Debate & Prayer

It's been a busy and invigorating day today.  Alot of debate, discussion, hashing over.

We spent the morning in debate with Micah, with Layne often being the mediator as we must be speaking a different language than Micah speaks, & vice versa.  Mom doesn't like these kind of discussions so it makes her squirm a bit, and suggest we go to the park or something.  But Micah enjoys the stimulation just like we do.  Iron sharpens iron.

Then we took children for a swim, which they always love.  And Barb & Darrell Kent came over as Barb needed prayer for her back. 

We are believing for fluid to fill up those discs supernaturally.  We had a great time of testimony, about the goodness of God, about healings, and some prayer.  I always feel encouraged when visiting with them, and today was no different.  Like spirits.

Laars is feeling better, although not yet up to par.  No throw ups today, and less of a fever, and he slept most of the day away.  He ate little which is really good to give his body energy for healing.

We anticipate leaving in the morning for the Island; the last leg of our trip, but we will see how the day is lived out.  We make our plans, but let the Spirit direct us.  He brings people and circumstances into our lives to bless us in ways we hadn't imagined.  What an exciting life.

The God Journey

I became aware of the podcasts of The God Journey through Emerging Mummy and so I am starting to work my way thru the archives. I'm pleased with what I've listened to so far, and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of these 2 men chatting back and forth. Be forwarned, the first 5 mins or so are just chatter, about random stuff. But then, that's alot of how my girlfriend Lisa and I start a conversation....a little of this and a little of that, and then we are onto some deeper topic sharing our heart and whatever else fits.

Today I was listening to Get Off the Dock and it jived with stuff they talked about on the previous show A Family Without Fences. And I can so identify with what they are saying. Not because I've ever been in a pastoral position (officially, never). But because I've been on the receiving end, the place where a pastor has blatantly told me that I was being deceived and walking down the wrong path, because I wasn't understanding scripture the same way that he was. And I really think it irked him big time because I had actually believed or agreed with somebody else who I had actually just met and who wasn't my shepherd like he was.

Anyways, I think Wayne and Brad have so many valid points they make about us not learning how to hear for ourselves the voice of God, our own lover of our soul, and how we don't trust ourselves to hear from Him but are always looking for somebody else to be the mediator or the translater or the go-between.

This is a walk I've been on for years now, especially since I left organized religion/the church about 7 years ago now. I am a slow learner, I suppose. And I have admittedly fallen for the "give me a John" as I easily fall prey to listening/relying on yet another preacher/author/prophet instead of pressing in to my personal relationship with God Himself, listening to Ruach breathe life and truth into my spirit.

He is my Good Shepherd, and I am His lamb(I don't belong to any other shepherd), and I am always learning more and more how to hear His voice. But I can and do hear it. For myself.

He is ALL I need.


Question for You: In what ways do you 'hear' God speaking to you?

Sap-Suckers

I've always thought it was important to have good character. As a homeschooling parent I have purchased Christian curriculum that was to aid me in building godly attributes into my developing adults. I thought this would produce good character. But I don't see it that way anymore. I am not against these curriculums, per se, but I do see something wrong with the way we approach good character.

I think that we are focusing on an end product we'd like to have, but haven't rightly got our eye on what the source of it is.

We might agree that the things listed in the verses below would be major proponents of what makes one have good character.

Galatians 5:22-23 (New Living Translation)
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23 (Amplified Bible)
22But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
23Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [[a]that can bring a charge].

What I want you to notice is.....whose fruit is this? Who does the producing???

It is the fruit of the Spirit. It is He who produces it in our lives! It isn't by my own effort. It is a working of His Spirit.

When I got a grasp of that, it kinda shook me. I thought I just had to try harder to be good and kind, and particularly to have self-control. But that only produces goodworks, not necessarily good character.

In John 15:4-8 it gives the analogy of the vine, branches and fruit. Jesus says,

4Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

5I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

8When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

This is how I see my life now:
I need to abide in Jesus, and His Spirit will produce all the good character I need.

The more I am enveloped in Him, the more the fruit just shows up and multiplies. The branch doesn't have to focus on producing fruit, sending messages to 'grow, grow, grow'. The branch just needs to be well attached to the trunk/vine from which it gets its nourishment. The better that connection is, the better the sap can flow through the branch and it will naturally produce fruit without effort.

I believe that much of our struggles as Christians is because our gaze is redirected from the most important things, like abiding, and onto minor things. Yes, we need good character, but we don't get it or produce it in our lives by focusing on it. We produce it by abiding in Jesus. Rest in His Presence. Stop striving. Become a Sap-Sucker.


Question for You: Do you have particular things (ie, notes, certain chores, particular emotional feelings, etc) you use to remind you to get back to abiding?