Trials and Tribulations

I trust you are enjoying and hopefully having Father by his spirit opening the eyes of your heart even more to see and know whose you are.
I often wonder if it is a fear-pride thing when it comes to seeing the much more there is in continuing to keep growing in the grace and true knowledge of whose we are.
Meaning, I hear so many adamantly quoting Paul where he says we are complete in Christ, and I totally agree, but, just maybe that completeness is much like what God said regarding Adam, where he said over his handiwork, this "is very good."

It was very good indeed, but not yet completed by a long shot, and please hear me what I'm talking about is NOT something that we do, but has everything to do with Grace continuing to save us!

Rich

This second kind of knowledge is gained from the Spirit through the experience of our daily walk as our heart is… made to turn to the Lord. This knowledge comes to us by the indwelling Spirit as our teacher, who speaks within us as we endure the situations of life.

Every believer has received the “Anointing” of “HIM.” This “Anointing” is known to us by the sense that is of “the Spirit of CHRIST…IN YOU”; teaching us.

1 John 2:27 But as for you, THE ANOINTING (THE UNCTION) which you RECEIVED FROM HIM abides [permanently] IN YOU; [so] then you have no need that anyone should instruct you. But just as HIS ANOINTING TEACHES YOU concerning everything and is true and is no falsehood, so you must ABIDE IN (LIVE IN, NEVER DEPART FROM) HIM [being rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do].

This second kind of knowledge is neither the innate sense knowledge, nor a mere mental ascent to a truth of Scripture as may be gained by memorization or Bible study and then recorded in the mind. Learned knowledge gained by mental effort would be the Greek word “gnosis,” mere head knowledge.
This second kind of knowledge I speak of here arises out of our personal experience, so we call this “experiential knowing.” This is the kind of knowledge that we gain by an intimate moment with the Lord. It comes out of the intimacy of that moment when we come to know or perceive by His indwelling Spirit.

We know that when the Bible says “Adam knew Eve” (Gen 4:1) it obviously was an intimate moment, which was fruitful and actually produced children. The word “knew” here is the Hebrew “yada,” as the Hebrew equivalent of the New Testament Greek “ginosko,” which speaks of “coming to see or perceive” as an “experiential knowing.” When the word “know” is transliterated from the Greek “ginosko,” it is speaking of this kind of intimate personal experiential knowing. For the believer, this then speaks of a personal revelation of Christ or of our relationship and walk with Him.

We gain this kind of knowledge by revelation from “the Spirit of God” within us. Quite often this is a perception or even as an inner voice that comes to us from Him in our spirit in conjunction with the experience of recognized failure and/or need. It often comes to us on the heels of suffering a situation we cannot fix or control. What we experience for ourselves, personally, is what is most real to us, and this is forever life-changing.

1Cor 2:12 says we have “received… the spirit of God (so) that we might know (ginosko, we might come to know by experience) the things that are freely given to us of God.”

Example: We can only come to know His “grace” that is “freely given to us” by an experience where God brought it to be revealed in us. We always were saved by grace through faith…apart from works, but now…we know it by experiential revelation that is only of “the spirit of God.” This new revelation likely came to light through the instrumentality of us having labored and suffered under “the law” of religion for many years before we came to really see “the grace of God” as it really is. This is that second knowledge, “revelation knowledge” that we come to by the experience of our living and suffering the experiences of life.

Tribulation and trials are the tools our Father uses in our lives for our good. We often gain revelation knowledge by the experience of life’s situations. Would you like to become more patient? Then consider this verse. Romans 5:3-4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: KNOWING THAT TRIBULATION WORKETH PATIENCE 4 And patience, EXPERIENCE; and experience, hope:

The other side of our suffering brings the fruit of His life – a knowledge that permits us to endure, knowing that we will thereby gain the attributes of Christ in our soul. We cannot produce such knowledge, or patience, or experience in and of our self. This is the work of God in our lives, as He orchestrates all the happenings of life…for our eternal good (Rom 8:28). God develops the “fruit of the Spirit” of Christ’s life in us … by allowing us to experience trials, circumstances and situations in which we are tempted to express the exact opposite quality as we would express if we were to live by the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

Christ In You, the Fullness of Hope

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What meaning or purpose is there for anyone as long as they have ‘hope’ in anyone or thing other than Christ? Blessed ARE the poor!

I loved this quote from the OZ man himself (Oswald Chambers).

"We have sinned with our fathers; . . . and have forgotten" - then put a stiletto in the place where you have gone to sleep. "God is not talking to me just now," but He ought to be. Remember Whose you are and Whom you serve. Provoke yourself by recollection, and your affection for God will increase tenfold; your imagination will not be starved any longer, but will be quick and enthusiastic, and your hope will be inexpressibly bright.”

You can read the rest of it here.

It is a major hurdle to embrace, learning to trust the Father when everything within you screams for action when you see a person who is being slowly reduced to nothing. The need is the call, Lord what is the truth in this situation, in this person who ‘appears’ to be so hopeless?
Learning to move, do, say only that which is made know to us by the Father is that which will bear fruit now and through out eternity.

It hurts like hell seeing real suffering all around us and knowing unless He says, sets into motion His directive, the best we can do is carry them in our heart before Him as He brings them to that blessed place of total bankruptcy.

Rich

Our Position on Earth

I find it interesting in following along here with what my friend Art is sharing regarding the 'Mystery of the Gospel' and how it proved to be a catalyst that launched Paul into a prison ministry, by being incarcerated himself for making it known...now what is that all about, why such bent out of shape reactions from folks??
Is this mystery of Christ in us, just an elaborate disguise, a new improved rendition of Dale Carnegie's, 'How to Win Friend's and Influence People'?

Is this mystery and its unveiling alloted to only those as in some religious settings that have reached a 'higher frequency'? Interesting this is!

AMBASSADORS for CHRIST - by Cornelius Stam
Part 2 of 5 - OUR POSITION ON EARTH

Twice in Paul’s letters we find the word ambassador. In II Corinthians 5:20 the apostle tells us whom He represents: “We are ambassadors for Christ,” while in Ephesians 6:19, 20 he gives us the burden of his message: “the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds.”

Paul rejoiced in his position in the heavenlies, in Christ, but he realized that he also held an important position on earth. As Christ had once suffered and died in Paul’s stead, Paul now rejoiced in his commission to stand before the world in Christ’s stead, pleading with men to be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (KJV) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

The world would not have Christ, so Paul, who had once so bitterly persecuted Him, went forth in His stead, with an offer of grace and peace. If Christ was willing to delay the judgment of the nations and remain an exile from the world which was His by right, Paul was more than willing to represent Him here. He counted it all joy to suffer in the flesh and fill up that which remained of the afflictions of Christ. He considered “the fellowship of His sufferings” a great privilege and a great honor (Col. 1:24; Phil. 3:10).

Yes, Paul was in Christ, but Christ was in Paul too, pleading with sinners to be reconciled to God through His merits. And the position that was Paul’s as the ambassador of Christ is our position too.

In fathomless love and mercy our blessed Lord has delayed the judgment of His enemies for more than 1900 years while He still remains an exile. As the world’s rebellion continues He still leaves us, His ambassadors, here to offer terms of peace to all who will accept them. And what terms! “The forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace!” “Peace through the blood of His Cross!”

Still the world blasphemes and despises this wonderful Savior, but He no longer bears the suffering. The time of His sufferings is past. It is given to us, His ambassadors, to fill up that which still remains of His afflictions. Thus the apostle declares: “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Phil. 1:29). And notice what Paul adds to these words: “Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me” (Verse 30).

Rich

Your Door is Ajar

Sharing with a friend today, talking about the ongoing workings of the cross and its applications in our progressive transformation; I see it to be what catapults us as it were through the faith portal.
Man’s ingenuity in devising tools of torture such as the cross Jesus died upon, was designed to put an end to the life of Jesus, but God the Father used it to infuse us with Life that flowed out of its hellish work, talk about using the foolishness of preaching to confound the so called wise.

Yes the door is ajar, it’s been a door previously closed, you know where it talks about the One, (and no, I’m not talking about Neo from the movie The Matrix,) it is written about, ‘I am the one who closes a door no man can open, as well as He that opens a door no man can close.’ As a matter of fact Jesus referred to Himself as being the door we are to pass through, cool.

In this world we are going to experience troubles with a capitol T, and those trouble are meant and designed by God be the tools to exercise their powerful effects in the inner transformation of our barren (womb) soul.
Further in our sharing today with my friend, these thoughts flowed together; in my opinion if pouring out our heart propels us forward, rather than simply being HONEST, (and using our honesty to justify not moving forward) then I see that as real growth.

David was just like us, with sin and Satan in the flesh, yes he was more real-raw than most, but he somehow found-discovered the wherewithal to be propelled into so much more of what the father had for him, maybe this speaks of why God called him a man after his own heart, just a thought!
Am I, are you being catapulted forward, or hiding behind being honest and using it as an excuse to stay a spiritual quadriplegic?

I am sensing the sufferings we are allotted to experience may not come gift wrapped in shinny, or pretty paper, but none the less a treasure in disguise.
Is complaining allowed, sure, its optional, but to resist His grace brings in total paralysis.
I wonder if this comes close to what so many have said before; ‘Either shit, or get off the pot’?
Could it be that God is using these shitty, chaffing and painful irritations to bring forth the needed changes in my heart and mind?

There are things happening in my life work-relationally related, that are hard to put into words, but I know no matter how difficult they are He will not allow me to wallow too long in any of it, he has made and is making Himself more attractive to me than wanting to settle for cheap grace tricks.
Somebody said once, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, well the reality of the finished work of the cross and its applications to our lives isn’t a magic show nor about trickery, plus I ain't no dog.

I really wonder about Love, meaning in a relationship between a man and a woman or vise versa, maybe its much more to do with being in love with our loving feelings, and bring that over into the spiritual realm in our so called relationship with God; are we just in love with our feelings of love?
Maybe that’s a huge part of us being diss-illusioned, cause He just don't seem to want to keep making ME feel good!
Through the caustic applications of His grace the kicker in my opinion of growing in the knowledge of His love is that it transcends our soulish emotional highs and lows, and that in and of itself is a huge thing to process.

Wrapping this up I want to share this from Amy over at

http://firstcomeslove.wordpress.com/ “How Are Ya Ralph”

See, it’s so simple in her illustration, we can acknowledge and be honest, but not get morbid about it, that’s what I am sensing. How amazing is that!

Rich

Misunderstood

I love how God is so wanting to engage us, to draw us unto Himself. The following is but one example of that reality, the Word that became flesh, the man Christ Jesus sharing his heart with a very smart man, but still not able to grasp the meaning of such simple words.

"So don't be so surprised when I tell you that you have to be 'born from above'—out of this world, so to speak. You know well enough how the wind blows this way and that. You hear it rustling through the trees, but you have no idea where it comes from or where it's headed next. That's the way it is with everyone 'born from above' by the wind of God, the Spirit of God."

Nicodemus asked, "What do you mean by this? How does this happen?"

Like the blowing of the wind, His ways are a wonder to behold. For instance, I have sensed his direction in picking up a book I've read many years ago from my library and seeing some wonderful insights as I am in the process of reading it again.

Here is but one example from the book Baffled To Fight Better, by Oswald Chambers;
"Eliphaz claimed to know exactly where Job was, and Bildad claims the same thing. Job was hurt, and these men tried to heal him with platitudes. The place for the comforter is not that of one who preaches, but of the comrade who says nothing, but prays to God about the matter. The biggest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get into contact with God, and the "greater works" will be done by prayer." (John 14:12-13)

Rich

The Cross Portal

There is no doubt that God was going to be fully identified with man, and apart from embracing the totality of suffering, (the Lamb that was slain [in sacrifice] from the foundation of the world. -God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God), it would end up as a stalemate.

Because God is intimately acquainted with suffering, maybe it is in fact through our sufferings we are brought as through a portal into a whole new dimension of living.

Luke 9:28-31 talks about many things, but one of the key things that stands out to me regarding the transfiguration of Jesus was that Moses and Elijah appeared in glory with Jesus and were discussing what was about to be opened up because of his suffering and death on the cross.
I love how it clearly says, Jesus himself speaking, ‘I am the one that closes doors no man can open, as well as open doors that no man can close’.
This in fact was about to happen, there was an exodus about to unfold that totally eclipsed what man saw and experienced as Moses was used in the exodus of leading bond slaves out of bondage toward freedom land.

Since the fall in the garden, a ‘door’ was closed that no man could open until the second man, the last Adam came to open a door that no man could shut, and in my opinion this new reality about to unfold, was a big portion of what Moses and Elijah were discussing with Jesus.
Jesus was about to lead captivity captive!!

As I pondered these thoughts this morning, thinking of how the Father used the cross with all of its shame and suffering to become a portal whereby anyone could pass through it and enter into something far greater than simply going to a ‘promised land’, but in fact becoming one with Him who promised to free those who were born prisoners.
Suddenly I saw that experiencing any suffering in being identified with Him was going to be used in opening up whole new dimensions of understanding of what it means to be loved as His son.

These present but momentary light afflictions are nothing in comparison to what is unfolding in our lives right now as we embrace them. (Suffering in our flesh, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions).

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourself with the same way of thinking (mind), for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.

Rich

What's In It For Me?

The following thoughts are not mine, but do express much of where I am at and have been.

The perennial question of the "separationist" is this - "Why do the righteous suffer?" Many have supposed that the book of Job seeks to answer that question. However, that is not the question that is posed by Job's story. The question asked in that extraordinary tale is not "Why do the righteous suffer?" but "Why do the righteous serve God?"

What was Satan, the father of the independent separated self's cynical answer to that question? - "Does Job fear God for nothing?" [Job 1:10] "He fears you," argued Satan "because you bless him." In other words, he serves you because there is something in it for Job. Remove the blessing and Job will curse you and embrace the self-life. What follows is forty-two agonizing chapters in which he sees the loss of all things. Moreover, Job has to endure the maddening self-righteousness of his "comforters" which finally incites him to demand an audience with God to question His integrity in His dealing with him. The story finally culminates in his coming to union "I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see you and therefore I despise myself." [Job 42:5-6]

Herein lies the key to God's dealings with us. We must draw back from our tendency to see evil and the devil's purposes advancing against us. The Devil is God's devil; he can only accomplish God's purposes [Gen 50:24]. Seeing God in our circumstances requires an ability to see through our circumstances. We must become fixed in the conviction that all things work together for good for those who love God" [Roms 8:28] and see that the apparently negative "all-things" are the tools of the divine trade useful for conforming us into His image and likeness" [Roms 8:29]

These are my thoughts/questions?


It's this very issue the author above is sharing that I have, and continue to find myself in over, and over again. Meaning, has it thus far been most advantageous as far as coming to know Him beyond the lies of the lost as well as what Christians have told me regarding who my heavenly Father is~YES!
But, my life is in the moment a never touching bottom, nor do I for see any ability to touch bottom.

This ties in with what I said in a previous post, I have no desire to listen to anyone with their (my) religious don't worry, be happy platitudes, where they have Never had to trust Him alone.

I could be very wrong on this, but being set free from my self-(reliance)-righteousness as well as those around me as I continue to be put on the grist mill is much in line with what our brother Job must have experienced?

Did Job actually think (very possibly totally unknown to him) there was in fact, something in it for him or me, or any of us who are being trashed in life's unfoldings?

Being exposed, naked, is not my idea of feelings of great exile ration, but if I am to know Him, then let the sharp knife do its work, cause sometimes, ugly is right to the bone.

Rich

May I Have This Dance

The picture I choose for here is of a Aurora Borealis, it succinctly illustrates in my opinion what I see my heavenly Father inviting me into, a dance with Him.

Aurora is a luminous glow of the upper atmosphere which is caused by energetic particles that enter the atmosphere from above.
This definition differentiates aurora from other forms of air glow, and from sky brightness that is due to reflected or scattered sunlight. Air glow features that have "internal" energy sources are more common than aurora, for example lightening and all associated optical emissions like sprites should not be considered aurora.

On Earth, the energetic particles that make aurora come from the geospace environment, the magnetosphere. These energetic particles are mostly electrons, but protons also make aurora. The electrons travel along magnetic field lines. The Earth's magnetic field looks like that of a dipole magnet where the field lines are coming out and going into the Earth near the poles. The auroral electrons are thus guided to the high latitude atmosphere. As they penetrate into the upper atmosphere, the chance of colliding with an atom or molecule increases the deeper they go. Once a collision takes place, the atom or molecule takes some of the energy of the energetic particle and stores it as internal energy while the electron goes on with a reduced speed. The process of storing energy in a molecule or atom is called "exciting" the atom. An excited atom or molecule can return to the non-excited state (ground state) by sending off a photon, i.e. by making light.
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It is a majestic and breath taking dance we're all in, the dance of divine dynamic tensions. For e.g.

There's far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There's also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You're involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.

'Trusting', may be nothing more than a moot point without suffering, ergo the dance, (dynamic tension) the struggle. Apart from the Father making known His total loving acceptance of us, there is no way in hell of looking upon, 'suffering being as much a gift as the trusting'.

I remember many years ago when my wife and I were doing a stint with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) a brother that was there for part of our training shared the following.

Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.

"Consider it a all joy-a sheer gift"!! Our friend went on to say, either this person was loopy or 'he knew something'!

I really don't know how apart from suffering, the reality of "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ" is going to come forth.
This is clearly seen in my opinion in the life of Paul the one who wrote Galatians 2:20...I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and this life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
In all Paul wrote fourteen letters to the believers, and the last seven were written from prison. It was in this setting of dynamic tension he was seeing the beautiful marriage (harmony) of trusting and suffering.

I want to insert a living moment when that occurred in my life were these seemingly diametrically opposed worlds of trusting and suffering hit me like a bad accident.
From the time the Lord apprehended me in 1972, I instinctively knew His call upon my life, trouble was, my perception was terribly polluted, indeed there was a call upon me, not to do, but to be..be His first and for-most!
This head on collision occurred shortly before the end of May 1991, it was only moments away from being euphemistly, 'let go' from all that I had pursued in obtaining my dream of being in the ministry, aka a pastor.

A very long story abbreviated here, while in prayer with my fellow staff members I saw and heard my elder brother Jesus saying to me, 'I now give you permission to enter into the fellowship of my sufferings'.
Less than a week later, the Axe fell. It was in this horrific but unknown to me at the time, scared trust that began a journey into discovering what it meant to be totally lovingly accepted.

This journey is only being intensified right up to the present moments I live in, and it is and has been the gift of suffering that is making it ever more real, 'It is no longer I that lives, but Christ!
I just turned 58 yesterday, and I can join with my brother Paul and say, 'Because of this man (Jesus) I have suffered the loss of all things, but it was in my loss, I freely gained what I could never obtain had not He called me unto Himself.

Rich

Suffering.. by Gene Edwards

When suffering comes your way, there is something you will certainly do: You will ask the Lord, ''Why has this happened?'' And there is something else almost as certain.
You will receive no answer.

If the ''why'' could be removed, dear brother, dear sister, most of the transforming power of the cross would disappear. The ''why'' factor of the cross is perhaps its sharpest, most effective, most deadly aspect. Remove the ''why'' factor of the cross and there really isn't much suffering involved in it. But of this you can be sure: You are fellowshipping in the sufferings of Christ!

If you would complain, remember that long before creation, something awful, even horrible had happened to the Godhead. Before He created eternity, before he created angels, or the heavens, or earth, or anything. . . He had already suffered more than any of us will ever suffer. He knew based on His own personal experience of it before creation! The Godhead accepted the fact that there would be the certainty of suffering in our universe. . . for Himself and for the most precious thing in the universe to Him. . . His wife. He knew, yet He was not turned back by that experiential knowledge. He calculated the enormity of that suffering, beheld the end result, and decided that it was all worth it! If any man questions that decision, that man should pause and remember just what experience of suffering Jesus Christ had in His life upon which He based His decision.

I was slain Before the foundation Of the world.

Taken from The Inward Journey by Gene Edwards