- araratchurch
- Oct 16, 2022
- 3 min read
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
II Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV
From a young age I have been aware that we live in two worlds.
Now, we obviously live in a physical world and this is where we learn to focus our attention. Even while still in the womb we are forming impressions based on voices, sounds, and so on. And, from the moment we take our first breath, until we lay this body down, we are gathering information, forming opinions, learning strategies, and so on, to be able to make sense of—and operate in—this physical realm.
But, we are also living in the realm of the spirit in as much as we have an eternal soul. At this point in our being we may be ignorant of the spiritual activity going on all around us; but it certainly is happening. Indeed, the realm of the spirit is where our eternal life is hidden in Jesus Christ.
Sadly, some people, even those who believe in the realm of the spirit, falsely assume that the realm of the spirit is of no real concern to us now. They live their lives with their heads buried in this physical world, assuming that the wealth of the spirit realm—if it exists—is beyond their reach.
Of course, the Lord gave us the ability to learn from our experiences and to be able to successfully operate in this physical realm, as well we should. But, it is tragic when we totally ignore the realm of the spirit. Additionally, many of the things we learn in this physical realm are contrary to the wisdom of God.
Although our experience can and should be helpful in terms of our navigating the physical realm, it can also be detrimental when we have learned the wrong things from our experience.
It becomes even more self-defeating when we pull resources for coping, strategizing, or operating, out of the very realm in which we learned the wrong things to begin with. In other words: we try to make a cure from the same poison that is killing us!
Whereas we certainly are meant to operate as productive human beings in this physical realm, the actual keys to success in this realm are found in the realm of the spirit.
Revelation from the realm of the spirit becomes a high tower from which we can see things from the eternal perspective that only comes from the Spirit of God. From this high tower of revelation we can receive truth and instruction that can then be applied to our physical lives. Our flesh existence should not be that which informs our spiritual existence. Rather, the knowledge given by the Spirit of God to our spirit should be the source of instruction for our lives in this physical realm.
“And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising.”
Acts 17:26-29 NKJV
Paul, addressing the people of Athens at the Areopagus, was trying to help them understand that God should not be thought of as something that they had formed (like their idols), but that God was the One Who had formed us. You see, we should not be forming our opinions about God and the eternal realm by consulting our experience or circumstances. Rather, that which is eternal must help us to rightly see our experience and circumstances. In this way, our decisions and our reactions come out of that eternal knowledge, the wisdom from above.
In our opening passage we see that Paul is encouraging the church at Corinth to not allow their minds to be consumed by the trouble they were experiencing. He wanted them to understand that their temporary struggle was actually working to bring an eternal reward.
As we direct our minds to the eternal, we will rightly adjust the flow of information to come from that transcendent perspective—that high tower—into this finite existence.
We light a seventeenth candle of illumination today by knowing this:
Truth is dispensed from the eternal into the temporal.
- araratchurch
- Oct 15, 2022
- 4 min read
“As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’”
Matthew 11:7-10 NLT
I can’t begin to even guess how many times I’ve seen this happen: someone has literally just given information and someone turns around and asks a question for which the just given information was the answer. Why does this happen? This happens because the person who asked the question (for which the answer was just given), had their mind set on the question they intended to ask, and, as such, couldn’t even hear the (just given) answer. Further, I believe that many times the person asking the question in that kind of situation was really more interested in asking the question than in receiving an answer.
Additionally, we all know situations where a very legitimate answer was given, but it was not the answer the questioner was seeking; so they continue to question.
The fact is, when we go searching for something—even if we don’t realize it—we have somewhere in our mind what the result, or the answer, or the object, should look like. This being the case, we often miss an answer that is literally right in front of us.
When my husband and I set in to make some major purchase—a piece of furniture, a car, and so on—we always pray about it, asking the Lord to direct us to what will best suit our need. I cannot tell you the number of times we have ended up with something we never would have thought would suit us like it did; yet, in retrospect, was exactly what we needed and wanted. Now, if we go out looking for a couch, for example, and we determine it has to be a specific color or style, then we may overlook some type of couch we never thought about, and yet could end up serving us, and pleasing us, very well. Indeed, there are many wonderful things we would’ve missed having if we had entered into our search with a closed mind and without asking the Lord to direct us.
Here’s one that is a little humorous: before the Lord brought Pastor Dan and myself together he was basically looking for someone that looked like his mother: fair, blue-eyed, blonde hair. I was attracted to men who looked like my father: dark hair, skin, and eyes. If you know us, you’ll know how funny that is because Pastor Dan is blonde and blue-eyed and I am not. But, the Lord brought us together in what continues to be a wonderfully blessed union for His glory.
On the other hand, I know people I feel would suit each other‘s needs very well; but they’re each looking for someone different than the person who would actually be a good fit for them. Now, I’m not one to assert my opinion into this type of situation, so I don’t say anything to them, trying to “fix them up.” But, the fact is that we cannot have closed minds regarding what we are seeking. The Lord just may have a better idea for you.
In our opening scripture we see Jesus commenting to the crowds concerning John the Baptist. He gives the question: “What did you go out to see?” He then gives some things they might have been looking for then says that in all their looking, they actually missed what they were seeing and hearing when they saw and heard John. Indeed, he was the person sent to proclaim and prepare the way for the Lord’s coming. You see, most of the people at that point did not recognize Jesus as being the Messiah. As such, many people probably missed the fact that John was the one sent to declare, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” Interestingly, John did know what his own purpose was:
“He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.””
John 1:23 NKJV
As we are seeking the deep things of God, as we want to know His heart and begin to see things as He sees them, we must recognize that this can only happen as we set aside our “box of thoughts” so that we can see what we haven’t seen before.
“‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.’”
Jeremiah 33:3 AMP
We light a sixteenth candle of illumination today by knowing this:
You can miss what you need to see when intent on finding something else.
- araratchurch
- Oct 14, 2022
- 3 min read
“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
Matthew 13:23 NLT
Many women struggle with infertility. One of the causes of infertility can be something that is known as a “hostile” womb. Now, the womb can be hostile to conception by an imbalance in hormones, or a pH that is too acidic, or secretions that are either dried or of the wrong consistency. Additionally, immune response issues may come to bear on the likelihood of conception. Sadly, these immune responses by the mother can cause sperm or even an embryo or fetus to be attacked as an intruder. One such circumstance happened to me before I was born.
You see, my mother has Rh negative blood. Before me she had two babies with positive blood, with me being the third with positive blood. During the other two pregnancies my mother’s body had developed antibodies against positive blood, so that, when I came along, her body’s immune response saw my blood as being an invader. I have elaborated before on this, so suffice it to say, at birth all of my blood was removed and replaced with negative blood to stop the reaction my body was experiencing. The doctor said that even if I survived, the reaction probably had gone far enough to make me greatly impaired, if not vegetative. Of course, we know the Lord performed a miracle. But, my point here is that just because a woman is exposed to conditions for conception, doesn’t mean that she will indeed conceive. Additionally, once she has conceived, there are conditions that can keep the baby from fully developing, or cause harm in some other way. Sadly, we also know that some women choose to abort what is forming within them.
We have been talking about wanting to receive from the Lord. Yes, to receive the deep things of God. But, just the desire for that to be so is not enough any more than the desire for a successful pregnancy is enough when there are hostile factors involved. In order to receive and flourish in the things of God, we must prepare the soil of our hearts to receive, then feed what the Lord has planted.
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
1 Peter 2:2-3 NLT
F. F. Bosworth, an American Depression era faith healer, said this:
“Most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and then wonder why they are so weak in faith.”
I couldn’t agree with him more on this observation.
In our opening scripture we see Jesus explaining the parable of the sower. You are probably familiar with how some of the seed did not grow because it did not fall onto well-prepared soil. James gives good advice for the ways in which we can receive the word and have it flourish in our lives.
“So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
James 1:21-22 NLT
The fact is, the Lord can direct all kinds of wonderful knowledge, understanding, revelation, etc., toward us, but unless we are prepared to receive it, and willing to nourish it, it will not produce God’s nature within us.
We light a fifteenth candle of illumination today by knowing this:
Desire must be combined with preparation and obedience.