4.15.2009

Adventures In Offense and Forgiveness
Pt 4

See here for "Adventures In Offense and Forgiveness Pt 3."
See here for "Adventures In Offense and Forgiveness Pt 2."
See here for "Adventures In Offense and Forgiveness."

In the first, God is telling me to repeat again the necessary refrain. “I am not God.” I am the small flat stone. God is and has always been the power – He is my strength and He is (and has always been) the one holding me up. And here am I, afraid that He might let go? I am not supposed to be the one holding up my being. I may have the task of inhaling and exhaling, but “breath” is for God to give, not me. To believe in my own strength is to live in terror!

In the second vision, God shows me that forward motion, especially from a stopped position (or attitude) not only occurs with turmoil, but that it depends on turmoil! And I have to recognize that it is only from my perspective only that it looks like turmoil in the first place. If the demons are irritated I will feel their awkwardness in my flesh as a strong negative sensation. Like fear. Like guilt, or hatred. In my case God is showing me is that the “churning waters” are a delightful sign of His dynamic miracle working power, so hostile to the evil of distraction that had found place In me.

My movement was first in forgiveness. It seemed for a few days that in every direction I was asking for it or offering it. That I could live peacefully without forgiving and seeking forgiveness was a lie that caused a shift in my spiritual walk. If I was going to harbor doubts about God's love for me, then I had to walk in the strength of my own flesh. Without my consent, indeed, without my knowledge, I was distancing myself from God.

My flesh has too fond a remembrance of fear, and is impatient for its return. To prevent that, I must fill my temple with the things of God. There are many wonderful “furnishings” from which to choose. God not only commands me to fear only Him, and to be of good cheer and take courage, but in the word we are given an array of armaments to choose from that Satan and his minions are defenseless agianst.

Ps 91:14 “The Lord says, 'Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him;
I will protect him because he is loyal to me.
91:15 'When he calls out to me, I will answer him.
I will be with him when he is in trouble;
I will rescue him and bring him honor.”
Rom 8:2 “For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

But while God is putting thoughts of a career change in my heart, hesitations and reluctance are unwelcome spirits emanating from the wrong law. He wants me to act with courage and boldness from Him, and knowing that my persuasive abilities are His concern, they were never mine because the message is His.

Rom 8:32 “Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?”

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