Words that used to intimidate, setting standards I couldn’t meet, are becoming joyful promises of wellness!  Light is dawning in my heart and soul. True understanding is taking the place of reason…year-by-year, day-by-day, moment-by-moment.

How can this be? How does it happen?

Slowly, like the blooming of a flower from a seed. Little-by-little as we wait creatively and expectantly for it to unfold, attentive to the process. Sometimes via growth spurts and sometimes in the midst of seeming dormancy.

“And we have the prophetic word made firmer still. You will do well to pay close attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dismal (squalid and dark) place, until the day breaks through the gloom and the Morning Star rises (comes into being) in your hearts.” 2 Pet 1:19 Amp

It’s simple, through it all PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to His Word, LISTEN to Him…… and the Morning Star (Christ) will rise in your heart!

It will take time, and we must trust Him through the various seasons of growth, even those when it seems we wait in vain, because His promise is sure:

Those who have received the Holy Spirit progressively recognize, understand and become better acquainted with the gifts teachings and revelations so freely and lavishly bestowed on us by God. The Holy Spirit was given to us so that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate God’s gifts of divine favor and blessing! We have the mind of Christ and do hold the thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart!

(my paraphrase from 1 Cor. 2:12-16 Amplified)

Understanding doesn’t happen all at once, nor in a few months or years, but progressively, becoming brighter and brighter like the dawn. It continues throughout a lifetime if we will continue to pay attention:

to His Word; our water

to Him; our nourishment

to seeking first His Kingdom; our focus

to every moment and every event our lives; our awareness.

We don’t have to make the Kingdom seed grow:

“Jesus also said, ‘The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens.’”     Mark 4:26

The farmer merely waters and weeds and pays attention, and the crops grow from the seeds that contain everything within them. The Kingdom of God is like that. God’s Seed is planted in our hearts. We nurture it by paying attention and watching it grow.

Thomas Merton writes:

Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul—germs of spiritual vitality coming to rest imperceptibly in the minds and wills of men. Most of these unnumbered seeds perish and are lost, because men are not prepared to receive them. For such seeds as these cannot spring up anywhere except in the good soil of freedom, spontaneity and love.

Father has bedded us down in freedom, spontaneity and love, He has lavished it upon us. Will you see it? If you keep paying attention, you will.  No hurry.

In my journal Father said:

“Attention is all that’s required, an awareness of each moment and of My Presence will help you to receive Life correctly—as a medium of growth and not as something to try and control and manipulate to suit you.”

We must receive life as a medium of growth where our heart’s cry is “Father, glorify Your name,” rather than “Father, save me.”

When this becomes the cry of your heart, barren platitudes will eventually come alive to you. Words that used to feel like law, will feel like grace. Obedience will flow from love. You will discover that you were made for this; for glorifying God, for housing the life of God within you, for resting in the endless joy of knowing Him.

“Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2

]]> http://www.visionwriters.com/blogs/saras-blog/spiritual-growth/feed 2 http://www.visionwriters.com/blogs/jaques-blog/a-vision-of-god%e2%80%94the-promise-of-the-spirit http://www.visionwriters.com/blogs/jaques-blog/a-vision-of-god%e2%80%94the-promise-of-the-spirit#comments Thu, 20 May 2010 16:52:41 +0000 Jaque http://www.visionwriters.com/?p=1570 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. Gal 3:14 (NIV)

Yesterday I pondered this verse and thought, what is the promise of the Spirit?  Then I thought, the promise is that we would receive the Holy Spirit…the promise of the Spirit, for isn’t that what Jesus promised before He ascended?

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But 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 belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:12-15 (NIV)

It’s the Holy Spirit who gives Life.  I like being alive; I don’t want to just live my life rehearsing what happened in the past or memorizing Scripture; I want to live Life.  So God rewarded me with the Holy Spirit; certainly the reward is to all who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  Hey, there is nothing more to ask for because there is nothing more to want!  The promise of the Spirit—yeah!

Lord, you said, “see, I lay before you life and death, the blessing and the curse, therefore choose Life.”  It’s your Life that we want Lord, so be our Life, okay? Okay, so when the Spirit comes what did He come to do?

Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; John 16:7-9 (NIV) (Emphasis mine)

The Holy Spirit is here to reveal God “with us” in Jesus Christ so that we will believe in Him—in other words to reveal Jesus the Christ living in us through the Spirit, by faith.  Jesus, the actual vision of God; Yes!  Jesus, the revelation of God and of the Life we live now through Him.  Jesus is the place we ground ourselves when we are interested in living Life!  No longer do we even want to try and imagine what our lives could be like; instead we want to live Life and experience it on His terms.  Jesus is not some idea about God; He is the one who keeps us attentive to how God defines Life.  Satan likes to get us excited about thinking and acting for God to the point that we detach from relational intimacy and surrender.  Anyway, he gets us to substitute our godlike egos for the Holy Spirit and to act “for” God rather than “from” Him and thus earn Satan’s applause.  Jesus offers shape, energy and vision to our lives.  He is the vision of God.  Jesus is an actual person who lived at a datable time in a land that grew flowers, vegetables and weeds; Jesus who traveled cities that had mountains, trees, and wildlife, the likes of which are still on earth today, was a solid personality who drank the water, ate the fish and brought God out into the open where we can see Him.  We no longer have to guess what God is like.  Jesus, the incarnation of God is the one making God’s word “personal” to us.  He comforts, heals, forgives, loves and causes God to come alive within us.  By shaking our irrational thinking that we can know God apart from Him, He makes us realize that apart from Jesus, God is just another concept or idea that breaks down as quickly as our egos decide to shape Him into yet another concept or idea.  Jesus saves us from wasting our lives on illusions and cheap thrills.  He enables us to take God and ourselves seriously so that we know who He is and who we are in Him.  He keeps us in God’s love so that we live our lives in our own circles of influence, talking–crying—laughing with friends and family, praying with the grocery store clerk, reading stories to our children, planting flowers, cooking meals, hiring people, training teenagers how to manage their money, touching the sick, lifting a heavy load for our neighbor and surrendering to God right here, right now.  Jesus is the one who makes us know for sure that God “IS” and that His reward is the promise of the Spirit.

Lord Jesus, your Life is manifested and made real to us by the Holy Spirit—the one who makes us know that we know Christ IS our Life! And the more real Christ becomes in us as us, the more we see and know that we are like Him! You make us know that the life we used to live and call “life” was no life at all.  You open the eyes of our understanding.  We get it!  Only through Jesus Christ do we know Life as our very own life.  Thank you for quickening our mortal eyes, bones and flesh to see it, walk it out, and live it on earth today, right here, right now.

Jesus said, “”If you love me, you will keep my commandments. John 14:15 (NAB) So the first thing is “If you love me…”  It’s easy to obey if we love Him.  We don’t have to study obedience or try to conjure it up for if we love Him, we effortlessly obey. If we love Him obedience just IS.

The key to loving Him is in holding the vision of Him.

…and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. Mark 12:30 (ASV)

Abandoning our attention to Him, the value and amount of concern given to others comes easily. Then any person may state his or her request or opinion and we habitually ask, “Lord, what do you think?”  We desire nothing less than God’s opinion in every matter because we love Him, and of course we know that He is not separate from us.

…keep yourselves in the love of God  Jude 1:21 (ASV)

Is my ear so keen that I easily hear the whisper of the Spirit and know His direction for my life? Do I know that I know what Love wants in this instance or that? Do I understand that in being made one with Him I am His love in action?  It is mine to listen, for the Spirit seldom if ever shouts.  His is the still small voice speaking through my conscience (we are one in love) and my soul offers the response: “Lord, I am delighted to obey you in this matter.”  And with my response, viola!  Here—right here—He is!  Knowing that He is, I love Him passionately and I attentively keep ‘me’ in His love.  I am no longer seeking but never finding as is the case with so many inside and outside the church who struggle in the illusion of separation.

It’s in loving Him that we find Him, and in finding Him we know how He first loved us.  Here in loving Him we grasp the reward.  Him—the One for whom we lay down our lives. Never again do we struggle with the word obedience, for it is His promise effortlessly enjoyed by His keeping ‘through us’ the very first command.

The other night I had a dream that, at first, disturbed me very much.  I was stealing and stock piling meat and butter, and my next door neighbor intuitively knew “I” was doing it.  She worked for the meat plant and her suspicions were true, but it didn’t matter to me.  I insistently denied all accusations. (Sounds like a sinner to me).  Again I found another opportunity to steal more meat and butter, and again, she came pointedly looking me in the eye and saying, “You did it” and “I” know you did.”  I awakened very disturbed and prayed, “Lord, why am I even having a dream like this?”  When I fell back to sleep the dream continued.  Remorse hit; I felt so bad about lying that I decided to find my neighbor and confess my sin, even though it would mostly likely mean a jail sentence.

The difficulty I then endured to get her alone to make my confession was part of the angst in my dream.  When I wanted to confess, it seemed almost impossible to access the one necessary to do so.  I pursued and pursued and finally managed to get her alone, but yet not alone.  There was another woman by her side who I knew agreed with her suspicions, so I decided to confess to both of them.  (Two witnesses)  I confessed; “I’m wrong and you’re right.  I did it.  Do with me as you will.”  To my surprise the response of them both was grace, grace and more grace.  They forgave immediately and expressed amazing gladness at my confession.  “But,” my neighbor said, “You still need to pay for the meat and butter.”  “Gladly,” I replied, and headed for my car to retrieve my checkbook.  Arriving at my car I noticed a wad of crumpled white meat paper in the back seat—a wad of “evidence” of the crimes I had committed.  With meat blood and butter stains all over the paper it was my new most immediate concern, so instead of getting my checkbook I took the “evidence” so I could quickly dispose of it.  As I did so two (evil) men from the meat plant saw me trying to hide the evidence, and I intuitively knew they wanted to confiscate it and kill me.  I began to run as they chased.  (Don’t you just hate ‘running from the chase’ dreams?)  As I ran my feet began to lift off the ground and very soon I was flying.  Then I knew they couldn’t catch me, for they hadn’t enough Life in them to do so.  As I flew over plush and beautiful meadows God’s voice rose from within.  “Jaque, drop the evidence.”  “But” I argued back, “Lord, if I drop it, it will clutter the earth.”  Again the voice rose, “Jaque, you are completely forgiven; drop the evidence.”   I dropped it and watched as it disintegrated into thin air.  It was no more.  It was “as if” it had never existed.  I awakened with a tremendous feeling of exhilaration and freedom.

This dream is an example of how God preaches Good News in night seasons.  I who had sinned and confessed was completely forgiven “as if” I’d never sinned.  What good would it do to carry the evidence into my “high” life and allow others to accuse or threaten me with it?  When God forgives it is a complete and final work…if we but receive it that way.  No evil can catch or kill us once we’ve entered God’s kingdom, for here in His “Highlands” we rise above earthly, devilish and evil accusations. Yes, in the world but flying above it, we are not “of” it anymore.  What can man do to us? God is for us and has proven it in Christ’s atonement and forgiveness.  We are, however, responsible to pay for the meat and the butter, you know, things we use to sustain our bodies, and this is a good thing.  The fact that my checkbook was in the car is a sign that I didn’t “need” to steal the food but must have enjoyed sin for the moment just to see if I could get away with it.  Nobody gets away with sin; it may seem sweet for a moment but a vision of God causes us to take flight as nothing else can.  Well, I’m firmly planted now and headed for my checkbook!

He’s used this book not only to start some amazingly wonderful conversations amongst my children and me, but also between Him and me. Even while reading it aloud to them, it seems as if He is speaking the words to me. When Aslan, the Lion that represents Him in the story, speaks I hear the Lord speaking to my heart.

The story centers on the boy Digory (who is the Magician’s nephew) and his London neighbor and friend Polly. They are sent to another world via some magic rings given to them by Digory’s Uncle Andrew and end up discovering the land of Charn, home to the evil Queen Jadis (also known as the Witch). While escaping from the desolate Charn, Digory’s impulsive actions end up allowing the Witch to return to our world along with him and Polly. They are then faced with the predicament of how to get her out of our world and back into her own, before her vicious schemes to take over and rule the world are allowed to manifest.

When opportunity strikes and Digory and Polly attempt to get Jadis back to her own world, they end up in an entirely new land, one that is just beginning to form, with the Witch and the blithering and pathetic Uncle Andrew in tow. They hear and see life blossoming before their eyes; trees going from sprouts to full size in a matter of minutes, full grown animals emerging from the ground, beautiful sunsets and an inexplicable music filling the air. The Witch and the Uncle immediately hate the land; the music from the Voice is annoying, they can’t understand the beauty in the sunsets, and when the Witch throws a piece of lampstand (at Aslan’s head) she had previously gained from our world for use as weapon and it grows into a whole new functioning lampstand, the Uncle’s first thought is how he could capitalize on that magic.

All along in the story, we are made aware that Digory’s mother is very sick, on her death bed even. He is constantly thinking about her, and wishes more than anything that he could find a cure for her. When he meets Aslan and sees His power in calling forth the sun and the stars and how the animals revere and love Him immediately, it seems to Digory that this is where he will find the remedy. He pursues Aslan to ask Him for a cure for His mother. Aslan does not answer that question but instead questions Digory on how the Witch was allowed into His beautiful new world within its first few hours of life. Digory tells Him the truth immediately, knowing that somehow Aslan already knew the truth. Aslan then tells Digory of His plan to protect Narnia from the evil that has penetrated it, by planting a tree that the Witch will not dare go near. Digory is to be sent on a mission to get the seed for this tree, from a far away garden.

During this conversation, Digory is unable to look at Aslan in the eyes, until a crucial moment in the story takes place. In his despair he finally looks up at the Lion’s face and asks if He can or will give Digory something to cure his mother. The story reads, What he saw surprised him as much as anything in his whole life. For the tawny face was bent down near his own and (wonder of wonders) great shining tears stood in the Lion’s eyes. They were such big, bright tears compared with Digory’s own that for a moment he felt as if the Lion must really be sorrier about his Mother than he was himself. ‘My son, my son,’ said Aslan. ‘I know. Grief is great. Only you and I in this land know that yet. Let us be good to one another.’

Digory is soon off on the adventure to get the apple seed of redemption and protection. He doesn’t make it in one day, and has no food with him. He is quite hungry when he arrives in the garden. On the way in, he can’t seem to make much sense out of the engraving on the gate:

Come in by the gold gates or not at all,

Take of my fruit for others or forbear,

For those who steal or those who climb my wall

Shall find their heart’s desire and find despair.

After smelling the apple, it is harder than he imagined resisting the temptation to pick one for himself to eat. He goes through a process of justification, self-explaining why it might be alright to take one. After all, he had obeyed the command to get an apple for others like the gate seemed to suggest and Aslan asked. Would be wrong to taste one? To take one for himself, too? Then the Witch shows up.

I’ll break here for a minute from the story synopsis to explain that this next point in the story is what has touched me the most, the place where I have heard the Lord speaking to my heart; an echo of what He has been gently and persistently teaching me for the last few years. It’s been necessary for me to give you (or if you’ve read this story, remind you of) the history of Digory and his desires, along with his limited viewpoint and impulsive actions, so that you understand that I am Digory, and that my life is a story of His plans for my redemption, today and forever.

From the time I began to breathe, I have been told lies such as the Witch is about to tell Digory. Since the dawn of time in the wonderfully beautiful God-breathed land that has been given to us, evil has been attempting to convince us that our Father is holding out on us. I have been told all in one breath that I don’t need Him, and even if I did He wouldn’t have me.

‘Foolish boy,” said the Witch. ‘Why do you run from me? I mean you no harm. If you do not stop and listen to me now, you will miss some knowledge that would have made you happy all your life.’

‘Well, I don’t want to hear it, thanks,’ said Digory. But he did.

‘I know what errand you have come on,’ continued the Witch. ‘For it was I who was close beside you in the woods last night and heard all your counsels. You have plucked fruit in the garden yonder. You have it in your pocket now. And you are going to carry it back, untasted, to the Lion; for him to eat, for him to use. You simpleton! Do you know what the fruit is? I will tell you. It is the apple of youth, the apple of life. I know, for I have tasted it; and I feel already such changes in myself that I know I shall never grow old or die. Eat it, Boy, eat it; and you and I will both live forever and be king and queen of this whole world – or of your world, if we decide to go back there.’

‘No thanks,’ said Digory, ‘I don’t know that I care much about living on and on after everyone I know is dead. I’d rather live an ordinary time and die and go to Heaven.’

Good for Digory! But, just wait….that Witch isn’t done yet. Can you identify? When it comes to the obvious tactics of our adversary, such as having power or riches, I can most times detect it. But, what about those other deep-rooted, less obvious, maybe even ‘more acceptable’ fears regarding our children, our parents, our health, the peace and joy that seems to be ‘out there’- unattainable, or the bottom line question of our worth and purpose as beings in this world? Are we good enough? Can we really trust that our Father cares as much, even more, than we do?

‘But what about this Mother of yours whom you pretend to love so?’

‘What’s she got to do with it?’ said Digory.

‘Do you not see, Fool,(how is that she calls him names and still sounds convincing?) that one bite of that apple would heal her? You have it in your pocket. We are here by ourselves, and the Lion is far away. (He’s really not all-knowing…) Use your Magic and go back to your own world. A minute later you can be at your Mother’s bedside, giving her the fruit. Five minutes later you will see the color coming back to her face. She will tell you the pain is gone. Soon she will tell you she feels stronger. Then she will fall asleep-think of that; hours of sweet natural sleep, without pain, without drugs. Next day everyone will be saying how wonderfully she has recovered. (Thanks to you, by the way.) Soon she will be quite well again. All will be well again. (You will have fixed what Aslan doesn’t care about.) Your home will be happy again. You will be like other boys.’ (You will have made yourself good enough.) (Parentheses mine)

Digory, through much difficulty finally tells the Witch to stuff it, and leaves with the apple, and only the one apple, to take to Aslan. He makes it back in one day, and in a beautiful scene I imagine being hard for the author to describe with words, presents the apple to the Lion.

‘Well done. Well done, son of Adam. For this fruit you have hungered and thirsted and wept. No hand but yours shall sow the seed of the Tree that is to be the protection of Narnia. Throw the apple toward the river bank where the ground is soft.’

From here, a large tree grows in a short amount of time, and the new King and Queen, Frank and Helen, are crowned. Next, comes the scene that shows exactly how redemptive and loving our Father really is.  First, let’s recap. Aslan never condemns Digory for his sin, he simply gives him opportunity to confess it. Being in the Lion’s presence, Digory wanted to tell the truth. He wanted purity, because he was in Purity’s presence. After confessing his sin, Aslan then immediately gives Digory the opportunity for redemption. Digory must trust Him, trust that He will sustain him through his journey, and then he must obey.

When he does trust and obey, Aslan gives him the thing he was originally after, a cure for his mother. He allows him to pick an apple off of the Tree. But Aslan doesn’t award this to Digory until Digory understands that it had to be in the right way, at the right time. Aslan explains that if Digory had taken the apple outside of His will, it would have allowed his mother to live, even physically healthy. But, she would have been miserable, and would have even one day said that she would have rather have died from the disease.

I have a habit of taking apples from trees before the Lord has asked me to do so. He’s always working, and teaching me to trust him on this journey and then obey. Once that understanding is in place, then often he’ll give me the thing I sought before. But, once I understand that He is all I need, and that His will and timing are perfect, it wouldn’t even matter if He didn’t give me what I originally sought. If it’s not from Him, I don’t want it anyway.

Lord, you are amazingly wonderful. I trust you. I trust that you are always working and that you are loving and good. I also trust that you are a God that cannot be compared with any other thing. You are splendorous, and awesome. You are intimate and caring. Teach me today Lord, what it is I want to take from the tree before you’ve asked me to, anything I am looking at before You. Thank-you Father for your plan of redemption. Thank-you for saving me from death.

Recently I’ve been digging for health answers, and after much exploration learned that I need to get some dentistry done.  I admit it; I didn’t expect to find the answer in dentistry, but that’s where God put my answer.  Well, I don’t “have to” know what I think I know or intercept God with “reason;” mine is only to accept the gem I found in this field. So off I go to another state to see a very special dentist.  Please keep me in your prayers–I’ll be back later to update you.

Gems to you,

Jaque

In the Bible I am reading there is a note which says that the seven questions in Romans 8:31-35 ‘bring the whole field of spiritual formation into sharp focus. This life is about God at work on an inconceivably vast scale, embracing all of creation, all of history.’ Here are the questions to ponder:

1. What then are we to say to these things?…..

2. If God is for us, who can be against us?

3. He who did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up on behalf of us all —is it possible that, having given us His Son, He would not give us everything else too?

4. So who will bring a charge against God’s chosen people? Certainly not God—He is the one who causes them to be considered righteous.

5. Who punishes them? Certainly not the Messiah, who died and —more than that—has been raised, is at the right hand of God and is actually pleading on our behalf!

6. Who will separate us from the love of God?

7. Will trouble? hardship? persecution? hunger? poverty? danger? war?

These are some things to think deeply about this Easter. What do you say about these things? If we live believing these things  that changes the foundation of our lives and we are now resurrection-defined, not defined by the secularism of this world. The whole world is ‘robust’ with God’s eternal love from which nothing can separate us. This is the resurrection world in which we live as followers of Jesus.

Jesus Christ is God’s will personified, God’s word embodied. That God would become a human, enter the world and be put to death by humans, and that this would be celebrated 2010 years later shows the world changing power of God’s will.

In my Journal Father said:

“My will is in effect, always and continually. My will for you is that you would know Me and that you be conformed into Christ-likeness because Christ is in union with you now—the strongest link there ever could be between God and man. We are linked now and this was my plan. First I created you and then I gave birth to you. In creation I put you together in your mother’s womb. In birth I went through agony for you, death and resurrection, bringing you with me into the New Life. This Easter weekend, you celebrate your new birth along with and as an integral part of My resurrection.”

Lets celebrate: laugh and sing and be delighted because God has called us His own!

To journalize is to enter the prophetic with God. Hearing the voice of God is
the heritage of every disciple of Christ. Journalizing is a tool that connects the written word of God (the Bible) with the word that is written on your heart (Christ) in order to make Him a living reality to you. It takes the word and makes it applicable, teaching, comforting, correcting, and confirming in the middle of life’s situations.

“Paul puts his finger on the thing that dims the spiritual life more than any other: timidity.  If I had one gift to give myself and others, I would unhesitatingly give courage.  For more people grow dim and need rekindling of the divine gift through lack of courage than through any other thing.  First of all, the courage to take from God what He offers.  That is the supreme courage: to pay the price and take the gift.  That takes courage, for it shifts the whole basis of life from self-sufficiency to God-sufficiency.  Then the next step: the courage to face up to the world with this appropriated gift of God and to believe that this and this alone will meet every need–and to say so, even when men are pathetically trying unworkable ways.”

“To pay the price and take the gift.”  To me that means to swallow my pride and take the gift.”

In the Character of God course one of the attributes we study is God’s goodness.  I believe we are afraid to believe God is as good as He is.  Yes, it takes courage to believe in His goodness.  If we used the faith and courage He gives to believe, I think we would see a lot more miracles occurring in our daily lives and others watching the church with gaping mouths…and being drawn to Jesus.