Sunday, May 17, 2009

The way to permanent faith

Oswald hits the nail again.
Like this passage was written expressly for me.
This walk of faith is not easy, sometimes it means being stripped of every thing but the fulfillment that comes from obedience and surrender is absolutely price less.

After we have the perfect relationship with God, through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, our faith must be exercised in the realities of everyday life.
We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God’s blessings means.
Are we prepared for this?
It is certainly not of our own choosing, but God engineers our circumstances to take us there. Until we have been through that experience, our faith is sustained only by feelings and by blessings.
But once we get there, no matter where God may place us or what inner emptiness we experience, we can praise God that all is well. That is what is meant by faith being exercised in the realities of life.
". . . you . . . will leave Me alone."
Have we been scattered and have we left Jesus alone by not seeing His providential care for us? Do we not see God at work in our circumstances?
Dark times are allowed and come to us through the sovereignty of God.
Are we prepared to let God do what He wants with us?
Are we prepared to be separated from the outward, evident blessings of God?
Until Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, we each have goals of our own which we serve.
Our faith is real, but it is not yet permanent. And God is never in a hurry.
If we are willing to wait, we will see God pointing out that we have been interested only in His blessings, instead of in God Himself.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Secret of the burning heart

I have been going through a cool patch. Those times when I know I'm still madly in love with Jesus but couldn't put in the effort to spend quality time with Him.
The "you know I love you" phase. I feel tired, like I spent so much time crying out and now - I'm burned out. It shouldn't be an excuse though.

In my devotions this morning I came across something interesting;-

We need to learn this secret of the burning heart.
Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.
Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature.
For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately.
But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will.
We cannot stay forever on the "mount of transfiguration," basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (see Mark 9:1-9 ). But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.
We cannot kindle when we will The fire which in the heart resides, The spirit bloweth and is still, In mystery our soul abides; But tasks in hours of insight willed Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.


Oswald Chambers.