Usually I put a picture with my posts, but no picture quite fits with what I want to say today. The Lord has been revealing himself to me at a deeper level than I have ever experienced and the things he is showing me have been changing me, sometimes instantly. Over the past several weeks, I have been letting go of my "self" little by little and a few weeks ago I surrendered completely and experienced a freedom from bondage like never before. It wasn't really a specific moment in time where God completely changed me on the spot, but he has been stirring in me and drawing me to himself throughout this time.
Most of you reading this are probably aware that I had a close friend pass away a couple of weeks ago. There is so much to say about the dependancy on God( if you choose) that comes about in a moment of crisis. I went to Moncton NB for the week after his death to be with close friends and when I returned from Moncton, I was a different person. Death is something that you don't really think about until someone close to you dies. Yeah, everyone knows that " life could be gone in an instant" and " life is so short" and all of those things that sometimes slip so easily off our tongue, but to really think deeply about heaven...and hell....the question of intimacy pervades my mind. What does it really mean to be a "Christian"? Is our ticket to heaven a prayer? Is it disciplining ourselves to the point of selflessness? Or is it what many people are afraid of...could it be that the only way to heaven is a relationship of spirit filled intimacy with the Lord?
These and many other questions have been stirring in my mind and from that last question God began calling me to seek him for an answer. Once I was willing to hear that answer and receive that kind of truth, He said an absolute YES! Intimacy is the key. When we read the commonly read scripture that says " if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord.....and believe in your heart..." I think many people, when reading this, focus on the confession part and pass over where it talks about believing. This is the thing I've learned about beliefs. If you believe a lie, you act according to it. Someone who is anorexic believes the lie that they are not good enough and so they act on that and stay trapped. Someone who has been abused may believe the lie that it was their fault and they will live their life trying to compensate and justify for it, thus staying trapped. So, if we believe a lie we act on that belief. The same is true when it comes to truth. If we really believe that the God of the universe is who He says He is and we stand on the promises of His Word, we will be compelled to live a life of intimacy with Him.
What about the scripture that talks about judgement day when we will be standing before the throne of God and to many who have healed and cast out demons the Lord will say " Depart from me I never knew you"? If it wasn't for this scripture I may be more inclined to believe in eternal security. But how many "Christians" hear this scripture and question their salvation? Can you really be a Christian without being intimate with God? The harsh answer I've come to is...NO! This breaks my heart for the hundreds of so called "Christians" I know that are good people and in many ways live by God's word....but they do not know Him intimately. Having death affect me so closely and so deeply has taken a clamp off my tongue and I can no longer keep the truth in. God has given me a boldness to speak the truth, as He spoke it to me, to his children....my friends, my family, and many others who are so loved. Life really can be done and gone in an instant to anyone, at any age, at any time. When the question of intimacy is brought up, don't brush it off. It is a matter of life and death...eternally.
I know I have babbled a lot, but share your thoughts on anything I've said. It can be a heavy subject and sometimes broad, but I hope we can all agree that the bottom line is intimacy with our Lord. Tell me what you think...
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Unveiling of Truth
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4 comments:
Thank you so much for that word from the Lord. I often struggle with the knowledge that my faith, my "Chrisitanity" has to be more than the prayer I prayed so many years ago. It has to be a real, deep, initimate (as you have said), relationship with the Lord . So many times I've looked back to the day I prayed a prayer and tried to find security in that, but I can't keep looking back. I need to look at today and look to the future and continually develop my relationship with the Lord so that it is deeper and stronger and more intimate. I must die to myself everyday and take up my cross and follow Him. Thank you for that reminder. P.S. I love you!
Sarah! Thanks for responding to my post...I didn't think anyone was out there! I'm glad it was an encouragement to you. It's one of those posts that ministers to me just as much as anyone else ya know? It's like God was typing it for me. One of my unsaved cousins mesaged me last night and told me she read that post and was really touched and wanted to talk to me about her spiritual life. I'm calling her in a few minutes. It's amazing how God works isn't it? I'm so glad you and I are keeping in contact through blogs. I miss you! And PS...I love you too!
Laura!
Your post has blessed me. I have seen you grow in your relationship with the Lord. And I know that you will have plenty of time by yourself with the Lord while you parents are in Guatemala. I know that I am having good time with Him! I kind of like being by myself and dealing with things independently. I love you Laura, you can stay with me sometime while our parents are away!
Laura, I'm loving watching you grow in the Lord. It's amazing to me how emphatic the Lord has been lately reminding us that He wants to lavish love on us intimately. We are, afterall, His bride.
He has spoken clearly so many times recently about how so many in our "Christian" culture are only depending on the heritage of their "Christian" family for their Christianity, rather than on a personal experience and relationship with Him.
I would suggest that a Christian who feels continual drudgery in their walk with the Lord; whose perspective of their relationship with Him is one of constantly trying to discipline themselves to follow the prescribed "Christian" course of daily Bible reading, prayer etc.; who cannot think of a time when they were blown away by His presence...just may not know Him. I know this because I walked it blindly for far too long.
When you've beheld His beauty...there's no question as to whether or not you have.
Our beautiful Lord is a gentleman who LOVES freely. He woos and draws. He's talking to us all the time...waiting patiently for us to listen and respond. In His powerful name there is freedom from drudgery, passion for laborious discipline, sweet breath for the exhaustion of trying to be a "good Christian".
He is intimate and pure. Stong and persistent. Kind and gentle yet mighty and powerful.
We cannot make ourselves intimate with Him. We need simply to say, "Lord, rescue me and show Yourself to me...I need You."
He's waiting.
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