lamb of God… love’s perfect sacrifice.

 

 

Building the Trust Factor Between You and God’s Word

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“In the beginning was the Word.. and the Word was with God.. and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”  (John 1:1-3)

The Word was God..??  God spoke the Word – and all things were created.. They were created according to the Word that He spoke… “Light be”.. He said in the beginning – and light was”…. And in the same way ALL things were  created..  (Genesis 1:1-31 & Hebrews 11:3).. “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Rhema (spoken)Word of God.. so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”…..

If you have a problem believing that.. it could be for a couple of reasons – one of them  being that you may have tried to understand who God is.. based on the way your life has been lived… Another reason being… that you may not have stopped to consider – “that the heavens declare (enumerate, tell, make known – and even celebrate) the glory of God.. The sky that is visible to your eye.. displays His handiwork/His operations!”… And right at our feet – the grass that we appreciate and care for… have you ever considered that with all our knowledge and technology.. no man has yet been able to produce (“from scratch”) a single blade of that grass?!!  Plus take a good long look around you at all the order of the natural things we can see in the universe… And after that good look and some thought – can you still believe that something as diverse and ordered as what you just saw and considered.. began as a single cell (where did IT come from?).. or had its start from an explosion of gases?!!  I’m not trying to mock anyone – I just want you to THINK… Because it all started somewhere .. from something/someone that is ALIVE – and able to impart LIFE.”…

The Word was a living thing as God spoke it to create and make all things.  That is because the Word IS a part of God Himself.. God and His Word are one.  What God says “IS”... What God says WILL BECOME… because.. behind every Word of God is His integrity.. If it were not so, we could not depend on night and day.. or seedtime and harvest.. the four seasons.. or all the other things which He spoke the Word to set in place to continue… “as long as the earth remaineth”… They continue this day according to the Words that God spoke… (Genesis 8:22;  Psalm 119:89-91)… And God upholds all things by the Word He has spoken concerning it.  (Hebrews 1:3)

What does all of that have to do with our lives today??  That is a good and legitimate question.  Psalm 119:89,90 assures us that “Forever, God’s Word is settled in Heaven.. His faithfulness to all generations.”  God’s Word is the same today as it was in the beginning when He created the heavens and the earth by His Word… And today.. when the Spirit of God “quickens” a promise from the Word of God to us,  we can know that it is “a seed” waiting to be received by us into the good ground of a believing heart/our spirit …And as we “hear” and keep that word…it will “bear fruit” that looks like the promise God gave us!   (Luke 8:11-15)

Our part is to keep that word in our heart… hold on to what God has said .. and not allow our human reasonings… based on sense knowledge… to cave in and turn loose of the word when the enemy/aka the devil comes to  convince us that “it won’t work/things won’t change for you”, etc. etc.  (Luke 8:11-15).   The Word that God speaks has His life and ability in it.. to bring those things that the Word promises to pass! …. That is why God still “sends His Word” (Psalm 107:20).. TODAY.. to heal, deliver, and otherwise minister His grace and provision to those who take hold of that Word to keep it in their heart/spirit while it imparts the faith we all need to receive!….

And that process of keeping and holding forth that Word in the face of all the things to the contrary that we might see..or hear.. or feel – is called “fighting the good fight of faith.”  And that may take half a day – or – it might take half a year… But the experience of receiving things from God’s Word this way builds faith and trust in us… Because many of those things we believe Him for.. and receive.. are things that looked impossible any other way! And it brings you to the place that the “trust factor” between you and God gets stronger and stronger year after year… because faith in God grows as we interact with Him and His Word…

 

“Spirit” and “Soul” – Are We Talking About the Same Thing?..

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I used to think that the “spirit and soul” of a person was one and the same… but are they truly the same thing?  I Thessalonians 5:23 informs us that we are “spirit, soul, and body” – three parts to our being…. and in line with that.. we see in Hebrews 4:12 that the soul and the spirit are two different parts of our being – and – can be separated to distinguish between the two…

The spirit and the soul of a man are indeed two separate parts….For the soul of a man is “home to his mind or intellect,  plus his will and his emotions….. The spirit is the part of a person in which the spiritual rebirth takes place when he or she chooses to receive Jesus as their Savior… In John 3:1-8 Jesus attempts to explain being “born again”.. telling us in verses 5 -7 ..that.. “except a man be born of water and the spirit – he or she cannot enter into the Kingdom of God… (Because) “that which is born of the flesh is flesh.. and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit… Therefore I say unto you … you must be born again.”

(This spiritual rebirth is necessary for man to be in right relationship with God again – because when Adam partook of the forbidden tree in the Garden, he did not die physically but spiritually.  You may read in more detail about this in Romans 5:12-21).

My purpose in writing this is not to “split hairs” – but to share what helped me tremendously once I saw and understood..that.. indeed there is a difference between the soul and the spirit… As I mentioned earlier,  I Thessalonians 5:23 informs us that – as an individual – you and I are spirit, soul, and body… That’s three different “parts” to our being… The “body” we can see and comprehend.. But many people wrestle with understanding the difference between the “soul” and the “spirit” of a man….

What IS the difference between the spirit and the soul?….

  • With my body… I contact the natural/physical realm.
  • With my spirit… I contact the spiritual realm….  John 4:24 tells us that “God is a Spirit”… and that “true worshippers will worship Him “in spirit and in truth”… He seeks those to worship Him.. who have been born of the Spirit/aka born again (or “saved” as some prefer to say).. Being Himself.. a Spirit .. God seeks this Spirit to spirit relationship..
  • With my soul… I contact the emotional and intellectual realm – and relate to them in conjunction with my 5 physical senses… i.e. what I see, hear, feel, smell, and can touch.
When we do not understand the difference in our soul and our spirit – we will try to figure God out through our mind/intellect and what we are “feeling”/our emotions…  And thus we have a much more difficult time understanding His Word… and often wonder why we don’t hear Him speaking to us – as John 10 tells us that we will…. “My sheep hear My voice.. and they follow Me because they know My voice”.. verses 3 & 4…. But it is with our spirit (not the soul/mind) that we “hear” His voice…

As Proverbs 20:27 tells us.. “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord”… and in I Corinthians 2:9-14… we see clearly this Spirit to spirit relationship which God designed to use to reveal things to us by His Spirit…. It is necessary that our spirit first be born again as Jesus said in John 3:1-8 ….  because as verse 14 in I Corinthians 2.. says.. “The natural man  (referring to our mind/soul) – receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.. for those things are foolishness unto him… neither can he (the natural man) know them because they are SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED”…

Though we “walk in the flesh”… we began our relationship with Him in the spirit (Galatians 3:2,3)… It is a Spirit to spirit relationship… And because God designed it that way.. you and I should not ignore those verses in His word that speak of spiritual things….

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More to come in Part 2 about distinguishing the soul from the spirit of man.