How often do we avoid the presence of God because of the glory? I do too often. We go to worship and He shows up as fire, His voice makes us tremble, and we're afraid for our lives. So we back off instead of endure.
Moses was sharing the Commandments with the Israelites, and this is what he said to them. "The LORD talked with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. I stood between the LORD and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the LORD; for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain." Deuteronomy 5: 4-5 NKJV
Isn't that what we want a lot of times, for someone else to hear from God for us? We don't want friendship with God enough to endure the fire.
God didn't force the people to hang out with Him. Rather He expressed His desire that they truly would fear Him. "Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever! Go and say to them, “Return to your tents.” But as for you, stand here by Me, and I will speak to you all the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments which you shall teach them, that they may observe them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’ Deuteronomy 5: 29-31 NKJV
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Yes, we should definitely have a reverent fear of the Lord - enough to obey Him. But I want to press through for love of God to be with Him and hear His voice on the mountaintop. I want friendship with Him, and that means taking Him the way He is.
If we hang out with Jesus long enough, we might end up seeing Him do the things He likes to do! 'Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” Luke 7: 11-35 Are we going to get offended with Him for demonstrating His power? What if the people around us don't like it?
I have to ask myself: which would I rather have, an intimate relationship with the Lord or being understood by the people around me? And when I answer myself, I have to honestly say, "I choose the Lord!"
Even if it makes me squirm.
Showing posts with label face to face. Show all posts
Showing posts with label face to face. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010 The Prayer Jesus Vouches For
We've talked a little bit about getting our prayers answered, and today there's more. I think that this might be something important to Jesus-- that we pray and receive a "yes" to our prayer! I've come to realize, though, that every prayer is not answered. And that's because every prayer doesn't fit His criteria.
Since I'm not doing a comprehensive study here, we'll just have to go with what we've got so far. On the 24th, we saw that one of the requirements for answered prayer is that it is "in My name." That's a big topic in itself. Let's just say, would Jesus sign on this one? Since prayer is asking God to do something beyond what we can do, wouldn't it be reasonable to ask Him to do something He would actually do? That takes knowing Him and what He has done: does this request fit His character? does it fit Who He is actually is? The only way to know this is to know Him.
I'm grateful that He knows us completely, and takes into consideration our small viewpoint! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us into all truth, so if we need a little guidance in our prayer, He's there to help. He hears us at all levels of our maturity and understanding. But the more mature we are, and the more of the knowledge of God we have, the more effective our prayers are going to be. And the older ones should be teaching the younger ones to pray.
Yesterday, Jesus was saying He wants to dwell in us. Now He's saying He wants us to dwell in Him. When you actually live with people, you really get to know them! We find out who snores and who doesn't close up the cracker box right. We find out who actually walks in love. If you've ever had people in your house for an extended stay, you know you know them better than you did before. And they know you. Jesus is all about knowing each other.
So, if you got up in the morning, got some orange juice and toast, and sat down at the table with Jesus (and of course, the Holy Spirit and the Father are there, too), and you got into this great conversation about something in the Word, I guess you'd have a little better knowledge of Him. That Word would start to really be real. It would start to live in your heart. You would feel pretty confident about asking Him to do that thing He just pointed out in the passage you read together. Plus, you got to see how He acted when little dipsy-doodle two-year-old pee'd on the floor right next to His sandals!
I think we'd get to know Jesus a little more if we realized He's there all the time with us. Holy Spirit is giving us this insider-knowledge of just how Jesus is acting all the time. The ultimate Twitter!
When we really know Him, we ask things we know He'll vouch for. That's when we get our prayers answered with a big, resounding "yes!" And that, my friends, is God's will. It makes us really fruitful. It glorifies Him and pleases Him at least as much as it blesses us.
Since I'm not doing a comprehensive study here, we'll just have to go with what we've got so far. On the 24th, we saw that one of the requirements for answered prayer is that it is "in My name." That's a big topic in itself. Let's just say, would Jesus sign on this one? Since prayer is asking God to do something beyond what we can do, wouldn't it be reasonable to ask Him to do something He would actually do? That takes knowing Him and what He has done: does this request fit His character? does it fit Who He is actually is? The only way to know this is to know Him.
I'm grateful that He knows us completely, and takes into consideration our small viewpoint! The Holy Spirit is here to guide us into all truth, so if we need a little guidance in our prayer, He's there to help. He hears us at all levels of our maturity and understanding. But the more mature we are, and the more of the knowledge of God we have, the more effective our prayers are going to be. And the older ones should be teaching the younger ones to pray.
Yesterday, Jesus was saying He wants to dwell in us. Now He's saying He wants us to dwell in Him. When you actually live with people, you really get to know them! We find out who snores and who doesn't close up the cracker box right. We find out who actually walks in love. If you've ever had people in your house for an extended stay, you know you know them better than you did before. And they know you. Jesus is all about knowing each other.
So, if you got up in the morning, got some orange juice and toast, and sat down at the table with Jesus (and of course, the Holy Spirit and the Father are there, too), and you got into this great conversation about something in the Word, I guess you'd have a little better knowledge of Him. That Word would start to really be real. It would start to live in your heart. You would feel pretty confident about asking Him to do that thing He just pointed out in the passage you read together. Plus, you got to see how He acted when little dipsy-doodle two-year-old pee'd on the floor right next to His sandals!
I think we'd get to know Jesus a little more if we realized He's there all the time with us. Holy Spirit is giving us this insider-knowledge of just how Jesus is acting all the time. The ultimate Twitter!
When we really know Him, we ask things we know He'll vouch for. That's when we get our prayers answered with a big, resounding "yes!" And that, my friends, is God's will. It makes us really fruitful. It glorifies Him and pleases Him at least as much as it blesses us.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
May 5, 2010 A True Witness
"A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies." Proverbs 14:25 There is more to being a true witness than telling true facts. Jesus demonstrated this in His witness to the Samaritan woman. His true witness won her to Truth. He also taught her how to be a true witness. Then her true witness won others to Truth. We cannot of our own ability win souls, but we can be in a place where the Spirit of Truth can work to draw people to Christ. Let's see what Jesus had to show and tell about being a true witness.
First of all, Jesus did not hide Who He was or what He had to offer. He didn't try to cover anything up-- He was a true witness in that He did not use any kind of deception. Darkness and deception had no place in Christ, and that is His work in us, to reveal these things by His light of truth. He was spiritually transparent, and the light and love of God shone through. He told pure truth. He had no "fear of man," and He had no need to use tricks to try and win people.
Jesus did not ignore the darkness in the woman to whom He was witnessing. He let the light shine right on it. If we were to do this in a sense of judgment, as probably the woman had often experienced before, the opportunity to share the truth would be over. Even though Jesus' light was shining with nothing but the Father's love and compassion, the woman's habit was to deflect the conversation away from her darkness-- she changed the subject, even though previously, she had been very interested in the offer of living water.
Since the woman began the topic of worship, Jesus took up that topic. [The whole time He was talking to her, He was always steering her away from looking at everything in the natural and helping her to focus upon the spiritual instead. This was really a key in getting her free from her sinful lifestyle.] "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4: 22-24 He showed her how needful it was that she allow the light in and not hide from it, even to cover up her shameful darkness. He was telling her that God already knew about it, and yet was still willing to reveal Himself to her. She was ready for the revelation, and believed that Jesus was the Messiah, Who was to be her covering.
When the Samaritan woman went to be a witness to the people of her town, she no longer was trying to cover up and hide. She had received His word about being a true witness, and her statement was: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. John 4: 29-30 Something about this was enough to make the whole town want to come and meet Jesus. Once they had heard Him themselves, they too believed.
Whenever Jesus speaks to us, He shows us that He is the provision for whatever it is that we're needing. He also lovingly shows us what it is that is keeping us from receiving whatever it is that He has for us. He does this because He loves us. Every place that is dark in us is a place that can be inhabited by Jesus' light. The light will always overcome the darkness, so all we have to do is let the light in.
One of the best ways to become more filled with Him, which is how we become a true witness for Him, is to worship Him. True worship is not happening when our bodies are doing one thing and our hearts are somewhere else. It also doesn't happen when we're not being honest with the Lord. So true, unveiled worship in God's presence is one of our most important preparations for work in the harvest. This is where we become transparent enough for His light to shine forth into the world. Worship in spirit and in truth needs to become our lifestyle.
The "fear of man" will compel us to cover up (or deflect people's attention away from) things we think will not be acceptable to others. It is always based on our own perceptions, or that which others have taught us. It is not related to how God really sees us, but sometimes to how we think He sees us. The more we encounter the love of God through Christ, the more we realize how very much He loves us. Even if He reveals darkness in us, He shines in His light and dispels it, filling us with His love. We can run and hide from it if we choose, but it is wise to choose truth.
Personally, I have to keep on opening up to the presence of God to overcome the fear of rejection that keeps me struggling with the desire to hide. He keeps on reassuring me of His love, filling me up with His light, and helping me to lay down anything that I might use to hide from Himself and others. This motivates me to continually seek His help: if I am hiding behind something, for example, a mask of cheerfulness when I am depressed, then I have become a deceitful witness telling lies instead of the truth I want to tell. This may sound very harsh, but it is probably one of the greatest reasons in the Church for not seeing a much greater harvest of souls into the Kingdom.
The process of becoming a true witness is often painful, but always rewarding. The joy comes when we get to enjoy the fruit of the harvest with the Father and the Son. "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." John 4:36
First of all, Jesus did not hide Who He was or what He had to offer. He didn't try to cover anything up-- He was a true witness in that He did not use any kind of deception. Darkness and deception had no place in Christ, and that is His work in us, to reveal these things by His light of truth. He was spiritually transparent, and the light and love of God shone through. He told pure truth. He had no "fear of man," and He had no need to use tricks to try and win people.
Jesus did not ignore the darkness in the woman to whom He was witnessing. He let the light shine right on it. If we were to do this in a sense of judgment, as probably the woman had often experienced before, the opportunity to share the truth would be over. Even though Jesus' light was shining with nothing but the Father's love and compassion, the woman's habit was to deflect the conversation away from her darkness-- she changed the subject, even though previously, she had been very interested in the offer of living water.
Since the woman began the topic of worship, Jesus took up that topic. [The whole time He was talking to her, He was always steering her away from looking at everything in the natural and helping her to focus upon the spiritual instead. This was really a key in getting her free from her sinful lifestyle.] "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4: 22-24 He showed her how needful it was that she allow the light in and not hide from it, even to cover up her shameful darkness. He was telling her that God already knew about it, and yet was still willing to reveal Himself to her. She was ready for the revelation, and believed that Jesus was the Messiah, Who was to be her covering.
When the Samaritan woman went to be a witness to the people of her town, she no longer was trying to cover up and hide. She had received His word about being a true witness, and her statement was: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. John 4: 29-30 Something about this was enough to make the whole town want to come and meet Jesus. Once they had heard Him themselves, they too believed.
Whenever Jesus speaks to us, He shows us that He is the provision for whatever it is that we're needing. He also lovingly shows us what it is that is keeping us from receiving whatever it is that He has for us. He does this because He loves us. Every place that is dark in us is a place that can be inhabited by Jesus' light. The light will always overcome the darkness, so all we have to do is let the light in.
One of the best ways to become more filled with Him, which is how we become a true witness for Him, is to worship Him. True worship is not happening when our bodies are doing one thing and our hearts are somewhere else. It also doesn't happen when we're not being honest with the Lord. So true, unveiled worship in God's presence is one of our most important preparations for work in the harvest. This is where we become transparent enough for His light to shine forth into the world. Worship in spirit and in truth needs to become our lifestyle.
The "fear of man" will compel us to cover up (or deflect people's attention away from) things we think will not be acceptable to others. It is always based on our own perceptions, or that which others have taught us. It is not related to how God really sees us, but sometimes to how we think He sees us. The more we encounter the love of God through Christ, the more we realize how very much He loves us. Even if He reveals darkness in us, He shines in His light and dispels it, filling us with His love. We can run and hide from it if we choose, but it is wise to choose truth.
Personally, I have to keep on opening up to the presence of God to overcome the fear of rejection that keeps me struggling with the desire to hide. He keeps on reassuring me of His love, filling me up with His light, and helping me to lay down anything that I might use to hide from Himself and others. This motivates me to continually seek His help: if I am hiding behind something, for example, a mask of cheerfulness when I am depressed, then I have become a deceitful witness telling lies instead of the truth I want to tell. This may sound very harsh, but it is probably one of the greatest reasons in the Church for not seeing a much greater harvest of souls into the Kingdom.
The process of becoming a true witness is often painful, but always rewarding. The joy comes when we get to enjoy the fruit of the harvest with the Father and the Son. "And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." John 4:36
Saturday, April 10, 2010
April 10, 2010
The Bible says that the Lord knew Moses face to face! Deut. 34:10. I always thought of it the other way around (i.e., Moses knew God face to face), but I even checked out Exodus 33:11: So the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
It seems that Jesus expects this kind of open-faced knowing from us as well. What do you think? I saw it here in this Scripture:
Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ Luke 13:23-27
What does it take for the Lord to know us? He certainly put an emphasis on that here. And it wasn't just about being in the same vicinity and having the same nationality. Obviously, the Lord knows everything, and He of course know us inside and out, as He made us and is omniscient and omnipresent. So what does it take for the Lord to know us? I want to know! I want to make it through that narrow gate!
I try to stick with the Scripture reading of the day (there's so much in them!), but when I picked up my tea to go warm it up again, the Lord reminded me of these verses: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10
We might start out so afraid of God, like Moses (Exodus 3:6), that we won't even show our face. We're not going to get to know God like that! But the Lord's saying, "Where are you? Open up! Why are you hiding?" Like He did with Adam and Eve. If we allow fear, shame and the need to belong (thank you, Eldon, for that great teaching!) to keep us from showing our face to God, we'll remain foolish, because how will we overcome those issues if we will not receive instruction? If the Lord's saying "I do not know you," it's because we're too proud to let Him in. If we're going to go through His gate, He's going to first have to come in through ours.
Jesus said to those of His nation who would not believe in Him: "See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” Luke 13: 35
I'll never forget the day I realized, with a huge shock, that God saw everything about me! I had spent my life deperately trying to hide from Him, in spite of the fact I'd called myself a Christian for most of it. I was in the middle of a rather wretched fight with my husband, and it was going nowhere. I felt so hopeless. Suddenly, the Lord revealed where I was at. I remember falling onto the floor and weeping uncontrollably when I realized that God saw through my defenses. I decided then that I had to stop hiding from the Lord behind the masks and walls I had built around myself to protect me from hurt, real or imagined.
Even though I had gotten revelation, it took years before I was willing to totally lay down the things that I used to shield myself from others and from God. I was so expert at creating defenses that most of them were hidden even from myself. I'm still not sure they're all gone, but at least now I am willing to be shown, either by the Lord or a person that He might speak through. The more I reveal myself to Him, the more He reveals Himself to me.
Have you ever seen a child, who, by covering her eyes, thinks she is hiding from her parent? I have! A child quickly figures it out, but it is funny when they first do it. We are like that with the Lord, and yet how slowly we come to the reality that we must not try to hide from Him. He can see us anyway. And the great truth is, that He loves us, so much more, than we love our own little children.
It is wisdom to uncover the face of our heart when we go to the written Word, for in it we will find Christ, if we will only open our eyes and let Him see us.
It seems that Jesus expects this kind of open-faced knowing from us as well. What do you think? I saw it here in this Scripture:
Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ Luke 13:23-27
What does it take for the Lord to know us? He certainly put an emphasis on that here. And it wasn't just about being in the same vicinity and having the same nationality. Obviously, the Lord knows everything, and He of course know us inside and out, as He made us and is omniscient and omnipresent. So what does it take for the Lord to know us? I want to know! I want to make it through that narrow gate!
I try to stick with the Scripture reading of the day (there's so much in them!), but when I picked up my tea to go warm it up again, the Lord reminded me of these verses: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10
We might start out so afraid of God, like Moses (Exodus 3:6), that we won't even show our face. We're not going to get to know God like that! But the Lord's saying, "Where are you? Open up! Why are you hiding?" Like He did with Adam and Eve. If we allow fear, shame and the need to belong (thank you, Eldon, for that great teaching!) to keep us from showing our face to God, we'll remain foolish, because how will we overcome those issues if we will not receive instruction? If the Lord's saying "I do not know you," it's because we're too proud to let Him in. If we're going to go through His gate, He's going to first have to come in through ours.
Jesus said to those of His nation who would not believe in Him: "See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” Luke 13: 35
I'll never forget the day I realized, with a huge shock, that God saw everything about me! I had spent my life deperately trying to hide from Him, in spite of the fact I'd called myself a Christian for most of it. I was in the middle of a rather wretched fight with my husband, and it was going nowhere. I felt so hopeless. Suddenly, the Lord revealed where I was at. I remember falling onto the floor and weeping uncontrollably when I realized that God saw through my defenses. I decided then that I had to stop hiding from the Lord behind the masks and walls I had built around myself to protect me from hurt, real or imagined.
Even though I had gotten revelation, it took years before I was willing to totally lay down the things that I used to shield myself from others and from God. I was so expert at creating defenses that most of them were hidden even from myself. I'm still not sure they're all gone, but at least now I am willing to be shown, either by the Lord or a person that He might speak through. The more I reveal myself to Him, the more He reveals Himself to me.
Have you ever seen a child, who, by covering her eyes, thinks she is hiding from her parent? I have! A child quickly figures it out, but it is funny when they first do it. We are like that with the Lord, and yet how slowly we come to the reality that we must not try to hide from Him. He can see us anyway. And the great truth is, that He loves us, so much more, than we love our own little children.
It is wisdom to uncover the face of our heart when we go to the written Word, for in it we will find Christ, if we will only open our eyes and let Him see us.
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