Hi all,
In the last 2 weeks I've talked how the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives is the evidence He provides
of His unconditional love and purpose for us. His presence along with
His written Word and all else 'Christian' in our lives work together.
But without actually experiencing Him, 'God' becomes just a formula.
A process
The world and culture carry more weight in a life than a God someone learns about in an hour of church, Sunday School, or youth group once a week, but never truly experience.
In
order for God to make a profound difference in our life (or a
child's), we must experience Him - not about Him, but experience HIM. At
the point of experience "His opinion" is expressed - that which is
felt, that which is perceived in our hearts, that which is felt in the
worship, in prayer, in sitting in His presence - MUST carry more weight
than the people and culture who destroy or prevent a person from knowing
His love.
Great, but how?
Jesus
had just fed 4,000 men, plus women and children, then He and the
disciples got into their boat and headed out across the lake. When they
got to the other side they were immediately besieged by the Pharisees
demanding He give them a sign from heaven. But Jesus didn't respond, and
instead they got in the boat and started out across the lake again.
While
on the water Jesus told them to beware of the yeast of the Pharisees,
talking about not being part of the crowd that constantly seeks signs
from heaven, but they thought He was talking about the fact they forgot
to bring anything more than a single loaf of bread with them.
When He reminded them how He had fed thousands with 7 loaves, He asked: "How is it you don't understand?" The Greek is: "How is it that you haven't put it together?" (Mark 8:1-21)
The
multiplying of the food was a miracle in their lives He expected them
to consider, to let the amazing things they had just witnessed sink down
in them and change their thinking.
Notice
He didn't tell them to let the written Word of the Old Testament sink
into their hearts and minds. He didn't ask them to pull notes from
something He or John the Baptist had earlier taught. He expected them to
think on and consider the miracle He did in their lives right then, in
their presence. He asked them to consider His presence as manifest in
the miracle of multiplied food so they could change their thinking.
This
wasn't the first time Jesus had multiplied food, for just 2 chapters
earlier He had fed 5,000 men plus women and children from a boy's lunch.
After
that miracle Jesus came walking on the water to their boat in the early
morning hours, and when they saw Him walk to their boat and the wind
and waves go calm, 6:51-52 says they were "...astonished beyond measure because they had not considered the miracle of the loaves."
The
Lord expected them to 'consider the miracle' and 'put it together' by
thinking on the miracle immediately after they witnessed it, and let
that experience change the way they thought. It isn't just the written
Word we believe, but the Living Word we see all around us everyday in
our lives, because we know Him. We must notice and believe His ongoing
presence in our lives, and His ongoing miracles in our lives. All these
work together to help us un-believe the lies and assure us in His
unconditional love, restoring emotional health.
Therefore...
When
we looked at David and Saul, we saw different events over months and
years in their lives how the Lord moved them to the next step in their
lives by some miracle, some evidence of Him in their lives. In between
those 'benchmark' miracles of His presence, He expected them to think on
what He had done in their lives to the point it made a difference in
how they thought about themselves.
David
wrote many of the Psalms at those benchmark points*. Several were
written while being chased by King Saul. One was written after Ziklag
had been burned and they feared for their wives and children. One was
written after his sin with Bathsheba was revealed. What do you do to
mark the 'benchmark' miracles or experiences with the Lord? (*I Sam
21:10-15/Ps 34/Ps 52. I Sam 22:1-5/Ps 56. I Sam 22:35/Ps 35. I Sam
24:1-8/Ps 57. I Sam 30:1-6/Ps 4. II Sam 12/Ps 51, for a few examples)
When
my dad left our family it crushed my world. It also crushed my
self-image, as like a lot of kids, we blamed ourselves for mom and dad's
divorce. I thought I had failed him by not doing the chores, not
greeting him with the love and enthusiasm he expected each night when he
came home from work, and so on.
I
dropped out of all activities or didn't continue in them very long from
age 12-16. I flunked my freshman first semester of Algebra as all my
grades nose-dived. I just didn't care about anyone, anything, and I
didn't care about myself. I started, then dropped out of Boy Scouts.
Started and then dropped out of Scuba lessons. Started and then dropped
out of flying lessons. The list goes on. I would have dropped out of
school if mom had let me, as I really didn't care at all for it.
When
my friend Janny, who is still a very close friend to Barb and I, led me
to the Lord while telling me about Jesus in German class (then I led
Barb to the Lord), I latched onto the Father. I could feel a change
inside, a new enthusiasm, a vague sort of life or energy or love or
something - it was all new, but I was being changed.
Build a history with God
My
life was real life. My dad had really walked out. I really didn't give a
care about anything. That was real and it was internal, down inside of
me. Now suddenly He was there, telling me in the Word that He loved me
and had a purpose for my life. But I still struggled to believe Him
because I saw no evidence of a plan or purpose. I expected a big 'flash'
and suddenly my internal hurt would be healed. Not!
There
were little 'benchmark' experiences, healings and miracles I saw,
coincidences that were more than mere chance, feelings I felt down in my
spirit, that one by one built a history of God in me, and slowly I
started to believe in His opinions about me while letting go of what I
had been thinking about me.
I
remember talking to the Father one day and saying this: "Father, I
don't mean to seem ungrateful or anything, but is this all there is? I
figured to be born again and have you inside me it would be
more...powerful...and I can't deny there is something in me saying there
is more...Is that right?" (I actually prayed that, at the time the most
afraid I'd ever been while praying, asking the Father is that was all
there is!)
Then
Janny and her boyfriend (and future husband) told Barb and me about the
Baptism with the Holy Spirit. When we received that, our whole world
changed. The Word came alive. That vague awareness of Him inside became
an overriding presence, so much so anytime day or night I could just
shift my attention to my spirit and feel Him there - though the process
of doing that took most of my senior year of high school.
It
was then my poor self-image faded in the light of the PROOF of His
presence in me. I reasoned, I can't be that bad because Jesus died for
me. I can't be that bad because He has put His Spirit inside of me...and
that reality, combined with the written Word, combined with various
miracles and evidence of His activity in my life, brought me from the
brink of emotional and possible mental illness.
It
is a process, but we must 'consider the loaves' in our own lives as
evidence of His love, His abiding Presence and involvement in our lives,
and then we begin to believe Him more than what we believe about
ourselves.
In
these end times people are becoming more and more unhealthy emotionally
and mentally. How many times have you wondered what you'd do without
Jesus as that Rock in your life? The way to maintain or recover from
emotional or mental difficulties is always to center back to that
unconditional love, and make all your thoughts go back to that love. He
has invested in us for the ages to come...amazing grace!
This ends this series, but a related topic next week...blessings!
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at cwowi@aol.com
New CD/MP3 Series:
This is part 3 of a 3 part series. We know God so loved the world that
He gave His Son, but what was Jesus' part in it? Was He just the
obedient Son, or did He become come out of eternity and into our world
because of reasons deep within His own heart? In this last of the 3-part
series, we examine the motives within Himself as to why He came to
earth, what He enjoys about us, how He relates to us, and how the
Father, Holy Spirit and Son flow together. You will see Jesus unlike
you've seen Him before, and will be able to become closer to Him as a
result. (2 cd/MP3, $12/set or MP3 $10)
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