Our part in “Hearing” (II) Choosing to trust - if I ask for a fish

There were reasons (which I don’t need to go into) why I wanted to be “Grandpa” rather than Pop or Poppy. But there was initially a price to pay. Long after everyone else had it, I was left longing to be called by name. In a related story, there is nothing more heart melting for me, than for my five year old granddaughter to spontaneously say “I love you Grandpa!” The point I am making is that if, in our tender moments those of us who are not totally messed up long for communication and intimacy with our offspring, how much more must our heavenly Father long for the same with us!

I have learned so much about God in this way, from my children. What I am saying is that God is much more interested in loving intimate communication with us, than we could ever be. If we ever truly let the enormity of His love, demonstrated in the cross, sink in we would not doubt this. True we have to do it His way, or not at all. But as I blogged the other day, even when there is something that needs to be dealt with, conviction is not condemnation (c.f. John 8:1-11?). And He only puts His finger on things in our lives because they hinder our fellowship with our loving and holy God. And at such times, He is so wanting to restore fellowship.

We need to trust, that when we put Biblical safeguards in place (later), coming to Him humbly as little children, asking Him to “Speak Lord for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10), we can be sure He will answer. I mean “If a son asks from and father … for a fish, will he give him a snake?” And “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give …. to he who asks” (Luke 11:11-13). When we do it His way, we need to have more trust in our Heavenly Father’s ability to lift us up, rather than the Devil’s ability to deceive us!

Father, because in the here and now we have experienced so little of a love that is unconditional and quick to forgive and forget (Hebrews 8:12), we find it hard at times to trust You for this. Thank You that there is now no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Help us to truly believe that You are a rewarder of those who diligently seek You (Hebrews 11:6). And in particular, help us to trust that You wish to speak to us, and to speak words that strengthen, encourage and comfort us (c.f. 1 Corinthians 14:3) in Jesus Name Amen

Our part in “Hearing” God’s voice (I)

There are many aids out there, to help us to hear the voice of God. I have found Mark Virkler’s material very helpful. It can be found in his writings, and on YouTube. Mark is interesting, because being primarily a left brain individual, hearing God’s voice did not come naturally to him. Well “seeing what only what the father does” (John 5:19), is more right brain than left brain. Mark was frustrated by being told “You know that, that you know, that you know,” when he asked how others how they knew it was God’s voice.

So Mark set out to discover how to do this, and if I remember correctly, he set aside a year to do it. His conclusion “Hearing God’s voice is as simple as quietening yourself down, setting your eyes on Jesus, tuning to spontaneous flow and writing it down.” In his teaching he also talks a lot about the necessary checks and balances. Mark bases the above four “keys” on the following extract from Habakkuk 2:1, 2. I will stand my watch … on the rampart (quiet myself down), watch to see (setting my eyes on Jesus), what He will say to me (tuning to spontaneous flow), Then the LORD …said “Write the vision.”

In my journey to becoming a Christian, I had a lot of what I now consider to be intellectual garbage. And the Lord gave me a lot of revelation, in order to sort it out. I should confess, that at first I thought it was my own brilliance! But I would come to realize that God was downloading the necessary knowledge, in order for me to have intellectual integrity as I came to Him. So when I did eventually get there, I was already hearing from Him. And all I really had to do then, was to learn to distinguish between my thoughts, His thoughts and the thoughts of the Evil one. Mark’s material is helpful here too!

Father, I am remembering my journey this morning. About two weeks after surrendering to You, I had the thought “This is so clear I don’t see how everyone can’t see it!” Two weeks later I was thinking “This is so confusing I don’t see how anyone can find it!” It was as though You had lead me through an incredibly complex maze, making sure I took all the correct turns. You then left me to try and find my way through on my own. And I was taking wrong turn, after a wrong turn, after wrong term. I began to understand that You were wanting me to see both the clarity and the difficulties. And in remembering these things this morning Lord, I realized then as I realize now, that You are far more willing to communicate than we are to pursue and learn the skills we need to hear You day by day. So Lord I pray for myself and for those reading this blog, that You will help us to hear, to hear clearly, and as Your sheep to know Your voice. In Jesus Name Amen

Three pots of cream

There were were three things among the distinctives the Lord was and is revealing through the “Toronto Blessing” (also known as the Airport Church). John Arnott tells of a picture he was given of three pots of cream. The three "pots" are firstly hearing God’s voice, then intimacy with God and thirdly inner healing. I want to say a little this morning, about the interconnections, the mutually reenforcing aspects, of them. To say a little about the need, whether we acknowledge it or not, at some level we are all wounded by the experiences and happenstances of life. And again whether we acknowledge it or not, we all operate out of these, often hidden, wounds. Many of these woundings took place in childhood, where we had skills neither to defend ourselves, nor to deal functionally with our hurts.

So abuse likely will leave us defensive and untrusting in relationships (potentially for life). Neglect will likely leave us unresponsive to the joys of life. Condemnation and/or being told how useless we are, how we will never amount to anything, will likely lead to the feeling that God is just waiting for us to mess up, so He too can condemn us! Any or all of these things will likely make it difficult to hear words from Him that strengthen, encourage and comfort us. They will likely make us what to shy away from intimacy with Him. I mean why would I want to get close to someone who is out to get me? They will also likely be hindrances to having our hearts healed. I may not even know that healing is possible.

But what I want to say, is that these three "pots" have strengthened, encouraged, comforted and brought (and are bringing) healing to my heart. The first came through hearing either directly and/or through the prophetic word, that God loves me, is well pleased with me (Mark 1:11) and that He has thrown my sins into the deepest sea (Micah 7:19). The second coming through the experience of His embrace (intimacy) has helped His words to move from my head to my heart. The third way coming through the knowledge of this intimacy (knowing by words, intuition and experience) has helped, and is helping me, to dismiss negative and condemning words from others. The point is that I now care a lot more of what He thinks about me, than I do about what you or others think about me.

Father, I have often said that You think I am the best thing since sliced bread. Actually this only begins to express how much You love, not only me but the whole world. Your initiating, extravagant, healing love was so clearly demonstrated “while we were still sinners” by Christ dying for us (Romans 5:7). And now I can easily answer the question “If God be for us, who can be against us” (Romans 8:31)? Well none that I need care or worry about! Father, words are not sufficient to express my gratitude this morning, nevertheless thank You, thank You, thank You. In Jesus Name Amen

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings to search it out

When Jesus said that we could not be His disciple unless we hate mother and father and siblings (Luke 14:26), He did not intend for us to take this literally! It is hyperbole, a figure of speech that uses extreme exaggeration to make a point, for example “He is as old as the hills!” Jesus is wanting to teach us something about our relationship with Him, and in fact about relationships in general. I had to learn the hard way, that if a relationship is to work, then you cannot make up for what the other person is either not willing, or not able, to give.

I used to think that growing in intimacy was about constantly getting closer. I now think it is more like a dance where we come together, and then move back, and then come together again etc. When a relationship becomes difficult, the tendency is for one person to move back, needing space. If at this point the second person pursues them not recognizing the need for space, the first one is then likely to move back even further. And if the second person continues to pursue, they will likely chase the first person out the door! It is really hard not to do this at times, especially when you love that person passionately.

Now God loves you and me passionately, and the point I am making is that in order to have intimacy with Him, we need take part in the dance, by being responsive to Him. In fact we need to make Him our first priority! Well actually, life itself works better when do this. In particular, I will love my spouse and children more, if I put Him first loving Him with all my heart, mind, soul and strength! When we do this, what in effect happens is that He, who is the source of all love (1 John 4:8), flows through us loving them in a way that without Him we never could. Uppermost on my mind this morning, is the series of posts I have been blogging on hearing God’s voice. And what I want to say here is that if we really want to hear Him in a deeper and more consistent way, then we need to intentionally pursue it. Unlike with earthly relationships, we will never chase Him out the door!

Father the verse at the head of this post from Proverbs 25:2 came to me this morning, as I was thinking about how intimacy with You works. In particular the verse is telling me that You hide for us, not from us. It is like You are playing hide-go-seek with us, and when as little children do, we seek You with all of our heart, then we surly find You (Jeremiah 29:13). And when we do, we are both delighted. Thank You Lord for pursing me, thank You that You first loved us taking the initiative in sending Jesus to die in my place, so that I could find intimacy with a Holy and loving God. In Jesus Name Amen

I believe help my unbelief

I often can’t decide if it is surprise or delight, when the Lord confirms that I really do hear His voice. At least partially through the encouragement of a friend, I have become increasingly aware that much of what I am blogging here will eventually be a book. As I was thinking, praying and listening for His direction on what to blog this morning I came across what I had journaled in 2009 “Yes I am with you as you write the book in the mornings, I am there and walking and writing and loving you with all that I have darling, darling son.” And I was caused to remember a 2007 prophetic word I was give to the effect that I have a book in my bowls.

The quote above from my journal, was just part an incredibly strengthening, encouraging and comforting word I had journaled from Him. Journaling what He speaks to us, is one component of what I want to talk about in the coming days. It relates to our need to intentionally cultivating the hearing of His voice. But two things here, firstly I guess I must be something of an elephant considering the gestation period of the book (a book in my bowls). The Lord is clearly not in a hurry! Secondly with this confirmation coming to me this morning from all those years ago, the surprise/delight I am feeling is very much related to my increasing awareness that this is indeed a book.

Part of me wishes this morning that I could claim that it is all delight and no surprise. I mean why would I be surprised if, as I claim, I hear His voice morning my morning? But the combination of my surprise/delight contains the same paradox of faith and unbelief expressed by the father in the title of this post. He was responding to Jesus’s “All things are possible to he who believes” (Mark 9:23,24). But the overconfidence in such a claim, would likely not help you, since I we are all likely a mixture of these things. And overconfidence is dangerous, since it can isolate us, prevent us hearing from the Lord though others. It will also likely make us defensive when challenged! But also this paradox that I see in me, helps me to realize the relevance of the command to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21). And it is important to know the what and the how of doing this. We will need to speak of these things too!

Father, after all of the things I have heard from You, and have seen You do, I should, in many ways, be further ahead in my faith than I am. But there is no condemnation in Christ, and so with the father in this mornings story I pray “I believe help my unbelief.” And apparently it was good enough, since You healed his son! And since You keep moving me forward, it seems to be enough for me too. I thank You Lord for your love, mercy and patience in Jesus Name Amen

I can either be a big boy with a little Daddy, or a little boy with a great big Daddy

I am not talking about being childish here, I am talking about being childlike. I think we can take ourselves far to seriously, I know I can. And have been in danger of it recently. In looking for something in my journal this morning, I came across this entry where I was at a workshop and standing in line with a friend of mine waiting to be prayed for by one of the leaders. My friend has been something of a mentor to me from afar. I have always admired his warmth and friendliness, and his ability to see the good in others.

As we were talking I gave him a hug, and called him a bear. He told me that You had spoken to him about his being Winnie-the-Pooh. There were these incredible "coincidences" around this, including a little girl coming and giving him a Winnie-the-Pooh mug. There were lots of other things, I don`t remember them all. But there was this one this thing about honey, about honey being sweet – that Winnie-the-Pooh doing nothing but seeking honey. For my friend the honey is the presence of the Lord. He gave me a Winnie quote “It is too fine a day to be doing anything!” So I said well if you are Winnie-the-Pooh, then I must be Piglet, and I snuggle into him.

His wife (also standing there) then told me a Piglet story she had read to her granddaughter. Piglet was sad because he is small and cannot reach places the others can reach. The story ends well however, and Piglet is made happy because he discovers there are many places that he can go that the others cannot. When I finally get prayed for the leader simply prays that I might just have fun! If I am a big boy, just too sophisticate for this, then I dismiss all this as foolishness. But if I am a little boy with a great big Daddy, I see that He is gently telling me that I am taking myself far too seriously, and I need to have fun!

Father, thank You for drawing my attention to this incident years ago. In the context of it , I was wrestling, wrestling and wrestling. And I have been in danger of doing this again recently with a relationship gone sour, and my being blamed for it. And once again Lord You are showing me that I cannot make up for what the other person is either not willing or not able to give, and for teaching me the lesson I had to learn the hard way, that there is not a lot of point in talking when nobody is listening. So Father once again I am asking You this morning to help me to determine what is my responsibility and what it not. And to either let go, or to go the second mile. Please give me the wherewithal to do it which ever it is, and when it is to let go please give me the necessary serenity. Thank You Lord for Your wisdom and Grace in Jesus Name Amen

My Sheep hear my voice (11) Rhema words (IV) Prophecy

In speaking about the prophetic, I am talking this morning about the prophetic in church. Speaking prophetically to our culture is a whole different discussion. But in the church, in the body of those who believe, Prophecy is one of the several things that are there for “the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:12). More specifically, speaking about prophecy, Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:3 tells us “everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.” It should be noted, that while there is certainly a place for correction in the church, correction needs to be done gently, and in love in a more pastoral setting (i.e. Galatians 6:1).

Thus New Testament prophecy in the church is quite different from prophecy under the Law, which at least for Jeremiah, was “To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down,” as well as “To build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). So my understanding is that the use of prophecy to rebuke someone in the church is unbiblical. For me hearing God’s rhema (spoken) word though prophetic utterance, has been well “strengthening, encouraging and comforting!" There is one particular prophecy that was spoken over me (and recorded) in 2006, and it undoes me every time I listen to, or read, it.

I had been seeking to restore a significant relationship for over nine years at the time, and the ongoing rejection was threatening to sink me. The prophecy given by two complete strangers began by saying that the Lord had been speaking to him about my determination to go foreword and not give up, how I had kept my heart soft, and how you can get hurt again after, and hurt again after, and hurt again after (yes three times). It got my attention. Never again will I say that non-one understands me, for clearly God does! But the accuracy of this part of the prophetic word has helped me (and is helping me) to believe what was spoken later in the same prophecy. What I will mention here, is that part of what was also spoken was “There is an incredible teacher on you .. … a fathering teacher … a teacher out of the place I am a father… a loving teacher…” Others have told me they see this on me too, and this too has helped, and is helping me, to believe for the rest of that prophecy.

Father, I am so aware this morning that many in Your church have been hurt by wrong use, even abuse, of prophecy released perhaps in Old Testament mode (tearing down). Others are simply ignorant of this amazing gift (Ephesians 4:11) that You have given to the Church to build us up, to strengthen and encourage us. I cannot even begin to imagine where I would be at this time without all that I have received through the prophetic, and I pray this morning Lord that You will open up this wonderful gift to all parts of Your body. Here I am Lord use me. In Jesus Name Amen

My Sheep hear my voice (10) Rhema words (III) Illumination

When I said yesterday, that there are times when a promise from the Bible “speaks” to us, I could also have said that God is illumination the promise. But there’s a lot more that the Spirit illuminates for us, from the Word. In particular “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The illumination can (a) show us the path, (b) show us how we got off the path, (c) how to get back on the path, and (d) how to stay on the path (2 Timothy 3:16). I say “can,” because the illumination of the Scriptures (logos becoming rhama) is not automatic!

We are told “To he who has, more will be given, that he who has not will be taken away even that which he has” (Mark 4:25). Jesus had just said “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (verse 23), and He tells us what He means in the next verse where He says that the measure of the illumination we are given depends on how we hear. We are told elsewhere, that having faith, hearing and obeying are, in God’s eyes, indistinguishable (Hebrews 3:15-18). To put it another way, it is his sheep, those who follow Him, who hear His voice.

This principle and promise of increasing insight and illumination is expanded on throughout the Scriptures. If we continue in His Word we will know the Truth and the Truth will set us free (John 8:31,32). When we delight in, and meditate on (memorize and chew upon) His Word, we will be like a tree planted by the water whose leaves are always green, and whatever we do will prosper (Psalm 1:2,3). No it is not automatic, we have a part to play, and the measure with which we participate, is the measure we receive.

Father, I have to confess this morning that there have been times when I found You Word, what shall I say, dry! I discovered at such times that I needed to change things round, to read a book on the different ways of doing devotionals, or just read other people’s devotionals. I might need to change the place and or time I do them etc. I also needed to pray and ask You for persistence and determination to push through the dry spell. Journaling has been a big part of the way I do things, in fact this journaling has morphed into my blogging what I hear from You. I want to thank You Lord that this has been a delight as I connect with You in this way morning by morning. Thank You too that You are using it in other people’s lives. I suspect however, that I am the one who is getting the most out of it! And I give You all the honour and glory in Jesus Name Amen

My Sheep hear my voice (9) Rhema words (II) Promises

The various twelve-step programs all talk about a higher power, a power greater than ourselves. And in talking to the boys in the prison and elsewhere, I often talk about the advantage of having Jesus Christ as our higher Power. I mention three things, the principles and promises of the Scripture (that’s two), and then thirdly His presence in our lives (later). The principles have more to do with the logos word than the rhema word. When we read that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7), we are being told that our choices have consequence. And we need to act accordingly. A lot of this is common sense, but one has to wonder how common is common sense, and most of us need to be reminded over and over! The promises are logos words until they become rhema words. This is when Holy Spirit draws our attention to them in the way that only He can do. Some describe this as the words somehow jumping out at us. To put it another way, the promises “speak” to us!

One of my rhema promises came in what Holy Spirit gave me as my life verses, that is verses that I somehow knew (rhema words) would be relevant for my entire life. I’m talking about Psalm 40:1-3 which comes for me in three parts. The first is my instructions to wait patiently for Him (verse 1), the second (verse 2, 3a) is my ongoing testimony to Him establishing me with my feet up on the rock, and a song of praise in my mouth (joy). The third part is the conclusion of the promise which is “that many will see and fear and put their trust Him” (verse 3b). It is my strong desire that I be used for the furtherance of His Kingdom. The fruit has been slow in coming, but I have the promise of one who cannot lie, and I keep on keeping on pressing into it and reminding Him of it.

As I was praying for a friend this morning, Holy Spirit gave me a couple of verse to encourage her. The are Psalm 126:5,6 “Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall surely come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.” This is also one of many logos words that Holy Spirit turned into rhama words for me a long time ago. It is a promise I have hidden in my heart, and of which I remind Him from time to time. And it is my prayer, as I give such rhama words to others, that they become rhama words (speak personally) to them. By the way, more often than not when claiming my promises, I remind Him of the truth that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

Father, I want to thank You this morning for the promises that You reminded me of this morning. Over and over Lord I experience ministry as a two way thing. In particular the verses You gave me this morning for my friend are also so very, very relevant to my own life. Thank You Lord that You have established and are establishing my steps and putting a song or praise unto my God in my mouth. Thank You that as I continue to wait on You I am more and more confident that You will do what You say You will do in restoring families (Malachi 4:6) and relationships (Joel 2:25). Indeed I praise and bless and worship You this morning in the strong Name of Jesus Amen

My sheep hear my voice (8) Rhema (I)

When Peter, speaking to Jesus asks “Where shall we go, You have the words of eternal life,” the English word “words” translates the Greek word rhema (actually the plural rhemata). We discussed earlier the other Greek word “logos,” which is also translated “word” in English versions. Perhaps a little over simplistically, we can think of logos as the written word, and rhema as the spoken word. However as Peter tells us, when Jesus or Holy Spirit speak to us it brings life. As His sheep we hear His voice both through His written, and by His spoken (not usually audible), Word.

By and large, the world hears our claim to hear the voice of God as insanity. This is not hard to understand, when you consider that there are those who have claimed that God told them to murder somebody. But this cannot be God, because He tells us not to murder (Exodus 20:13). More common is hearing of cases where people claim God told them to divorce their spouse, and marry another. This too cannot be God, because it too would contradict His written Word (Matthew 19:6). It seems likely that the first case is a case of listening to the evil One (John 10:10a again), and in the second, confusing God’s voice with his or her own desires.

And all this points to the need to know how to discern, and for me explains why much of the Church has shied away from teaching on hearing His voice. But to do this is to deprive ourselves of a primary source of strengthening, encouragement and comfort (c.f. I Corinthians 14:3). We do however need to put Biblical safeguards in place. In particular we are to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21). And two of the primary ways to do this, is first to realize that He will never contradict His written Word, and secondly that He put us onto fellowship so that as iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17) we would sharpen each other, in particularly in our ability to discern and hear clearly. We were made to need each other, so no lone ranger Christians please!

Father, the saying “No hatch, match or dispatch” (hatch - births, match - words telling you to marry this one or that one and dispatch - someone dying) is probably good advice. And we really do need to be careful. However I remember You telling me that I would not see my step dad alive even though he did not seem to be ill, and we were scheduled to visit. It did cause us to pray, and in fact he got saved just before he died, and before the scheduled visit. Thank You Lord for confirming many times, both that I do hear from You, and that we need to test all things. In particular thank You that You have taught me to always ask for confirmation. Thank You too Lord for the strengthening, encouragement and comfort You have given through the various ways You have “spoken” to me. In Jesus Name Amen

Encounters and manifestations (II) (Knowing and experiencing God)

Since manifestations are so controversial, a relevant question to ask is why (if they are genuine) would God manifest in such a way that offends so many, Christians included? Well, you could ask the very same question about why Jesus told the disciples “Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you can have no part in me” (John 6:53). While we understand the saying this side of the cross (my words are spirit and they are life verse 63), at the time they had no chance to understand what He meant. And they said “This is a hard saying, who can understand it” (verse 60), and “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more”(verse 66). Note that it was disciples who walked no more.

I can’t believe that Jesus did not know that many would react the way they did, and that He knew in advance that what He said would be a stumbling block. Since Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), I want to suggest that some of the things He does today (including manifestations), He does knowing full well that they will offend, and result in the offended not walking with Him any more. As I suggested last day, this is not to say that everything is of Him, we do still need to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21). But why would He manifest in such a way that would offend even those who could rightly be called disciples?

I mentioned yesterday that I was left asking myself if my initial response to the new wine had been me being overly cautious, or if it was pride, or fear, or the need to be in control. And it could be any of those things, but I also have to ask myself when in danger of being offended, if it is my religious spirit that is being offended. I have come to realize that there is something of the Pharisee in all of us, but perhaps I should speak only for myself! When the religious spirit is offended we likely do one of two things, we repent, or we turn away. However, as with the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-27) we are not told the final outcome, and like I did (see last day), we may need an encounter to change our minds!

Father, I do not want to turn away from anything that is of You. I also do not want to be naive! I find Peter’s response to Jesus question to the twelve (will you also go away - John 6:67) helpful. Reading between the lines, I understand Peter to be saying “We don’t have a clue what you are talking about Lord, but one thing we do know, and that is that when You speak, Your words somehow bring us life” (verse 68). And I am thinking this morning Lord that a big part of discerning, has to do with being Your sheep and knowing You voice (John 10:27). Help me in my hearing and following this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

Knowing and experiencing God - encounters and manifestations (I)

If it is true that the invisible God put on flesh and appeared (manifest) in the flesh (John 1:14), was seen, heard and touched (1 John 1:1,2), if that was true back then, should we be surprised if there were not some sort of physical manifestation today? To make manifest, is to make visible or known what has been hidden or unknown. There are those in the church who would say that this does not occur, since signs and wonders and the like, passed away with the completion of the New Testament. To me these are those who, caught up in Western thought, are buying into the debunked notion that reason is the only pathway to knowledge. As I said earlier, three of the ways we know include reason, intuition and experience. And for me, it is a no brainer to believe that God would use all three of these ways to make Himself known!

The thing about signs and wonders (the phrase occurs over a dozen times in the New Testament) is that they cause us to wonder! In spite of this, I hear many in the church proclaiming swiftly, loudly and clearly “That’s not God,” over anything that either makes them uncomfortable, or that they do not understand. Certainly not every manifestation that claims to be of God is of God. And whenever the Lord is at work, we can be sure the evil One is too. But would we not be wise to be not quick to judge? I mean if even as much as two thirds of it is fake, then one third genuine would be a lot of genuine! It's not as thought we don't need things that affirm our faith!

My own encounter with strange manifestations started with me lying on the floor telling the Lord that I did not believe in what just happened (the so called slain in the spirit experience), because I had not seen it in the Bible. Well He showed me (i.e. 2 Chronicles 5:14; Matthew 17:6; John 18:6; Acts 9:3-4 etc.). And so I have learned to be quick to ask “God can this really be of You,” when I encounter things I don’t like, or understand. The Scripture tells us that we will know them by their fruit (Matthew 7:16). One of my heroines, the controversial figure Heidi Baker of Iris ministries, had a significant encounter at the "Toronto blessing" when she found herself essentially stuck to the floor for almost a week. And after she eventually got up she, together with her husband Roland, were then instrumental in birthing over 10,000 new churches in war torn Mozambique.

Father, You do tell us that we need to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21), so we must not be naive. And I do not fully know all what made me initially skeptical of manifestations. Perhaps I was being overly cautious, perhaps it was pride, or fear, or the need to be in control, or a host of other things hidden to me. But whatever Lord, if any of this remains, then I ask You this morning to show me, and to help me deal with it. Please also show me clearly what is of You and what is not. I give You permission Lord, to take me out of my comfort zone in fulfilling Kingdom of God come, will of God be done on earth in Jesus Name Amen

Knowing God, more on His presence

The Scriptures do not describe to us what the presence of God is like, but they do tell us that it is real. He tells us “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), so it is not His intention that feel abandoned (much to say here). Jesus tells the disciples, and us through them, that it was better that He go, so that Holy Spirit could come (John 16:7), and that He would be with us to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He invites us to come to Him and drink (John 7:37). This might sound a bit strange, but when, as is my habit I invite Him to come morning by morning, I imaging myself going “glug, glug, glug, glug, glug,” (sometimes I say it our loud!). And as I do this, the feeling of His presence increases. What does it feel like? Well it depends. What I was needing on Sunday was His promised peace, and what He gave as I spent time in His presences was a mixture of peace, joy and security, and it is very real!

Is this constant? Well no, and I cannot go on feelings. I mean stuff happens, stuff that grieves me. The old entrenched habit of obsessive thinking is not fully dead, and threatens from time to time to raise its ugly head. That is what was happening Sunday when I needed to leave church so I could wrestle it through in His presence. We are sealed with Holy Spirit at conversion (Ephesians 1:14), but we can grieve Him in thought, word or action (Ephesians 4:30), and though He will never leave us nor forsake us, nevertheless when we grieve Him, we can loose the peace and sense of His presence. It is the same feeling when we are temporarily out of sorts with someone we love. The difference is that it is never His fault, and as long as we repent, He will always welcome us back, no matter how grievous our sin.

It was this way of His dealings with us, that made me very teachable when I was first saved. His comfort and mercy and grace had lifted me out of a desolate pit (Psalm 40:2) largely of my own making. When I finally surrendered to Him, I felt comfort and grace within His “embrace” (His embrace was what His presence felt like). But my old sinful appetites had not yet died, and they would threaten to draw me away. It became clear that I could go back to my old life, I still had free will. But I could not go back and still feel His presence. So that when I would start to walk in that direction, the paranoia and the pain and the emptiness would start to return. I would ask Him what it was, and He would tell me, and I would repent and flee back into His arms, into His presence!

Father, since You are a real person (and so much more) then a relationship with You is very real too. And as with earthly relationships, if we want them to be significant and deep, then we need to keep short accounts with each other. Though I do need to obey, my relationship with You seems to be a mixture of that of a loving Father and son (Romans 8:15), but also of friends (John 15:5). And I feel loved and accepted and affirmed, and I love You so very, very much In Jesus Name Amen

Knowing, knowing and knowing (V) Knowing God, His presence

I love the worship at the church I attended yesterday morning. I love the word there too, but I left after the worship, after we were admonished to hear the Lord singing to us over and over “I love you, I love you, I love you …” I left because, although I knew the Word would be good, what I needed more at that time, was His presence. I probably would not have been able listen in any case, because my spirit was restless! But in His presence there is comfort, healing, and fullness of joy. In His presence I can return to the peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7), and for this I needed alone time with Him.

The Scripture tells me to be still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). But many times before I can do that, I need like King David did, to pour out my complaint before the Lord (Psalm 142:2). I learned (am learning) this as the first step in stemming the flow of my obsessive thinking, you know the internal verbal diarrhoea that so easily besets us. And this outpouring really does need to be before Lord, not before my brother or sister. The problem when I pour out before others, is that it too easily become gossip and or judgement of others. Dr. Caroline Leaf describes what is happening before the Lord in Psalm 142 as “freaking out in the love zone.” God’s presence is a safe non-judgemental space (John 8:11; Romans 8:1), where I can be totally honest, and I can say what I am really feeling without consequences! I may need to repent of course, but I will not have said something to another human, that I can never fully take back! And He is big enough to take my outpouring!

In such outpouring, I do need to make sure, with His help, that I do not stay stuck in the complaint mode. To me the outpouring is simply the first part of replacing my anxiety with prayer, supplication and thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). I would be lying if I said that I never pour out my complaint before another. But actually it is not as satisfying, well there is no comfort like His comfort. But another part of this is that when I pour out my complaint to another, I cannot afford to be completely honest. It might come back on me! But the love zone is safe, safe enough to admit to myself and God my own part in it all. And I know that He understands, perhaps nobody else can, but He does (Hebrews 4:15). And then when the complaining and confessing are done, and I start to work the supplication part (making requests) with thanksgiving. At this point, the peace that passes all understanding starts to kick in (Philippians 4:7), and I can start to quieten my heart and be still in His presence, and know that He is God.

Father, I want to thank You this morning for the research findings of Dr. Caroline Leaf, who has discovered that negative thoughts in the brain produce physical toxic chemicals. No wonder you command us to “Do everything without complaining or arguing” (Philippians 2:14). We need to obey Your Word in any case, but it is helpful to me to understand some of the reasons for Your admonitions. Truly Lord when You say no, it is for out provision and protection. Thank You Lord for all that You are and do in our lives, in Jesus Name Amen

Knowing, knowing and knowing (III) Knowing God

In John 17:3 we are told that the essence of life both abundant and eternal is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (the word for life here, is the same word used in John 10:10b). And of course in talking about knowing God we are continuing our discussion of the three components of how we know. So by analogy we can (again perhaps a little overly simplistically) compare knowing by logic with knowing God through the logos Word, knowing by experience with the tangible presence of God, and knowing by intuition with hearing the rhama Word. I will be talking about this last thing in the coming days.

In the High priestly prayer of Jesus, from which these words are taken, Jesus also prays for oneness for His disciples. He concludes by saying that He prays these things “in order that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (verse 23). So what I am seeing this morning, is that being one with each other, having abundant and eternal life, being containers and distributers of His love, these things are inseparable components of knowing God. Part of this is made very clear in 1 John 4:20 where we are told that he who says he loves God and hates his brother is a liar.

In this same prayer Jesus talks about how the world hates us (verse 14). Elsewhere He tells us that He is sending us out as sheep in the midst of wolves, and that we need to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16). In the face of this, we need a lot of help, I do! In particular I need help to love. I was thinking recently of the verse that tells us that all love has its source in God (1 John 4:19 NIV). And because there is so much hate, and the default response to hate is to hate back, I was starting to imagine what it would be like if the Source of Love was absent in the world. Perhaps this is a good description of hell.

Father, I want to thank You again this morning for the incredible price You paid so that those who choose to believe in You should not perish, but should inherit life both eternal and abundant (John 3:16). Lord it is not all about rules and regulations, guilt trips and even about being right, it is all about relationship with You. Lord I cannot love this wicked and hurting world without the constant refreshing of Your love flowing through me. And too many times I allow self to intrude on that flow. So I need Your forgiveness and Grace and power and wisdom and love, moment by moment. Thank You Lord that You are far more willing to give it that we are to receive it. So I come boldly before throne of grace this morning to obtain mercy and to find grace to help in my ongoing need (Hebrews 4:16). I pray things things in Jesus Name Amen

Knowing, knowing and knowing (II) In relationships

Last day I was discussing three ways we know, by facts and reasoning, by intuition, and by experience. The three ways of knowing are interrelated, with each added component strengthening the knowing. This morning I want to apply this to knowing in relationships. So first and foremost we can know things about people by facts and reasoning. If we know somebody has integrity, we can reason that he or she will not lie to us. We can know things about a person we have never met. We can learn things about a person by what they say, what they have written, or by what others tell us about them. This is intellectual knowing, but there is more!

Experience plays a big part in knowing in relationships. We experience a person as cold or warm. We experiences hugs and smiles or not. What we know (experience) about a person depends a lot on what they allow us to know. Some people are an open book, others are hidden. We hide when we have been hurt. We talk about a person “letting us in,” or “shutting us out.” A useful word here is “revelation.” Both by our words, actions and attitudes (trust, openness etc.), we reveal ourselves, or not. Being open can make us feel vulnerable. After they had sinned, Adam and Eve hid from each other and from God, and blame and other negative things entered the game (Genesis 3:8-12).

The most spiritual of the three components of knowing in relationships, is intuitive knowing. And whether we acknowledge it or not, being made in the image of Trinity, our communication (revelation) and the resulting knowing is physical (experiential), mental and spiritual (analogous to intuitive). We talk about being kindred spirits. Identical twins have been known to be able to complete each other’s thoughts. When we meet someone for the first time, we may know intuitively if they can be trusted or not. In other words we know something about them intuitively, this is not by logic, not by the facts! We know a person best, when all of these interdependent aspects of knowing are at play! This is the essence of intimacy, or as someone put into-me-see.

Father, knowing in these three ways is totally relevant to how You are wanting us to know You. In fact, You use the analogy of the intended "knowing" (physical, mental and spiritual oneness) between a man and woman in marriage, as the intended relationship between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31, 32). For our part we have all fallen short (Romans 3:23). I know I have, but Your Mercy is great, and by Your Spirit we can always start anew from where we are “at.” Relationships are difficult Lord, but I know that You are ready, willing and able to help. I truly believe that when we come to You in total surrender and mutual submission, in the fear of God (Ephesians 5:21), that this will be a huge part in our experiencing life in all its fullness (John 10:10b). And we need Your help to do even our part. Thank You Lord that Your Grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16) is always available to those who ask (James 4:3) in Jesus Name Amen.

Knowing, knowing and knowing (I) In the natural

If you will allow me to be a little overly simplistic this morning, we know in three different ways. Firstly we know cognitively, as for example, knowing facts and figures. It is this form of knowledge that is primarily imparted at the University. Secondly we know by intuition (more below), and thirdly we know through knowledge gained by experience. The trade schools aim to impart both the first and the third kind of knowledge. In Western thought the first kind of knowledge is often regarded as the most important. In some cases it is regarded as the only way that we know, as in the now defunct premise “Reason is the only pathway to knowledge!” The Greek and the Hebrew words translated “know” in English versions, include all three of these aspects of knowing.

The experiential knowledge referred to above, includes knowledge gained from the school of hard knocks. There is nothing particularly human about this form of knowledge, since even dogs can learn this way! In living in academia for my entire career I have seen those who are quite brilliant in the first way of knowing, but don’t have a clue in either of the other two ways. I am convinced that the tendency of many males to dismiss intuitive knowledge, lies behind some of the many marital difficulties. We dismiss female intuition at our peril!

Albert Einstein’s experience illustrates the importance of intuition. He describes how he came upon the theory of relativity. He relates how he was lying on the grassy bank, gazing at a sunbeam through half closed eyes, and wondering what it would be like to ride a sunbeam, when the theory of relativity came to him intuitively. He then went into his laboratory and proved it. In particular it was not step-by-step logic that led to the theory, rather it was the other way around. In mathematics, we call things we think are true but cannot prove, conjectures. We then seek to either prove or disprove them.

Father, I suspect that most of us are out of balance in terms of how we know what we think we know. I never cease to be amazed the ingenuity and creativity of mankind. It is said Lord that Michelangelo could “see” David inside the block of marble that would become his famous statue. It seems that Michelangelo had all three forms of knowledge mentioned here. For me, I cannot see how such knowledge is consistent with those forms of evolution that discount Your design. How such knowledge could come out of the survival of the fittest, escapes me. This sort of trinitarian knowledge is surely a reflection of the fact what we are made in Your image. Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and I worship and praise Your Holy Name this morning Lord Jesus Name Amen

Science when correct, is hearing the logos (words) of creation

One of the advantages of being in academia for over fifty years, is that you can look back and see first hand the self correcting nature of research. I have seen it in the various sciences, in academic religious studies, in psychology etc., etc. And many, though certainly not all, of the corrected errors, mistakes, false theories and conclusions were things that tended to refute the Judeo-Christian understanding of reality. From my point of view, many such errors stem from anti-theistic presuppositions as, for example, in the version of naturalism that contends that only the physical universe exists. But this morning I want to look at research’s ability, over time, to self correct.

It is interesting to note that systematic scientific study began in the Universities which in turn were started by the church. The systematic approach made sense because of the underlying theistic assumptions that God exists and that what He created had order that could be investigated. Scripture declares “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out” (Proverbs 25:2). Einstein put it this way “God is subtle but not mean” In other words His secrets are hidden but can be sussed out.

But this widely accepted assumption makes no sense if the universe is nothing but the product of random chaotic events. Why would it make sense to suppose that you could discover immutable laws that govern chaos, or that it was a random chaotic explosion that had produced order. Even militant atheists like Richard Dawkins admit that the universe looks designed. So what I want to say this morning, is that because of its self correction nature, I believe that Science and faith will not ultimately contradict, and that most of the so called contradictions are contradictions among the underlying presuppositions. It could however take a very long time, because as Kuhn exhibits in his book “The nature of scientific revolution,” resistance to this self correction is often fierce.

Father, You tell us that the words (logos) that the heavens declare (Psalm 19:1-4 LXX) are clearly heard by created mankind. Many are in denial turning a dear ear, nevertheless we are without excuse (Romans 1:20). Lord please help those of us who know and love You, to so live our lives before You, that the World may see and fear and put their trust in You. We need Your help to here, we need Your logos and we need Your wisdom to know when and how to share Your logos with this wicked and hurting world. We also need to know when to shut up. I ask for these things in Jesus Name Amen

Logos (IV) - My sheep hear my voice (7)

The primary way that God’s speaks to those of those who are open to hearing from Him, is through His Word. Being open to hearing from Him, is important. In fact Jesus illustrates how it is more than possible to read the Scriptures and to totally miss even the primary message (see the context of John 5:39, 40). And to say it again, hearing accurately it is not independent of absolute surrender, or obeying what we hear, and having true faith (John 5:40; Hebrews 3:15, 18, 19).

So the Bible is logos, and Jesus’s words are logos (John 5:24). Well they are rhama too (later), and His sheep, those who follow, hear! So to repeat, the Bible rightly interpreted, is the primary way that God speaks to us. Rightly interpreting the Bible is no easy task! And part of the difficulty, is that we are prone to isolate in our little group or denomination. And again, as I have already said, it is only really in agreement wrought through the furnace of interdenominational dialogue among those who hold a very high view of Scripture, that we can have confidence that our interpretations are correct, and discover what are the non-negotiable essentials. In particular, we can have confidence in the doctrines of salvation. These are the clearest, because these teachings of the Bible are its primary message (John 5:40; 20:31; 1 John 5:13).

But the Bible is much more than correct doctrine. Among other things, it gives us guidance, principles and promises. To explain briefly, with respect to guidance, when I first got saved, I was very tempted to give up my job at the University, thinking that God could not possibly want me in a secular institution. But then I read “Let every man stay in the same calling in which he was called” (1 Corinthians 7:20). The principle behind this, seems to be “no impulsive moves right after salvation.” Another example of a principle is that our choices have consequences, and that we are easily deceived in this (Galatians 6:7). As to promises, if we abide in His word we will know the truth and the truth will set us free indeed (John 8:32, 36). And as His sheep, we are to hear these things as we read! It goes without saying, that we sheep do need to read!

Farther, the depth and balance of Your Word amazes me. On the one hand it cautions us “Let he who thinks he knows something acknowledge that he knows nothing yet, as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2). And it never ceases to amaze me how much I still have to learn as I encounter different streams and ministries in Your body. On the other hand, it also cautions us against ever learning and never arriving at the knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 3:7). Thank you Lord, that the doctrines of salvation are so clear, so that I can have confidence in my place with You for ever. But help me Lord, to be diligent to present myself approved unto You, rightly dividing the logos of truth. In Jesus Name Amen

Logos (III) - My sheep hear my voice (6)

Both before and after we turn to Christ and become His sheep, it is possible to “hear” His Word (logos). In John 5:24 Jesus says “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word (logos) and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” If the unbeliever was never able to hear, then this verse would make no sense. It is the one who both hears the word (hears logos as an unbeliever still abiding in death) who then in faith turns to God, this is the one who passes from death to life. In fact God is speaking to all of us, all the time, to both the believer and the unbeliever.

First of all God speaks to us all through creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God….. there is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard (His voice speaking through the heavens)…. their words (logos in the LXX) to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1, 3, 4). Now God has given us freewill, and we can (and do) choose how to respond to the logos that He is speaking here, and elsewhere. In particular we can harden our hearts, turning a deaf ear and refuse to hear. We do need to know that the Lord sees this as provocation and rebellion (Hebrews 3:8 NKJV respectively NIV). And as with a seared conscience, when we do this, His still small voice becomes smaller and smaller until we are unable to hear. But still, in the end we will be without excuse (Romans 1:20). Nevertheless “God whispers to us in our pleasure, but shouts to us in our pain” (C.S. Lewis)! It is not His desire that any of us should perish (2 Peter 3:9).

When we respond positively to His logos, be it His voice in creation or in His written Word (logos), then the logos becomes living and powerful and piercing (Hebrews 4:12). The verse goes on to tell us that this piercing exposes the thoughts and intents of the heart. In other words it cuts through our rationalization and uncovers the lies we tell ourselves. I know first hand that this can be a very painful process (see last day). I mean natural birth can be painful, so it should be no surprise that the new birth can be painful too. But also as with natural birth, the new birth is worth it, it really is!

Father, I want to pray this morning both for those of us that through Your patience and longsuffering brought us to Yourself, and also for those reading this who are not yet there. I pray Lord that You will continue the process of removing our hearts of stone and giving us a heart to serve You (Ezekiel 36:26). Thank You Lord that You do not force us, but rather You are patient and “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 peter 3:9 again). I cannot live without You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Logos (II) - My sheep hear my voice (5)

Continuing our discussion of the places where “word” translates “logos,” I want to look at two verses this morning. The first is “Sanctify them with Your truth, Your Word (logos) is truth” (John 17:17). The second is a promise “If you abide in My Word (logos), you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8: 31, 32). In a world that is not even sure of the existence of truth (i.e. all truth is said to be relative), these two claims that the Bible is truth, and that we can actually know the truth, can sound like arrogance. But if something is true is it arrogant to claim that it is? Is it arrogant to say that one plus one equals two?

Taken together, these two verses claim that if we fulfill the condition of the promise, then we will know that the logos is truth. Part of this claim, is that there is a way for an individual (you) to know the truth. In particular the one who abides in His Word, is the one who will know the truth. There is much to say about this knowing, but for now I needed to say that Biblical knowing is much more than intellectual knowing. At the risk of being misunderstood by the world, I want to say we also know with the heart. In particular, knowing truth has an experiential component. It includes rational and intellectual knowledge, but it is much more than that, it has a soulish and a spiritual component. And because knowing truth is multidimensional in this way, it is difficult to communicate it to a world that regards the rational, or scientific truth as the only way that we can know.

I did not always believe that the Bible is the Word (logos) of God. I came to know it in process, as I read and understood over and over “This book knows me.” I can give but one example this morning. At the breakup of my first marriage, I was convinced that she was 100% to blame. I had murder in my heart, and was fully convinced that I would have been justified had I followed through. The scary thing for me, is that I’m not at all sure that I would not have followed through if I thought I could have gotten away with it! And then as part of my journey to salvation, the Holy Spirit convicted me of my own wickedness, and how I had rationalized it away. Then when I read “The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9) the above thought “This book knows me,” came to me loud and clear.

Father, there is a sense in which the scientific method can be used to authenticate the claims discussed here this morning. In particular, the above promise from John 8 can be tested. There is much to say about what it means to abide in Your logos, but when we do, then either Your truth will set us free, or it will not. And this can challenge each and every one of us to “taste and see” in this way that You are God (Psalm 34:8). I want to thank You Lord this morning, that as I continue in Your logos, I am progressively coming to know the truth, and it is progressively setting me free. And I praise and thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

My sheep hear my voice (4) – Logos (I)

There are two words in the Greek that the English Bible translates “word.” The one that we will be looking at this morning is logos, the rational argument. From this, we get our word logical. The Bible calls itself logos, and in John 1:1 Jesus is identified as “The Logos”. Humanly speaking, there are many different schools of rational thought, each based on its own presuppositions, unprovable assumptions that often lie hidden. Take for example naturalism, by which we mean here the belief that only the physical universe exists. The implication is that there is no God, or if there is, He had no part in creation. As Christians our underlying presupposition is that God exists and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6). The Bible does not try to prove God, but rather starts with “In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). Many times, disagreements can be traced back to differences in the underlying assumptions. It makes for interesting conversations when people ask me “How can you, a mathematician possibly believe in God?”

Clearly if we start with wrong presuppositions, we can easily finish up with false conclusions. This is not to say that everything that comes out of the natural is wrong. Secular psychology for example, has come up with a tool it calls the genogram. The genograms is a kind of family tree that records family difficulties such as alcoholism and divorce, suicide and the like. Secular psychology’s idea, is that if we can recognize the patterns, then perhaps we can do something to stop them recurring. To me, this gives an interesting insight enter the verse “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 20:5). The Bible of course got there several thousand years before psychology did!

Part of what I want to say this morning, is that we too easily dismiss God speaking to us through the natural. Too often we have taken defensive postures and isolated ourselves from the world. But we do not need to be afraid, because He has given us the Bible as a tool to discern truth and error, right and wrong good and evil (2 Timothy 3:16). Unfortunately, much of Christendom has stopped listening to anything other than its own little group or denomination. Too often I have heard pat and shallow answers to complex questions, and tradition is often confused with what the Bible says (Mark 7:7). We also need to remember that the intellect being part of fallen creation is also fallen, and that our hearts are deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). In seeking to find the truth, I have found the teachings of parachurch organizations useful (InterVarsity, Operation Mobilization, youth for Christ etc.). I say this because their teachings are often refined in the furnace of interdenominational dialogue among those who hold to the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures. More to come on Logos.

Father, along the lines of “I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5), I confess to my own arrogance, and the arrogance of large parts of Your church in thinking that we alone have the truth, and everyone else has it wrong! Show us Lord the beauty and harmony of unity in diversity. Bring us into a culture of honour, where we can truly listen to each other, and think more highly of others than we do of ourselves (Philippians 2:3). This is so, so contrary to our nature Lord! Have mercy upon us, and change us in Jesus Name Amen

My sheep here my voice (3) - Conviction is not condemnation

“I know you don’t like criticism, but…” Those words spoken over me, used to make me want to run, because I knew I was about to get called out! And it was true, I did not and do not like criticism. But actually what was coming, was often condemnation, rather constructive criticism. The New Testament is not like the Old, and the one who has put his or her trust in Jesus Christ has been set free from condemnation and judgement, and has passed from death to life (John 3:17; 5:24; Romans 8:1). He or she has become a child of the living God (John 1:12), and has entered into relationship with the Father (John 17:3). And when we commit and submit to that relationship we are dealt with as beloved sons or daughters (Hebrews 12:7). The Father, who it is no respecter of persons, then treats us as He does our brother Jesus, and the very first words we need to hear are “You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).

As with Jesus, our identity as sons and daughters of the living God will be tested. The very first words out of the Devil’s mouth when Jesus was driven by the Spirit into the wilderness were “If you are the son of God...” (Matthew 4:3). Most Christians know in their minds, that they are God’s children, but not in their hearts. And getting the knowledge from our head to our hearts is likely going to be a process. In my own life, for the first twenty or so years my identity was more about what I did for the Lord than that I was His child. And knowing the love of God that surpasses all understanding needs to be our primary goal. Indeed it is a significant prayer focus for us (Ephesians 3:14-19). However if we are to know the reality of God’s love in this way as his children, that we needed to endure His chastening (Hebrews 12:7). The force of the Greek here, is that we remain under and wait on the instruction and discipline of the Lord.

Because I was subject to much graceless criticism, I found it very hard to receive any form of criticism at all, even that which would have greatly benefited me. And I rebelled! Many of us who have been taught that God is a punishing God, and not a loving Father, likewise react negatively to anything our loving Father might want to say to us for our good. But what I want to say this morning, is that conviction is not the same as condemnation, and that any correction that we receive from the Father is for our good (Hebrews 12:10). And if we are to learn to hear the voice of God accurately, we must not resist or take all lightly, the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and the discipline of the Lord (Hebrews 12:5). In particular, hearing His Voice, obeying and having true faith are inseparable (c.f Hebrews 3:15, 18, 19).

Father, from the very moment for salvation You call us saints, for this is how You choose to see us. And as You did with Gideon calling him a mighty warrior as he was hiding from the Midianites, You call us up to what You see, rather than calling us out. Essentially You are saying “Son or daughter, you are better than this.” Lord we will never learn to hear Your voice clearly and accurately if we are not willing to respond positively to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. You only do this because You love us and want the very best for us. Please help us Lord to trust You enough to submit to You in all things in Jesus Name Amen

Part 2 “My sheep hear my voice” - Negative self talk

A friend of mine was confessing to me, that he had been really mean to someone. He was forever telling this person that that he was a disappointment, a failure and a loser. He was glad his parents were dead so they wouldn’t see what what a disappointment he was. But he had suddenly come to realize, that these insults were causing anxiety and a fogginess in the brain causing him to be clumsy. Then when this clumsiness caused damage, my friend had then berated the man for his clumsiness. Suspecting I knew the target of this abuse, I asked him if it was appropriate to ask who he was talking about. And he told me “I’m talking about me, I have been saying these things to myself over and over for a very long time. And it suddenly struck me how destructive it is, how it has sabotaged my growth, taken away my confidence and kept me from moving forward!”

In spite of his negative self talk, I regard my friend as highly competent and insightful, and he has often helped me with things I was unable to do for myself. It was with the hope that it would help others, that he gave me permission to share this. The verse “Such restrictions indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-prescribed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body; but they are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:23) comes to mind. I am very aware, this harsh self treatment is widespread. Frankly it's abuse, self abuse! We think it will somehow motivate us to self-improvement, but it is a lie. As the above verse implies it is no help at all!”

In some, perhaps many cases, this negative self talk is attributed to God. And this is totally consistent with widespread but false view that God is out to get us, that His is just waiting for us to mess up so He can condemn us. But there is “Now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1), and “God is love” (1 John 4:8). And both this false view of God, and the negative self talk needs to be repented of. We need to come before our gracious Lord and tell Him that we are sorry for believing that He is such a bully, and attributing such hate to Him, and for hating ourselves. Such negative self talk is certainly based on self-hate. If we are to love our neighbours as ourselves, then we certainly need to love ourselves! So yes we need to repent of hating ourselves.

Father, I was saying yesterday that if it kills, steals and destroys it is not Your voice. But the Devil is a deceiver and a liar, and if we think that we have totally escaped his lies, when we are deceived! So I ask You Lord to show us the lies that we have believed about You, and about ourselves, so that we may repent and believe the truth. And the truth is that we are Your beloved sons and daughters, that You are well pleased with us, that You are for us not against us, and that You are actively at work for our good in all things. You are a good, good Father and I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

My sheep hear my voice (I)

After many months of struggle when I finally surrendered to the Lord many years ago at the tender age of 29, the difference was pronounced. That side of conversion I knew He was real, and in the newness and freshness of it all, I heard from Him all the time! But the fellowship that I'd landed in never talked about hearing from God, and one of the leaders told me “You intimidate me when you say God told you such and such!” While there are a couple of things to say here, this morning I want to concentrate on the expectation the Lord has for us that we hear His voice.

Three times in John 10 Jesus talks about his sheep knowing his voice (verses 4,16 and 27). And when something is repeated, it is because it is important. On two of these occasions, Jesus says of the sheep that hear His voice and they follow Him. And the two things are closely related. In particular they follow Him, because they know His voice (verse 5). But the converse is also true, they know His voice because they follow Him. In the same context Jesus makes it clear that there are other voices. In particular the thief (the evil One) has a voice (verse 10a).

In fact there are three “voices” that we “hear.” I’m not talking about audible voices, although I do not exclude God speaking in an audible voice. The boy Samuel heard an audible voice (1 Samuel 3:1-8)! What I am talking about are first of all our own thoughts, then the thoughts of the enemy the thief, and finally the genuine voice of the Shepherd (Jesus verse 11). And perhaps the reason the many churches shy away from teaching and practicing hearing the voice of God, is because it’s far too easy to confuse the various voices. This morning I want to say two things. The first is that the thief came only to kill and to steal and to destroy. So if it’s about killing, stealing and destroying, it’s not the shepherd’s voice. The second thing is to emphasize that accurately hearing the voice of the shepherd and following Him in absolute surrender, are inseparable.

Father, Your Word tells us that we need to test all things (1 Thessalonians 5:21 ). And this is never more true than when we think we have heard from You. Using a different metaphor, Jesus tells us that He only does what He sees the Father doing (John 5:19), and then He tells us that we will do greater things than He because he goes to the Father (John 14:12). I’m not there yet, but You tell us these things to challenge us to make them our goal, things to aim for. And we cannot even start to do this, if we don’t hear from You or “see” what You are doing. I’m fond of saying that there is always more, and this is never more true than in this area. So once again I pray “Speak Lord your servant is listening” in Jesus Name Amen

Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days

This verse from Ecclesiastes 11:1 caught my attention this morning from “Daily readings”. The reference is said to the element of trust (cast your bread) needed in commercial voyages of ships (on the waters). The commitment has to be total (once cast, the bread, often the complete livelihood as in the Merchant of Venice, is gone). The verse contains a promise (you will find), but requires great patience (after many days). Much of this from Tyndale Commentaries!

Solomon the preacher and the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, under the influence of the Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), was forever finding life lessons from things in the natural. We would do well to follow his example and allow life and the Spirit to teach us. He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying (Revelation 2:29) in and through his or her circumstances. And it does need to be Holy Spirit who is speaking, you know the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13), the very one who is behind the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). The natural man learns things too (2 Timothy 3:7), but the spiritual person discerns what is from the Lord and what is not (1 Corinthians 1:15).

And I am wondering this morning exactly why the Lord highlighted this verse for me this morning, and for you if you are reading this. In particular, is He preparing me or you for some decision or action He might be calling us to make, or is He reminding us of the need for patience as we wait for the fulfillment of things He has promised? Or is it perhaps both? What is the Spirit saying to you through all this, this morning? I have the sense, that He speaks a lot more than we hear, even to those of us who have ears!

Speak Lord, Your servant is listening (1 Samuel 3:10; Psalm 46:10)!

Do you want to be made whole?

We were talking yesterday, about the difference between wanting to become whole, and being willing to do whatever it takes to become whole. And I want to say a little more this morning. This question Jesus asked in this morning’s verse from John 5:6, was addressed to a man with an infirmity. He had been there at the pool of Bethesda for 38 years, waiting be healed. On a first reading, one is tempted to say ”I don’t want to be impertinent Jesus, but the man’s been there for 38 years waiting to be healed. So what kind of a question is it, asking him if he wants to be healed?”

But is not a stupid question, you can imagine the man asking “Will have to get a job, will I have to leave this place, these are the only people I’ve known for the past 38 years?” The point is there is always a price to pay for change, and it can be scary, very scary! I was told of a Facebook page recently that had a picture of a man grasping at barbed wire, and bleeding, but still not willing to let go. There is a recovery saying that we will not change until the pain of being stuck becomes greater than the pain and fear of change! Where you this morning, where am I?

The phrase “The devil you know,” comes to mind. And the fact of the matter is, that many times we are in denial that there is a problem at all. But the Lord it is always wanting and working to set us free (Luke 4:18). And in my own life, when the Lord has put his finger on something, wanting to set me free, I have often struggled, and struggled and struggled to let go. The interesting thing though, is that inevitably after I finally have let go, I shake my head wondering what the struggle was all about. On that side of the struggle, the struggle seems so pointless, and the path forward so logical and obvious! The point is, that Jesus came to bring us life in all its fullness (John 10:10b), and He wants to set us free (In John 8:32). And often He is wanting to set us free of from prisons of our own making.

Father, I don’t understand why change is so difficult, but it is! And I pray for myself and anyone reading this blog this morning, that we will learn to trust You more and more, and that we would learn to surrender early to the promptings of Your Spirit. Thank You for Your promise that if the Son shall set us free, we will be free indeed (John 8:36). And I thank You this morning Lord, that I am further along on this journey, than I was at the beginning, and yes I do want to be made whole. It is part of my not saying “no,” in Jesus Name Amen

I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him

I’m finding myself in space this morning that is at the same time unfamiliar but also strangely familiar! This month is the 46th anniversary of my Damascus Road experience (i.e. conversion), and I am finding myself challenged to commit to never saying “No” to the Lord. I have prayed at times in the past, asking the Lord to help me never to say “No” to Him, but I am guessing I never actually made this commitment. Or if I have (not sure), then the Lord is asking me to confirm it this morning. It is unfamiliar, because it is incredible to me that after 46 years I still seem to be wondering if I can really follow through on this, and wondering if I can trust Him! But part of this is that He has not yet followed through on a promise He made to me over 21 years ago now! Yet!

On top of this, in this morning’s readings I read “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). This space is also familiar, because I am now remembering what I was feeling in the year of back and forth vacillation, that led up to my conversion! Well actually in a number of times since too! And in remembering, it is helping me to sympathize with the struggle of those the Lord is calling to the new birth. Is it any coincidence, that in addition to all this, I was discussing something similar yesterday, namely the difference between saying I want to become whole, and being willing to do whatever it takes to become whole? Whatever it takes! I have said it before, salvation is free, but becoming free, will take everything that you are and have. And part of the similarity, is that both of these things inevitably involve suffering!

So meditating on this morning’s verse from 2 Timothy 1:12, I am asking myself if I know whom I have believed and I answer “Yes.” And I am also asking if I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him, and again I answer “Yes.” And as I wrestle with this even as I write, I know that this never saying no, has to start with my saying yes to to His question to me this morning. And in the future I won’t be able to wonder if I had actually made the commitment or not (you know the pesky business about having a convenient memory), because it will be in print for the whole world to see. This is good, because it is rather like the need for the new convert to confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God (Romans 10:9).

Father, thank You for Your patience with me, and for the gentle way that You reveal what is hidden. I feel no condemnation here and I want to thank You for that too. So this morning I choose to continue on the journey of becoming free and whole and growing in You, and I commit with Your help to never say “No” to what You require of me. Please make your commands clear and plain Lord, so that I might truly know what is of You, and what is not. In Jesus Name Amen

Part 2 - Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit

Last day, I was blogging on this verse, about our part in the partnership we have with Holy Spirit. And this is not out of context with the spirit of this text from Zechariah 4:6, since Zerubbabel was tasked with rebuilding the temple against fierce opposition. The prophetic word had come to Zechariah “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it” (Verse 9). So yes Zerubbabel was involved, he was the human agent. But it was not by his might, nor by his power, but by the Spirit of God. And because it would be finished, and because it was so far beyond Zerubbabel’s human ability to complete the task, the Lord would get the glory (also verse 9).

The relationship between the prophetic and the completion of the task is interesting. In a different context in David’s life at the point where he had been anointed king, but Saul was still on the throne, David encounters Goliath. And perhaps it was through the prophetic word knowing that he was going to be king, that gave him courage to face Goliath. Perhaps he was thinking to himself “Since I’m going to be king, when I go against this giant, I will defeat him, because if I don’t I will be dead and not King!”

In the natural both David’s and Zerubbabel’s tasks likely seemed impossible. But when God is involved, all things are possible. And He calls each and every one of us to tasks impossible in the natural. And since these tasks are impossible in the natural, He needs to give us His supernatural ability. And just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses’s arms so that victory would come (Exodus 17:12), so Holy Spirit comes and supernaturally empowers us to do what without Him is impossible.

Father, many of the prophetic words spoken over me seem totally impossible. But I choose today to believe and to declare what You have spoken over me to be true. I declare things that are not as if they are (Romans 4:17). Father, for too long too many of us have sold ourselves short! But I pray this morning Lord, that each and every one of us would dare to believe that what You say about us is true, and that we would contend for the kingdom of God to come, and the will of God to be done on earth through us, not by might not by power, but by Your Spirit in Jesus Name Amen

Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit

One of the more difficult questions for me to answer has been to know what is my part and what is God’s part in life. I am fond of saying that God will not do for us what we can do for ourselves, but He is more than willing to make up for what we cannot do. As a young man I went through a stage where I thought I could accomplish anything by sheer will power. I remember someone saying to me “Phil, you can’t get well by will power alone,” and me responding “Who can’t?” Well me!

Take relationships for example. The scripture says “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). So what is my part, and how far do I have to go past the second mile? I had to learn the hard way that in a relationship, I cannot make up for what the other person cannot, or will not do. So I need to ask the Lord what for me is the second mile in this or that situation, and then rely on the principle from this morning’s verse from Zechariah 4:6, namely that He will do His part in softening hearts and in bringing resolution. And my part is not to strive but to be patient, gentle and apt to teach (2 Timothy 2:24). I can’t say I have always done this well, but I am learning!

This not striving bit, is much more than for relationships. And for me learning not to strive has had a lot to do with spending lots of time with Him, learning His heart and drawing close in intimacy. I like what Heidi Baker says to the effect that she can accomplish more in one hour after spending time with Him, than in eighteen years of striving. In particular we need to learn to operate out of rest. Many of us had to burn out before we came to this. I did, and then there was a period of forced rest as in “He made me lie down in green pastures, etc.” (Psalm 23).

Father, thank You for teaching me that if You are not in it, all the effort in the world is not going to amount to anything more than a hill of beans. But this verse is not about leaving it all up to You, it is about cooperation. It is about moving when Your Spirit says move, and waiting when Your Spirit says wait, and to wait even when I have waited what is for me a very long time. But truly this morning Lord, I know that it is not by might, not by power, but by Your Spirit, by whom I seek to walk day by day. In Your precious Name I pray Amen