A mind filled with legalism and rules is not a mind filled with love.
My apostles prayed that they may have great boldness in proclaiming the gospel message, and I gave it to them. Yet I was meek and lowly in heart. Can these things be consistent? There is a difference between belligerence and boldness. Perhaps you have encountered those who intimidate by sheer force of will. If you cannot escape from them then you may make superficial accommodations to reduce the level of conflict. I am looking for a deeper and enduring change in you and this is not accomplished by force and pressure. It is done by peaceful entreaty and non-threatening persuasion. Proclaim my gospel message boldly this way.
Some radios are hard-wired to a single frequency, others are tunable across a frequency band, and still others are tunable across multiple frequency bands. Do you hear my voice in a certain way? If so, be diligent to seek my voice in that way that you may hear when I speak. Yet I am not limited to speaking in a single way. Sometimes I will change the channel and speak to you in a way you had not previously experienced. This is not to thwart or frustrate you, but that you may grow in your perception and hearing. I am always speaking. Are you always listening? He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Do you crave acceptance and want people to accept you just the way you are? Do you accept yourself just the way you are? I may be the only one who truly accepts you in your current state, and yet my call to you is to be transformed into my image and likeness. This is not one of your superficial self-improvement projects. It is a change in your very nature and being, deep and profound. When you consent to this work taking place in you, you can expect opposition from your friends, family, and church, as if you violated some social contract that bound you together. But still my Spirit calls you to transformation.
With grateful thanks to C.Baxter Kruger’s excellent teaching on this subject.
God when I doubt, when I’m not really sure if it’s you that I’m hearing, should I include that in these conversations that others see?
Yes you should. It’s reality.
You really said that?
I did.
Have you met people who define themselves by what they are opposed to? Did you enjoy the experience? This is commonplace among political partisans on both the left and the right, and you expect it from atheists. Have you seen the same thing in Christians? This should not be. My people should have a positive and proactive outlook on life rather than a reactive one. They are to be pro-life in a way that includes more than opposition to abortion. They are to be living expressions of love, letting their light shine before men that they may glorify me. There are things to oppose, but these are the lesser part within the framework of a life of affirmation.
Do you think of the gospel message as radical or conventional? It started out as radical and was viewed by the religious establishment of the day as a dangerous threat. Over the passage of time it has become the majority faith in some places, so that the current religious establishment there is Christian. Does this make a radical message conventional? There is a risk that widespread cultural acceptance will water down the radical aspects of my message and dull its cutting edge. I want your eyes to remain open to see that no matter how well accepted the gospel message is by you and those around you that it still calls you to radical transformation.
Do you think you are ready for anything? If you do then you are wrong. I was in constant contact with my disciples for three years and even then I said that I had more to teach them, but they could not bear it now. Have you ever encountered spiritual truth that was incomprehensible, and only understood it after you had walked through it with me? This is an ongoing process. When you are ready you will be able to understand the next lesson. It is helpful for you to see this so you can comprehend the big picture of growth. Only a fool thinks the process has been completed in him. Trust me to prepare you and reveal things when the time is right.
Are you waiting for favorable circumstances to align before you move into a place of serving me effectively? Perhaps you think that when you finish school or another project, or have the right job, or have loans paid off then you will be in a position to serve me. Don’t wait. It is true that certain goals are worthwhile, but your service to me should not be contingent on them. Conditions will never be perfect according to your understanding, but they are good enough for me right now. I told my disciples that my time had not yet come, but theirs was always ready. This same principle applies to you.
Do you think of wilderness in a positive or negative way? Today it is seen as a place of beauty and solitude for recreation. In ancient times it was seen as a desolate place with no resources for life. Even today, most people who visit the wilderness do not live there. I had my own experience in the wilderness and it was not a vacation for me. It was a time of testing during which I fasted for 40 days. Yet this was part of my Father’s plan, for it was the Spirit that led me into the wilderness. If you follow me you will go through wilderness experiences of your own. Though they may seem like desolate places they can be positive experiences if you know I am leading you there.
