Category Archives: General
What is the number one thing we are learning here on this Earth plane? It is to value, appreciate and experience relationship with the Living God.
We lost relationship at the Fall, or Lowering, in the Garden when Adam and Eve died spiritually. The potential for relationship was restored at the Resurrection.
Every experience, circumstance, trial and tribulation now centers around the full restoration of that relationship, by cooperating with the Lord as He restores our spirit from death to life.
The more we embrace this goal, and release other burdens, the more we are free to enjoy the process, knowing that all things are working for our restoration.
Many of us have received a Desire, Calling or Word that God wants to use us in the ministry, in one way or another. Often the first thing we do in response is to try to figure out what kind of training or education we will need in order to fulfill that calling. But God wants to train and educate us Himself, personally, because at the end of the day our calling and purpose is to be with Him.
God knows what plans He has for us, so He will train us for specific projects. Often these projects aren’t something we would normally value, like learning patience with ourselves or being okay with being misunderstood, but they are vital to learn on the road to receiving Life in our soul.
God knows what wounds need to be healed, what lies need to be overcome with Truth. We each have our own history and beliefs, but God knows what they are even when we don’t, so He can speak the exact truth we need that dispels the lies. He can shine the exact light into our darkness that restores our soul rather than burdening it.
God knows our soulical strengths and weaknesses, and character flaws, because He gave them to us. Yes, that’s right, He gave us our weaknesses and character flaws. Without them we wouldn’t need help, we wouldn’t need Him. Instead through the training process, when He is in charge of it, He shows us our negatives, and turns them into valuable gems according to His plans.
God knows our desires, since he gave them in the first place. He provides encouragement and correction, fellowship and stamina, discipline and ever-increasing freedom. All for our benefit. Because He knows what we’ll need, and He wants us to be prepared to make the most of every circumstance.
Part of our education will be learning how to work His way — how to research, try new things, make mistakes, learn from others. How to trust, and how to go to Him when we are betrayed. Training is work, but if we start with our end in mind, being one with God, He will take us the shortest route to getting there.
One of my favorite examples of God’s education philosophy is when God went looking for a replacement for his prophet Elijah. At the time, there were several Schools of the Prophets in the area, each of which were no doubt cranking out excellent prophets year after year. But God didn’t choose from one of them. Instead God wanted a prophet He could call His own, a Prophet He could train to speak for Him, to do things His way. He sought out someone that had no prior calling or education, who may not have even had any interest in godly things, but God called him from his task to train him Himself. Elisha was out doing his thing, being himself, when God interrupted his life and began the bumpy process of making him into His Prophet.
Don’t get me wrong, a formal education can be a great thing, IF the Lord sends us there and IF while we’re there we learn from the Lord and not just from our instructors. As long as we view the school as a tool and opportunity that God is using to train us, we can eagerly learn from those who have paid the price for a strong relationship with God.
Finally, if you have a desire for some kind of formal ministry it doesn’t mean you have to get a formal education. God Himself will train you, and then you will be sent, protected, provided for and directed by Him. It’s better, safer, to be sent and kept by God then to rely on whatever so-called protection we think there is in a denominational, ministerial or organizational structure.
So how do we enter that school? How do we get God to pick us? Good News! He already has picked us, we just have a hard time accepting and acting on it.
As usual we start with giving God more Time and Attention. We take His training seriously, but don’t take it too personally. Those whom God loves, He disciplines. He won’t let you go through His school without being changed, without being healed, loved and freed. God has BIG things for you to do that will be satisfying and exciting. Have Fun!
“Lord, I want to be taught by You. I want to enter Your School of Ministry, Your King’s College. I’m open to being changed without knowing the final result. I’m available, teach me!”
An important aspect of the nature of God that is missing in our midst is sound judgment. Somehow the concept of “judging” has become an unequivocally bad thing. I’m not talking about criticizing out of our own opinion, I’m talking about being healed enough, insightful enough, loved and loving enough to be able to see when a fellow-son is engaging in or heading for trouble and being courageous enough to (lovingly) throw down a spike strip and blow up their tires.
Instead I often hear that we shouldn’t judge at all, and leave that up to God, that others’ behavior is between them and the Holy Spirit. Funny though, I also hear how the church is supposed to be the “hands and feet” of God — He accomplishes His purposes through us. I guess we tend to pick and choose beliefs that suit our temperament and comfort level.
Well if you and I aren’t loving and wise enough to help our brothers and sisters by sharing sound judgment, who is going to do that? Their ex-spouse? Their former boss? The courts? Wouldn’t it be better if their misbehavior was caught early on by those who love them, and can share God’s ways of doing things? Like healing, freedom and restoration?
With freedom comes responsibility. As we are healed, and we are changed more and more into His likeness, His expectations of our involvement and commitment increase. As a child grows, his skill and judgment improves, and he takes on greater and riskier responsibilities within the family. Likewise in our relationship with God, the more we are dependent on Him, the more like Him we become in our soul and body. And the more He desires our involvement in His plans for this time.
“Lord, I want to be available to you to bring wisdom into whatever situation you choose, and I recognize that I will need healing and courage in order to do this. I understand that your Truth reveals areas in each of our lives where we are relying on our own standards and information, but that your Truth sets us free to live our lives as spirit beings. I ask you now to do whatever is necessary to bring my soul into alignment with my spirit in this area.
Lord, is there a situation that I have been avoiding because I have confused criticism with judgment? Change me, teach me what I need to know to be your wisdom in this situation. I am willing to be misunderstood in order to be obedient to my new spiritual nature.
Lord, is there a situation where I have been resisting sound judgment, rejecting it as human criticism in order to maintain my control in that area? I give you permission to reveal those areas of my life where I have resisted your Light, so that I may receive healing, strength, love and confidence.
Thank you Lord, I appreciate your persistence on my behalf.”
We’ve all done and said things we wish we could go back and undo. These things can follow us throughout our lives, and to a certain extent part of living through this earth existence is learning to live with regret and guilt without allowing them undue influence. But often our mistakes take a heavy toll on how well we live now. Both Guilt and Regret are actions of our past that unnecessarily rob both our present and our future of the freedom and life that God has made available to us.
Guilt and Regret involve re-living something that was said or done that, if given the opportunity, we would go back and not do because of the negative consequences or effects on others or ourselves.
Guilt vs. Regret
For our purposes, the difference between guilt and regret is whether we were aware of the potential hurt we caused. Regret involves having done something unintentionally that we hadn’t at the time realized would have negative consequences. We hadn’t meant to hurt someone, but we did, and we regret it. But Guilt involves having done or said something knowing that there would be negative consequences; we intentionally caused hurt feelings or damaged relationships or worse.
Fortunately we don’t have to learn to live with the wounds of our past mistakes. Through forgiveness, and understanding our present spirit nature, we can be healed of all wounds, even those that are self-inflicted from our own mistakes and deliberate actions. When we realize that we are by nature forgiving beings, we can learn how to extend forgiveness even to ourselves.
God has already forgiven you. Can you accept that?
Guess what! You have already forgiven you! Can you accept that?
Then what’s the problem?
You may not have dealt with the consequences of your actions, you may not believe you have been forgiven, you may have an unhealed wound, or you may even be believing a lie from one of our enemies that is intended to keep you trapped in the past.
Here’s how to find out:
“Lord, do I experience any guilt that You’d like to talk to me about? Yes / No
Please bring to my attention any area of guilt that interferes with Your purposes in my life.
I forgive myself for having done this thing, not because I feel like I deserve forgiveness, but because I am a forgiving person.
I know I have received forgiveness from You. I also commit to asking for and accepting forgiveness of those involved that I have knowingly wronged as You direct.
Lord, is there anything else I need to do in order to receive healing and freedom regarding this guilt?
Is there any interference from any enemy that is preventing me from enjoying freedom in this area?
I thank You now, and put this to rest. Even when it tries to return to wound me again, I will be grateful, knowing that I am forgiven permanently. Thank you Lord.”
(Repeat for Regret.)
Most of us struggle with some aspect of being motivated to deal with doing things we don’t like doing. When it comes to the Christian Walk, we often look for internal motivation to keep us going with the disciplined life that it takes to know God as He desires. But True Motivation is always an outgrowth of our goals. Why Are You Doing What You’re Doing? Once you understand your purpose here on this earth, you will begin to be motivated by Enlightened Self-Interest.
God Is Sovereign
He’s going to do what He wants. In this world and in your life. In your spirit you have already agreed with His plans for you, and are actively cooperating with Him as He works in, through and for you. Herein lies the conundrum: If God is sovereign, and is going to do what He wants anyway, what is OUR role? Why should we DO anything?
The Real Goal
You’re not here on this earth for God’s benefit, but for your own. Your soul is fighting to maintain its control, even refusing to be healed. You have already given God permission to join your soul to your spirit, relinquishing control to God through your spirit. Here is where the battle lies. Your soul wants to maintain control, even in areas it’s already failed, over and over again. So God makes the most of our time here on earth and creates circumstances in our lives in which our soul’s strength fails, and we are forced to turn to Him for healing, life, encouragement and direction. Yes, those bad circumstances are from Him. For you. You will have to learn how to deal with them at some point; we don’t get out of doing the hard work just by dying.
Self Interest
So when those difficulties arise, whether an external circumstance or an internal struggle, we embrace the opportunity to turn to Him and be changed. We don’t know what’s next for us, after we leave this Earth-bound existence, but it’s likely it will build on top of what we have been changed into here. We know that it will be God-created and loving toward us. There are wonders we are to understand now, and wounds to be healed now, and understanding that is for us now, so that we live as spirit now. This is the work to be done. It is in our best interest to do the work now, for if it is not done now, it will just have to be done later, in addition to the work of what’s next. We don’t know what that will be, but we trust that since He has created circumstances for spirit living now, it is in all of our best interests to learn to walk in it now.
“Lord, give me a hunger and thirst for everything that you want me to have now. Don’t let me be satisfied with anything less. I don’t want to put off till someday what you want me to be today. I agree that I have already given you permission to do whatever is necessary to make the most of my time here on earth. Thank You!”