In light of this, in order to have genuine intimacy with God:
We do nothing! Nothing at all!
He who is Holy, Holy, Holy desires beyond anything a relationship with us. We are laid bare before Him, and His grace has covered us! Grace that is sufficient for us.
I am worthy of death, YET, God has accredited me with righteousness, through Christ Jesus. And I am dead to the things of this world, because I am dwelling in Christ, and He is dwelling in me! We who have 'prostituted our selves to the world' Christ jesus has bought back for a price.
For us, Christ Jesus was sentenced to death, by His CHOICE and WILL He did this! He was the price spoken in Hosea. Our sins were not unpunished, it's just that they were punished upon someone else!
We stand before God entirely unworthy, YET, HE IS HOLY.
"Who is like you among the gods, O LORD-glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?"
Exodus 15:11
(NLT)
So as of last night, I greatly desired to do something that would reflect these things that I have learnt, and I couldn't figgure out how this would actually work on earth because my mind was blown. YET the awesome thing is, we do not have to do anything at all. I am very sure that if I'm abiding in Christ, and He is abiding in me then soemthing of me will reflect this whether I can see it or not!
It's kinda like God has set me on fire, but I honeslty have no idea what to do with it!
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"
Galatians 5:25
So I will walk in the Spirit!
When I tried to expalin this to people, the advise I was given was this:
Mary after recieving revelation and she was the moher of Christ! Like angels came to her!!
It is said: "But Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart" Luke 2:19
Thus I will do this!
I do not know what action God will have me part of in the future, but for now I will treasure and ponder! I don't know my gifting or calling or whatever, BUT I do know beyond any doubts where i stand wiht Christ!
And the CRAZY, AWESOME thing is, this has only been a glimpse!
Pace and grace to you in the Lord Jesus Christ!
Saturday, 3 December 2011
Revelation (PART 5)
Thursday night/the next morning these things blew my mind!! Like really!!
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power throguh His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,
and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend together wiht all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, whih surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, accorting to the power that works wihtin us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Amen"
Ephesians 3:14-21
Wow. So we abide in Christ and dwell in Him, but He also dwells in us.
WOW!
"...and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have to Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, you the Spirit is alive because of righeousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies throguh His Spirit who dwells in you."
Romans 8:9-11
"It's no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me"
Galatians.
This shows that the God of the entire universe dwells in us, like is actually in us!!! The Holy Spirit is in us!! Like but actually!! This is so huge!
"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power throguh His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith,
and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend together wiht all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ, whih surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, accorting to the power that works wihtin us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Amen"
Ephesians 3:14-21
Wow. So we abide in Christ and dwell in Him, but He also dwells in us.
WOW!
"...and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have to Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, you the Spirit is alive because of righeousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies throguh His Spirit who dwells in you."
Romans 8:9-11
"It's no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me"
Galatians.
This shows that the God of the entire universe dwells in us, like is actually in us!!! The Holy Spirit is in us!! Like but actually!! This is so huge!
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Revelation (PART 4)
Yesterday for me was a time when Satan decided to throw everything against me in spiritual attack. Voices were throwing lies around inside my head and just continually were pointing out every fault I have and were very nasty about it!
Lies such as "you are worthless", "you are very unattractive in both your personality and looks", "people see you as a child and not someone to espect/want to get to know", "you are not loved by people", and all these things i've struggled with and have battled in my mind lately.
I combated it with verses and promises that went against what they were saying, but it still left me very shaken.
This morning I woke up to what i thoguht was my aunt calling me to wake up, however found that she was still asleep, and figgured it was God wanting quiet time with me. So I sat down and began to read.
I was completely overwhelmed by the magnitude of my sins at this time as I sat down (as most of last night). A nast habit of chronic lying I have, how enormous my pride is, the way I am very me focused, how I do not love others the way I ought to.
I began reading Psalm 51
"Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love,
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my trasgressions
and my sin is alway before me.
Against you and you only, have I sinned
and done evil in your sight,
so that you are prved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother concieved me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts,
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me joy in my salvation
and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
"But becauseof his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive wiht Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" ~Ephesians 2:4,5
"This righteousness from God comes throguh faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference [between Jews or Gentiles] for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace throguh the redemption that came by Jesus Christ" Romans 3:22-24
***Just all of Romans 4,5, and 6!!! Mostly 5. Please get out your bible and read it!!
"Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where O death is your victory?
Where o death is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through out Lord jesus Christ.
Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that you labour in the Lord is not in vain"
~1 Corinthians 15:54-56 (Just read all of 1 Corinthians 15...It's AMAZING!)
Thus, THANKS BE TO OUR LORD JESUS!
Then I read Hosea.
You should too, Partiularly chapters 1-3.
Hosea 2:14-23 blew my mind, i'll just type out verses 19,20 and the end part of 23 here.
vs 19,20: "Iwill betroth you to me forever,
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will aknowledge me the LORD"
vs 23 "I will say to those called 'not my people', You are my people' and they will say, 'You are my God'
Now read Romans 5:9-11 firstly comparing them to Hosea 19,20.
And read Revelations chapters 21 and 22
Then Romans 9:25, and just all that chapter, then just all of Romans!!
What Hosea is talking about is Israel having a 'spirit of prostitution' turning from God (paralleling to the story of Hosea and Gomar), this paralleling to gentiles (aka US) as talked about in Romans by Paul!
And the aweome thing is, God has brought us back at a price (death) while we were prostituting ourselves to sins and things of this world, thus we can abide in Him and LIVE!
He has brought us at a price!
THIS IS AMAZING!
WOW!
AMEN.
God, THANKYOU!!
Lies such as "you are worthless", "you are very unattractive in both your personality and looks", "people see you as a child and not someone to espect/want to get to know", "you are not loved by people", and all these things i've struggled with and have battled in my mind lately.
I combated it with verses and promises that went against what they were saying, but it still left me very shaken.
This morning I woke up to what i thoguht was my aunt calling me to wake up, however found that she was still asleep, and figgured it was God wanting quiet time with me. So I sat down and began to read.
I was completely overwhelmed by the magnitude of my sins at this time as I sat down (as most of last night). A nast habit of chronic lying I have, how enormous my pride is, the way I am very me focused, how I do not love others the way I ought to.
I began reading Psalm 51
"Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love,
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my trasgressions
and my sin is alway before me.
Against you and you only, have I sinned
and done evil in your sight,
so that you are prved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother concieved me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts,
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
Create in me a clean heart, O God
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me joy in my salvation
and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
"But becauseof his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive wiht Christ even when we were dead in transgressions" ~Ephesians 2:4,5
"This righteousness from God comes throguh faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference [between Jews or Gentiles] for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace throguh the redemption that came by Jesus Christ" Romans 3:22-24
***Just all of Romans 4,5, and 6!!! Mostly 5. Please get out your bible and read it!!
"Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where O death is your victory?
Where o death is your sting?
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through out Lord jesus Christ.
Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord because you know that you labour in the Lord is not in vain"
~1 Corinthians 15:54-56 (Just read all of 1 Corinthians 15...It's AMAZING!)
Thus, THANKS BE TO OUR LORD JESUS!
Then I read Hosea.
You should too, Partiularly chapters 1-3.
Hosea 2:14-23 blew my mind, i'll just type out verses 19,20 and the end part of 23 here.
vs 19,20: "Iwill betroth you to me forever,
I will betroth you in righteousness and justice,
in love and compassion.
I will betroth you in faithfulness,
and you will aknowledge me the LORD"
vs 23 "I will say to those called 'not my people', You are my people' and they will say, 'You are my God'
Now read Romans 5:9-11 firstly comparing them to Hosea 19,20.
And read Revelations chapters 21 and 22
Then Romans 9:25, and just all that chapter, then just all of Romans!!
What Hosea is talking about is Israel having a 'spirit of prostitution' turning from God (paralleling to the story of Hosea and Gomar), this paralleling to gentiles (aka US) as talked about in Romans by Paul!
And the aweome thing is, God has brought us back at a price (death) while we were prostituting ourselves to sins and things of this world, thus we can abide in Him and LIVE!
He has brought us at a price!
THIS IS AMAZING!
WOW!
AMEN.
God, THANKYOU!!
Revelation (PART 3)
And then part three of this revelation occured Sunday at church, when my eyes were opened to the way that we can circumcise our hearts and remove things that are between us and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Repentance.
Such a big topic! and such a big thing!
The sermon was based up the passage John 8:1-11.
Some verses that were brought up were as follows:
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
"He who conceals his sins does not prospr, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy"
This lead me to questioning myself in the way: am I covering my sin?? And I found my self answering yes!
It's so easy to do this too, just not to tell anyone as it's embarrassing and one feels like they will loose their reputation (or what ever reputation one has), or that people will turn away form them IF they uncover their sin! and just allow themselves to become vunerable before other fellow human beings. Also before God.
Well that's the way I felt! and it's a lie straight from Satan.
Another point that stood out for me was the fact that we seem to trivialise sin! like water it down and get used to it so that it doesn't seem so ugly in our heads as it ought to be.
But anyway!!
John 8:11, Jesus comands the woman to "go and sin no more"
This does not mean go and stop sinning eventually, or go and keep sinning because it's impossible to stop, but litterally as it's said: go and stop sinning.
How we can do this is in the scriptures!
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves to God, then you will resist the devil"
Joshua 1:8 "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from mouth; mediate on it day and night, so then you can be careful to do everything that is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful"
Let our sins horrify us!
Big stuff!
Repentance.
Such a big topic! and such a big thing!
The sermon was based up the passage John 8:1-11.
Some verses that were brought up were as follows:
Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
"He who conceals his sins does not prospr, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy"
This lead me to questioning myself in the way: am I covering my sin?? And I found my self answering yes!
It's so easy to do this too, just not to tell anyone as it's embarrassing and one feels like they will loose their reputation (or what ever reputation one has), or that people will turn away form them IF they uncover their sin! and just allow themselves to become vunerable before other fellow human beings. Also before God.
Well that's the way I felt! and it's a lie straight from Satan.
Another point that stood out for me was the fact that we seem to trivialise sin! like water it down and get used to it so that it doesn't seem so ugly in our heads as it ought to be.
But anyway!!
John 8:11, Jesus comands the woman to "go and sin no more"
This does not mean go and stop sinning eventually, or go and keep sinning because it's impossible to stop, but litterally as it's said: go and stop sinning.
How we can do this is in the scriptures!
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves to God, then you will resist the devil"
Joshua 1:8 "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from mouth; mediate on it day and night, so then you can be careful to do everything that is written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful"
Let our sins horrify us!
Big stuff!
Revelation (PART 2)
So then last Thursday at young adults I realised that all this head knowledge required ACTION, and the point that stood out for me is that: God cannot bless something you do not do!
Thus moving back to Australia iss something the world would say I shouldn't do, but I know in the action of actively loving and being obedient to both my earthly and heavenly father, i'm putting into action the 'death' of my desire and following God.
Which is really big!
Thus moving back to Australia iss something the world would say I shouldn't do, but I know in the action of actively loving and being obedient to both my earthly and heavenly father, i'm putting into action the 'death' of my desire and following God.
Which is really big!
Revelation (PART 1)
It all started with me reading Psalm 91, then asking God what it meant to 'Abide in Him' as I had no idea what this meant! And then me writing a email to a awesome friend, who asked me what I meant by 'being broken'.
I think what I deem as me being broken is what God considers 'death to one's self'. This concept is not so often talked about!
Romans 5, 6 and 7 (6:11 sums it up, BUT the rest of the chapters explains)
*this means LOOK IT UP NOW!!!)*
you may continue reading once you've read that...
So it's in the context of LIFE -Chapter 5 is talking about Peace and Joy-life what comes from God, then chapter 6 talks about how we attain this life (through death) then chapter 7 talks about life.
Romans 6:11 "In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus"
The point is, in order for ourselves to be alive, we need to be dead to sin.
CIRCUMCISION
Physical circumcision was sign of the covenant between Abraham and God, however, in many places in the Old Testament God mentions, and prophets introduce the idea of circumcising ones heart.
Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff necked.
Jeremiah 4:1-4
“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,
“Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory.”
For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD
And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
So to explain this further a little, look up Deuteronomy 30, yes the whole chapter :)
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. 17 But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Once you've read it, re-read verses 19 and 20. "For the LORD is your life"
Now verse 6: "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your hearts and all your soul, and live" (NIV)
In this passage it talks about the decision of life, and when God circumcises our hearts we can love God and thus live.
Don't worry this doesn't need to make sense yet!!
Now the fact that a Christian does not need to by physically circumcised is brought up a lot with Paul writing letters to churches of gentiles (who must have been asking about it I guess)
Read 1 Corinthians 7:19, and Galatians 5:6.
Romans 2:29 in the new covenant mentions the concept of circumcising ones heart.
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men but of God.”
So the way I picture it, is God as a surgeon, with a scalpel, performing heart surgery on us. It always always hurts when God cuts stuff out of us, but it needs to be done for us to live!! But this cutting away of ourselves is what God desires so strongly in us. Like cutting away the foreskin of the male, is likened to cutting away the sinful parts of our heart, and this transformation is a sign to all who see that we are Christians! Or “inward Jews” as Paul puts it!
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”
Now read Colossians 1:9 until 3 (This is MASSIVE!!!!! The part that blew me away) – GET OUT YOUR BIBLE AND READ THE WHOLE THING!!
Colossians 2:6-23 NASB
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. “
So the world says: be strong, be perfect, don't do anything that will hurt you. Christianity is kind of like that there days too, it's all great god moments and all great fun until it requires something of you that's painful. Doesn’t vs 23 sadly sound like so many churches?? Boy that must break Gods heart!
God says, Jesus’ physical death is not only something he did, but something spiritually you need to do. Die, give up! Let God kill you!
This passage connects the circumcising of your heart, to the death we need to die to sin, all this in order for us to have life!!
THIS IS MASSIVELY HUGE!!!
Read Romans 6:1-14 again.
And also Galatians 2:19, 20.
Make sure you do it!!!
Then read Colossians 2:11-15
So, change of way to think about it.
I recently have thought of it this way. So there is us as a square, and God as a square. Inbetween us is a whole heap of layers. And these layers are sin and lies we believe in our heads, things we might worship before God.
So pride is a huge thing that separates us from God, also perhaps lies we consciously or subconsciously believe about God and how we perceive God to be (ummm so for me it was my view of a father is terrible based on my relationship with my earthly Dad and so that needed to be changed), also my need to be strong. Also a big one of mine is my need to control my future.
Anyway so when God smashes through these things, it hurts us and is a big thing all the time.
This is a super basic picture but I hope you get the point!
ANYWAY so it all comes down to vulnerability, and us being laid bare before God. And this is something that is not at all easy, I mean, genuineness is something that is so hard to get!
Hebrews 4:12-14
As David prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24.
The entire Psalm speaks of huge intimacy with God. From the start to the end. You should read the psalm now!!
And the thing is we as humans really hate to be laid bare and to be weak before God! It’s a huge lie and it’s so messed up, Satan with all his might wants us to cover up ourselves from God. Like in the garden of Eden, the first thing that man did when they ate the fruit was sew clothes!! Something to think about anyway.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
I looked this up with a few different translations:
The Message: Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become
2 Corinthians 12:1-10, read it in NIV or NASB (which ever you have) and this pretty much expains it! (you NEED to read this! I put that in bold so you wouldn't miss it)
2 Corinthians 12: 7-10
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
God is saying to you:
"It is good for you to always be weak, and good for me to be strong. Find me and me alone to be your strength, for my power is perfected weakness"
Thus God breaks us! He breaks stuff off of us that keep us from being strong in Christ (and weak in ourselves). Because when we're strong in ourselves then we are not relying on God, nor trusting Him, nor living in Him!
So he breaks us!
Read Psalm 91. It talks about the man who dwells in God, the man who dwells in God must be a man broken of himslef and His will, but ALIVE in Christ!!!!
Psalm 91 NASB
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”
THIS IS SO MASSIVE AND AMAZING!!!! AND SERIOUSLY!!!
This is genuine for real LIFE!!!
Anyway, I hope this explains it a little!! It's And it's in essence what i've learnt this year. What it means to have genuine relationship with God, what it means to have a heart that's completely Gods. And man, being broken has taught me LOVE!!
Read Deuteronomy 30 once more. Circumcision/when we are weak/when we die to our selves, is when we can abide in Christ! Truly love him, truly live IN him. And then we have LIFE!!!!
I think what I deem as me being broken is what God considers 'death to one's self'. This concept is not so often talked about!
Romans 5, 6 and 7 (6:11 sums it up, BUT the rest of the chapters explains)
*this means LOOK IT UP NOW!!!)*
you may continue reading once you've read that...
So it's in the context of LIFE -Chapter 5 is talking about Peace and Joy-life what comes from God, then chapter 6 talks about how we attain this life (through death) then chapter 7 talks about life.
Romans 6:11 "In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus"
The point is, in order for ourselves to be alive, we need to be dead to sin.
CIRCUMCISION
A bit of history to begin with...
Genesis 17:1-10
Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Walk before Me, and be blameless. “I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
“As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
“No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
“No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.
I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants. A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.” Physical circumcision was sign of the covenant between Abraham and God, however, in many places in the Old Testament God mentions, and prophets introduce the idea of circumcising ones heart.
Deuteronomy 10:16 “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff necked.
Jeremiah 4:1-4
“If you will return, O Israel,” declares the LORD,
“Then you should return to Me.
And if you will put away your detested things from My presence,
And will not waver,
And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’
In truth, in justice and in righteousness;
Then the nations will bless themselves in Him,
And in Him they will glory.”
For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem,
“Break up your fallow ground,
And do not sow among thorns.
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD
And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem,
Or else My wrath will go forth like fire
And burn with none to quench it,
Because of the evil of your deeds.”
So to explain this further a little, look up Deuteronomy 30, yes the whole chapter :)
Deut 30 NASB
“So it shall be when all of these things have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you, and you return to the LORD your God and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you today, you and your sons, then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.
“Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. The LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. Then the LORD your God will prosper you abundantly in all the work of your hand, in the offspring of your body and in the offspring of your cattle and in the produce of your ground, for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, just as He rejoiced over your fathers; if you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and soul.
“For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
Once you've read it, re-read verses 19 and 20. "For the LORD is your life"
Now verse 6: "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your hearts and all your soul, and live" (NIV)
In this passage it talks about the decision of life, and when God circumcises our hearts we can love God and thus live.
Don't worry this doesn't need to make sense yet!!
Now the fact that a Christian does not need to by physically circumcised is brought up a lot with Paul writing letters to churches of gentiles (who must have been asking about it I guess)
Read 1 Corinthians 7:19, and Galatians 5:6.
Romans 2:29 in the new covenant mentions the concept of circumcising ones heart.
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men but of God.”
So the way I picture it, is God as a surgeon, with a scalpel, performing heart surgery on us. It always always hurts when God cuts stuff out of us, but it needs to be done for us to live!! But this cutting away of ourselves is what God desires so strongly in us. Like cutting away the foreskin of the male, is likened to cutting away the sinful parts of our heart, and this transformation is a sign to all who see that we are Christians! Or “inward Jews” as Paul puts it!
“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind...”
Now read Colossians 1:9 until 3 (This is MASSIVE!!!!! The part that blew me away) – GET OUT YOUR BIBLE AND READ THE WHOLE THING!!
Colossians 2:6-23 NASB
“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority; and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ; having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having cancelled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.
Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God.
If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. “
So the world says: be strong, be perfect, don't do anything that will hurt you. Christianity is kind of like that there days too, it's all great god moments and all great fun until it requires something of you that's painful. Doesn’t vs 23 sadly sound like so many churches?? Boy that must break Gods heart!
God says, Jesus’ physical death is not only something he did, but something spiritually you need to do. Die, give up! Let God kill you!
This passage connects the circumcising of your heart, to the death we need to die to sin, all this in order for us to have life!!
THIS IS MASSIVELY HUGE!!!
Read Romans 6:1-14 again.
And also Galatians 2:19, 20.
Make sure you do it!!!
Then read Colossians 2:11-15
So, change of way to think about it.
I recently have thought of it this way. So there is us as a square, and God as a square. Inbetween us is a whole heap of layers. And these layers are sin and lies we believe in our heads, things we might worship before God.
So pride is a huge thing that separates us from God, also perhaps lies we consciously or subconsciously believe about God and how we perceive God to be (ummm so for me it was my view of a father is terrible based on my relationship with my earthly Dad and so that needed to be changed), also my need to be strong. Also a big one of mine is my need to control my future.
Anyway so when God smashes through these things, it hurts us and is a big thing all the time.
| ME | How I view myself | My view of fathers | My need to control my future | Trust issues | Ego | How I view God | GOD |
This is a super basic picture but I hope you get the point!
ANYWAY so it all comes down to vulnerability, and us being laid bare before God. And this is something that is not at all easy, I mean, genuineness is something that is so hard to get!
Hebrews 4:12-14
As David prayed: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24.
The entire Psalm speaks of huge intimacy with God. From the start to the end. You should read the psalm now!!
And the thing is we as humans really hate to be laid bare and to be weak before God! It’s a huge lie and it’s so messed up, Satan with all his might wants us to cover up ourselves from God. Like in the garden of Eden, the first thing that man did when they ate the fruit was sew clothes!! Something to think about anyway.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
I looked this up with a few different translations:
The Message: Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become
2 Corinthians 12:1-10, read it in NIV or NASB (which ever you have) and this pretty much expains it! (you NEED to read this! I put that in bold so you wouldn't miss it)
2 Corinthians 12: 7-10
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
God is saying to you:
"It is good for you to always be weak, and good for me to be strong. Find me and me alone to be your strength, for my power is perfected weakness"
Thus God breaks us! He breaks stuff off of us that keep us from being strong in Christ (and weak in ourselves). Because when we're strong in ourselves then we are not relying on God, nor trusting Him, nor living in Him!
So he breaks us!
Read Psalm 91. It talks about the man who dwells in God, the man who dwells in God must be a man broken of himslef and His will, but ALIVE in Christ!!!!
Psalm 91 NASB
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
And under His wings you may seek refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.
You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;
Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes
And see the recompense of the wicked.
For you have made the LORD, my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you,
To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands,
That you do not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you will trample down.
“Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him;
I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name.
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And let him see My salvation.”
THIS IS SO MASSIVE AND AMAZING!!!! AND SERIOUSLY!!!
This is genuine for real LIFE!!!
Anyway, I hope this explains it a little!! It's And it's in essence what i've learnt this year. What it means to have genuine relationship with God, what it means to have a heart that's completely Gods. And man, being broken has taught me LOVE!!
Read Deuteronomy 30 once more. Circumcision/when we are weak/when we die to our selves, is when we can abide in Christ! Truly love him, truly live IN him. And then we have LIFE!!!!
THIS IS SO CRAZY HUGE AND AMAZING!
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. God circumcise my heart, break me, God I offer you me, lay my insides bare before you, make my heart completely YOURS.
AMEN!
BUT the awesome thing is God already loves us more then we can imagine! And not even us can separate us from Him and his love for us!
Romans 8:38-39
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 John 4:9-10 ”This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
AMEN!
Please ask me any questions!! This is from my head and thus may not make any sense!
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