Meditating On The Word Of God!

I want to share something with you that God has taught me this morning when I was meditating. I have to say I had no idea how to meditate. But, in 2005 after I lost my job God was preparing me to learn to buckle up for the ride that was going to change my life forever, because things were going to get messier and way worse than I ever thought possible. So the Holy Spirit taught me to “still” my heart, not by myself but with His help. Then, I let my mind, my heart and soul be taken up completely with God’s Word, the beauty of it, how each iota of His word is true, how He works things out in our lives, how to apply each verse of the Bible to our lives, etc… As you learn to do this with the Holy Spirit, not only it becomes easier to apply in all circumstances in your life, but you learn to become so immersed and so taken up that you could spend hours in His Company. It is as if time does not exist. As the matter of fact, when I first learned to meditate with God in the wilderness, I could meditate on His word for hours and I never knew until I snapped out of it, that most of the day was gone.

For those of you who are tempted to say this is what it means to be caught up in third heaven, let me tell you it is not. Because being caught up in the third heaven changes your soul in a way that you can never explain and the thing is, you never know when God is going to take you there. What I explained above is simple meditation done in the spirit and with the Holy Spirit. But, anyway, as I was immersed in my meditation this morning, God felt the need to help me understand something deeper. The past two days I wrote about how a life of oneness with God takes you from fearing His wrath to appreciate it as an attribute of His holiness.  What I learned this morning reminded me of something very important, as Christians, it is so important we do not take lightly our postings whether through social media, Blogs, websites etc. Because in the end, we are what we think and we are what we write about. (If we do not use ghost writers)

I don’t know about you, but as I write my posts, I too am learning from God. It gives me an opportunity to meditate on things that I might have forgotten to thank Him about or take for granted. It keeps me living with an awareness of God constantly on a daily basis to the point where, if I spend time thinking about anything that did not lead to God, I need to know what did I waste my time with? Through my postings, I learned to acquire more gratitude as I recall the things He has done for me and the grace He lavishes on me.

So, this morning was not any different. I was having such an awesome time with Him, and then He told me “do you know why you wrote the past two days about finding balance between God’s wrath and His Holiness?” Do you understand why this knowledge and its effect are suddenly part of who you are? I smile and though to myself, “no I don’t know because you never told me”. Before I finish my thought, He said to me, well this is part of what it means to behold me like in a glass of glory. It is also part of changing into the same image.” As he said that to me, I smiled with joy and gratitude in my heart, then I came out of the meditation time.

I was elated with what He taught me, but at the same time it was a learning process that corrected some of my faulty thinking. Why? Because a few years back, I thought (from what I lived with Him) 2 Corinthians 3:18 was mainly about God’s face being etched in yours and my face based on a life spent looking at Him through sitting at His feet. Today I understand that beholding His face is just part of the process and this little verse means so much more to God, in the way He plans to do it in us. I understand that we are learning to behold Him as He works it out in us, in all His facets. It is about our whole spiritual makeup from head to toes.

The funny thing is, I used to see my transformation from the wilderness walk with Him as having gone through the process of being a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. But unlike the butterfly after its transformation, God has just begun the process of transformation through those who belongs to Him. My dear brothers and sisters, if you could only take a pick out the work that is left to be done in us by Him, you would definitely make different choices with the time you are allocated to live out his life on earth. (Look who’s talking! LOL - I did not know that until he hit me with a 4X4 to get my attention)

Just so you know, yesterday, God has given me instructions on the subject of my post for today. But, after my time with Him, I obtained permission from Him to switch things around. And like a true daddy, it was okay with Him! I actually got His blessings with gladness in both of our hearts. 

I love my God & I truly love you guys!

To my litte community on Wordpress, you  are so precious to my heart, you will never know how much! I appreciate the time you take to write me, encourage me and to comments.  God showed me how not to worry about fans lost on Facebook, because you remained faithful and you matter. Thanks so much

VIDEOS

I am including these very short videos. The reason being is that, the seven years I spent in the wilderness with Him, truly reflects what you see in these videos. When He first started with me after I lost my job, not only my life was turned upside down, I could feel as if there was a demolition and construction happening inside me. It was so real, like an idiot I sent an email to my pastor for help because I did not know it was normal with God.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY-Fiyq8jc4

2) Then for a while it was this video. It represents all the changes that he was doing within me

http://gizmodo.com/watch-a-caterpillar-transform-into-a-butterfly-from-ins-506894053

Through this stage I learned the meaning of what Paul said in Galatians 4:19 and why He was in pain for the Galatians to go forward claiming what they were missing. I also learned first hand why the first work that truly matters to God and in the absence of this work, whatever else we have done in His name has no importance and no value. This change that comes only from the power of the cross is what true salvation is about. I learned the true meaning through the Holy Spirit’s teaching what God had in mind when He penned James 2:18. This transformation process is “faith by your deeds.” Your only deed as a human being is the willingness to embrace this life in Him and allowing Him to move freely in your life through your faith in Him.

As He showed me the whole process He allowed me to see the extend of my involvement.  Only then, I understood how greatly we Christians misunderstand the grace of God. Because, even the willingness to allow Him to move freely in my life through all the circumstances, is still a work of grace that I received from Him through Salvation. I just put it to work through faith in Him. Without salvation entering my soul, I would never feel the urge to let Him move freely in my life. Why would I care? So, this process is also the work of our Salvation.  It is pure and unadulterated grace. So when the word of God says to us “unless you believe in vain…” Yeah! There is something there you should take into consideration. God did not pen those words down to hear His Holy voice. He was talking to you and me.

3) Then, on the third stage where the butterfly came out… http://www.wimp.com/monarchbutterfly/ He taught me what His word meant in Song of Solomon 8:5 “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, Leaning upon her beloved?” You see, through this process He teaches you to trust Him and to depend on Him. You can lean on Him because your will is handed back to you, but not before it has become His will. Your soul takes Him on as your lover. Through each stage I had a song in this one I learned to sing the song, “Jesus lover of my soul….. It’s all about you”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD-ZdMOx_HY

Are you truly born again? Examine yourself… Unless you believe in vain!

 

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2 Corinthians 3:18 – King James Version

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 

Follow Me ─ Why Do So Many Give Up? ─ Part One

As I was comparing Oswald Chambers’s devotion for June 12 and June 13, I grinned with a pain in my heart knowing full well, those two little words “follow Me” are jam-packed with unexpected surprises and detours. I don’t think you will ever meet a true Christian who has decided to follow and was not shocked at finding out what Christ’s standards of “follow Me” meant.  When we find out what “follow Me” truly means to Him, we find we have two options. We either keep going through the toils and the snares or you let the tiredness of the journey gets to you, and you stop walking with Him.   As we chose the last option, we never realize that the next step is backsliding. Although, it makes sense that we backslide when we stop following, because true Christianity is a journey where we have to keep going forward with the Holy Spirit.

I remember one Sunday after service I was talking to an elder of the Church and he was also the past chairman. I guess because he did not see me as a threat, he was telling me how he got tired on the road with no courage left to pick up and follow after Him. Since he knew I was part of the prayer team, he told me to pray for Him. But, as he kept talking I found out this man stopped following so long ago, even before he became an elder. He knew exactly which event took place in his life that caused him to stop. Yet as he was talking he kept saying, it was other people’s fault that caused him to be discouraged. In the meantime he had no idea that I was shocked beyond beliefs. 

This happened after I just started the wilderness path with God, so I did not have enough knowledge and the boldness that comes from walking with Him, to respond to him.  As I assessed what I was being told, I realized this mild mannered man knew the Scriptures well enough and carried himself in a manner that would make anyone who is not walking in the Spirit, to appreciate and trust him enough to make him chairman of the Church. Yet, from what he told me, even though I was not mature enough, I knew he did not get to the place where he stopped following after God, because of other people. His problem was only his need to follow while holding onto his own self interests. He wanted both at any cost.  

In my limitation of God way and knowledge, I could see one of his major problems was learning dependence on God.  In all the leadership positions he held, he could not understand why it was so hard to get other Christians to do things as they are told and to understand they were working for the Lord. Ironically, he could not see this was exactly what he was doing to Christ. By then I was a Christian for about seven years and I just started the process of following Him in the wilderness. Not knowing what those words “follow Me” fully entails, I kept asking myself how did this man manage to get to this stage with God?

You see, in my mind, I had a good idea what it meant to follow after Him, I knew I needed to die to self and I knew I needed to depend on Him. What I did not know was, thinking and reading about dying to self was not the same thing as experiencing it. Even though we read some of the apostle’s stories in the Bible, along with people like David and Joseph, they do not come close to preparing us to go through Christ’s demands as we follow wholeheartedly. When God decides to deal with you so you can shed the self-life, you find out, what those people endured over two thousands years ago, is still going on right now because God, being in the business of making holy people one by one, He is still acting in the same way today. By the same token, we have no idea until God shows us who we are, that our self interest has a life on its own, so much so it seems bigger than life. And in the eyes of God this self interest life got to go.

I don’t think there is one of us who has not found out the hard way at our own expenses the meaning of those words “follow Me” Through finding out at my own expenses, I know, as the Spirit of God works in us, we can see that the path forward is so not appealing that we are not looking forward to it. Yet, God has a way of burning the bridges right behind you and you find out you cannot go back. What I find interesting about God, is that He would burn bridges which prevent you from going back, but He will not force you to go forward because the only way you can keep going forward is through dependence on Him. Because your measure of dependence on Him will depend on your faith in Him, to some extend, it make sense that He cannot force you to go forward with Him.

Letting go of our self-interests, is soooo painful and the pain does not seem to end because there is always something we are holding onto that needs to be surrendered to Him.  

Trials & Sorrows are Part of The Christian Life!

"In the world, you will have many trials and sorrows." John 16:33

A few years ago, right before my wilderness time with God I had so many challenges in my life. If it was not about problems encountered in the workplace, it was in the family or my finances and so on. My Bible study group was doing a study of the life of Paul. During the study I have acquired understanding and something now I know came from the Holy Spirit was strength to expect the unexpected and to learn to view my trials in His light. During our time of sharing with the group, I mentioned how through the study I have acquired so much understanding in regards to my trials, that I am no longer afraid of them, and I am now equipped to endure anything. The group leader corrected me right away and made sure that I understand it was not the right attitude to expect trials all the time in our Christian walk with God! I believed those words so much that they are still with me even today!

I understand now, while I did not know how to communicate with the Holy Spirit yet, but God used the study of Paul's life to give me a solid understanding of what was to come for me. While my life is far from being like Paul, but the pain and trials pattern that plagued his life have not escaped me. Paul's pain and trials were customized for his life and the time he was living in. Mine are customized for my life and the time that I am living in.  

Through my wilderness wanderings with Him, I have learned to acquire solid faith, as solid as an oak tree. Yet here I am, just finishing seven years of wilderness with Him. Then, just when I thought I was going to get a break and live free of troubles for a little while I found myself afflicted once more. To my surprise the Holy Spirit revealed to me the cause of my affliction this time is simply to learn to wait upon Him without discouragement. One would think because I have acquired solid faith, this waiting period he is putting me through now, would be a piece of cake, but, not so. If this kind of thinking was true, none of us Christians would ever backslide. David would not have gotten involved with Bathsheba, got her pregnant and killed her husband all the while thinking that God is not wiser. How did he get so deep into sinning so badly, when he knew God so well? He simply let his guard down and was not sober minded. Yesterday grace cannot carry us through today or a few months down the road.

Even though the Holy Spirit has told me the goal of this affliction I am in now, and even though I know Him so well, I still find that some days I have doubts, just because of those words the leader said to me a few years ago. It feels as if a tape is being played in my mind and my focus is on the message that is being played instead of focusing on God. Every time I get into those pockets of doubts I have to drag myself out of a state of discouragement and into God's grace and love and take my stand like a true soldier of Christ.

I have read the biography of several of those men that I admire so much for the depth of their walk with God and I found out most of them had some kind of trials that never stopped. An example of that would be Spurgeon who lived his life with continuously painful gout  constant depression, and critics that would not let up. Try having to deal with these things all your life with no relief in sight, I can imagine, his life was no picnic.

The purpose of our trials is to train our faith, sanctify us, and learn from Him while we unlearn those things we acquired on our own or through misguided leaderships. Things like, our explanations of His Word, characters, traits etc. Our trials are by-products of the redemptive life we have in Christ, so they truly prepare us for the life awaiting us in heaven, and teach us intimacy with the triune God. We take root in Him and so on. It is important that we learn not to give in to self-pity, rebel against God, or spend most of our time being so discouraged that Satan would gain the upper hand. During our trials, the right attitude toward God is to me maintained. If we don’t we never learned what it means to walk a steadfast life, persevere and endure in Him and through Him!

Even when life seems to have singled you out, you still have to believe that God has a purpose and nothing escape Him. We have to believe that the God we serve does not make mistakes and He is a good God. So, whatever is our lot, we take it all in His name. Through the pain we believe in Him, cling to Him and learn to choose Him over and over again and as we do, we position ourselves for more of His grace, we are comforted and strengthen.

To choose Him over and over again requires that we learn to focus on Him. Not His blessings and not what other people’s lives are in comparison to ours. So, look to Him on the cross and cling to Him, do not let go.