Category: SpiritFilledLiving

Mountains Really Can Be Moved

You believe. You do the works to the best of your human ability, and when your little efforts start a little dirt to move, then I will start an earthquake to help you move that mountain.

Meditation Thought: “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:21-22)

“‘If you have faith and never doubt:’ how do you have that much faith, that much confidence in what you ask? You have that much faith and confidence when you know your request is within My will.

The first step is to determine My will: pray, think, seek inner guidance – be alert in your spirit, your mind, your emotions, your physical condition, to circumstances: observe, inside and outside of yourself.

Study the life of Jesus. Whatever He said and whatever He did became a witness to Me in some way. The fig tree incident was proof of our relationship: of the power which I released through Him to make decisions and then to have circumstances confirm the decisions as wise, as helpful, as a means of teaching further revelation of truth.

This is the pattern I desire for all of My children: to seek to know Me so intimately that you can know My way of thinking and acting and can learn to think and to act in similar manner.

Many more incidents involving spoken desires would result in confirming action if My children would first seek to know me intimately and then think and act.

I give you great leeway in the way you live your life: I desire you to express yourself uniquely, according to your talents – and according to your tastes. Your desire to be surrounded by beauty is not evil: it is consistent with your Father’s taste also. The crux of the matter is to put it in perspective. The fig tree incident was a minor ‘miracle’ in the life of Jesus – a passing ‘flash in the pan’ show of power compared to His miracles which totally changed men’s hearts and brought them to know Me and seek My will. Nevertheless it was a witness to My power and to the love I have for My own – for I care about you enough to allow you to seek to express our relationship in manners of your own choosing.

Nothing is too small to be a witness to My power, My love and My attempts at bringing My beloved family into intimacy with me and with one another.

Have confidence in your own intelligence to make choices. Have confidence in our relationship that these choices will be life-enhancing and therefore I seek to demonstrate My power through them, that you and others may be moved from your lethargy and seek new life in Christ with an enthusiasm that will make His life what it was intended to be: the releasing of My expression into the world in an explosion of love and truth that shatters the complacency and ignorance and selfishness which had taken a hold of My beloved, and to build instead a mantle of praise, a contrite heart -and an abiding and enduring faith in Me such as Jesus had demonstrated while He was in the flesh.

Do not fear; I am love. I made you to love, and I desire you to express your love for Me. What better way can you do this then to rejoice in My care, trust My tolerance of your imperfections and misconceptions, and to do creative thinking and creative acting?

Stop fretting. Stop doubting. MOVE MOUNTAINS:

Not just because you can – but because I need the moved in order to reconcile the world to Me and convert it into the kingdom.

Do not be concerned that you may err – I can guide you into corrections that will produce better results than if the errors did not occur.

You believe. You do the works to the best of your human ability, and when your little efforts start a little dirt to move, then I will start an earthquake to help you move that mountain.”

Harmony is Created

There are many similarities among us, and even what appear to be differences are frequently various outward expressions of the same inner thought or feelings.

Meditation Thought: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 15:5-6)

When anyone lives in accord with Jesus Christ he is living in accord with others – for Jesus promotes accord with one another. As all seek to know the Father and to glorify Him, all come to realize the close bond that all of God’s creatures have with one another. There are many similarities among us, and even what appear to be differences are frequently various outward expressions of the same inner thought or feelings.

When we desire more than anything to know God and to love Him and to heed His suggestions, then we become so in tune with one another that we edify one another – realizing that this is the way to bring peace to our hearts. We lose our selfishness as we become more and more aware of the joy of glorifying the Father. Once we are free of selfishness God can use us for mighty works of ministry to one another through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Understand the Cause: Mitigate the Effect

To know not only an effect, but its cause, is to be able to think and act far more appropriately.

Meditation Thought: “For man believes with his heart and is so justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.'” (Romans 10:10-11)

We must deal with our inner thoughts and feelings in order to be saved – but we must also express ourselves using our physical body, revealing to others our decision. This is necessary for two purposes: It cements our compact with God as we are positive enough to confess to another, and it is also the opportunity for those who hear us to become saved also.

All of life is really a process involving two areas: the invisible facets and the visible, physical facets. We shall be better off knowing as much as we can about both – and God needs only our willingness to learn to teach us about both realms. The invisible precedes the visible – and the wise person will understand the connection, for to know not only an effect, but its cause, is to be able to think and act far more appropriately.

It is in our searching for God and attempting to understand who He is and who we are, and what He is doing that we become wiser in the knowledge of causes, as well as becoming more expert in either initiating causes, or in minimizing bad effects by understanding causes and thus taking appropriate action concerning them.

If we simply deal with the physical world after a cause has produced an effect, we are going to be victimized a great deal – unnecessarily. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, but in order to prevent the undesired effect we must understand how to prevent the cause – and that understanding will come only when we are willing to use our invisible faculties – our mind and our spirit – to determine the truth of the situation.

Rich in God

This will bring Him more pleasure than anything else: my grateful heart, and responding love, are all that He is seeking.

Meditation Thought; “And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:19-21)

You are to be rich in God. The Bible refers constantly to King and Kingdom. God is wealthy, is in authority, is all that an earthly king is, and infinitely more, has all the earthly king has, and infinitely more. I am His child, and thus am an heiress to the kingdom. It is fine for me to recognize this and to rejoice in this. What I must not do is to believe that I am worthy to be in this position because of my own doing. I am in this position because of God’s doing. I need to be grateful – and to live out this life that has been given to me in the way most responsible and pleasing to my Father – and to be glad to do so, to enjoy doing so. This will bring Him more pleasure than anything else: my grateful heart, and responding love, are all that He is seeking. He isn’t trying to beat and badger and coerce me into being a child that resembles Himself – He’s trying to love and encourage and empower me into that child! When I realize this fact, then I am released from the prison of my own making. If God – who is so great – is satisfied with me as I am in Christ – even though I’m not perfect as the Father is perfect – why should I be so critical of myself?

Yes, Christ in the flesh did understand the Father completely and did obey perfectly. And I have not. But that does not mean that I cannot – for my will yielded to Christ who lives in me through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit does understand the will of the Father, and my personality yielded to Christ in the form of the Holy Spirit does obey perfectly.

The key to having my heart be with the treasure of the kingdom is unwavering faith that prompts me to search in every possible way for the knowledge that the Father seeks to give me.

A Chain of Events

Our hope lies in Christ, who makes possible our claiming of our rightful inheritance.

Meditation Thought: “[when] we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17)

Christ suffered, not because He obeyed God – but because other men would not obey God. To obey God may, for a short time, bring suffering because not all do obey God. But none can defy God and defeat Him – therefore, our position as being obedient will lead to a place of glory from the the place of suffering. And the disobedient shall see the errors of their thinking and actions, and shall be encouraged to repent, thus paving the way for renewal. Any one of us can be at any of these places, at any time – depending upon our understanding of God’s will and our degree of obedience to God’s will.

Our hope lies in Christ, who makes possible our claiming of our rightful inheritance, when we had thrown it away by our sin. He made arrangements with the Father – more accurately, He obeyed the Father’s request – to make our action of refusing our inheritance disappear – it simply was no longer a valid transaction. In accepting Christ’s contract made for us with the Father, we arrange to receive our inheritance. He has done for us what we were unable to do for ourselves. It has the effect of erasing our dishonorable actions as completely as if they were a dream and not reality.

We have been saved from what we feared would be our fate as we realized the magnitude of our rebellion and disobedience. Coming to know how powerful our Father is, we finally realize that it is best to obey Him – not out of fear for His wrath but out of the recognition that His requests to us have been in our own best interests. It has only been our inferior intellects, our lack of faith in His love, and our insistence on being the sole dictator of our life that has kept us from understanding the Father desires us to receive His inheritance. But He cannot will it to us unless we are going to be responsible in administering it. He must know that we will use it as He Himself would use it before He dares let us have it. And the way He knows we will administer it according to His principles is to know that we have His character reflected in our character. The only way we are able to do this is to be obedient to His teachings: the only way we can be obedient is to have Christ living in us through our faith – through our yielding the scepter of our ego to Christ that He may be the guiding force within us. When we do this, we share His fate – His leading us in obedience do the Father’s will does result in our suffering from those who are not under His leadership. But His leadership also results in miracles of healing, of renewing, of creating, of beauty, of love, of power – all bringing such glory to the Father, that He shares His glory with the Son, and the Son shares it with us.

We cannot know where Christ will lead us. But we can trust that every path leads to glory: to peace, to joy, to fulfillment, on faith through the ministrations of the Spirit, and in the kingdom through the reality of our spirit being at one with His Spirit.

Seeking Power

All of us are intrigued by power, desire power, and are awed b power. Why? Because it is through power that control is manifested.

Meditation Thought: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes… For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.'” (Romans 1:16-17)

“The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” The Power of God. All of us are intrigued by power, desire power, and are awed b power. Why? Because it is through power that control is manifested.

Mankind constantly seeks power in one form or another – often through physical means, sometimes through mental acuity, coercion, use of money or influence or appeal to another’s interest or sensitivity.

But there is one power above all other powers: God’s Power. For those who believe that Jesus came to reveal the means of releasing God’s power in fullness is one’s life, it is possible to be in contact with this Power above all powers. We may not understand it very well, nor be receivers and conveyors of the power as fully as God or we would like – but even a tiny bit of power from such a “high voltage” source is enough to:
– change lives completely
– heal
– work good in all circumstances
– enable one to forgive
– give strength and courage
– impart wisdom and knowledge
– enable one to be righteous
– and to know and express love in all its varied forms.
The self is diminished and God is expressed whenever “the righteousness of God is revealed through faith.”

Faith is developed through:
– experimentation,
– investigation
– observation
– trial and error.

Many miss out on the power of God because they cannot really believe such implausible vehicles as the gospel, or the Word, or such nebulous things a trying to understand God through thought transference can really release the power of God. Thus they never seek – and then cannot find.

Only through enough faith, or even curiosity, to, however tentatively, begin experimenting, investigating, observing, and trying is it possible to find the power of God for salvation.

Unfathomable Power

For a mind to be the mind of Christ, it must cease being the mind of the person.

Meditation Thought: “And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)

” ‘Your faith has made you well.’ There is unfathomable power in faith – but, as all else in life, for the power to be released, certain action must take place. In faith – released power, the action takes place mostly in the mind at the prompting of the longings of the heart. Often the body will be involved also, but it is the mind which is essential. The mind determines the emotions and the physical actions. This is why ‘have this mind [the mind of Christ] in you’ is the key to undreamed of power. This mind of Christ is the mind of God: it is the understanding of My will, it is the comprehension of My methods, and it is the conforming of the mind to My thought processes.

For a mind to be the mind of Christ, it must cease being the mind of the person. The mind of the person is limited by ideas implemented by humans (and thus much error occurs). It is limited by perceptions based on the physical senses. Although creative, the ability is limited in comparison to the creativity of the kind that formed the universe and sustained it. And that is the kind of creativity that takes place in one who has the mind of Christ. That is the kind of power that causes a terrible death to bring forth a glorious resurrection. It is the kind of power that brings instant healing.

The woman who touched Christ’s garment and was healed had perceived that Christ had the power to heal her – and she had the courage to touch that power to release it through her faith.

It is one thing to believe that there is power, and quite another to actually release the power. Jesus became an expert power-releaser. The record of how He did it is available; He spent His life in trying to teach others how to do it. He desires all who believe in Him as Savior to learn it. I sent Him for that purpose – to teach My beloved how to release the power of the Spirit, for it is the Spirit that is the most important inheritance that My children receive from Me. It is the Spirit that shapes character to reflect My character; it is the Spirit that enables the children to act as their Father; it is the Spirit that responds when faith is present.

Your faith shall make you well, and you shall go in peace, if you believe, and act upon that belief!

The power is real only for those who believe it exists – and seek to release it.”

Easy Companionship

Every day, no matter what activities take place, can be a day of joy and gladness as we move through it together.

Meditation Thought: ““Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2)

“What more do you need – than strength, joy and to be rescued from all harm?

Allow Me to use your mind (through your knowledge of My Word and of My will through your prayers), your emotions (through your concentration upon the joys of life in Christ), your spirit (through your will yielded to Mine) and your body (through kind words and deeds).

It is in the happy, easy movement possible when you are glad to be My child and especially glad to be My obedient child, that I become your strength, your song and your salvation.

Every day, no matter what activities take place, can be a day of joy and gladness as we move through it together. When you are with a loved one, doing things together, even things which done alone might be unpleasant, joy and companionship and a sense of accomplishment are possible. Concentrate on this thought, that your moments may be pleasant.

Your attitude is far more important than any other factor in bringing you peace and joy, for your choice is to be glad of our companionship, glad of opportunities to learn – of Me, of life, of truth, of who you are as My beloved and competent child, or to wallow in self-pity because whatever activities are necessary are not your desire at the moment.

It is the fact that I am your strength and your salvation, when your will is yielded to mine and your trust is in Me, that produces the song of joy in your heart. Be one in Spirit with Me, and I will give you peace.”

Look!

You will then be so totally comprehending of my vast love for you that your fears and doubts and inadequacies will disappear, replaced by renewing love, unbridled hope, confidence of who you are as my beloved child.

Meditation Thought: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Look to him, and be radiant. (Psalm 34:4-5)

“Look to Me – and not your fears. Your fears do not love you, cherish you, protect you, empower you, fulfill the desires of your heart, work good in all circumstances. Fears are destructive – they would bind you, keep your talents and your energies ineffective, perhaps even hidden. I bring to you life as I intended it to be for you – if you choose to look to me – for instruction, for inspiration, for knowledge, for truth, for unlimited and uncondemning love. Do not fear – whatever you encounter, I am in it with you, and when you look to Me, you realize I am with you. No power in heaven or on earth can harm you when I am with you: with you, not only in Presence, but in power, in effectiveness, in wisdom and in the renewing process.

If you have faith – if you believe I am your sustenance and stronghold, and no power can prevail against Me as I seek to work good for you – then so shall good be the fruit, the delight, of your life.

Look to Me: I am all that is good, lovely, peaceful, joyful and fruitful. When you observe Me, you are then able to come to be more like Me. This is what Jesus did – and what the Holy Spirit (Jesus’ presence and My presence within you) does when you choose to believe that not only is this possible and desirable, but it is the very purpose for which you were born. I created you in love – to love. Recognize yourself as My beloved. It will transform you, as it has transformed so many. When you comprehend that I love you and desire good for you in the same manner – but to even greater degree – that you love and desire good for your children – then you have joy, peace, fulfillment and understanding. This is the key to the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Abraham, the devotion of Moses, the obedience of Jesus, the transformation of Paul and the disciples. This is the source that actually is the creating of the new creature in Christ.

The more you look to me, the more radiant you will be, for you will then be so totally comprehending of my vast love for you that your fears and doubts and inadequacies will disappear, replaced by renewing love, unbridled hope, confidence of who you are as my beloved child.

For this purpose Jesus lived in the flesh – that looking to Me would cause you to be radiant – that looking to Me would transform you from only awareness of self to awareness of Me and My relationship to that beloved self.

You are not merely a human, struggling to survive or even doing things that you believe will make you happy. Thus you are not limited to life similar to that of the animals or that of ignorant mankind. When you look to Me, you know that you are far more than animal and ignorant human: you are spirit, and your spirit is filled with My Spirit as you look to Me. It is My Spirit within one’s spirit that is so transforming that thoughts and actions are a dimension so much greater than normal that even casual observers are forced to realize that there is something powerful and productive and unique within the container of the personality before them.

Those whom the world calls “saints” are set apart by this act of looking to Me, and in realizing the magnificence and the magnitude of My love, they become radiant. They reflect My love to the world – and thus the world is converted to the Kingdom, for the Kingdom is where My love is the prevailing force, the standard of behavior, and the law above all laws.”

On Whose Terms do we Love?

But none of this can take place until love opens the way.

Meditation Thought: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet… A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you… By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:14, 34-35)

“If I have loved you unto washing your feet and shedding My blood – is there any greater love? No – to love so much to desire to perform the most menial job for the loved one, and to desire to suffer and die for the loved one is the most complete expression of love. And I, your Lord and your Teacher, have performed these ministries to you. I have not visibly washed your feet, but nevertheless I have spiritually ministered to you in the attitude of washing your feet. My blood has washed away your sins, and My blood has washed your feet. Remember this: your life’s blood is to be symbolically poured out to those whom you would teach. When you give yourself wholeheartedly in love, whatever expression it takes, that is washing feet – and in the washing of the feet, you reveal the fact of my love even unto death for the salvation of the one you love and to whom you are ministering.

Wherever love is poured out unresistingly, unselfishly and with astute perception as to the form most appealing to the recipient, it waters the seed of God which is contained within, causing it to sprout and to cause movement in the mind and in the heart. It is this movement which allows the growth of God’s love and power within. Then does the Father rejoice as He is able to perform His miracles through the heart cleansed by the Son, and filled with the Spirit.

Stubborn, clogged arteries (power) are opened and new healthy life-renewing blood flows: living water and manna (blessings and wisdom) combine to nourish and feed and give health never before even conceived as possible.

But none of this can take place until love opens the way, until love touches a mind and a heart and elicits response.

Be My lover – love all whom I place within your reach. So is the Kingdom come upon the earth, and the Father’s will done as it is in heaven.”