Thoughts On Spirit and Truth

The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts him.
Psalm 32:10b

One day, in each of our lives, we wake up with all fear gone, every doubt gone and our entire trust for our self in Father’s hands. Doesn’t that sound relieving? Oh, that hasn’t happened for you yet?
You see, trusting in God isn’t like physical heart surgery. You aren’t put to sleep, unconscious of what is happening all around you and within you. You aren’t dull to the pain and aches of your heart. All of your senses are wide awake. You aren’t in and out of the process within several hours. You have the ability to call out “STOP!!!” You have the ability to get up and walk away. If you don’t like what God is doing in you, you can tell Him as much. Under your very eyes you are completely exposed to God.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5&6

I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
Psalm 26:1b-3

There are infinite ways in which God speaks to us. Whether He uses words or actions, they are just as powerful as the next way He can speak. What is one way in which God speaks to you? How do you k now when/if God is speaking to you? Do you trust what He says to you?
Recently, I heard my pastor say something that really jolted me. I cannot remember the exact words, but the concept of what he said sent me into a tailspin of thought and revelation. He was talking about living in Christ and walking in the spirit. He said something about us “receiving in spirit.” For the past week I have been chewing on this and I have realized something that I hadn’t before. First off, if you look in the Bible you will find verses on spirit and truth/trust like this one: “Yet a time is coming and has come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers that the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” –John 4:23-24
You will find a pattern throughout the Bible that links the spirit and truth. We are to worship in “spirit and in truth.” Why doesn’t this passage read “Yet a time is coming and has come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in flesh and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers that the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in flesh and in truth” with the word flesh replacing spirit? Because the Spirit IS truth.

“When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”
John 16:13-15

So, the first part of this passage “When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth,” you can look at this verse closer and the message to us would be something like “the Spirit is coming to guide you in the spirit.” So, in order to receive truth we must be in the spirit. Do you understand that?
You see, in order to receive truth from God we have to trust Him, but the only way to trust Him is to walk in the spirit. So that when God does speak to you, you will have no doubt it is God because the Spirit is truth and can only receive truth. That is why we do not trust in “chariots and in horses.” That is why when God gives you a word, you will trust Him. When I trust God, I find that I have a complete peace that dispels doubt and fear. I even appear very calm and quiet. It may be different with you.

“…in quietness and trust is your strength…”
From Isaiah 30:15

Do you see how powerful this is? Look at 1Corinthians 4:1&2 “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” Now refer back to John 16:13-15 that I mentioned earlier. Do you see it?! Put those verses together and you can read them like this “So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and those entrusted with (the Spirit of truth – with John 16:13-15) the secret things of God. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust (John 16:13-15) must prove faithful.”
If we cannot trust in God, then we are not walking in the spirit. If we are not walking in the spirit we will not truly receive what the Father speaks as truth.

Thoughts On Love

On my way to work this morning, I became so overwhelmed talking to God. I was just talking to Him and thanking Him for His goodness and love when I suddenly started crying. It was like a huge tidal wave hit me, realizing what God means to me and what I mean to Him.
Recently, I had a couple of conversations with people. One of the conversations was with a younger woman and the other was with an older lady. In the first conversation the question "How did you move forward?" was asked (for advice). I told her that I came to a place where I realized that my heart belonged to God and that my love with Him was the most precious thing in existence. I told her that I was madly in love with Him and that as I am pursuing Him, He is pursuing me. I told her that was one of the most important ingredients to love: to pursue and be pursued.
The second conversation was about Jesus. A lady at my church and I were talking about being dead to sin and alive in Christ. I told her that there are so many Christians who are walking around still in the "dead mode" and haven't actually COME ALIVE in Christ. It's like looking at a bunch of zombies walking around (kind of a morbid picture, but I was thinking of the Valley of Dry Bones). I said that Christ telling us to follow His example has led me to think about His relationship with the Father. Christ was flesh, just like us, but He was dead to sin He filled Himself with the Father. He didn't seperate His carpentry job from His life with God like we so often do. He didn't fill His "needs" with earthly pleasures. He was hard after God. He prayed daily! He was in an intimate place between the trinity. There was an intertwining of the Father in His life! He PURSUED Father! God IS love. If we could just try and grasp that...! His love is perfection itself. Love stories? The greatest love story is Jesus. So, why not learn from Him the ways of love?

A Child's Faith

I found my very first Bible that I have had since '91. I sat looking through it's pages and my heart swelled with prescious memories. Since I was five years old, that book was the most important possession I had. You can look inside at the cover pages and see the handwriting of a little girl who loved Jesus and thought non-stop of heaven and being there with God someday. I wrote verses referring to Jesus' coming and what I was to do while I waited for Him in the cover of my Bible when I was only five. My mom said that I used to scare her because I was constantly talking about heaven and angels.
It's sad that as I have grown older my thoughts are not so consumed by heaven. It's sad too that when I was younger anything was truly possible and I knew that anything I asked God for, He would always answer me. I had a faith that amazes me. I want that faith that I had as a child. It was an extreme faith! Wow, to have the faith of a child...
(This picture is of my cousin. As you can see he has only one arm. I have learned so much from this five year old prescious little boy this week! At dinner today he asked if I could be the one to pray because "I have never prayed before." I didn't voice my thoughts of "sweetheart, I have been praying since I was your age and even before.")

Olive Tree

(I'm going to Rhode Island for a 10 day vacation & I threw this picture up, thinking about my trip!!!)

I have always had a fascination with the book of Psalms and that book has birthed within me a desire to be passionate like David when he sang to God. The verse I was led to read yesterday was in chapter 52 and it's verse 8. David says "And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now." I don't know why this of all verses struck me so deeply, but it hit something deep within my heart and I asked myself "Am I growing green or am I wilting?" I pictured first this beautiful green olive tree in a glass house and the tree was thriving and full of life. Then I pictured a dying tree, wilted, and brown. My heart sank thinking about the wilted tree and my mind raced trying to see which tree I was.

So, I asked God "Daddy, am I a wilting tree?" He took me back to four years ago and told me to remember what He did for me. I knew instantly what He was referring to and I said "You held me." He asked for how long and I answered "Several hours." He then asked me what it felt like and I said "Like you were breathing life into me. You were healing me. You taught me to give of myself, to let go of the past and see my future. I have never felt so much love standing in your arms from anyone else in my life. You completed me as I melted in your love and you erased my fear. You gave me a heavenly glimpse of what it means to love." Suddenly I felt so ashamed and bowed my head. I heard the Lord tell me to "look up" and then He said "How is it possible to be a wilting tree in My arms?" I couldn't stop my tears and I said "It's not possible." He said to me softly "You are not wilting. I am pruning you within the safety of these arms of Mine. I'm cutting out and off what doesn't belong so that you grow strong in Me."

No one can or ever will come before my love with God. It may sound silly but daily my first prayer is "God, teach me to love you how you desire to be loved." Daily, He takes my hand and shows me "Come, sit with me" "Tell me why you love me" "Do this for me...let go of this for me." Yes, He asks things of me because I have learned that a true lover asks sincere things not only for their benefit but because they know the benefit it will have on you. God doesn't ask me to do things to hurt myself. Not at all!!! In fact, He asks me so that I can be protected.

The whole Bride and Groom vision in the Bible of the Church being the Bride of Christ is so perfect and beautiful. The Groom is to protect and cover His Bride and help her grow. I know that I am the much weaker vessel and I need God to teach me.

I am not a very confrontational person and I have wondered much over the past several months if that is a flaw of mine. I have asked God and have honestly gotten no clear answer other than being reminded of my relationship with Him. He has never spoken anything to me in anger and even when I come to Him, knowing I have done something wrong, He is always gentle and corrects me, but He does it in love. Again I am reminded of the verse "And I'm an olive tree, growing green in God's house. I trusted in the generous mercy of God then and now." He has never cut me down, but He prunes me so that I can mature and grow. I am reminded of His words to me, "How is it possible to be a wilting tree in my arms?" I am surrounded by God in His house, so anything spoken to me must first come through the One who is protecting me. Fearing confrontation only becomes a distraction from my God who is my strength in every situation.

God teaches me so much every day, drawing me in with every word and action He makes. But, He never makes me feel like a silly child when I don't know what to do or when I make mistakes, instead He treats me like a bride and teaches me, helping me to understand and all the while making me feel completely loved and cherished. He won't let me wilt as long as I remain in His arms. I am an olive tree, growing green under the skilled hands of my Creator.