the narrow road

Staying in the Bonded Position: A Closer Look at Abiding in Christ

John 15 depicts the beautiful picture of dependence on Jesus, the Vine, which shows us the way up from carnality. Even though God has given the answer, our strong bent towards independence resists the discipline of abiding. A great problem in the West is that believers are still "unspiritual" and "under the control of ordinary impulses" as the Amplified puts it. We are "of the flesh" and behaving like  "mere unchanged men." The Bible word for this is carnal. Wuest translates it as being "dominated by the evil nature." We by nature want to control things and go our own way. Knowing our bent, the Author and Finisher of our faith has given us other pictures in Scripture that stir desire for staying in the bonded position. Let us explore and embrace these pictures. We can thereby fully realize the overcoming life available through staying bonded i.e. abiding. The promise of 1 John 3:6 paraphrased is: no one who continually abides in Him continues to sin.

First, John 15 itself motivates us through the secrets we will know through abiding. Great fruitfulness results from this "vital union" with Jesus. This fruitfulness will noticeably mark us as followers of Christ as we share in spiritual life. Even more fulfilling is the participation in the flow of love within the Godhead that we will know as we yield to the Word and the Spirit. Jesus calls us to "continue in the Father's love with Me." Then we will live out of the shared love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we obey the revelation of the branch - Vine relationship we will also know intimate friendship with Jesus. He said, "You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do." We will experience Jesus' delight in us. We will know an extraordinary gladness.

A second heart-stirring vignette of abiding is that of John leaning back on Jesus' chest at the supper. Any believer can know the identity that John knew through pursuing intimacy. And intimacy comes from staying in the bonded position. We can say what John expressed: I am the disciple whom Jesus loves, the one who also leans upon Jesus' heart. In the unseen realm we can position ourselves next to Jesus' person as we go about our daily work. This leaning against the man Jesus cures insecurity and loneliness. It is the antidote to fear.

Paul used the word bondslave to communicate being fully owned by Jesus. The promise of this aspect of abiding is, according to Wuest's Romans 6, the realizing of "having been set free from the sinful nature" and "fruit resulting in holiness."

The Old Testament presents powerful pictures as well. Deuteronomy 11 commands us to cleave to the Lord - the word here being the same as that used to depict the one flesh relationship ordained between man and wife.

Song of Solomon 2:4-6 reveals the pleasure of abiding as it describes God as Lover embracing His beloved maiden. The Amplified says, "He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near Him]. Sustain me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. [I can feel] his left hand under my head and his right hand embraces me!" This, too, is a position we can place ourselves in at will and know Jesus' intense love and comfort.

A picture of abiding perhaps more inviting for men is that of Jonathan and David. Both men were capable of sharing their inmost hearts. Thus they knew an extraordinary love, a love surpassing that of man and woman. Jesus offers this to any seeker as He is the Friend who sticks closer than a brother. The key - the discipline of connection.

Finally the life produced as a result of abiding is seen as Elisha lies on the dead child: "mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself on him and embraced him, the child's flesh became warm." This 2 Kings 4 passage is a prophetic look at the union available with the last Adam, Christ the life-giving Spirit.

Abiding involves  more than just the picture of the grapevine. It is an abandoned, bonded position. It is the way up from carnality, the way to the higher, overcoming plane. I hear the Lord: So many problems result when people live without intimacy with Me. The deep needs of their hearts are not met. Remember you are designed for intimacy with Me. To know intimacy become dependent. Gaze into My eyes; know My embrace. And become more like Me.  Pursue the experience of two hearts bonded as one.

Attaining the Fullness of Christ - Part 2

Part 2 follows.

Verse 6 states, "And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control..." We exercise knowledge by always increasing in the truth of who God is, who we truly are, and of kingdom realities as we experience them while walking according to God's Word. We must let the Word true us like a shop mechanic trues a bicycle's wobbly wheel. John wrote, "If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." Self-control or temperance is defined as mastery over desires and passions especially sensual appetites. It is a fruit of the Spirit; the natural man does not know it. As we come into a deeper, more intimate knowledge of Christ, we more fully trust Him and surrender to Him. We appropriate His grace to obey the Word and live the overcoming life. Increasingly we lean on Him in radical dependence. Romans 5:17 holds forth the promise that we can actually reign as kings in this life. "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." God is bringing integration to us and restoring what was lost in Eden: the indwelling Spirit's (in union with our regenerated spirits) rule of our souls (mind, will, emotions) and bodies. As we know Christ at deeper and deeper levels we realize deliverance from bondage, addictions, and dysfunction. His matchless companionship, with its resulting freedom, is so worth the costly investment of time and effort.

"And in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance)..." Greater degrees of self-control come by speaking the Word to yourself and steering your own soul by the Word. One is, by this practice, much less likely to be knocked about by circumstances and personalities. Think of it as taking dominion over your thought life i.e. telling yourself what to think. It is crucial to learn to live from the inside out and function out of what the Bible calls our "real life hid with Christ." Colossians 3 puts it: "If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God." Remember, as Christians we are part of the age and order of things to come. A steady walk, one marked by patience or an internal posture of waiting on God, results. Proverbs 8:34 reveals God's thought towards those who wait for Him, "Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who listens to Me, watching daily at My gates, waiting at the posts of My doors." "And in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety). This steady walk actually marks us as one of His godly ones.

Verse 7 takes us into the love walk. "And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection. And in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. As each of us aligns ourselves with the Word and yields in great measure to the Spirit, we will experience significant intimacy or real brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. We will know oneness in the Spirit as we perceive the Spirit of Christ in one another. We will so know God's Fatherhood that we will recognize that fellow believers really are part of a family with much in common. Race, class, and gender prejudices then fall by the wayside. Philadelphia or brotherly affection will grow into agape, the love or charity delineated in I Corinthians 13. This love originates from the God Who dwells within us. We can expect an end-time company of saints to be radically marked by God's agape love.

And finally the payoff from paying the price to attain and fully walk in the qualities of verses 5 through 7: realization of the fullness of Christ. As we become more like Christ, we experience ascent or movement closer to Him. Verse 8 contrasts fruitfulness in the full personal knowledge of Jesus with argos - idleness, laziness, shunning the needed labor to walk in the fullness. Arkapos is the term for being unfruitful, the state of not yielding what one ought to yield as far as the life of the Spirit. The fullness of Christ includes Jesus' lordship or knowing Him as owner, kurios, and the one in control. A synonym is Master. The verse reads: "For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Verses 9-10 issue a warning: "For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins." He that lacketh is one who is not ready to go onward with God. Again we see that appropriating the life of God leads to sight; those who fail to invest in attaining the fullness see dimly; they perceive only the immediate world around them. These oblivious ones have forgotten the reality of Christ's cleansing them from a past of falling short. J. B. Phillips writes of such a one: "he can no longer see the reason why he was cleansed from his former sins." He is slipping.

With this warning in mind, Peter exhorts us to "be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall." J.B. Phillips expresses the admonition this way: "Set your minds, then, on endorsing by your conduct the fact that God has called you and chosen you." This verse seems to say that if we walk on with Christ into the fullness as the 2 Peter passage outlines, we will reach a point where we will not fall away. The things of the unseen realm will be so real to us that the resulting absolute certainty of the truth of the Word will somehow seal us.

Continually progressing into the fullness of Christ brings about entrance in toto into the eternal realm of Jesus' kingdom here on earth. We are actually promised quite a rich experience of this realm here and now if we will allow it. Ainos, the term for eternal, emphasizes the immeasurableness of eternity. The word for kingdom is basileia and signifies the reign of Christ including our subjection to His ruler-ship as savior, deliverer, and preserver. The gateway to eternity in the here and now is the Word of God: a mind fully renewed by it, a walk trued by it, and a soul fully surrendered to it. And union in dying to self and rising to shared life with the Trinity through the One the book is about.

We are promised a kingdom that in fact is emerging. The passage's concluding words read: "Then there will be richly and abundantly provided for you entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Attaining the Fullness of Christ - Part 1

IHOP's (International House of Prayer in Kansas City) Misty Edwards croons on track six of her CD Eternity "I find that I'm hungry for the fullness of Christ." Then she sings the question, "Who can comprehend? Who can enter in?" and muses in song, "What is the length, what is the width, what is the depth, and what is the height?" Her refrain affords the key to experiencing riches through relationship with Christ: "I've been crucified with Christ, yet not I. From death to life and life to death again."

How does the Word of God, the Bible, define the fullness of Christ? And practically how can a born-again believer "enter in" as Misty puts it? Paul's Ephesians 3:19 prayer speaks of the fullness as the glory of God radiating out of one's physical body, the temple or container of God's Spirit. The Amplified's verses read this way: "[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [ may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]." Ephesians 4:12-13 sets forth the fullness as "really mature manhood." "[God's intention was the perfecting and the full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), [that they should do] the work of ministering toward building up Christ's body (the church), [That it might develop] until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the [full and accurate] knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ and the completeness found in Him."

Clearly "the fullness" is a level we should run after. And 2 Peter 1:3-11 provides a map depicting the steps to this level. It lays out a progression that starts with divine power and ends with an open gate into the realm of eternity - a realm enter-able here on earth.

Verse 3 leads us onward, "For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue)." The power aforementioned is dunamis: moral power and power for performing miracles. Life here is zoe, the supernatural life of God also referred to as springs and rivers of living water promised to flow from our innermost being. (John 7:38) We realize the power and the flow through an advanced experience of Christ - union with Christ in His death (our crucifixion of the depraved flesh) and union with the risen Christ (doing nothing independently and approaching doing only what we see the Father doing). (John 5) Walking thusly we are set free from ourselves and find the fulfillment we were designed for. We in turn give God glory, doxa, for this supply of His life. We call Him great.

Verse 4 lays out God's method of moral renewal. "By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature." Our part is to take these promises into our very beings so that the indwelling Holy Spirit has something to work with and can prompt a verse to us when God tests us. We can then take captive carnal thoughts right at the threshold and choose to operate according to God's Word. Thus as our natural reaction patterns are governed by the Word and the Spirit, we reach  a spiritual walk and no longer walk as mere men. We live on a higher plane. The more the truth is in us, the more we will experience ourselves as new creatures being remade in God's image. King David put it this way, "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee. " Sin here includes the meaning of being without a share in the life of God. And Paul contrasts maturity with babyhood in 1 Corinthians 3:1, 3. "However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ....For you are still [unspiritual, having the nature] of the flesh [under the control of ordinary impulses]....are you not unspiritual and of the flesh, behaving yourselves after a human standard and like mere (unchanged) men? J.B. Phillip's version of Romans 7 says that the spiritual man "lives no longer by the dictates of his sinful nature, but in obedience to the promptings of the Spirit. The carnal attitude sees no further than natural things. But the spiritual attitude reaches out after the things of the Spirit. The former attitude means bluntly, death: the latter means life and inward peace. And this is only to be expected, for the carnal attitude is opposed to the purpose of God, and neither can nor will follow His laws for living. Men who hold this attitude cannot possibly please God." Carnality costs.

We further build things into ourselves with 5a: "For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy)...." The word "add" means minister nourishment to or supply yourself by "doing your utmost" (J.B. Phillips) or giving "intense effort" (Kenneth Wuest) to embrace the promises. Then we will be readied to exercise our faith.  We will see how we've been taken higher from operating by God's promises. And we will be experiencing life on a spiritual plane. Faith here includes the idea of spiritual sight. 2 Corinthians 4:18 instructs us to choose focus on the unseen: "Since we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting." As we discern the unseen we will in actuality be walking in two realms at once i.e. walking as Jesus walked. Moral excellence then results as we increasingly are unmoved by evidence coming from our natural senses. We more fully navigate our lives by the Word and the Spirit.

Verse 5 concludes, "and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence)," By flowing in the life of the Spirit we exercise virtue or moral excellence. And the more continuously we "walk in the Spirit," the more we gain the knowledge of God. This knowledge is that gained by experience - the learning of God's ways and God's timing. The Greek term is gnosis defined as the deeper, more perfect and enlarged knowledge of the Christian faith such as belongs to the more advanced; it includes the moral wisdom that comes from upright living. We see firsthand how God's kingdom operates on earth. We come to know "the paramount importance of the spiritual." (1 Timothy 4 J.B Phillips)

End of Part 1; Look for Part 2 in a few days.

Forsaking Fool's Gold - Part Three

In John Bunyan's 1678 allegory Pilgrim's Progress, the main character, Christian, turns his back on the City of Destruction and starts out on pilgrimage to the Celestial City. What is helpful about this novel is its portrayal of two incompatible citizenships or allegiances. Though we are to be salt and light in the world, the Bible clearly delineates another governance, another kingdom which Christ's people belong to. God's unseen kingdom is highly ordered with authority and power vested in Christ and His servants that easily trump the hierarchical [demonic] world order that we do see. [2 Corinthians 4:18]. It has its own system of rewards. And what God prizes is very much at variance with what surrounds us as we have noted.

New Testament values especially regarding resources are radical. Though we do realize material blessings from participation in our American economy, we must discern the stark difference between the ordering of God's kingdom and the world system. The society around us measures everything in terms of money and defines people largely by their possessions. Jesus gave us the Father's opinion of these values: "What the world honors is detestable in the sight of God." (Luke 16). Kavanaugh reflects on this conflict between the deceptive pursuit of money under the god of this world and the apprehending of the enduring eternal realities under Jesus' reign: "The Commodity Form of life touches us systematically. It cuts across every human activity. For there is an economics of intimacy and happiness: covenanted love is not very profitable. There is an economics of the vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience are not very helpful to economic growth. There is an economics to prayer and solitude: they are financially worthless." (p. 71). [Poverty here meaning a fasted lifestyle vis a vis the things of this world. Dubay calls it a sparing-sharing lifestyle.]

Further we can expect misunderstanding and even persecution from the people around us when we order our lives by these New Testament teachings. "A culture that is sustained by and sustains the Commodity Form of consciousness, for example, will relate to personal reality as a hostile, deviant, or heretical force. Thus today, many Christian values -- chastity, pacifism, family life -- are seen as deviant, mysterious, or strangely primitive. Consequently those who embrace such values often find themselves under such great pressure that they must either accept the reality of the dominant commodity values or acquiesce in their own lives as laughably deviant." (Kavanaugh p. 85).

If we choose to resist materialism and pursue becoming rich in relation to God, how can we practically live this out? Richard Foster pens some helpful thoughts in his Freedom of Simplicity  Finding Harmony in a Complex World. The discipline of simplicity involves first "freeing ourselves from an 'intoxication' to material or outward things and becoming sensitive to the things of the spirit, especially our inward condition." (p. 114). We must center ourselves in the fear or awe of God and continually consider Him i.e. exercise the practice His presence. Though at first this living from the inside out is hard work, eventually the constant communion with the Holy Spirit that results becomes a delight. It is a most freeing way to operate. Foster describes decision-making in consultation with the Spirit like this, "But when we live out of the divine Center, thoughts and decisions flow from the Fountainhead. Each decision is ordered and governed by Him." (p. 99). Then we experience "the rise of an amazing spirit of contentment." (p. 103). "A blazing God-consciousness frees us from self-consciousness." (p. 113). Thus the answer is not a code or set of rules but a moment by moment listening to and depending upon the Spirit in our economic decisions.

This Christian walk is a walk of self-denial, a giving up of having our own way. A giving up of ownership of our very lives. Jesus stated it this way, "If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]. For whoever would preserve his life and save it will lose and destroy it, but whoever loses his life for My sake he will preserve and save it [from the penalty of eternal death]." (Luke 9). The Living Bible adds in Mark 8:35, "Only those who throw away their lives for My sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to truly live." We are asked to give up the lust for things. However what we stand to gain is much greater than what we give up. "A Love that is better than wine." (Song of Songs 1:2). "The wiping away of every tear." (Revelation 21:4). "An enduring city." (Hebrews 13:14). Just to name a few.

Forsaking Fool's Gold - Part Two

Why under the New Covenant is God so stern regarding money and possessions? It is because He understands the human heart and the war for its affections. God created us as predominantly spiritual beings. He created us for heavenly realities or the transcendent. David wrote of "the exquisite pleasures of [God's] own eternal presence." (Psalm 16). And Paul set forth the Christian's aim, "[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! (Ephesians 3:19). This fullness is not an unattainable ideal; it is realizable. God wants us fully alive and functioning with a fiery spirit towards the Godhead.

God also created us for deep bonds of love - even an intimate brotherhood. That connection we hunger for doesn't come out of class love or shared socio-economic experience but comes from entirely operating in God's higher truths or light. John said it this way, "But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another." (1 John 1:7). The New Testament letters refer again and again to a great love prevalent among the believers. They walked close to Christ and hence they were close to one another. In fact Jesus said about them: "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (John 13:35). The Father wants us "knit together in love." (Colossians 2:2).

Catholic spiritual father Thomas Dubay expresses as well certain penetrating truths for us in Happy Are You Poor   The Simple Life and Spiritual Freedom. One is that the New Testament authors really knew "nothing, absolutely nothing on the face of the earth compares with the advanced possession of God in deep prayer." Another is that "happiness is found not in things but in persons and especially in the Divine Person." And we are to have "a consuming concern for the kingdom; our minds are to be raised from the things of earth to those of heaven." (pp. 40-41). "We are to be head over heels in love for God....People in love are not much concerned with things. They are person oriented not thing centered." (pp. 41-42).

Dubay has observed in both modern and historical saints that a blindness follows the compromising of Scriptures regarding money and possessions. "The rich man is blinded by his clingings. He not only does not do what he ought to do with his wealth, he does not even see what he ought to do." (Dubay p. 44). He adds, "as people are more or less immersed in the world they are more or less obtuse regarding God." (p. 108). And, "A man concerned with things is not concerned with the supernatural realm....If silent love is burning within, there will appear a disinterest in material things without...this man is interested in [people's hearts] not in himself." (p. 80). Authenticity or a ringing true results. Dubay concludes, "the one who seeks created things beyond what he needs will not attain mystical love." (p. 111). Luke Chapter 8 confirms that this is because "The Word of God is smothered, choked, and does not reach maturity in people who succumb to cares, pleasures, and wealth."

It is clear: we cannot serve God and money. We ignore God's warnings at our own impoverishment. Hebrews 13:5 states, "Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circumstances and with what you have]..." 1 Timothy 6:10 even declares, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness...."

And the warning is further elucidated in 1 John 2:15-17, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. " The Scottish commentator William Barclay sets forth three tendencies in those who are after the world. First they are "subject to the flesh's desire" i.e. they judge everything purely by the material. "It is to live a life dominated by the senses. It is to be gluttonous in food; effeminate in luxury; slavish in pleasure; lustful and lax in morals; selfish in the use of possessions; regardless of all the spiritual values; extravagant in the gratification of material desires."  (The Daily Study Bible Series  the Letters of John and Jude  p. 57) Barclay brings further conviction by literally spelling out worldliness. It is there in "anyone who lives in luxury while others live in want, anyone who has made a god of his own comfort." (p. 58). Then there is the eye's desire. We are to live by spiritual sight; we are not to be in bondage to the senses. William Barclay defines the eye's desire as "the tendency to be captivated by outward show...the spirit which can see nothing without wishing to acquire it and which, having acquired it, flaunts it. It is the spirit which believes that happiness is to be found in the things money can buy and the eye can see; it has no values other than the material." (pp. 58). And finally there is life's empty pride - the boasting of what a man has and does.

God's severity regarding our hearts and money is because He has riches of another order for us. He wants to give us revelation knowledge of Himself, spiritual giftings and anointings, wisdom and understanding, the fruit of the indwelling Spirit, might in the inner man, answers to prayer et al. Yes the Bible teaches a narrow gate. "But it also teaches a rich, abundant human living, a complete and intense joy beyond understanding, a joy no one can take away, a rejoicing in the Lord always, a tasting of the very goodness of uncreated Beauty." Thus writes Thomas Dubay. (p. 157). God has for us what we are made for: "We basically hunger not for things but for Everything...the originating Fountain...We hunger for truth, we thirst to drink beauty, we yearn to celebrate, we seek to delight, we stretch out to love and be loved." (Dubay p. 162).

[The final posting, Part Three, will be up in a few days.]

Forsaking Fool's Gold - Part One

Why is it that the Western church is pulling so slowly out of its Laodicean state? Revelation 3:15-17 describes us this way, "For you say, I am rich; I have prospered and grown wealthy, and I am in need of nothing; and you do not realize and understand that you are [spiritually] wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." Could it be that the very economic system that has blessed us and which we so celebrate with our prosperity messages has us in bondage?

John Kavanaugh's work Following Christ in a Consumer Society diagnoses the American socio-economic condition well. He states that greed is the dominant motive force of capitalism. And our system exalts the individual's selfish pursuit of his own desires. Kavanaugh quotes Richard Ryan, "Our consumer culture persistently teaches that we can counter insecurity by buying our way to self-esteem and loveworthiness. The pervasive message...is that we will feel better about ourselves if we are surrounded by symbols of worth." (p. 5). Kavanaugh writes further that under capitalism, "The infinite longing of the human heart has been introjected into products -- the newest, the best, the costliest, the always interminably improved. Our malls are 'cathedrals of consumption.' Eternity is found in Calvin Klein bottles. Infiniti in a Japanese automobile. One's heart, no longer a throne wherein the transcendent personal God might dwell, no longer engaged by a knowing and loving Trinitarian encounter of other persons, is restless until it rests -- now anchored or even chained by the promise of possessions. Thus accumulation is king." (pp. 13-14). "Our ideology...has substituted consumption and marketing for the development and realization of human persons." (p. 47).

What is the price we are paying for buying into this thinking? It is the proliferation of  "a culture whose people have lost all sense of their interior lives." (Kavanaugh p. 3). And "the culture of lost interiority is paradoxically a culture of lost intimacy." (Kavanaugh p. 11).

How capitalism preys upon and magnifies human insecurity. John Kavanaugh asserts, "The Commodity Form...affects us at every level of our existence. Our fear of solitude, which is one with the fragmentation of individual identity, our valuing of ourselves solely in terms of external criteria, is beneficial to the commodified way of life. Our lack of intimacy, community, personally enduring relationships, our sense of competition and lack of solidarity nudge us into possessing and accumulating things in order to fill up the lack we experience by missing persons in our lives. Our sense of powerlessness in changing the social system and its disordered priorities only serves to confirm and support our economic way of life. Our inability to live simply, to enjoy life without a continual sense of craving and dissatisfaction, is good news for economic growth. Our ignorance of the poor and the disenfranchised, our fear of encountering them in truth, intensifies our flight from our own vulnerability and the truth of our own creaturehood." (p. 71).

Warning come to us from Jesus Himself. "Guard yourselves and keep free from all covetousness (the immoderate desire for wealth, the greedy longing to have more); for a man's life does not consist and is not derived from possessing overflowing abundance or that which is over and above his needs." (Luke 12:15). The demonic lie surrounding us is that "Our being is in having. Our happiness...is in possessing more." (Kavanaugh p. 66). Paul charges us as sons of a wholly other realm, "So kill...all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God." (Colossians 3:15).

Our possessions take up so much space in our hearts! Not to mention our time and our energies. Kavanaugh rightly perceives that, "We not only relate to things as if they were substitute persons; we relate to them as if they were our gods, giving us meaning, purpose, and a reason for living." (p. 34). The Psalmist described man's bent toward the worship of products this way, "Their gods are merely man-made things of silver and of gold. They can't talk or see, despite their eyes and mouths! Nor can they hear, nor smell, nor use their hands or feet! Nor speak! And those who make and worship them are just as foolish as their idols are." (Psalm 115). How does God see the idolatry inherent in materialism? Psalm 106 reveals, "For their love of idols was adultery in the sight of God."

[Look for Part Two of this blog post in a few days.]

Writings and Ministries that Furthered Me Most in 2007

Letters to Young Churches   A translation of the New Testament Epistles by J.B. Phillips. Copyright 1955. This highly readable and very comprehensible translation was the Bible that the Holy Spirit directed me to again and again this year. I literally poured over its words in the course of repeated readings. Phillips is definitely exceptionally gifted with the English language. His phraseology lends itself to insights and illumination from the Lord, and I credit J.B. Phillips' work for increasing my understanding of Romans, Galatians and other passages pertaining to the inner war between flesh and spirit. The ways of actually walking in the spirit became much clearer through its passages. He calls such a walk, "rising to life on a new plane altogether." (Romans V). Every Epistle is worth re-reading many times.

"Union With Christ   Seeking a Balanced Understanding" with very helpful chart and extensive bibliography by James A. Fowler of Christ in You Ministries. Go to www.christinyou.net to print this article. I just finished reading this top notch treatment of the "one spirit" reality we have in Christ. I loved how Fowler defined faith: "a constant choosing of receptivity to God's activity, a continuous availability to God's ability." One more great quote: "Christian behavior, however, is not a self-produced, self-generated, self-actuated activity whereby a Christian strives to succeed at the project of Christian living in accord with some proceduralized "how-to" formulas for doing what God expects." Fowler rightly points us to the indwelling Christ as our Source. I plan to read more books by Fowler in '08.

Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon. I reread this one this year. Guyon's classic work outlines a simple way to live on a deeper plane and to find closer places in Christ. Every believer should read this 1685 work for the map of the inward way it provides. I have penned some notes that I feel clarify and add to the theological accuracy of the SeedSowers translation. Email me at kfbell@nc.rr.com if you'd like a copy. Also Harold Chadwick, editor for Bridge-Logos Publishers, has an edition entitled Experiencing Union With God Through Inner Prayer & The Way and Results of Union With God. I am reading this one now.

I Will Give You Rest   How You Can Experience the Peace Jesus Promised by Edward Kurath. Available through www.divinelydesigned.com. Kurath served on staff with John and Paula Sandford at Elijah House in Spokane Valley, WA. His book is extremely well thought out, and his model of the human psyche is quite helpful in leading the believer to embrace the "treasure" within or that in him that reflects the image of God. I understood and realized God as my Father as never before after reading this one. Also a valuable book for identifying bitter roots within.

The Masterpiece of the Wilderness by Deanna Deering. From www.voiceministries.com. A book of prophetic words and devotional writings that will take you to higher reaches in the Lord. I read and reread this one in 2007. Deering's prophetic words really ring true as from the heart of God. The insights in this one are truly cutting-edge. Penetrating.

The King and the Kingdom of Heaven; The Spiritual Man; and Spiritual Authority. All by Watchman Nee. I loved Nee's deep study on the kingdom from the Gospel of Matthew. He has mined each verse for its full implication. The Spiritual Man remains the gold standard on spirit, soul, and body. One of many truths I came away with is that if responded to in a spiritual way vs. a carnal manner, pain can propel the believer to a higher place in God. Many helpful principles here on self-mastery i.e. the Spirit's rule of one's soul and body. Spiritual Authority delineates the ordering of God's kingdom and His way to promotion.

Defeating Dark Angels:  Breaking Demonic Oppression in the Believer's Life (1992); Deep Wounds Deep Healing:  Discovering the Vital Link Between Spiritual Warfare and Inner Healing (2004); Rules of Engagement:  Understanding the Principles That Govern the Spiritual Battles in Our Lives (2005) by Charles Kraft. Fuller Seminary professor Kraft really opened my eyes this year to the workings of the demonic. These are some of the most substantive warfare and deliverance books I've found. They make you doubly want to enlist in God's army!

Restoring the Foundations Book I and Book II by Dr. Chester and Betsy Kylstra. The Kylstras have pioneered an integrated approach to full freedom from iniquity and dysfunction. The four core areas they address are (1) sins of the fathers and resulting curses, (2) ungodly beliefs, (3) soul/spirit hurts, and (4) demonic oppression. From www.phw.org , you will acquire the tools for self-deliverance and effective ministry. The Kylstras offer a 2 and 1/2 day intensive ministry time using their integrated approach. Contact www.healinghouse.org for further info. [Ten-hour Christian Life School of Theology courses based on each book are being  offered through www.raleighbiblecollege.com in September (RTF I) and October (RTF II) of 2008.]

The Warfare Between "...The Deep Things of God" and "the depths of satan" Book One and Book Two by Emmanuel Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Published in 2006, this highly revelatory work underscores the absolute necessity of embracing the cross and its principle of self-denial. These two books also describes the false cross of religion (wherein the self is subtly exalted or deified and the Christian faith counterfeited). Contains much understanding of Old Testament and New Testament types. A deeper, "present-truth" study. See www.austin-sparks.net/articles/bkcatalog.html for numerous free books by T. Austin-Sparks and Emmanuel Church.

Freedom From the Religious Spirit edited by C. Peter Wagner of www.globalharvest.org. A little gem of a book that brought repentance and much liberation to me. Contains contributions from a number of national leaders in the Body. This book unmasks the insidious religious spirit and its inroads into our lives. With many helpful prayers and declarations inside.

The teaching ministry of Eric Vernelson, Living Faith Church, Wilson, North Carolina. Eric is a real find. A pastor of extraordinary vision and depth in the Word. I heard him teach two extensive series this year: one on the twelve gates of the new Jerusalem (Revelation 21) as types of progressive stages in the experience of a maturing believer and the other one on the spiritual signification of the priestly apparel donned by Old Testament priests. I enjoy a feast under Eric. Contact LivingFaith@nc.rr.com for CDs or more information.

Getting Free From Religion

Deanna Deering penned the timeless truth, "Any path outside of My cross is a path of deception" in her 2003 collection of prophetic writings, Masterpiece in the Wilderness. So why is it so easy to veer from embracing the cross with its principle of self-denial into religion with its principle of self-effort? Several writers we will look at today address this. They point to religion's appeal to the natural man and Satan's concerted efforts to blind men to the one way God has provided for restored relationship with Him and the realization of His supernatural life in us: the cross.

The Pharisees actually missed the presence of the Savior among themselves because of religion. Their mode of operation was the direct opposite of that of the cross.

In their zeal to become perfect keepers of the law, and to be recognized as the spiritual leaders of God's people, the Pharisees had become proud and self-righteous. Consequently, they had become insensitive to the very Heart of God, Whom they were attempting to serve; and they did not recognize the One, the Messiah, they had been looking for all their lives: Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (The Pre-Eminence Volume 31 Book Two, 2006 by Emmanuel Church, Tulsa, OK p. 195)

We also see Israel turning from Jehovah in Old Testament times:

Israel had been seduced to worship idols because of spiritual pride. This seduction always begins by causing the people of God to have confidence in themselves; and because of this, they are found in their own self-righteousness; and self-righteousness leads to idolatry in its worst and most deceitful form of spiritual pride and spiritual self-exaltation. It leads to the deifying of self--and this means that self, not the Lord has the pre-eminence even in the things of God. (The Pre-Eminence Vol. 31 Book One, 2006 by Emmanuel Church, Tulsa, OK p. 86)

Man's moral and religious self-effort is often an unrecognized side of the flesh. Trying hard to be good is in fact of the flesh nature. It's not long into our newfound walk with Jesus before we find that our self resists being a branch dependent on the Vine, Jesus. Overcoming this fleshly tendency towards independence requires a constant tuning in and communion with the Holy Spirit. We must live in a posture of receiving  God's grace continually. Thus we can take no credit for the resulting outflow of Life. Jesus put it bluntly, "Apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing." (John 15:5).

We need to discern further that demonic religious spirits can operate when one's source is self and not increasingly the Holy Spirit. What are the characteristics of religious spirits? And how can we detect them in our midst? Chris Hayward, president of Cleansing Stream Ministries, notes that this spirit seeks to stop the leadership of the Holy Spirit and preserve the status quo. "The religious spirit is unsettled when people rely on the Holy Spirit, because when they do, it threatens to expose this spirit's insidious nature and undermine its base of power and influence. In order to prevent this threat from becoming reality, the religious spirit seeks to undermine, discourage and destroy those who seek to speak words of life." (Freedom From the Religious Spirit, C. Peter Wagner, Editor, p. 127). In addition, Hank and Myrene Morris, staff pastors at Jack Hayford's The Church on the Way, teach that religious spirits cut people off from God's love, presence, guidance, power, revelation, and forgiveness. (Freedom From the Religious Spirit, pp. 137-8).

The root problem is self-righteousness. Dallas Seminary graduate  and Glory of Zion pastor Robert Heidler states that "religion is a human attempt to duplicate the righteousness of God by sheer ability." (Freedom, p. 62). And Leo Lawson, Jr., dean of Victory Campus Ministries Graduate School, reveals that the religious spirit dulls one's spiritual senses short-circuiting discernment. The Bible actually talks about a spirit of slumber in Isaiah 29:10. "Those professing 'saints'  were so dull to God that they flooded their senses with what their appetites demanded, only to be further dulled." (Lawson, Jr. in Freedom, p. 82). Religious people are comfortable with their lives and churches and thus not open to new things from God according to GateKeepers International co-founder and president Tommi Femrite.  (Freedom, p. 92). They will hear the Word and not do it, tend toward a moral code or formula, perform works for recognition and advancement, and persecute truly spiritual believers.  (Hank and Myrene Morris in Freedom, p. 139-145).

We must beware of pride in spiritual accomplishments as we can be subtly moved off course by a very real enemy. There is in fact a false cross, a message which is "designed to satisfy our self-righteousness, to satisfy our self-pre-eminence, to satisfy our self-indulgence,  to satisfy our self-esteem, to satisfy our self-importance in the realm of religiosity."  "The false cross is very religious, and it is always the direct opposite of the True Way of the Cross and its principle of self-denial. " (The Pre-Eminence Vol. 31 Book Two, 2006 by Emmanuel Church, Tulsa, OK, p. 144). Philippians 3:3 instructs us to put no confidence or dependence on what we are in the flesh. Satan is always looking for ground in the adamic nature to thwart the life that results from our union with Christ, from our branch-Vine relationship. (See John 15). The enemy wants to keep us from being fully alive in God and having fiery hearts for Jesus. As well, he wants to block us from realizing our destiny in God.

Practically speaking, what can we be on the lookout for in our Christian circles? We can take care to avoid religious activity devoid of the anointing and going to church meetings out of habit or even religious addiction. We can participate only in programs and initiatives birthed in prayer that we discern originated in the heart of God. We must individually and corporately in these days develop strong prayer lives and be in constant communication with our Head, Jesus Christ. And we can fellowship where Christ is truly the CEO of the church. We can stay away from ministries that don't emphasize the application of Galatians 2:20 to our adamic nature. Plus we can come out from under the "religiously ambitious." (Kimberly Daniels of Kimberly Daniels International Ministries in Freedom, p. 111). Finally it is important to know that "religious spirits and controlling spirits are alike. They're twin brothers." (Breaking Controlling Powers by Roberts Liardon, p. 22).

If we have allowed religious spirits to operate, how can we get free? First we must repent and re-acknowledge our Source and our dependence on the Lord. 2 Corinthians 4:7 states, "However, we possess this precious treasure [the divine Light of the Gospel] in [frail, human] vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves." This being true, we must always give God the glory in every victory and recognize Him. We can return the praise that comes to us to God. Then we can break any legal right or hold of this spirit over us and command it to flee. There are very helpful, detailed prayers throughout C. Peter Wagner's Freedom From the Religious Spirit.

Continual freedom comes from continual submission to the Holy Spirit. We can practice living before an audience of One and seek to please and obey Christ Himself. We can determine to grow up into a spiritual walk amidst a largely carnal American church. We can be willing to be different and go forward under the Lord's leading.

We must have a posture of constantly embracing the cross i.e.  of saying no to what "I want, I think, I feel" and yes to thinking and doing what the Word says. We must die to "self-ambition, self-reliance, self-assertion, self-centeredness, self-realization, self-defense, self-confidence, self-satisfaction, self-determination, self-importance, self-indulgence, self-interest, the esteeming of the self, self-conscientiousness, self-pity, and on, and on, and on." (The Pre-Eminence Volume 31 Book Two, 2006 by Emmanuel Church, Tulsa, OK, p. 207). The more the cross operates in us, the more we will be like Christ. The luscious fruit of Galatians 5:22-23 will be ours. As a result, we can walk closer to Him and to each other. J. B. Phillips expresses something beautiful in I Peter: "Now that you have, by obeying the truth, made your souls clean enough for a genuine love of your fellows..." (Letters to Young Churches, J. B. Phillips, translator, p. 202). Emmanuel Church's Pre-Eminence Book One, from which I've been quoting, talks about a resulting enlarged heart, "a heart unhindered by the fleshly, carnal nature" and "a heart that the Lord can use to flow through unhindered with the burden of His Own Heart. " (p. 117). These riches are worth the price!

Finally, Robert Heidler warn us: "Jesus says there are many who think they are saved but who only have religion. Religion can separate you from God for eternity." (Freedom, p. 64). See Matthew 7: 21-23.

Postscript: The subtitle of The Pre-Eminence Volume 31, Book One and Book Two is The Warfare Between "...The Deep Things of God" and "the depths of satan." It is available free from Emmanuel Church. Click on the link for a book catalog. An excellent treatment which I highly recommend.

High Adventure Evangelism

Active evangelism is high adventure Christianity. Its practice offers an even greater high than that of deal-making or sales because the stakes are eternal.  The psalmist declares, "For the ransom of a life is too costly, and [the price one can pay] can never suffice--so that he should live on forever and never see the pit (the grave) and corruption." (Psalm 49:8-9). And the Lord commends our outreach to those without Christ: "He who is wise captures human lives [for God, as a fisher of men -- he gathers and receives them for eternity]." (Proverbs 12:30).

A few months ago while visiting and ministering in Raleigh, NC Pastors Ray and Renaid Almgren of Victory Christian Tabernacle (Monroeville, PA) shared the prophetic thought that the broad activation of prophetic evangelism was the key to unlocking the moving of the Holy Spirit in a city.   Certainly development in and utilization of the giftings of either the word of knowledge or the word of wisdom (I  Corinthians 12:8) adds an exciting and quite supernatural element to soul-winning.  Several sites pertaining to the  prophetic in evangelism are worth perusing:

www.propheticevangelism.net
www.consumingfire.com/Cry_of_Harvest1.htm
www.streamsministries.com/evangelism.php

Ray Comfort in a book just published last year, The Way of the Master, is seeking to revolutionize the whole contemporary method of evangelism. Comfort wants to return believers to evangelism the way Jesus practiced it: a message of  Law and Judgment to the proud and hard-hearted and a message of grace to the humble folk. Ray call us to always incorporate God's standard of righteousness embodied in the ten commandments in order to shatter the prevailing mindset that people are basically good.  He says we must appeal to the conscience of man and offer Jesus Christ crucified as the only remedy to human sin and depravity, guilt, condemnation, the wrath of God, judgment and eternal hellfire. Click on the good person test below to experience this  approach:

http://www.livingwaters.com/good/022.shtml

Comfort connects the fact that our churches are filled with those not truly born-again and those who have never really repented and the lukewarm to the fact that God's Law or standard is not upheld, and thus sin is not defined.  Further people don't really see what Jesus actually did in restoring wretched sinners to relationship with a most holy God. He is even further a God of wrath towards human rebellion. We must return to the preaching of the realities of  final judgment, damnation, and eternal burning in hell for those who refuse the Lordship of God's Son Jesus Christ. 180 degree repentance  is the only avenue of escape for mankind.

A couple of quotes from The Way of the Master are instructive:

What has the modern evangelist done? He has failed to awaken the blind sinner to his true plight. Instead, he has given him false peace. Now not only is the blind man still heading toward a horrible death, but he is deaf toward any further verbal warning. The message of peace has done him an unspeakable disservice. (p. 238).

Millions of people have been given "assurance of salvation," yet they are strangers to Biblical repentance. The Law has never awakened them. They have never been warned to turn from the cliffs of eternal destruction. Now, because of the techniques of contemporary evangelism, their ears are deaf to the true message of salvation. (p. 238).

Comfort goes on to explain:

To presume that the unregenerate man already has the necessary light to be saved is to have a head-on collision with the many Scriptures asserting that there is none who understands (Psalm 53:1-3; Romans 3:11-12; 8:7). If we adulterate the Word of God by making the Law invalid in its lawful use of bringing light to sinners, we will have adulterous converts. Their hearts will love the world and the things in the world. But as we teach all nations and, like the disciples, do not cease "teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ" (Acts 5:42), we will see sinners come to "know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the Law" (Romans 2:18, emphasis added). (p. 274).

Comfort adds the perspective:

'In survey after survey, researchers find that the lifestyles of born-again Christians are virtually indistinguishable from those of nonbelievers. The divorce rate among Christians is identical to that of nonbelievers. Christian teens are almost as sexually active as non-Christian teens. Pornography, materialism, gluttony, lust, covetousness, and even disbelief are commonplace in many of our churches.' (p. 276).

He concludes:

A clear understanding of the reality of true and false conversion would give light to church leaders who are horrified at the state of what they see as "the Church." Such teaching would also stop the insanity of modern evangelism's zeal without knowledge by showing that the category of lukewarm "converts" doesn't exist. There is no division in the kingdom of God for those who are tepid. We should be either hot and stimulating or cold and refreshing. Lukewarm "converts" are not part of the body of Christ -- they merely weigh heavy within the stomach of His body until He vomits them out of His mouth on the Day of Judgment (see Revelation 3:16). Because they didn't pass through the jagged-edged teeth of the Law of God, they remain hard and impenitent. They were never broken by the Law that they might be absorbed into the bloodstream of the Body of Christ, to become His hands, His feet, and His mouth. They never felt the heartbeat of God....This mass of converts is like the "backslider in heart" who is "filled with his own ways" rather than the ways of God (Proverbs 14:14). (p. 276).

And what about all the intellectual objections to Christianity that are out there today? Comfort addresses these this way:

It's important to realize that some people do have genuine intellectual hindrances to faith, and these should be addressed. However Albert Proudheart's dilemma is a little deeper than he would have you know. The Bible warns us that in these last days men will scoff....We are even told that their motivation for being "willingly...ignorant" is their love of lust (2 Peter 3:1-7 KJV). No, Albert Proudheart doesn't really have an intellectual problem with Christianity. He has a problem with his own heart. He loves sin. He drinks it in like water. Because of this, he has no concern for his eternal salvation. His mind is overtaken by something  far more interesting. He's feeding on sin's succulent pleasures. Don't argue with him. Instead, flick the switch that will suck the air from him. Learn to do what the Master did. Use the Law.

Ray Comfort's The Way of the Master, as these quotations suggest, is helpful reading for anyone concerned with the state of the church, our darkening culture, and the fact that we ourselves will stand one day before God.  Then, the Father will ask us whether we have obeyed Jesus' Mark 16:15 directive, "Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the good news (the Gospel) to every creature [of the whole human race]. The book is approximately 350 pages long and makes a clear case for revamping popular evangelistic programs. As well as his book,  Comfort produces original tracts, courses in soul-winning, and other resources. His site is www.Wayof TheMaster.com .

Another organization, The Pocket Testament League, provides free Gospels of John for those who will pass them out. They train believers to testify of Christ, too. This league backs up those who distribute their Gospels with prayer out of their corporate offices in Lititz,  Pennsylvania. Go to www.pocketpower.org for details.

Some believers, including myself, write their own tracts. I include a brief account of my own coming to know Christ plus the Scriptures Isaiah 53:2-6; I John 1:7,9; I Thessalonians 1:10; and Acts 16:3. I then add a clear and succinct prayer of repentance, forgiveness, and invitation to Jesus to become Lord of one's life. And I laser print them by the hundreds on colored copy paper. Americans are in a hurry and tracts are a means to reach people in shops, schools, and workplaces. Putting your own story in print provides a great conversation starter as well. I have blessed many people through handing them a testimony about Jesus.

Intentional dialogue and relationship building with unbelievers are missionary endeavors we all must engage in. The possibilities for circulation in the pagan world around us are numerous. Of late I have been going to area college alumni social events as well as writers functions. Also every city has www.meetup.com, a directory of  all kinds of interest groups. We must consider ourselves at this point in time as actual missionaries in a pagan land, become well-versed in the defense of the Gospel, and go out and tell people about Jesus. The course of our nation hangs in the balance.

Jesus Himself testified to the fulfillment that comes to those who will labor  for the salvation of men. He said, "I have  food  (nourishment) to eat of which you know nothing  and have no idea.  My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who  sent Me  and to accomplish and completely finish  His work....I tell  you, raise your eyes and observe the fields and see how they are already white for harvesting.

Finally the Father has  entrusted us with a call to warn people.  In Ezekiel 3:17-21 He says,

Whenever I send my people a warning, pass it on to them at once. If you refuse to warn the wicked when I want you to tell them, you are under the penalty of death, therefore repent and save your life --they will die in their sins, but I will punish you. I will demand your blood for theirs. But if you warn them and they keep on sinning, and refuse to repent, they will die in their sins, but you are blameless -- you have done all you could. And if a good man becomes bad, and you refuse to warn him of the consequences, and the Lord destroys him, his previous good deeds won't help him --he shall die in his sin. But I will hold you responsible for his death, and punish you. But if you warn him and he repents, he shall live and you have saved your own life too.

Ezekiel 3:17-21 is a warning from God to us that we cannot ignore.

 

Speaking to Your Own Soul

You can tell yourself what to think. This is such a key discipline that it bears elaboration. Proverbs 23:7 tells us in fact, "For as you think in your heart, so are you." As Christian believers we are to actually let the Word of God govern our thought lives and thereby our natural reaction patterns. Our thinking processes are fallen; they need trueing. We have to give up and surrender our own thought lives and choose to operate in God's thoughts i.e. the verses of Holy Writ. We can steer ourselves by constantly speaking truth to our own souls.

A spiritual walk vs. a carnal or fleshly walk is one that is marked by this government of the Word and rule of the Spirit over natural reasonings and even natural wisdom. The Word is actually a gateway to a higher realm - the realm of faith. To fully function in this realm we have to heavily ingest the Scriptures and expend energy to constantly dialog with the indwelling Holy Spirit. Yes, there is a cost to move up into the spiritual but oh what a delicious life results.

Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer - Kansas City in a teaching entitled, "Fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit," says we will not walk in the Spirit more than we talk to the Spirit. As we continually check in with the Spirit, asking Him "what are you saying?" and "what are you doing?" He releases small measures of power on our minds and on our hearts; we really will experience an incremental release of the Spirit of the Lord. As well we can say to the Spirit, "thank you," "teach me," "lead me," "anoint me," "strengthen me," etc. This spiritual walk is a walk from the inside out. The secret is to dwell together with the Lord as you walk among men.

An incentive to eat, sleep and breathe of the Spirit and the Word is the promise of I John 1:5, "in Him is no darkness at all." We want our very bodies wholly filled and flooded with God Himself.  (Ephesians 3:19). And it is "the Truth that will set us free." (John 8:32). This Truth is usually diametrically opposed to the dark thinking and demonic values of the world. To embrace it is to move in a different spirit from the surrounding culture and even from that of the religious church culture.

Practically we have been given keys to unlock ourselves and others and thereby keep ourselves in the Truth and the available flow of  God's life. As per Matthew 16:19 we can bind  and loose on earth according to what is already bound or loosed in heaven (the spiritual realm). We can bind the devil and demonic forces from assaulting ourselves and others, and we can bind to actualities such as the mind of Christ, the work of the cross, the power of the blood, the Spirit's leading, the narrow path that leads to life, the grace of God, the full saving knowledge of Jesus, and so forth.

We can loose or break the power and hold of demons over people and ourselves.  When I  sense even a hint of bondage, I declare, "I loose myself from every bond, shackle, chain or fetter." And when I sense any hold in others, I say, "I loose Mary or John from every yoke of bondage."  I add "in Jesus' name" as He is the one who has defeated the devil for us. Our inheritance is to walk free and clear on the inside. We are to experience John 7:38, a free flow of God's Spirit springing forth from within. Many Christians don't seem to know that such a life exists, but it does. Albeit such a walk in the spirit can be challenging to maintain under Western workplace pressures. However, King David, a great king and a general, is an example for us; he maintained such intimacy and anointing.  The key of the kingdom to loose can also be utilized to release supply, provision, and supernatural equipping and endowment as we perceive need.

For reference, the best books I have read on the keys to these kingdom realities are Binding & Loosing Exercising Authority Over the Dark Powers by K. Neill Foster with Paul L. King plus Breaking the Power and Shattering Your Strongholds both by Liberty Savard.

In speaking to our souls, Luke 10:19 is a fundamental revelation for us as our enemy will often contest any claiming of spiritual territory. Jesus decreed, "Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you." Fuller Seminary professor and deliverance ministry researcher and pioneer Charles Kraft notes that this power is largely untapped in contemporary believers. In his book Defeating Dark Angels, he states:

We are God's precious children -- princes and princesses in his kingdom....part of our inheritance as his children is  incredibly great power, the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This power within each of God's children is greater than that of the entire satanic kingdom. (p. 87).

As an aside, Kraft's books especially spelled out for me the workings of demons and the ways of deliverance. I particularly recommend Defeating Dark Angels, Deep Wounds Deep Healing, and by Charles Kraft with David DeBord The Rules of Engagement.

In addition to binding and loosing, certain declarations keep one in the blessed rest of God.  (Hebrews 4:11). As well the embrace of these truths prevents the giving of ground or place or any foothold to the devil's forces.

When any tendency towards drivenness pressures me, I have learned to say aloud, "I resist all stress and pressure. I have all the time I need to do all that God is calling me to do." The Bible tells us that the Good Shepherd leads. It is Satan and his demons who drive. The bondage of drivenness is definitely a spirit in operation against a soul. It is more than just the product of being a type A personality. Also one thing to watch out for in yourself and others is the tendency to transfer the energies devoted to climbing the world's success ladder to self-promotion and overachievement in ministry undertakings. This is definitely not the way of God's kingdom; here, the way up is the way down i. e. God Himself brings promotion to those who lay down their lives in response to specific assignments from Him. We can ask the Lord to uproot any inclination to compare and compete against one another. 2 Corinthians 10:12 corrects us with these words: "However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely." We are all unique parts of a Body. (I Corinthians 12).

In the area of fear I pronounce, "I loose myself from all care, worry or fear." The promise is that "perfect love casteth out fear." (I John 4:18). To overcome recurrent fear we must thrust our roots down deep into Christ so that we are operating in the realm of the spiritual and eternal and thus in God's peace and rest. I say aloud, "I am not moved by what I see  or by how things seem or appear but only by the way the Word depicts reality." Colossians 2:7 instructs, "Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith...." In this position and with strong prayer, we can turn back an enemy attack of fear.

Against pride it is necessary to wage an all out war. As needed we can command ourselves with these words, "Soul humble yourself before the Lord."  (1 Peter 5:6) Declaring I Peter 5:5 is most effectual as well. "I clothe (apron) myself, with humility [as the garb of a servant, so that its covering cannot possibly be stripped from me, with freedom from pride and arrogance] toward one another. For God sets Himself against the proud...[He opposes, frustrates and defeats them], but gives grace (favor, blessing) to the humble."   We must take into our beings all that the Word has to say about pride and humility. Gaining freedom from pride can be like peeling back onion layers. We can attain more and more freedom in this area and also increase in humility. Ask the Lord to heal any underlying insecurities that can induce a swing towards prideful swelling. Constantly confess, "I am accepted in the Beloved."  (Ephesians 1:6). We all need heavy investment in humility. Zephaniah 2:3 says we are to "require humility as vital." Development in this grace will pay great dividends in this life and will affect our standing in eternity as well.  God's kingdom is definitely an upside down one. In Daniel 4:17 God says, "that the living may know that the Most High [God] rules the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whomever He will and sets over it the humblest and lowliest of men."

A most helpful practice when preparing to gather with believers or to a certain extent with people of the world is to prepare your heart beforehand. God wants us to be free from chasing after people of prominence. I instruct my will by telling myself to "go down low, serve, wash feet (or minister to people)." We can be intentional  and led by the Holy Spirit with our words and interactions. We can sow love and acceptance and reap the same. There is much life in what the Holy Spirit can accomplish through us in the foyer or in the sanctuary after meetings. And as Graham Cooke teaches, when we move in an opposite spirit it confuses the enemy. God Himself will bring us the divine connections we need for the outworking of His plans in our lives.

Recognize that any barrage of negative thoughts toward brothers and sisters in Christ is the accuser of the brethren at work. At the first hint of a judgment forthcoming, clamp down on yourself with Matthew 7:1, "Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves."

When faced with uncertainty, meditate on all the guidance Scriptures in order to build trust in fully faithful God. Frequently repeat, "I lean not to my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him, and He shall direct my paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6). When we can't see where we are going, we  can position ourselves to actually walk towards Jesus in the spiritual realm. He is the Way. (John 14:6) He will then open up the pathway in the material world. We are to operate more fully in the spiritual realm while co-existing in the natural order than we realize. In the Gospels Jesus was walking in two worlds at once. Again the Bible is our gateway to the spiritual realm and its laws.  Aim to fully perceive this unseen realm. "Consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are unseen are deathless and everlasting." (2 Corinthians 4:18).

Finally an excellent practice is to train our wills by confessing aloud the "I wills." We can direct ourselves with these and other phrases; "I will obey the Spirit and the Word," "I will love the unlovely," "I will forgive," "I do repent."

There are as many confessions as there are promises and precepts in the Bible. My hope is that these few examples will enable you to walk higher.  In the writing of this post the thought occurred that the overarching goal of speaking to our own souls is to become great at allowing the Spirit to communicate and to govern and to become great at denying ourselves and embracing the cross. The so satisfying life of God will then flow unchecked; we will continually experience the river that we sing about. Then will ensue the attainment of true greatness that our Father wants for us - His beloved children becoming like Christ, the Pattern Son.

Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditations of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer."