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| ATree on sinking sands |
One of the reasons that I keep pushing Christians to stop
being people who reason with common sense and their own understanding is
because I used to be like that too. I used to have a beautiful Christian life
on the outside. Busy in the Church service in almost every aspect of the
Church. From being an usher to being a leader in the alpha group, and so much
more. This is on top of my Bible study, mentoring group, weekly prayer group,
weekly evangelism group and weekly visit group where we would go out and visit
the newcomers in the Church. I do not need to continue, this should give you a
good idea what my life looked like on the outside. Furthermore, I was always a
good person on the inside, I knew how to turn the other cheek, I respected my
elders and leaders even when I did not agree with their leaderships. I was
really good at forgiving others because the bible says so and the list goes on.
I never thought for a second that the changes that I put
forth in my life, were not from the Holy Spirit, nor that I ever thought, there
was something wrong with what I was doing. With all my heart, I truly believed
that I was honoring God. But, the truth is, anyone of us is capable of these
things. Anyone human being is capable of change and transformation. I used to
be somewhat content to live my life where I stumble and fall, pick myself up
and go right back to God. But, something was nagging me on the inside. I was so
annoyed by the fact that I stumbled way too many times. I guess the reason it
bothered me it was because my relationship with Christ looked like my marriage
where for every one or two good days I had ten to twenty horrible days. There
was that little bell inside that kept nagging and would not give up. It caused
me to ask myself the question “why is my relationship with Christ, like that of
a human being? Shouldn't it be different?”
After all, everything in the Bible indicated that God was supreme, so
what gives?
When He got hold of me, lead me to the wilderness where He
could teach me, only then my eyes opened and I could see that my beliefs were
wrong. How could that be when I believed
these things with all my heart and I truly love God? He finally showed me, spiritually, I was not
doing things, “IN CHRIST”. My being “in Christ” was activated in full fledge
for me to live out to the fullest, only after my consecration to Him. The Holy
Spirit made it clear to me that it was not like I did not have this deposited
in me at the moment of salvation, but it was activated in a moment of clarity
when I made the decision to follow Him like in Luke 9:23-25. At that time, I surrendered
all in complete abandonment to Him, as He became more than a savior, but my
Master too. Through walking in Him, I also discovered, the reason I could see
my relationship with Him was almost like having a human being relationship, it
was because in living apart from Christ, I knew nothing of what it means
spiritually speaking to live in His power and to be victorious.
Now, you all my faithful readers know how much I like Oswald
Chambers and you know that I have been reading his devotional for almost as
long as I have been a Christian. But, today, as I read his devotion, God took
me back around that time where I used to live a powerless life with my own
understanding and revealed something to me, and I knew I had to share it with
you in today’s post. The Spirit took me back to that time where I used to
believe that Christ love me, died for me, forgave me, and the cross was the
only ground that allowed me to stand before God. Then, He said to me, “can you
see how your understanding of me was as veiled and unspiritual as the apostles?
Because they were not living in the power of the Holy Spirit yet, they had no
idea what to do after my death.” HERE
COMES THE BIG REVELATION…., He said, “my death threw them off and they were
lost, so each one of them went back to what they knew, to the best of their
abilities.” You might say to me, well, everybody
knows that about the apostles, you are not saying anything new to us. But, I am
here to tell you that even the smallest and most common truth, when revealed to
us personally by God, become a big affair within. In this revelation, He was
showing me how the apostle’s mind could not comprehend what was right there
from the beginning and was also inevitable. While we have been reading so much
about His death and we take all that we know for granted, but, put yourself in
the apostle’s shoes who thought they found their kings, then, there was a twist
to it that they did not expect.
It was an exciting revelation because He showed me their
hearts, and in their intents, I was like them. The Spirit then explained to me
that most of us are like that after we receive His salvation. Our expectations
are different from God’s way, God plan and intention. Our intention will never
be good enough and His intention alone has to prevail. But, He said, “the
danger is when we remain there all of our lives and build our Christian lives
on our own false foundation.”
There is no way the apostles would have understood that
Christ death was the ultimate sacrifice. This was the big moment, this was the
reason that all of it was put in motion in heaven. Remember something, Peter
knew and said it in front of all the other apostles that Christ was God’s son.
Yet, after Christ’s death he went back to his fishing business.
I am trying so hard to make you understand, how our
understanding, even though sometimes might be honorable. Sometimes, we can even
say the right words, and we make a great impact on others because of our
knowledge, but without the Holy Spirit to walk us through things step by step,
to reveal the true meaning behind what we cannot see and especially, GOD’S REAL
INTENTION, then we have no idea that we cannot see. So, back then, even though
I believed the right things, but they amounted to nothing in my life, until God
made them real and made them part of me.
Our walk in the Spirit is like that. It is one lesson after
another and every time we learn more we move forward to seeing more and more
through His eyes. Explaining this is easy for me in a way because I can see it
with the eyes of the spirit and they are also part of me. But, I do understand
for some of you, if anything, I am giving you a headache and you might even see
me as a fool or someone who complicates salvation. But, the reality is that
when you can see with the eyes of the Spirit and when you become truly
spiritual, this is a piece of cake. It is what’s become natural to you. So, I
encourage you to be patient, and go to God with an open heart, knowing it is
not about me or you, but about Him. Bring Him your understanding, whatever it
might be. Bring your open heart to Him, with a willingness to follow Him with a
heart totally consecrated and abandoned to Him. One of my favorite prayers when
I was young in the faith was “LORD, MAKE ME WILLING TO BE WILLING TO DO YOUR
WILL”
Faith is our belief in action, but never apart from Christ.
It has to be “in Christ”
OSWALD CHAMBERS NOVEMBER 21 DEVOTIONAL
OSWALD CHAMBERS NOVEMBER 21 DEVOTIONAL
