Got a few verses on my heart that I'm going to illustrate, over the next few days. This is one of them. I hope it helps someone understand how God isn't attempting to get our natural man to perform. If we'll embrace the grace of God, all the other things will just follow.
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:1 (KJV)
All my Love,
>As we walk in uprightness and honesty, we find ourselves (God) peeling back the layers of our lives like an onion. With travailing pain, more is peeled away, and yet the core becomes approachable and more simplistic. We embrace Truth. If an onion is peeled back far enough, it disappears and there is No-Thing. Take No Thought (No-Thing) about what you should wear or take no thought about tomorrow for it will take care of itself.
click the following link if you can't see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=worKJEaJLoQ
>Lonely, I know it very, very well...
Well, it's been about 9 months since I've written much, and it's been by design. I'll share more about the timing at another time. At the end of the summer of 2009 (August), we purchased another video camera, having the desire to blog through means of video.
Well, here is my first 'Vlog' (video blog). It's very important to my relationship with God, that I be as honest, open and willing as possible, with every aspect of my life. My prayer for you is that you find some value as I journal my relationship with God, but I must confess, everything I do is for myself and my relationship with God... My full intentions are to continue being real, honest and naked (of course, since it's a video, I promise to keep my clothes on, haha). If there is any light in me, I am fully persuaded that the light does its own evangelizing. Please enjoy and feel free to dialogue, make comments, or ask questions. My intention is not to lord over you, telling you how you should live, but rather, I am reporting where I am.
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The driver's seat in your car faces forward for a reason; however, there is a small mirror provided, should you decide you need to briefly re-examine something in your immediate past. It's best to stay in your own lane, but side mirrors are provided should you attempt a lane-change or turn.
Do not be sad if familiar cars turn from the road you are traveling, never to be seen again. Sometimes driver's decide to pull over and rest, and sometimes cars crash. Cars will come and cars will go but the driver of each car is not the car.
It can easily become confusing if you believe you are the car. You are the operator within the car, so no matter what model car you sit, you are the observer of everything happening in and around. The car may cease to exist. It is only the part others see with the human eye.
There are all sorts of cars. There are red ones that go fast and blue ones that have really large tires. There are still others with silver paint and a bed in the back for hauling. There are others still with rust all over and falling apart. No matter the car, it's most important to remember that the car we are looking at is not the person inside.
Cheers,
David
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Early in the book of Genesis we find a man and woman, walking in the garden intimately with God. They make a decision that would forever change humanity. Their decision was to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. To ‘eat’ means it was Adam and Eves’ motivation. Their motivation, or intention of their heart was to take care of themselves. They became independent, where they had been totally dependent upon God till this event.
Prior to the first ‘Declaration of Independence’, they were naked and didn’t even know it. After the event, they were naked and they felt ashamed, trying to cover up. Although God was never in denial about their wardrobe, He didn’t see any of their decision-making as a problem, except for the one thing they were told not to do. God didn’t have a problem with any ‘action’ they would ever take except for the subtle core problem of being independent from Himself.
God came to The Garden asking one simple question. He asked Adam and Eve the same thing I want to ask you… “Who told you that you are naked?” When God asked them this question, He was simply stating an obvious identity perception problem. Adam and Eve, always being naked, weren’t judging themselves (or each other) until their child-like innocence was violated.
Is it possible to live life, not judging ourselves by our actions? Yes; in fact it’s a supernatural occurrence of walking by faith, born in love. It’s the nature of unconditional love (Love without conditions) that looks past performance and sets focus on identity. If your decision maker is ‘knowledge of good and evil’, you are eating from the same tree as Adam and Eve (The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil). The whole point of Christ living in you is for you to surrender and trust Him, regardless of what it ‘looks’ like.
The question God asked Adam and Eve was strangely never answered. He asked them “Who told you that you were naked?”, yet God never answered the question. So, let me ask you three questions about your current life and relationships…
Who told 'you' that 'you' were naked?
Who told 'you' that 'they' were naked?
Who told 'them' that 'you' were naked?
Light exposes everything. Trying to ‘become something or someone’ is walking in the power of sin (fear). It’s the covering up, using anything other than Grace that derails the experience of ‘Truth’ already finished in you.
I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/
When things go ‘right’ we give thanks to God and are all happy and stuff. Why weren’t you happy when things were going differently than you had hoped? This deserves prayerful consideration.
Most of us are thankful when things go ‘right’. Few are actually happy in all situations. I mean, genuinely happy in all things. Pretending doesn’t count. Having a mental disorder doesn’t count either.
The only thing that counts is finding your identity in Christ alone, and this comes from being honest, open and willing. Out of this simple revelation, everything you ever need will flow; EVERYTHING.
My question is: Why is it such a stretch for us to embrace a new plan, outside the plan we had secured our identity? When you didn’t get the promotion, parking spot, or job- why is it that we are slow to understand one of the most simple truths about God and our relationship with Him? How about bigger things? What about when your political ideology isn’t winning, or your child is killed in an accident, or when you lose another loved one or friend; or worse still, if you receive a bad report from the doctor.
The answer is simple- far too simple for most of our educated minds to comprehend so I’m not going to attempt explaining it: I’m simply going to state it, and you can do with it whatever you wish. Do you remember the scripture in Jeremiah, the one about God’s ‘plans for us’ (‘thoughts toward us’ in KJV) ? We all know it by heart. It’s Jeremiah 29:11, and the NIV reads, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” In this passage, nowhere does it say that ‘I’ know the plans ‘He’ has for ‘me’. It says that ‘He’ has a plan for ‘me’. God isn’t secretive and will tell you His plan, but you’ve got to be willing to hear the answer; and it probably won’t make any worldly sense. God deeply desires to take you from glory to glory. This process means you will be let down, and disappointed at times. If glory is being given to God, recognize that God is having an intervention- and you are the target of His affections. Open your heart to what God is saying.
Abraham, the father of our faith, considered God’s instructions, and was obedient; offering up his child, the only means of fulfilling God’s promise. He was obedient to a proceeding word from God. Faith without works is dead. If your eyes of understanding are opened, you will hear what the Spirit is saying.
It’s by the word of your testimony and the blood of the lamb that you overcome. What you are going through is part of your own unique testimony and IS very important. Everything about what you are going through is important. How you got to this place (emotionally and physically), what you feel about it, what your hopes and dreams are (and were), and your present reality ‘now’; all are important (but they are not permanent). Trusting God means your perception will change into His perception. The revelation you receive, Truth, is permanent. God is actively arranging and making changes in your life to bring you into a place you are already in, Him. Embrace the flow of life. This doesn’t set aside the grace of God- for if your testimony is all there is, Christ died in vain.
I Am,
David
view this blog at http://restorationhouse.com/
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When things don’t work out as hoped, and nothing can be done, God may be changing ‘me’. Sooner or later we understand that resistance is futile. God is the one behind my being let down and broken hearted. God is breaking ‘me’. My ‘knee’ is bowing. There is no such thing as every knee not bowing and every tongue not confessing. EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Your trouble (situation) may mean that it’s your turn. Your knee is bowing and tongue needs to start confessing. We know that faith without works is dead. What this simply means is… When we ‘connect’ with God, faith is formed. This always requires a response. Sometimes it’s to allow something to be changed within ourselves and sometimes it’s an outward expression. You can rest assure that there is always a response. There will always be a ‘tongue’ confession.
At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and passed it for consumption. The bread was first taken, then He gave thanks and broke it, then given to others (Luke 22:1-23). His actions mirror a recurring theme throughout all the scripture (and all creation). There is a very important message being spoken with His actions. First, we recognize receiving Christ and His broken body. We receive Him as “The Bridge” of death burial and resurrection, paying the way for us. Secondly, as God wills, we experience something much greater, much deeper. We begin to experience Christ in us. We start to understand that He lives in us. We see that it’s in Him that we live and move and have our being. We see our new identity. Further, being one with Him, we see we are the bread being broken and given to the world.
You don’t have to be confused with all the pain experienced in life… God lives in you and loves you. Christ is saying to the Father ‘Thank you for those given to to Him (you)’- and just like the bread, must be broken before it can be given out. It’s when you are weak that you are strong. When given out, you’re given to the world as light and salt. To resist is futile. Trust God- His surgical skills surpass all others. His sword is sharper than any knife…
I guess the only sad part is that this type surgery is that He doesn’t anesthetize you while cutting. There is a joy set before us. Go in peace and allow God’s finished work to change you.
I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/
>What I have on my heart is pretty sensitive and my intention is not to stir up trouble. It is; however, to speak the truth in love, letting the chips fall where they may.
This whole business about healthcare in the USA and what political ideology is ‘right’ is a manifestation of our more serious problem. Take a look at "my version" of Matthew 16:1-4:
Matthew 16:1-4 1 Then the Republicans and Democrats came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. 4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.
Maybe we are like this scripture? Maybe we don’t understand the face of spiritual matters because we are so locked into being ‘right’. We have a god set as an idol above God. The problem can't be addressed corporately because it is being adressed individually first.
In the first place, this country is not a Christian nation. It may be founded along Christian truth; and by Christians, with Christian founding fathers and founding documents. None of those things qualify us to claim we are a Christian nation. A country can’t be Christian. For someone to say a country could be a Christian country proves you think being a believer is about following rules and performance. You are right that it’s about performance but it’s about God’s performance, when He performed perfectly through His Son. God’s saves people, individually, not our man made organizations (even if they are God led when they were started).
Secondly, if you think your party or ideology is on God’s side, you have an idol as described just above. There is no side in this world, on any topic that God is for or against. God is desiring you to choose His side, and His side isn’t based in meteorological patterns and whether it’s going to rain or not. Those worshiping God must do so in Spirit and Truth. Neither are based in this world. Sounds foolish? It’s supposed to sound foolish to your natural man. That’s why the invitation is to step out in faith to trust Him. Trust Him like Jesus did… when He was asleep in the bow of the boat, in the middle of a huge storm.
Reread the referenced scripture. Let your spirit guide you and decide for yourself if you think it’s worth sacrificing your intimacy with God to be ‘right’.
We all desire a nation we can safely raise our children, and without unreasonable intervention from our government into our personal lives. Because we desire these things doesn’t give us permission from God to allow things of this world to effect us by making us anxious and worried.
Isn’t it just possible that God is allowing all our troubles to reveal our own lack of trust in God? The anxiety is coming from worry, and things not working out like we wanted. When a baby does it, it's called a tantrum. Someday we'll leave childish ways and grow up in the Lord, but for now, let's just see if we can learn what God is teaching. I am available if you need to talk.
Now, if you can be honest with yourself and keep it before God, I think you should do whatever is in your heart. But, if you think God is taking a side, you’re going to be surprised how this plays out (Joshua 5).
I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/
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We’re often asked, “How can I make it in Life?”, or “How can I be Happy?” Most people are caught in a cycle of ‘self-actualization’ blinding them from the possibility of living life another way. My search for Truth over the past 20 years or so, has uncovered many “Portals” into the unseen. In this short article I will share how you can be happy. The simplicity of this article may revolutionize your thinking.
Be Honest with yourself and God. God isn’t impressed when you go to the store, buy a T-shirt that says “I Trust God”, if you don’t. Just be honest. If you are struggling at a moment in time, own that moment. Have the attitude of, “I am struggling with this ____________ that is in me”. The purpose isn’t to take long term ownership of the struggle but to trust God with it. If we confess our struggles, He is faithful and just to forgive us and purify us.
Be Open and allow your present reality to be seen. The real you is the most powerful you. There are all sorts of roles we play, acting as rusty pipes, when compared to the real you. The masks we wear, are little more than garments covering The Light within us. These masks filter our perception of the world, creating a false identity, based in the world. It’s crucial that your story, is your story, and not your neighbors’. There is no such thing as an unimportant history, when concerning any person, regardless of your religious beliefs. You are important, as you are!
Be Willing to do nothing; or anything. There is one thing God will not do by force; Change your mind. He will allow tragedy in our paths to soften our hearts and just like Pharaoh, send 10 plagues until we let your true self free. True willingness is to lay your agenda down. Now, I’m not speaking of an intellectual willingness, where you take in information and decide whether it ‘fits’ your plans. It’s like a dead fish laying out of water, not flopping around. True willingness gives up complete control to be led by Peace, even though the body wasn’t designed to operate under these conditions.
If you find yourself resisting change, and you will, don’t sweat it. If anxiety manifests when you’re not in charge, His grace is sufficient; so be honest enough to ask, “H.O.W. can I be happy?”
- Be Honest about resisting God’s leading- it called confession.
- Be Open about it- don’t hide behind fig leaves like Adam and Eve
- Be Willing to change your mind- you will be more willing to trust the unseen when you aren’t identifying with the world so strongly
Jesus teaches a more reckless abandoned faith than most of us would ever teach or preach. True faith in God will lead you in places you do not want to go. The daily changing of your mind, to rethink and trust in ways foreign to this natural world, is the hardest struggle you will ever face, yet will bring joy unspeakable. In John 21:18 Jesus tells Peter, when he was younger he was able to feed himself and cloth himself, but when he is more mature in his faith, he would be led around with his eyes closed and the Holy Spirit would carry him into places he did not want to go. If your flesh is always agreeing (never offended) with the direction you are going, you probably are not being led by the Spirit; because your body and the Spirit have opposite desires.
I Am,
David
view this blog and many more at http://davidnroberts.blogspot.com/ or http://restorationhouse.com/
