Confusion Amongst the Masses

We act in such blatant opposition to God, so very often, even claiming it as service, as seeking Him. Rigidity, a hallmark.

His ministers, those who are led by the Spirit, were in passing referred to as being like the wind, and like fire. Think on these things. Neither of them can be readily grasped, cemented as known. Amongst many things, of one common is the fluidity of movement evident of each, even as the paths taken might be comprehended as understandable...making sense, given the nature of each, that they would act in particular ways or move in particular directions, according to their general, overarching nature and tendencies.

But is it the path which defines their course, or that which compels them?


It is that which lies before which draws them onward, or the force within each which urges unto any such a path, which is ultimately that which determines continuation?

Can these be separated out, in such a way, as to be considered distinctly?...path vs. force?

Nature of procession vs. the compulsion which inherently drives forth?

If, ultimately, these two are wholly conjoined per what constitutes any instance of continuation, then why and how could we ever contrive to separate them out as though distinctly operative facets of nature.

Yet we do, constantly. In such a way as instituting self as exalted against God, in claiming to seek Him, per such ways as attempting to approach Him via means other than those He's prescribed.

I spent 20 years doing so, and it's still wholly flesh to be continually tempted to approach Him according to my own strength of will and essential being, of nature. This, despite that...again and again, in New Testament recordings...we're admonished of the impossibility of even salvation, as something contemplated for self-establishment. And even as a recently begun book stated--if we can't accomplish salvation in our own strength, then what madness would make us believe we were any more capable of producing sanctification according to our own strength?

Period.

And given that we are wholly incapable of saving ourselves...why, then, do we continue in such delusion as believing ourselves able to proceed in any fashion otherwise, as according to our own strength and understanding?

But we do. Whether it's a matter of believing ourselves capable of diligence, independent of God's guidance and helps...or capable of understanding the Bible...according to sound reasoning, rather than according to the leadership and guidance of the very Spirit which breathed the Scriptures..

...either and all of these ways are as man exalting and esteeming self apart from God, which is thus against Him.

What I can't understand is why He tolerates this. And not only tolerates it, but has even blessed the efforts in so many instance. ...so great is His mercy, then! ...so incomprehensible His love! ...so matchless His grace! ...that even as we who are called yet continue insistently exalting ourselves against Him, rebellion yet coursing through our veins in opposition to the very Spirit which has given us new life and who works all redemption in and through us...even as we continue to grieve Him!!!...He yet blesses us, nonetheless.

Allowing even those exaltations of self, in so blatant an opposition to Him, to even bear some fruit of His making. ...and further, not only does He yet bless even so foul an effort!...but He suffers the so-deluded laborers to even continue laboring under the delusion that their efforts bear fruit!...as though apart from Him!

How deep does the vein of pride truly run through our veins!!!

That we do wholly exalt the works of man as though divine, when only they ever could have been divinely granted!!!

He thus even allows us to have the delusions we persist in believing, regardless they exalt themselves in blatant opposition to even His revealed truth! And we would rather believe the lie than be disabused of some trivial, false idea of our own competency and worth!

...because we so long to be exalted, as He is exalted, that we would rather pursue Him according to our own strength. As though we were capable.

If we cannot add an inch to stature or even alter a single hair's color (as such things which the Lord, alone, would do if it were His will to even indulge so lofty and single-mindedly abominable attempt to exalt self against divinity!)...then how are we to understand anything of the one we had ever revolted against, desiring only to be rid of Him and His sovereignty...having so desired to be rid of Him, exalting self as supreme sovereign in each our lives...even as He allowed our treachery, permitted our grievous transgression, even giving accommodation to the lie so as we might fully believe that which we so longed to see as true...to believe ourselves capable of sovereignty in any capacity, moreover..

...when truth is that we are only capable of anything which He ordained us to be capable of--not choosing certain things for us, necessarily, but making it possible that we might choose...yet only within purview of His discretionary allotment...

...that our strength is thus only that which has been given to us...

...such that, further, anything we might possess as means to work His will is all the more wholly given by His Spirit, directly according to His divine will...

...meaning, all the more explicitly, that any and every approach we might take to Him is only as directly ordained by Him...

...such that, to yet esteem self as capable of doing such things as seeking Him and diligently studying to know His ways--in any way conceived as apart from divine ordination and impetus and compulsion and capacity and capability...

...even unto considering one's own efforts sound...

...is to esteem self, rather than God.

And He blesses even this, for those that are His own. Despite the travesty thereby constituted, even unto a sacrilege of His nature and being.

We blaspheme Him as a part of daily life, in ever conceiving ourselves capable of even the most minute comprehensions...as apart from Him.

And there is this rampant, insidious, divisive and self-contradictory "logic" which has somehow utterly permeated perhaps all of society...in terms of their being some blind incapability of realizing and recognizing that to view any particular methodology of study as adequate to the task of rightly dividing Scripture...is, in truth, saying that particular methodology must implicitly be inspired by the Holy Spirit (otherwise contradicting Scripture which states that the Word isn't given for private interpretation, as it was given initially by the Holy Spirit [then so must it also be interpreted, or not at all]), but yet there's adamant insistence that Scripture is, in sum and totality, the only inspired writing. Which...again...would mean that hermeneutics, as a discipline and practice, is heretical.

Because, furthermore, if the Holy Spirit no longer acts as ever He has, amongst people...then there's no revelation of Scripture, even on the personal level. And salvation isn't possible.

With salvation as the highest miracle which can or could come to bear on any given soul, then if there's no longer "apostle-level" anointing such as wrought miracles as "signs merely to establish the church," then it would follow that the more powerful expression of God's sovereignty and grace would also have been abolished. So, if the Holy Spirit no longer works according to such ways, then salvation isn't for this age, either. Nor would be preaching, then, nor pastorship.

The "rightly dividing" of Scripture, in other words, is not about literally dividing it up, piecemeal, for interpretation of bits and pieces which "make the most sense in context of our culture and age." Not even (especially, perhaps) unto that which is "most reasonable"--which thought, in itself, is such blasphemy to even consider, as exalting the reasoning of the world as superior to God's very own!

And we wonder why there's no revival!

Really???

We all want to be a part of the bigger picture, have a bigger slice of the pie (in terms of understanding God most rightly, or serving Him the most adequately, or howsoever other nonsense), and all seek to proceed according to OUR understanding!!!...and wonder "Oh, WHY have you not moved, God of all the earth!? Why do you suffer your name to be blasphemed amongst all the earth!?! Lord, why have you not wrought revival!?!"...when, of all the world, even His church remains stiff-necked and proud, exalted against Him and using even divinely revealed prophecy so as to justify so doing!

Each and every one of us!!! 

God is sufficient. He, alone...of ALL things...is the ONLY which is sufficient. Period.

So, whatever battles we might think we've "won," in terms of establishing significance and solidarity...

...just as a bit of a side-note FYI to all of us (self, included)...

...have constituted exaltation of man against God.

Travesty of travesties!!!

So, if you ever wonder why your breath catches at saying or thinking certain things, then having to redirect through to thought of self-confirmation, regarding any sufficiency which doesn't explicitly state and remain concentric about God, alone, even as with any and all which He has given us, so as means ordained by which to know Him!!!...then consider again who and what are ultimately being exalted per such a thought as would incite a fearful catching of the breath or an angry declaration as would need thus override so dire an insult as otherwise would be seen.

Falling into the trap of reliance upon self is so creeping, insidious a fault. Constant temptation--so long as self remains whatsoever a consciously regarded phenomena (which, in this age of "self-awareness" means...every minute of every day, for the most part)...so long as that's the case, there is ever-ready and constant a temptation to let one's eyes drift away from the Maker. Unto self.

Constant.

There is no help in self, though.
Only in Christ.

And until we get over ourselves...we're kinda stuck.

And, furthermore...the conundrum we find ourselves in, in terms of being stuck...

...is that we are patently and proficiently incapable of freeing ourselves from this so-dire and disastrous a fixation.

Period. We just can't. Incapable.

We've chosen it for so long, it's every bit ingrained throughout all our being.
Cling to Scripture all you want, but only God, Himself, can deliver.

The good news, though, is that He does. And He will.
He has said as much, time and time again.

Even as only the pure of heart can see Him, and the heart is wicked, but only God can know and cleanse it...then also, He has said that He will not turn away those who seek after Him, and that He will be found by those who seek Him with all they are. Questioning nothing, accepting only to find Him in increasing measure, then. Knowing and needing nothing else. Then, so will He be found.
Through Christ. Christ, alone.

Our only hope.
Our only chance.

The only way.
Period.

Everything in creation only points to Him, ultimately. 

Our redeemer. Our savior.
Our creator. Our erstwhile friend, shepherd, companion.

One who is closer than a brother.

Whose love is deeper than the Mariana Trench. Broader than the Sahara. Higher than Jupiter. Wider than all the galaxies combined. So great is His love. He even endures our blasphemies. Blessing even the most wretched, just per so great a mercy and love and grace as is His own.

He will sanctify His people. No matter how wretched and stiff-necked and insolent we persist in being, as remaining adamant upon pursuing Him according to our own understanding.
He, alone, can give revelation of Himself--a feat so high as we could never even conceive to attain. And yet we regard ourselves learned.

Nonetheless.

Even as exalted against the One who has known all things from the very beginning. From eternity past, He has known every single thought that every single person who would ever exist would even contrive to have, even exalted against Him. Yet He created and did not demolish. According to His good will.

From the very beginning, eternity past, He knew every single moment. Knew it intimately, as never it having been apart from Him. And lavished grace, always! ...that the worst of all the wickedness we would otherwise descend to is held in check by His restraining arm of power, even as an invisible barrier against what otherwise desolation and depravity and despair would have many times over already consumed all the world!--and SO much worse than even is now! HE restrains. Ever has He restrained, to even have once so done!

He isn't bound by time, as we are. He is wholly apart. Above, beyond, usurping, wholly substantiating all which is, within His being. Knowing every incident from the beginning.

For being ever present in each and all, the same and without measure constant in and throughout all, simultaneous. Outside of time. And space. And yet the very fabric which all consists of find every bit of substance within His being.

He ordained and orchestrated each falling leaf, even from the beginning.

And we study and consider ourselves learned. We don't even know what's going to happen on the other side of the world from us, five minutes from now! We know nothing, in other words, apart from whatever is our directly revealed knowledge of Him.

ALL THINGS therefore must and may ONLY find meaning and value and substance and worth, explicitly in context of who He is and what is His revelation of such things! Of which, He is not stagnant! He is HOLY. Apart!

Above! Beyond! Exceeding ALL comprehension!

Meaning all things come only to knowledge within context of awareness that He is all, and all else is only merely subject to Him. Period.

This is NOT a lessening of sanctity, but rather an increasingly reverential regard for any and all which He ever has, does, and will give as means to knowing Him (if it were not present and future tense, there would be no salvation now nor to come, perforce what salvation is)...increased, as brought into a more proper context of who He is.

...thus made subject to Him, before all and any else consideration might occur.

...also, thus not exalted beside Him (moreover, against).

What is the Greatest Commandment, after all?
(Hint: It doesn't explicitly...nor necessarily implicitly...entail methodology nor visible efforts.)

LOVE Him.

How can you love One whom you don't know? ...even as you don't have to see someone, physically, so as to know them...

...furthermore, what sort of love is it which casts aspersions and denigrates the one claimed Beloved?

To know Him, as He is...is to either love or hate Him. No middle ground.

So, do you love Him?
...quietly, or with a passion which would consume as a fire may?

He is a consuming fire.
He is love.

Seek Him.

We all must. He, alone, can and will...save us, from ourselves, our sin, our treachery.
Even save us unto His love!

These are a portion of the things which have passed, these past couple months. Seeking to be subject to Him has brought so much reading of Scripture, back and forth and back and forth--seeking to see what He would have seen. Seeking to test, always, even Scripture against Scripture, so to reveal the spirit working unto and conceived revelations, as whether Truth or no.

There've been battles. He overcame.

Battles will continue. He reigns.

All that matters is to look to Him.
Desiring, above all things, to abide ever more fully in His love...to be kept there, by Him.
I wander almost constantly, except that He keeps me. Every moment, even thought tempts me astray.

Astray from the One Beloved above all which is or was or could be.

...and yet, I stray. Constantly faithless. Except that He is faithful.
And He doesn't forsake me.

He continually draws me back. To Himself, into His peace. Even unto surrender.

So, whatever's to come, I will not fear. I trust in Him.
My trust is in Him.

He, alone, can save and keep me.
He, alone, has done so.

I trust in Him. I will not fear.

Even as the world may rage, then He is the keeper of the tide.
The nations may roar, but the noise is less than a whisper to Him.
He reigns.

He, alone, reigns.

Period.

There are so many crossroads, is all. And temptation to just begin wandering. So as to institute a life full of busyness, in order to seem accomplished in pursuit of Him. Rather than to do as He would lead, as He wills, moment by moment...but, instead, to "plan" things.

Which--hey, could be interesting. He definitely has a way of completely altering plans, at the drop of a pin, or moreso at the shift of the breeze. So, if I am pressed into these things, I trust He will nonetheless alter circumstances according to His will. Conform them.

If you've never watched Him do that, before, you should ask Him. Not lightly, no. It's not a light matter to approach the King of the Universe. And, yet, to those who are reconciled through Jesus Christ...He is our brother. Our King, our Shepherd, and our Friend.

I'm growing weary of all the completely needless, self-referential and self-exalting bits unto legalistic conformity, purporting itself as reverence, in other words. Same as it was burdensome and utterly distressing and heart-wrenching to endure a whole-scale lack of discernment, in terms of what would call itself "spiritual growth."

Christ, alone, in other words.

Nothing else. Just know Him.

No lust for power. No lust for knowledge. No covetousness of position or prestige.
No desire for esteem amongst peers--whether wrought per "right conformity" to what image is expected, or per exaltation of self as superior amongst same (even as only if accepted by the mass).

Just know Christ.

He said He would guide into all truth. The Holy Spirit.
Even as we are to use Scripture, along the while...to test and examine and reveal and grow and edify.

He said He would teach us, Himself, in these days.

If Philip's daughters are any indication, then that may mean any and all of us, even now. As being named prophets under the covenant which Christ wrought, even now.

We do see what we believe, as it goes...in so many ways, at least.
So, what do you believe? Specifically...would you rather have truth, or a lie?
Which do you long for?