- araratchurch
- Feb 23, 2024
- 3 min read
”Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?“
Romans 8:26-31 ESV
Just a few days before falling ill with the sickness during which I would have the spiritual journey, I was talking to the Lord about some physical issues I have that definitely have a genetic component. I was saying to the Lord that I desired that He would “scan” my genetic code, and remove all predispositions and propensities that are contrary to good health.
What I had no way of knowing at that point, was that the Lord would answer my request, but according to what He wanted. In other words, during the spiritual journey, He showed me what was in my spirit that was not conducive to the fulfilling of my calling, and, what was not pleasing to Him. There was no genetic propensity, but rather a familial connection to something that was very wrong.
Many times, just as we may have no idea what is going on in our physical bodies, we may have no idea what might be secretly lurking in our spirits, in our hearts, things that must be removed.
Indeed, even people who actively commit themselves to self-reflection, are limited in their ability to rightly see themselves.
”People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.“
Proverbs 21:2 NLT
The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, pointed out that the depth of deceitfulness in the human heart, was unsearchable, except by Him. And, because He does know our hearts, He can deal with us justly.
”“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”“
Jeremiah 17:9-10 NLT
The Psalmist reflected that since the Lord knows the secret things of the heart, He could surely see that they had not forgotten the Lord.
”If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods, God would surely have known it, for he knows the secrets of every heart.“
Psalms 44:20-21 NLT
Indeed, David beseeched the Lord to search his heart, and rid him of things that could make him go astray.
”Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.“
Psalms 139:23-24 NLT
In our opening scripture we see Paul explaining that we have been given the Holy Spirit Who can help us in our prayers. You see, He knows our hearts as well as knowing the heart of God (He is God). As such, He can help bring us into conformity with God’s will and purposes.
Friend, don’t hesitate to ask the Lord to search your heart. Indeed, if you have the Holy Spirit of God in you, He will bring things to your attention that need to be dealt with, things that can become stumbling blocks.
Ignorance concerning these things is not bliss. Rather, leaving them undetected and/or unaddressed, leaves you open to Satan’s influence.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Feb 22, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 8, 2024
”"O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me; whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord."“
Isaiah 54:11-17 ESV
We have been talking about the three aspects of my spiritual journey. As I have said, a few days after the spiritual journey was over, and I was recovering from the severe illness, the Lord directed me to my altar where He spoke to me concerning the PURPOSE of the spiritual journey, the PIVOT in the spiritual journey, and the resulting PARADIGM shift.
Today we will turn to the third of those three aspects: the PARADIGM shift associated with the spiritual journey.
One thing we all have to become aware of is that we are viewing things, analyzing things, perceiving things, through a framework. This framework through which we make sense of our lives, is also referenced as a PARADIGM.
The Bible is full of examples of people—through their interaction with the Lord—having a paradigm shift.
For Job, it happened when he saw God in the fullness of His glory, and himself in the fullness of his ignorance, as a result of the Lord challenging him concerning his questioning of God’s justice.
”Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”“
Job 42:1-6 NLT
For the prodigal son, the paradigm shift came in a pigpen.
”The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’“
Luke 15:12-19 NLT
In the pigpen, the prodigal developed humility. He now could approach his father humbly, remorsefully, and respectfully. And, as we know, the once-prodigal son was met with the father’s open arms.
King David had somehow white-washed what he had done concerning Uriah and Bathsheba. But, when the prophet Nathan came to him, and spoke in a parable, David could rightly see the severity of what he had done.
”Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own. “This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will go to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in the sight of all Israel.” Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won’t die for this sin.“
2 Samuel 12:7-13 NLT
The apostle Paul urged the believers in Rome to not allow their context, their circumstances, to determine how they thought. Rather, they were to consider their lives as a sacrifice before the Lord, and by focusing on God‘s way of being and doing, be transformed in their minds!
”Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].“
Romans 12:1-2 AMP
In the spiritual journey, the Lord took me through a process that brought me to a place of opportunity to renounce those things I needed to renounce, and to ask forgiveness for any association I had had with that which displeased Him.
Now, I can’t fully explain to you exactly what changed in my heart and my mind, but once the spiritual journey was over, I literally felt some block was removed, some area of darkness was illuminated, some access closed off to me was opened! I thank God for the opportunity to be able to have this paradigm shift, this point of release from the weapons that had been formed against me.
In our opening scripture we see the Lord speaking to Israel and promising how things would be for them when they were brought back into alignment with His will. Notice the last verse referencing the fact that the Lord would render all weapons formed against them useless. Yes, and that takes us full-circle back to the purpose of the spiritual journey.
Friend, we must all humbly seek the Lord, asking Him to fully transform us, fully sever from us the residue of darkness. Only then will we be able to fully share His heart, think His thoughts, and do His will.
Remember, the pain of the journey dims in comparison to the benefit of knowing there is nothing the enemy can use against you, nothing between your soul and your Savior!
We’ll reflect more on the spiritual journey tomorrow.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!
- araratchurch
- Feb 21, 2024
- 3 min read
”This is what the Lord says to Jerusalem: “I will be your lawyer to plead your case, and I will avenge you. I will dry up her river, as well as her springs, and Babylon will become a heap of ruins, haunted by jackals. She will be an object of horror and contempt, a place where no one lives. Her people will roar together like strong lions. They will growl like lion cubs. And while they lie inflamed with all their wine, I will prepare a different kind of feast for them. I will make them drink until they fall asleep, and they will never wake up again,” says the Lord. “I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams and goats to be sacrificed. “How Babylon is fallen— great Babylon, praised throughout the earth! Now she has become an object of horror among the nations.“
Jeremiah 51:36-41 NLT
As I shared with you on Day 12 of “The Spiritual Journey,” a few days after my several day experience, the Lord called me to my altar to speak to me concerning the PURPOSE of the spiritual journey, the PIVOT involved in the spiritual journey, and the PARADIGM coming out of the spiritual journey.
On Day 12 we also looked at what the Lord told me in terms of the first of those three aspects: the PURPOSE of the spiritual journey I had just experienced.
As I shared with you, for me, this spiritual journey was about identifying any access points (one in particular: my familial connection to the “Kingdom Now” heresy) being used by the enemy against me. Then I was given the opportunity to renounce my connection to the heresy so that this weapon that had been formed against me could be rendered powerless against the call of God in my life.
”No weapon that is formed against you will succeed; And every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This [peace, righteousness, security, and triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And this is their vindication from Me,” says the Lord.“
Isaiah 54:17 AMP
Today we will look at the PIVOT accomplished through the spiritual journey.
The proverbial writer indicates that a person who will not allow their sins to be exposed to God, the person who will not confess their error to God, will not receive mercy.
”He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But whoever confesses and turns away from his sins will find compassion and mercy.“
Proverbs 28:13 AMP
The good news is that allowing the Lord to reveal and heal our sin, releases the power of God’s mercy and grace through which we will prosper!
In our opening scripture we see the Lord saying that He will cut off the rivers and springs of Babylon. That is, He will render Babylon powerless against His people. Now, although this scripture references the actual kingdom of Babylon existing at the time, it also references the world system, the kingdom of Satan operating in this world.
When we reject all those things that are displeasing to the Lord, He cuts off the ability of the enemy of our soul to further hinder us through that area of departure from what God wants.
As well, we can experience a pivot, a crucial change, as I did, after renouncing the heresy of which I was guilty by association.
The pivot God provided for me in the spiritual journey took the contrary force, the blockage, out of my way.
You can experience the same pivot point in your life as you open up every area to the scrutiny and ongoing surveillance by the Holy Spirit of God.
Indeed, the pivot that puts the full power of God’s favor and mercy behind us to bolster us on our way, is only possible when we are freed from the weapon being used against us by the enemy of our soul.
”Who can understand his errors or omissions? Acquit me of hidden (unconscious, unintended) faults. Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous (deliberate, willful) sins; Let them not rule and have control over me. Then I will be blameless (complete), And I shall be acquitted of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.“
Psalms 19:12-14 AMP
Tomorrow will look at the new PARADIGM made possible by the pivot, the point of release, from what was standing between us and the Lord.
Peace to you.
Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!