Quizzical

As I look over these posts of mine, I realize that they aren't in the least "Newbie Christian" friendly. If you're a younger Christian, these posts probably aren't for you. There is some great material out there for the "Baby Christian", and you should definitely give it a look. Joel Osteen puts out some nice stuff that is right up your alley. As I was saying, these posts are mainly for the purpose of awakening and strengthening the person who is already going to church, possibly even someone who has been for years. They are for the person who forgot who they're supposed to be. The person who got too comfortable and changed their name to "Compromise", or "Watered-Down". I always write from my heart because I've been so many things in the past. Everything that I write about comes from experience. Anyway, I just felt I should clarify that because these posts appear on my other site, and I've been asked questions like, "Who is this enemy that you refer to?". These posts aren't for evangelism. For this I thank God. I am called to this, and I am answering that call. Evangelism is an awesome thing to do for God, but it's not my calling. What I'm about to say is in no way out of pride. None of what I exalt is born of me so it can't be! I doubt that I can convey this properly, but just know that I've died and am dying in so many ways to the flesh that I am close to God in a way I could never describe. And I promise it will cost me more than I can imagine. I am on the path to selling out to God like Elijah, David, Keith Green, Oswald Chambers, and other people who let go of themselves and straight up leeched off of God for EVERYTHING. This is in no way boasting, except as Paul said, boasting on God. Everything good in me is from the Father. I point all this out for the purpose of telling everyone who reads these and turns away, be careful, it may be that you're supposed to be reading them, and not turning away, but instead implementing them into the tangible and applicable. Furthermore, I don't expect comments really, but as many subscribers as there are, it does get me thinking: if we were all sold out, we wouldn't be able to stop spurring one another towards good things. In the future, some people will unsubscribe to these blogs, one has already, and that's okay, because the level to which I seek God before and as I write these assures me that they are written the way they should be. I tell you this with the utmost sincerity, the things of life that are not related to Him seem so insignificant when you start to sell out, when you die to the flesh. I know it's not just me that has seen what God wants to do. Come along with me if you've got the unction. I know that someone reading all these blogs certainly does.

Weak

The enemy will try to curse ANYTHING that God tries to prosper. That's just the nature of the game. Satan has been succeeding at this since the fall of man. The thing that really gets me though, is that the attacks are always the same. Nothing new . . . ever. Every attempt Satan makes at robbing you of being in close contact with God has been used by him a million times. No, that's an understatement. It very well could be hundreds of billions. There will never be anything new in his arsenal to use against you. God has restricted the devil to what you already experience of him in most cases. He lies. But he also tells the truth. He accuses you, usually of something you are indeed guilty of. This makes it all the more effective. At times, you ARE the flake he called you. You ARE a hypocrite. You ARE selfish. He points out the truth, but only in shards, and only when it has a chance of effecting you. He doesn't want you to answer his charges with scripture, he'd rather you dwell on what he tells you because, "Hey, it is true". He doesn't want you to tell him that The Word already told you that you weren't good enough and that you're glad you're not required to be. He prefers it when you don't remind him that you are saved by grace and not by works; whatever he says to knock you back can be answered by Truth. His best stuff is focused on dividing and conquering. He wants to separate you from God and what God desires to share with you. He lusts to get you alone and defenseless, that he might influence you to hopelessness. He is bitter that you, a weak, insignificant being, are able to share a relationship with God, and that he, a far more powerful being, cannot. He is bitter that God receives joy from you having a relationship with Him. This relationship makes Satan sick. His attacks are weak and reek of desperation. He has his limited set of attacks to draw on, and he hopes with all his might that you don't discover how weak and pathetic his attempts are. Because the moment you do realize that, he has no chance. For every lie he tells, The Bible presents a multitude of truths that individually are enough to overcome that lie. God is all about "more than enough". It's His nature. It's the enemy's nature to retreat in fear when you follow the simplistic biblical approach. It works every time. Stop making the devil out to be something he isn't. He relies on you to crumble under his tired routine. He needs you to participate in his ruse or he has nothing. He does have one thing; the weak and tired routine with absolutely nothing capable of being effective against you unless you choose to make it so by your acceptance and inaction.

Quiet Rumblings

Whenever you take a stand for God that is higher than ever before and that will require more of you than ever to get to the next level in your journey of answering God's call, you're guaranteed more opposition from Satan. I think this is known by most people who have striven for more. But I want to focus on another aspect. The opposite of the opposition from the enemy, it comes from the Holy Spirit during the same period of time. You're praying more, reading more, growing more. But the Holy Spirit is quietly calling you to further change, usually in part based on your reaching to God for more. It starts with a vision, a personal vision that is sometimes so faint or so inconceivable that it is easy to dismiss as something else entirely. Perhaps as a fantasy or a tangent of whimsical thoughts.
For God to increase your capacity for Him and His ways, you must decrease in ways that are contrary to Him. God will desperately want you to be ready to handle more, He celebrates that. But He won't give you more than you're ready for, especially in areas of advancement. I'm reading a book right now (Becoming a Pioneer of Success by Tracey Armstrong) that talks about how you can't expect to move on to bigger and better things in God when you allow areas of compromise into your walk. His book goes into that in depth, and is worth mentioning here as there is a connection between what he is talking about and the quiet rumblings of the Holy Spirit. You should first put an end to those things that stick out plainly to you. We know that God gives wisdom out in spades when you're working towards His cause, so it really isn't difficult to do.
After that process, and sometimes during, those rumblings of the Spirit within your soul start to whisper more and more. That's really just God pre-approving you for promotion in Him, since you are capable of all He asks of you. When God gets excited for what's next for you, He starts presenting more and more ways for you to achieve more and more of His destiny for your life. This is evident in those quiet prods from the Holy Spirit. As a parent, I know a unique level of joy in wanting great things for my son. You're simply seeing and feeling God's heightened version of that joy. Isn't that spectacular to know?! It's worth getting excited about for sure. How great a thing it really is that God gets STOKED at the possibility of your personal growth!
How much do you help something happen when you have a passion for it? That's nothing in comparison to how much God will help great things happen in your walk when you allow Him to take action by grabbing on to what the Spirit is trying to show you. I'm not at all talking about tangible things that you can touch. I'm talking about God unlocking your destiny for you as an individual being. Is there really anything more important than locking in to God? Close your eyes and grab His hand and run with Him. Your own views will just get in the way of what I'm talking about anyway. The Lord is faithful to complete the work He begins in you!

What is possible?

I'm more in love with God than I've ever been in my life. It certainly hasn't always been like this. As a matter of truth, it's new, at least to this level. I am constantly hungry for Spiritual food. I go just an hour or two without praying or getting into some praise and worship or a little bit of the Bible; my spirit and soul start to ache. It's hunger pangs. Did you hear that? It's hunger pangs. This is in no form any way of boasting, save for boasting on God's Perfection and Grace. I am amazed by my growth. Make no mistake, it is because of how far God has lifted me up. But it's also due to my efforts. I can choose to settle for less, and there are times that I have. There have also been times in my life when I have sought the will of God for my life, but not like this. I am constantly seeking to be consumed more and more by Holy Fire. I want to grow and shine and be lethal to the enemy. Sounds an awful lot like the 15 year old at a youth camp, no? That's what they sound like, before something else happens to them.
I said to a friend recently that God is getting ready to do some big, big things. Unseen in these times type of things. He said to me that he was tired of hearing that. That he'd been hearing that for years. He'd been hearing it since he was 13, and now at 30, he's still hearing it in today's youth groups. Here's the thing though. God was and is always ready to do something big. It's His people who back off. It's the kid in the youth group that graduates high school, gets a full-time job or gets ready for college. God is waiting for those who are willing to go further for Him than the people before them.
The reason I mention all this is that I have discovered that I am one of those people. God already knew that, He was just waiting for me to catch up. To stop putting limitations on Him. It is imperative that we realize what "apple of His eye" means. It really is a matter of perspective that determines so much about you, about where you're going with God. If you can't see yourself like I've described, then how will your faith increase? The Beastie Boys were right. "The man makin' diamonds out of coal is the one who holds the remote control." How you devour the opportunities that are available only through God determine how far He'll take you.
I've heard it said countless times that there are certain biblical principles that you can benefit from whether you serve God or not. I'm done hearing about that. I've got all I can from that for now. I'm talking about the things that will ONLY happen when you give in to God. Keith Green says in one of his songs, "I want to die and let you give your life to me that I might live." He's talking about dying as fleshly death, the only way for God to truly inspire you to action.
You see, there's only so much God can use you for when you limit Him by not being ready. I don't want to serve a limited God, because it would be completely my fault that He was limited. Dying to the world, crucifying the flesh, getting that hunger; these are the keys to being rocketed ahead towards God's perfect will. The casual Christian mentality will never increase your personal capacity. You'll peak, and rules are rules. That will be as far as you go, your entire life if you so decide.

Harsh

(I realize that this may come on strong, believe me that it's not directed as a generalization, but to those that it is, it's meant to come on strong)

Hunger for God. The Real God. The God that you so many times hold back so that you can live your life more comfortably in sin. I say in sin, although you may not see it that way. It's easy to see your life as "pretty good". As a Christian, it's easy to compare your life to worldly people. You say, "Hey I go to church. I pay my tithes. I don't drink. I don't beat my kids, and I come home after work every night." You even compare yourself to other Christians and rate yourself higher in your walk with God, though no one should do so. These comparisons are dangerous and need to be viewed as though they were stealing your most sacred treasures. They cause and further implement you in your walk with God to slip into a level of existence that only barely gets you by.
No hunger for God! Not aching to be consumed by Holy Fire. You're greedy and selfish. You want the most out of a life with God for the least amount of effort. You allow yourself to be satisfied with the bare minimum. What causes this? You need to thirst for the MOST you can possibly handle of God. Do you remember that hunger? When God first found you, broken, contrite and ready for a new life? Where did that fire go? God holds up his end of the deal, is faithful, blesses you MUCH more than you need, and you soak it all in, making sure that you're the best looking, most stylish person at church. You're far too cool for God. Lukewarm that is.
Revelations says in 3:15-16, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I would that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth." To vomit is to eject forcefully, violently even, but certainly with the motive of getting the filth far away. This means that God would prefer you in either of those states than where you are, and He prefers it with a passion. It's easy to see why He would want you to be hot. But cold? Well, at least cold is honest. With cold there is no disguise, no concealment of truth, no pretense.
I'd much prefer that to insincerity and hypocrisy. Someone who is cold is more stable, and has better character than the lukewarm. It is easier for a cold person to become hot than for a lukewarm person. Saul, as a murderous, Christian hater became Paul, writing 13 books of the New Testament. Judas, taught by The Son of God for years, was a thief and a fraud. Saul was cold, but Judas was lukewarm.
If you're lukewarm, don't stay there. If you realized the gravity of the situation you'd know that you should actually panic. It is that serious. The trouble is, once you're lukewarm, it's so easy to stay there. The enemy lusts that you would stay in that putrid state. You're no one for him to be concerned with. You can't be used by God for anything. Satan views you as dead, and he's almost right. Almost. See, I've been lukewarm at points in my life. I know of the constant toil that comes with it. I tell you the truth, you must be humble before God and desperately want change to be changed, just like with true repentance. But oh how quickly God smites that, igniting you, instantly propelling you to hot. He wants it more than you do in your most longing moment of desire. He would have to in order to spew you away from Him.

Bitterness

Bitterness. Webster's defines bitter as "marked by intensity, cynicism, and pain." Marked is an excellent way to view the effect bitterness has on someone. They are marked, and usually by personal experience. It's that sour experience that causes someone to lock away the very best parts of themselves. Everything good is locked away because bitterness CONSUMES an individual completely, affecting every faucet of their being.
Bitter people are intense. They eventually become dead set on malevolence and spreading pain. It may not start that way, but that is in fact the ONLY conclusion if bitterness is not healed. After long term exposure, being consumed by this contemptuous state can cause you to think higher of yourself than people who don't agree with your cynicism. From your twisted perspective, they slowly become the enemy. From their perspective, they see your hardened heart and are turned away.
Webster's also defines bitterness as "being relentlessly determined and intensely unpleasant, especially in coldness or rawness." The determination of a bitter person is unrelenting because that uncontrollable drive is powered by severe pain, grief, or regret. Bitterness is a breeding ground for self-loss and isolation. In the end it leads to deep, insurmountable sorrow, depression, hopelessness and the immensely overwhelming feeling that emptiness is not only acceptable for your life, but the only option. Bouncing back from this fate can prove more difficult than most anything else. This is due to the fact that with bitterness we naturally harden ourselves, as a protective measure, oftentimes in an attempt to not be hurt again. We vehemently reject any type of reproach, directives, compassion or help offered by others.
When people are bitter about church and church leadership, they see non-bitter people as pawns. Not pawns unto themselves, but of the people representing anything church related. When others don't share their hardened opinions or "see the light", they then become worthless to the bitter soul. This in turn creates a vacuum. It's because of this lockout that only God can rescue someone from this spiraling wreck. It WILL produce a spirit of ill ambition and contention; it WILL destroy any who are ruled by it, and it offers nothing less than complete mastery of you. The Sword of Truth of course, can slay bitterness. Come away from that sickness that can prevent you from using The Sword. The Sword which God entrusted to you, that you might use it! Ask God for meekness, humility and kindness and start melting that resentment away.