You’d Be A Fool to Fool Yourself

The parable of the ten virgins and the oil, do the virgins not depict the virgin Spirit we have from Christ, the seed of incorruptibility, unleavened and pure? We all receive this seed at our new birth. The bridegroom is Christ and He is now being revealed. Who has the sustaining oil of the Spirit that does not run out? There are many that think because they are born again they have the oil that won’t run out, but that isn’t true.

If your current spirituality is one that is always being fed from sources outside yourself, outside the Spirit of Christ within you, outside your personal relationship with Christ, you are fast going to run out of oil. Sources outside yourself would be, not knowing what to do if you didn’t have a church to go to, or feeling condemned if you didn’t tithe because this was a ‘law’ of your spirituality. Or you can’t go without fellowship and social interaction with other ’Christians’. Maybe you feel you must attend church, or must be under the ‘covering’ of a pastor or other people calling themselves Elders. It could be that you couldn’t imagine being without a Bible. Do you pray religiously or so regularly you couldn’t imagine doing otherwise?

Many believers that congregate with other more spiritual believers, think this is all they need. But what if you find yourself without their company? And I mean in a life or death, do or die situation. Like what is coming. Then what? Do you have the oil to sustain you? Or not?

How do you know? By asking yourself honestly some of the questions above and absolutely seeking God yourself, on your face, on your knees, without others, without rote, without agenda or any other pretence, and ask Him. Don’t get up until you know.

The number ‘Ten’ signifies the perfection of Divine order. The ideal, God’s will. ‘Five’ signifies Grace. All ten were given grace, the time required to fill their lamps with oil and get more besides. Only some used that period of Grace to do just that. The others did not use the time of their Grace before His coming/revealing to do that and found the door closed to them.

The time we are in, that is fast coming to a close, is that period of Grace. This isn’t to say God’s grace will end, but this time of grace before judgment will and is ending. If time over the last few years, has seemed to be passing very quickly to you, the ticking of this clock should be so loud it keeps you up at night!

This time of Grace is for repentance. What is repentance? To turn from your sins. Confess to Him your sins and wash yourselves in Him and be clean. How do you know if you’ve actually done this, or are doing this? Humility is the fruit of repentance. But our hearts are utterly deceitful. Don’t trust your own judgment on whether you are humble. Ask others you know would be honest with you, and ask the Lord, of course. And don’t get up until you know, or know what further repentance He requires.

Why is repentance so important? Because without it you are not a new wineskin and He will NOT put His new wine (His Spirit in abundance and grace) into your old wineskin. Both would be ruined. Of course I don’t mean you have to be perfect first. I mean REPENT. Have the heart of repentance. If you are incapable of repentance, regularly, instantly and always, whenever the Spirit convicts you, as a proper steward He could NOT put greater riches within your Spirit, both would be ruined.

Repentance is learned in the beginning and laid in our foundation, but it doesn’t stop there. There is much in the way of milk after that and then meat, but until we are perfected we remain a mixture, always required to walk in a state of repentance. Don’t waste time. Don’t waste His grace. Do not take it for granted!

I’m speaking to CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, NOT THE UNSAVED!!!

You’ve got oil in your lamp. Great. Now, do you have a supply to keep it going? Do you know His voice when He speaks to you? Do you know immediate obedience when He speaks to you to do something He has not ever required of you before? Or something that the flesh would be afraid looks foolish, or frightening. Do you know calm in the boat when the waves are crashing over the sides?

I’m not there yet myself, but I recognize that I need to be. Let’s pray for one another that we would not shame all He is and has done in and for us. When He comes to seek faith in the earth, will He find it? Will He find it in me? Will He find it in you?

This isn’t church anymore, people. This is showtime.

 

Life as a TV Sitcom?

I like a good laugh now and then, and sometimes find one in a TV sitcom. Samantha Who?, is one in which I find the premise to be as our conversion to Christ, in a way. (If only our lives were as funny as a sitcom).

Samantha is a young, single, career woman who had a car accident and after an eight day coma, woke to find she had amnesia. The show is about her learning who she is, who she was and who she is ‘choosing’ to become. She discovers that she was not the nicest, kindest or most thoughtful person around. In fact, the complete opposite, and she is horrified at how she had treated people and many of the things she had done. Now, she tries to make amends with some people, convincing them she is not that same uncaring person, and tries to ‘do better’.

When we first come to the realization and revelation that Jesus died for us, that we could be forgiven and set free from our sinful and Adamic condition, it is a ‘light bulb’/’coming out of our coma’ moment. We see who we used to be (sinful) and don’t want to be that way anymore. From then on we try to ‘do better’ and convince others (and ourselves) that we are not that same sinful, selfish, unkind person we used to be.

Speaking for myself, I continue to have some of these ‘light bulb’ moments throughout my walk with God. Every now and then I see something of myself come to the surface that I didn’t know was there, or I thought had been dealt with and completely overcome, but really it wasn’t. So I am often discovering who I still am/who I was and am ever learning to walk in my true identity, Christ, and what that identity really is.

Not unlike Samantha, however, most of us, at least for many, many years before realizing we are off track, really try to ‘do better’ on our own. Berating ourselves when we don’t. But it is Christ IN US that overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil. Sin is already overcome by way of the cross through Christ. We need our faith strengthened so we can walk in that truth.

Let’s not be like Samantha, continuing to try to do and be better in our own strength and ability. We have Him in us who is greater than he who is in the world. He was mighty enough to save us, do we believe He is mighty enough to change us too? Having begun in the Spirit, do we really think to finish in the flesh?

 

A Glorious Truth

“Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do.” The disciple who abides in Jesus is the will of God, and his apparently free choices are God’s fore-ordained decrees. Mysterious? Logically contradictory and absurd? Yes, but a glorious truth to a saint.

from Oswald Chambers devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, June 7th.

Is this not spectacular and beautiful? Love it. Absolutely love it.

 

Wrestling with God

Have you ever wrestled with God? Like Jacob? Or something similar? It’s not fun. Until it’s over, anyway.

There was a time, a few years ago, when I had leant someone I didn’t know very well, $500. She had said she would pay me back next week. A few weeks came and went and became a couple months. I was getting quite upset, feeling taken advantage of, and began to pursue the woman to get my money back.

After a couple weeks of pursuing her for it (by that I mean leaving phone messages, not stalking her), with no luck, I was losing sleep at night, tossing and turning and not knowing what to do.

One night in particular I was tossing and turning until about 2 or 3 in the morning. Then I heard the Holy Spirit tell me to say the Lord’s prayer. Oh, no. I knew what that would mean! I would have to forgive this woman her debt to me. I was not prepared to do that!

‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:4)

The Holy Spirit pressed it further. “Say the Lord’s Prayer”, He said, “Say the Lord’s Prayer.” Oh, how I fought this. I wanted the money, I didn’t want to forgive the debt. The Holy Spirit reminded me the money was not an issue for Him. I agreed it probably wasn’t, but it was for me! I couldn’t do it.

Then the Holy Spirit reminded me that I have no idea what God intends for that woman and maybe this lesson was for her, by having her debt forgiven. That would be fine, I thought, if it were someone else’s money. I wanted the $500 back.

I continued to fight against Him. Part of my insistence too was that she didn’t own up to her word and took advantage of me. That bothered me, and I wanted justice, whether it was for $5 or $500. I knew it wasn’t right.

The Holy Spirit pressed upon me further that He was not going to let up. I was getting very tired by now and knew I was going to regret my sleepless night the next day at work. He then also pressed upon me that it would be better for me to stop fighting Him sooner rather than later, because either way I would come around to His way. I knew He was right. I always, eventually, gave in to His better way when He pressed me like this, and I hadn’t yet ever regretted it. However, the times I didn’t give in (He didn’t seem to press me as hard), I always regretted it and found the Lord made me revisit the issue.

So, somewhere in the dead of night, my flesh gave up the ghost on the issue of the woman and the $500. I stopped fighting, and I said the Lord’s prayer.

The moment I finished the prayer, I felt the Spirit released me. I was at peace. He reminded me I was not to take up this issue again, not with her, not with myself, and not with Him. I fell asleep almost immediately and had a full rest by the time I woke in the morning.

A couple weeks later the woman’s boyfriend brought to me $100 as a good faith payment. He explained some of her struggles. But I had tried to stop him before any explanation, because I really didn’t need any. He handed me the $100 bill and I smiled and reached for his hand. I put it back in his hand and said “Tell her to keep it, all of it. And tell her God has blessed her. She doesn’t need to pay any back.” He was stunned.

Later that day she called me and wept on the phone while thanking me. I told her again it was from God. (It sure wasn’t from the heart that gave it to her expecting it back).

The thought of that incident had left me until this week. The money has never been missed. I asked the Lord why He brought this back to my memory right now and I believe He impressed on me it had to do with the lesson of dying to the flesh.

Like most believers, I too think I will do God’s will when the time comes. When He makes whatever it is known, how could I not? It’s His will and I love Him, so I just will. Yeah, right. Not so likely, it seems. It’s an arrogant thing to think my flesh is godly enough to do my Father’s will. In this situation, it was only $500. What if He was asking me to give up my car, or my home, or something else pretty big? What kind of a struggle would I go through then? I do know these lesser struggles assure me I am much better off forsaking my will sooner than later.

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Sometimes it isn’t the issue of the material item either. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted justice. I felt I was being done wrong. Turns out this woman was in such a tight place she couldn’t do differently and I was not being a minister of love and understanding, hope and help. I wanted my money back. Essentially saying $500 is worth more than she is.

Since then I’ve begun to learn a little more about mercy.