I have been reading this incredible book written by Pastor Bill Johnson from Bethel Church in Redding, California. It's title is called "Dreaming with God", and it has been bringing so much perspective and value to my life. I have been through so many "ups and downs" in my walk with the Lord over a period of the last few years, but I believe that God is wanting me to recognize areas in my life that He wants me to surrender in, and teach me the art of "submission" and "obedience". I can honestly say that I have failed miserably at both, but I am equally grateful that even in my weakness, I am lovely to him, and His grace endlessly abounds for me. Please read this excerpt from the book and ponder these things that are written. They will be life-changing for those who find the truths written, and truly grasp what is being said.
"THE VALUE OF MYSTERY"
"God hides things for us, not from us."
An intellectual gospel is always in danger of creating a God that looks a lot like us; one that is our size. The quest for answers sometimes leads to a rejection of mystery. As a result mystery is is often treated as something intolerable, instead of a real treasure. Living with mystery is the priviledge of our walk with Christ. It's importance cannot be overrated. If I understand all that is going on in my Christian life, I HAVE AN INFERIOR CHRISTIAN LIFE! The walk of faith is to live according to the revelation we have received, in the midst of the mysteries we can't explain. That's why Christianity is called the faith.
*** All too often believers abandon or dilute their call in order to feel better about the things they cannot explain. ***
Consider these truths . . .
To allow what we cannot answer to downgrade what He has shown us is to be carnal minded!!
Too many obey what they understand , thus subjecting God to their judgements.
God is NOT on trial; WE are!
A true Cross-walk is obeying where we have revelation in spite of the apparent contradiction in what we cannot explain.
To obey when we see that there will be a FAVORABLE out come IS NOT OBEDIENCE!
Obedience is supposed to be expensive.
To embrace what He has shown us and to obey what He commanded us, often in the midst of unanswerable questions, is an honor beyond measure. It is a great priviledge to be a believing believer in the midst of a culture of unbelief. We must embrace this priviledge. No Christian should be unmoved by the Lord's question, "When I return, will I find faith on the earth?" I have set my heart to be His pleasure by living in faith.
"THE POWER OF THE OFFENDED MIND"
When Jesus felt it was time to minister in His hometown of Nazareth, He went to the synagogue. As He began to teach the people, they were quite amazed at His wisdom. They were also very impressed with the healings they were seeing. But when they realized they knew Him, having watched Him grow up, they were offended in their "reasonings". "It is Jesus. We know His brothers and sisters. He grew up here! How can He do this stuff? And where did He get this wisdom?" They were not offended in the typical sense; their feelings were not hurt, nor were they caught up in bitterness. They simply could not put two and two together and arrive at the conclusion - their Jesus was a miracle worker and a man of great wisdom. It didn't fill them with wonder and awe. Instead it caused them to be hardhearted and reject Him! This unresolved question became the mental stumbling block that was strong enough to shut down Jesus' anointing to perform miracles and teach with power. To have questions is healthy; to hold God hostage to those questions is NOT. ***It sometimes creates an atmosphere that fulfills it's own prophecy about the power of God not being for today. It shuts down the very anointing that would teach them otherwise.
**Not understanding is OK. Restricting our spiritual life to what we understand is not. It is immaturity at best. Such a controlling spirit is destructive to the development of a Christ-like nature. God responds to faith but will not surrender to our demands for control.
A person's heart is more clearly seen by what they're willing to embrace without offense, than by their expression of faith only in what they already understand. . . .
"HOW WE LEARN"
I'll never forget when God first began to opwn up the scriptures to me. As I read, my heart leapt within me over the richness of what I was reading. Yet I couldn't have taught on that particular passage if my life depended on it. My spirit was doing the learning and my mind would have to wait. The mind is trained through the experience of divine encounters and supernatural experiences initiated through the revelations from Scriptures. Revelation that doesn't lead to a divine encounter will only make us more religious, teaching us to embrace external standards without the internal realities.
God is not opposed to the mind; He created the mind to be a complement to all that He had made. He is opposed to the unrenewed mind. It is at war with God, being incapable of obeying Him. (see Romans 8:7). The believer who governs his Christian life through the mind is the carnal Christian that the apostle Paul warned about. (see 1 Corinthians 2-3). The soul can only lead us into religion - form withour power. It is what makes way for Ishmaels instead of Issacs.
It's important to understand the learning process. Our spirit is where the HOLY SPIRIT dwells. Our spirit is alive and well and is ready to receive great things from God. When I filter everything through my mind and remove what isn't immediately logical, I extract much of what I really need. Only what goes beyond my understanding is positioned to renew my mind. (see Philippians 4:7). If we can learn more about the actual voice and presence of the Lord, we will stop being so paranoid about being deceived by the things that we can't explain. Usually those who use the natural mind to protect themselves from deception are the most deceived. They've relied on their own finite logic and reason to keep them safe, which is in itself a deception. They usually have an explanation for all that's going on in their walk with the Lord, by criticize those who long for more.
Our hearts can embrace things that our heads can't. Our hearts will lead us where our logic would never dare to go. No one ever attributes the traits of courage and valor to the intellect or the strength of human reasoning. Courage rises up from within and gives influence over the mind. In the same way, true faith affects the mind. Faith does not come from our understanding. It comes from the heart. We do not believe because we understand; WE UNDERSTAND BECAUSE WE BELIEVE!! (see Hebrews 11:6). We'll know when our mind is truly renewed, because the impossible will look logical . . .
"MYSTERY - A CROSS FOR THE MIND"
What we don't understand is sometimes as important as what we do. It's one thing to obey when He has given us understanding about a matter, and quite another to obey while facing questions and circumstances that seem to contradict what we understand. So many fail at this point, and then bring the bible down to their level of experience.
MANY DO THIS TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY ARE LIVING IN
COMPROMISE -
A COMPROMISE OF THEIR REVELATION FROM
SCRIPTURE.
OUR CHALLENGE IS INSTEAD TO BRING OUR
LIFESTYLE
UP TO THE STANDARD OF GOD'S
WORD. . .
To embrace revelation with one hand, and embrace mystery with the other, forms a perfect cross. This is a cross that everyone who is hungry to do the works of Jesus will have to carry. God must violate our logic to invite us away from the deception of relying on our own reasoning.
