Fear Ourselves.

In today's society we are taught that to love ourselves is important. We are taught NOT to care about what OTHER'S think. We are told that self-esteem is very important and a lack of it not good at all. We are expected to walk the fine line between self-esteem and arrogance. If we cross that fine line and slip into arrogance we are told that is very wrong. A healthy self-love is necessary to a good life- this is what people say. Yet I think it's fair to say (though I could be far off the mark here) that a whole lot of people have very little self-love. Another fine line exists there where self-loathing and self-acceptance exists. We are caught up in this stuff because the WORLD tells us we should be caught up in it.  We are told we should be HAPPY.  We are told we should be CONTENT. We are told we are missing out on life's true potential when we don't obtain an equilibrium in our existence.  WE ARE TOLD ENTIRELY TOO MUCH BY THE WORLD. 

Unfortunately we tend to listen to the world. Even if we listen in rebellion and by bucking the common opinion- we tell ourselves we stand out among the status quo, but then we are joined by others who flaunt their rebellion against society and we've joined another group.  You don't care what the world says? Good! You want to walk to the beat of your own drum? Not so good. As long as we are SELF-focused in any way whether in joining the common opinion or bucking it, we are not walking in God's way.

We fool ourselves though. We lie to ourselves and say our particular views are okay, why? Because we're good people. We care about others, we do our share, we are genuinely kind and generous. We are focused on OURSELVES! We have to get OUT of ourselves. We have to get OUT of our own way, yet how to do that when we cannot escape ourselves? We have to LET another do all that we cannot do.

Very much contrary to popular opinion- we have to care about what OTHERS think-  the OTHERS being- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  When we stop caring about what they think we are truly lost because we've let ourselves and our own opinion usurp the place of our Creator, our Redeemer, our Holy Comforting One.

Let's read another excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' By Watchman Nee.

'The call of the cross of the Lord Jesus is to beckon us to hate our natural life, to seek opportunity to lose, not to keep, it.

(Insert- Luk_9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Joh_12:25  He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.)

Our Lord wants us to sacrifice self and be yielded wholly to the working of His Spirit.

(Insert- Mat 10:20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. )

If we are to experience afresh His true life in the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we must be willing to present to death every opinion, labor and thought of the soul life.

The Lord additionally touches upon the issue of our hating or loving our self life.

The soul is invariably “self-loving.”

Unless from the very depth of our heart we abhor our natural life, we shall not be able to walk genuinely by the Holy Spirit.

Do we not realize that the basic condition for a spiritual walk is to fear our self and its wisdom and to rely absolutely upon the Spirit?'

*******

Fear ourselves.

Fear our wisdom.

Rely absolutely upon the Spirit.

This is TRUTH.

Such a stark contrast to what the world would have us do.

Do you fear yourself?

Do you fear your wisdom?

Do you absolutely rely upon the Spirit?

By the GRACE and MERCY of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST alone may we have the hope of relying upon the Spirit absolutely!

The drastic work of the cross in us.

The Spiritual Man- Watchman Nee

Excerpt- 'Many Christians are unaware how drastically the cross must work so that ultimately their natural power for living may be denied. They do not know the reality of the indwelling Holy Spirit nor that His authority must extend to gathering under His control the thoughts, desires and feelings of the entire being. Without their having an inner appreciation of this, the Holy Spirit is unable to accomplish everything He wishes to do. The greatest temptation for an earnest and zealous saint is to engage his own strength in God’s service rather than to wait humbly for the Holy Spirit to will and to perform.'

Imagine, no, I don't think we really do need to imagine because we know, we really know how powerful our natural self is. We know the strength of self over spirit, of soul-self over spiritual-self. All around us we are consumed by so much geared to promote our natural self- NOT our spiritual self. We are at war and the enemy will use every day, common scenarios to attack us.  What seems perfectly fine to the world without any consequences involved will be appalling to the Spirit.  To learn things we do every day are things contrary to God will test us. Do we choose the Spirit, do we choose God, or do we choose SELF. God forgive me, all too often I choose self.

The cross has an extreme work to do in us!

The Holy Spirit must be a REALITY in us.  The POWER of the Holy Spirit must CONSUME us- our thoughts, our desires, our feelings- all of us!

And…. we must wait HUMBLY for the Holy Spirit, truly something that our natural self wants to rebel against as it seeks to have some sort of control over us, loathed to give up the power it so desperately wants to keep.

Please, Lord, help us to humbly wait, help us, teach us!

In the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ our King now and forever!

Amen.

It's not like we have switches we can turn off and on....

Do you ever wish you had a bunch of switches inside you that you could turn off and on at will?  I was discussing something with someone recently and said, 'It's not like Soandso can just turn off the part of them.'  And then I said, 'Wouldn't it be great if we did have switches like that? We could turn off the parts of us that we despise with a flick of a switch. ' If I don't want a quick temper- off goes that switch. If I don't want the awful selfishness I have, that switch is turned off. If I find myself committing any sin, off the switch goes.   The truth is, we do NOT have any switch inside to turn off, not a single one we can control in such an instant and permanent manner. We may seek to control our tempers, our selfishness, our various lusts, and sometimes we may conquer them, but conquering them once or even several times does not mean they are conquered forever. 

Truly, our cross is taken up and carried daily.

Remember this--

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Temptation hits us all… but the LUST needs to be conceived to bring forth sin.

The switches get turned on, but we do have time, BY the grace of GOD, to choose to turn them off before we are committed to the conceived lust. We need to recognize the NEED to turn them off.  We need to know how to turn them off. If learning how to turn them off is allowing the Holy Spirit to turn them off as we surrender to Him, then we must do that!  We need to learn, please, Lord, please teach us!

Daily we will face choices and daily we choose Christ or not Christ. God forgive us for all too often choosing wrongly!  Forgive us, please, don't forsake us. We are very weak, so very, very weak. 

We would be YOURS.

All by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ now and FOREVER. 

What attitude do you have towards your possessions?

 Excerpt from- The Spiritual Man-  Watchman Nee

'This is the work of the cross. The attitude of saints towards their possessions most assuredly signifies whether they continue to preserve their self life or whether they have consigned it to death. If we desire to tread a pure spiritual path we must allow God to so operate in us that our hearts can be severed from everything pertaining to the world and be totally released from the intent of Lot’s wife. This is the prerequisite for experiencing perfect life in Christ. We can despise all the things in the world only after the Holy Spirit has shown the reality of heaven and its perfect life. Matters below and matters above defy comparison. The experience of the Apostle in Philippians 3 begins with esteeming everything as loss and proceeds to suffering the loss of all things. Therein does the Apostle come to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. 

Such is the perfect way. Often we are unconscious how powerful our self is until tested in regard to material matters. At times it seems we require more grace to lose our wealth than to lose our life! Earthly things truly represent an acid test for soul life. God’s children who indulge in eating and drinking and in ease and comfort need a deeper cutting away of the cross to free their spirit from the bondage and influence of the soul and to be free to live in God. Any who still hanker after the things of the world have yet to learn how to lose their soul life through the deep penetration of the cross."

Is this truth?  Does this writer- Watchman Nee speak the truth? Is he speaking from God's word? 

Php 3:4  Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Php 3:5  Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Php 3:6  Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Php 3:7  But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Php 3:8  Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

Php 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Php 3:10  That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death

Is this message just for the apostle and no other? Do we have to be some special person in order to want this connection with God by faith? Can the average, non-apostle type person seek God in this way? Do we have to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord?  Could we lose all we possess and still hold fast to Christ? Could we count all our possession but dung so we could win Christ? Just how attached to our possession are we? How attached are we to our lives- the earthly, fleshly part of our life?

Is this us?

'Any who still hanker after the things of the world have yet to learn how to lose their soul life through the deep penetration of the cross.'

I think it is me.

Please, Lord, please… help me learn to lose my soul life through the deep penetration of the cross! Please! Save me from myself!

More tomorrow by the grace and mercy, the will of our Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever!

Raised from the dead in the blink of an eye.

1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

A moment.

A twinkling of an eye.

Did you just blink? Is that considered a twinkling of an eye? Surely a blink only takes a single moment.  How quickly the dead will be raised from their graves. How amazing swift will the breath of life from God be returned to those who lost it as they breathed their last, however long before.  Six thousand years long?  Surely those who died in Christ, in the grace of our Savior, when the world was almost brand new- Abel the first to die, he too will be raised from the dead.   You say  the Bible tells us  that Abel's blood cried out… and I tell you, that's truth.  A lot of blood cries out doesn't it? Seriously. Any and all who are murdered have blood that is crying out their wrongful death.  That doesn't mean Abel has been crying out knowingly for 6000 years, how AWFUL that would be.

Jesus calls death a SLEEP, and a SLEEP it is.

In that single moment when the dead are raised to life upon the sound of the last trumpet when Jesus returns, all the dead are woken up from their long sleep.

Bodies will form instantaneously as the LORD calls them from death's grip.  Bodies that have long disappeared, the dust of the bones thousands of years dead having mingled with the dust of the ground until it is indistinguishable from any and all dirt will take on life once more.  God knows all His people and NOT one will be lost, not one!  This miracle of being raised from the dead is the HOPE we have after living our lives for our Savior, for His will. Life everlasting, life eternal, life in reality unlike this sin-filled existence we know. 

Incorruptible bodies,  with the breath of life that returned to God upon death given back to those bodies and all that makes us who we are as His children restored to us- all the dead in Christ will live again!

This is the message of the gospel, this is the good news, this is eternal life- this is the message that our Savior came to deliver to all of us! This is our HOPE.

Jesus never talks about us having a wonderful life here and now.

Remember this--

'

Heb 11:36  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:

Heb 11:37  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;

Heb 11:38  (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

Heb 11:39  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:

Heb 11:40  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. '

These are only some of the awful things that those with faith have endured.

Why do we imagine anything at all that is awful for us in any and every way is unexpected?

Somewhere along the line people decided that God is supposed to only allow good things to those that are His.  Yet it became perfectly clear to our God that no matter the earthly favors He bestowed upon His people they inevitably turned on Him.  The plan of salvation meant the AWFUL torture and sacrifice of God the Son, and it means that we too can expect no less a life. Over and over God's people have endured suffering, we have to comprehend that this is a reality. We should be willing - through the grace of God- to suffer ALL things for Him who suffered all things for us.

Eternal life awaits all who are Christ's.

All who live simply for this world and not for eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, seeking the will of God, all through His love - give up eternity! They give up eternity!  They live for now, for this awful world, seeking what pleasures they can gain from it and they don't worry about eternity. If ONLY there were some way to open all eyes, to open all hearts to salvation!

Please Lord, help us! Help us to let You work Your will in us! Let the Holy Spirit live in us!  Use us as You can Lord, please we would be YOURS now and forever!!!!!!!

PLEASE!

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord! NOW, and FOREVER!

We are so caught up in the HERE and NOW we forget ETERNITY.

Where we left off yesterday…

' If we only hope for an eternal life with Christ as some sort of reward for our existing, then we are going to be in for a shocking surprise. 

We've made eternal life an abstract thought, a back burner idea, something to tuck away and think about from time to time while we live our current life.  We don't truly believe that we are STRANGERS and PILGRIMS here on earth living for a better place, a better home.  We believe THIS is our home and we set about living our lives accordingly.  If we TRULY believed we were strangers and pilgrims here, would we do so much to live for here and so very little for our eternal life?

If people live for eternal life- shouldn't they be active disciples for eternal life?'

*******

When was the last time you thought about your eternal life, before the paragraph above?

How often do you think about Jesus?

Can you ever think about Jesus without thinking about your eternal life? Yes, you can, but you shouldn't.

Jesus - a GOD in heaven with GOD, chose to give up that position in heaven to take on human flesh in order to do ONE thing… make eternal life with Him possible for us.

Mat 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The kingdom of heaven - Jesus.    Without Jesus the kingdom of heaven does NOT exist for us. The way to heaven was now at hand.  Every human being is given the opportunity to live eternally in heaven with our Savior. Remember this…

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

If you die before Christ returns- you will be RAISED up when He comes back.  If you are alive when Christ returns you will be caught up into the air with Him.  Heaven will be our home! That promise of heaven Jesus came to earth to give to us is a REAL promise.

Jesus lived and breathed the message of the kingdom of heaven, of eternal life.  You could NOT come in contact with the Savior when He was upon earth without hearing about His message- either from Him, or from those who came in contact with Him already.  The news of the gospel, the good news of salvation in Jesus was spreading like wildfire.  

Tell me, what good is salvation without eternal life?  Can there be salvation without eternal life?  The whole point of being saved from our sins is for us to become one with God again and live with Him.

We are PROMISED eternal life, an eternal home.

If you were promised five million dollars if you live to be seventy-five years old would you look forward to that seventy-fifth birthday?  Chances are it would be something you'd think about every day of your life.

When we are given eternal life, that most special of gifts, it should be something we think about all the time.  It is a FUTURE promise.  We are promised a FUTURE worth much more than five million dollars, yet we've regulated it to something benign, something nonplus, something commonplace, something we don't celebrate like we should at all.

Eternal life!

We are so caught up in the HERE and NOW we forget ETERNITY.

Do we live now FOR eternal life?

Php_2:12  … work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Php 2:14  Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

Php 2:15  That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Php 2:16  Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

'God’s Word must lay bare more and more of our natural life so that the work of the cross can probe deeper and deeper. That is why the cross must be borne daily. To know more of God’s will and to know more of the self, furnishes the cross increased ground to operate.'  Excerpt from 'The Spiritual Man' Watchman Nee.

Can you imagine doing 'all' things without any murmuring (aloud and to yourself silently) and without any disputing whatsoever?  Seriously. Internal murmuring goes on all the time, doesn't it? We are filled with this murmuring and disputing- and I'm not talking about riot-like disputing, but all disputing down to the smallest of disputes. We live day to day with murmuring and disputing until it has become NORMAL, yet they are far from normal. 

The excerpt above speaks of our natural life being laid bare and I believe that the above verse- about doing ALL things without murmuring and disputing- is a huge revelation for us.  We need to recognize the natural man in us and that natural self LOVES to murmur and dispute- again- I'm NOT talking about being the loudest murmurer to exist or the biggest disputer of all time.  We focus on ourselves to such a degree that we are slighted not just by others- but by things that interfere with our "ME" time, things that mess up our plans (self-made plans or otherwise.). We go from day to day and make note of most of the tiny irritants that have affected our well-being.   And our 'well-being' is that state of being which we've predetermined gives us the ease of life we believe we deserve. We've had a lousy day when our well-being is disturbed. We've had an amazing day when we've had the least amount of things irritating us and upset our 'well-being'.  From one moment to the next we are in a state of 'well-being' or 'not quite so well-being'.  We have made our 'well-being' our criteria for our lives. THE FOCUS is on ourselves! 

How are you today?  How is your day going? Having a good day? All this reinforces our self-focus, doesn't it? How do you feel today?  How is life?  Focus on self.  Even when we are asking another these questions we are drawing their attention where? To themselves.  I'm not saying we aren't to be polite, I'm saying society has made it NORMAL for us to focus on our well-being.  SELF FOCUS.

We need the many ways we are self-focused exposed to us so we may pray for deliverance from them. 

Our murmuring and disputing will often have its roots in our natural self, our flesh nature and NOT the spirit.

Truly this DAILY cross we are to carry is our DAILY work towards exposing all that would keep us from Christ.

We are to live day to day IN CHRIST- never putting off our Christianity, never setting it aside for a while as we indulge ourselves in non-Christian behavior.

If HEAVEN and ETERNAL LIFE with Christ is our HOPE, our TRUE HOPE, then living for CHRIST now should be our REALITY!   If we only hope for an eternal life with Christ as some sort of reward for our existing, then we are going to be in for a shocking surprise. 

We've made eternal life an abstract thought, a back burner idea, something to tuck away and think about from time to time while we live our current life.  We don't truly believe that we are STRANGERS and PILGRIMS here on earth living for a better place, a better home.  We believe THIS is our home and we set about living our lives accordingly.  If we TRULY believed we were strangers and pilgrims here, would we do so much to live for here and so very little for our eternal life?

If people live for eternal life- shouldn't they be active disciples for eternal life? 

More on this tomorrow by the GRACE and WILL of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!!