Fight the good fight

I don't want to give too much time to our enemy, but this week I have become keenly aware that it is in his interest to make me unefficient and unproductive in what God has put in me. It is his interest to deceive me into thinking that I am not really worth anything. And it is his interest to help me forget how goooood life was when I was dwelling with God, and how incredible the Holy Spirit is, and it is his interest to minimise my belief of what I could achieve if I took hold of the Holy Spirit in my life. It is his interest to deceive me into thinking that many of my relationships are a little sour, that others really dont care for me that much, or want to hear from me, or that I've got nothing of importance to say to these people, or to hear from them.

I am going to stand on the side of my Saviour. Who looks upon each of His beloved, His bride, His church, as intimate creations who He knows through and through. That includes me, and I stand on this rock when I am struggling to believe in myself. And that also includes all who I meet, and what I do to one of the least of those I do to God... because God created them! They are His beloved! His heart burns for them - how can I criticise?? He IS my Glorious King, He is utterly good in everything all of the time, and I will stop believing the lies that my circumstances can dictate how good God is.

And I will ask for more of Him, more of His Spirit, because I believe that the Holy Spirit is the promise of Jesus by which I will gain strength to live the life that He has called me to. I will settle for nothing less.

Please join with me in noticing the lies that you have been believing. We are being deceived into unproductivity! Ask Holy Spirit to reveal these things to you now, be released.

Difference of opinion?

Am really aware this week of how arrogant I can be with my opinions, specially on spiritual matters. I figure, now, that I don't know it all. It's just that sometimes people seem to settle for something that seems to me to be unsatisfying. Maybe I am judging what they believe though, and need to give them some time first. I realise I've got to take the good out of everybody's theology, and realise that I'll never have it all right! Too bad!

I preached last week, please listen: southsidechurch.org.uk/downloads.htm
and there I think I said most things that are really important to me. Interested to know if there's some things that I think that others disagree with? I suspect so. (although thats the first time I've realised it!!)

God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him (Piper) - I wanna be satisfied. Not quenched, that will never happen, but satisfied. MOST satisfied. I don't know how to get there, but I endeavour to delve closer, every day of forever...

Sermon on the Mount

'The Sermon on the Mount is intimidating Scripture and a standard of perfection I usually saw as unrealistic and unattainable. Probably like most believers, I never expected to see very much fulfillment of it in the lives of leaders and ministers, much less in my own circle of experience. In fact, it was discouraging to ask teachers I knew too many questions concerning the Sermon as I was so often told to be practical and that these teachings don't quite mean what I thought they meant. Perhaps no scriptures have been "watered down" as much as these, so grand and glorious is the picture they paint of the righteousness in the power of the Holy Spirit, sustained by the unquenchable, everlasting, burning flame of the life of God Himself...

'Still, in my own experience, the lofty flights of spirituality I had heard and dreamed of seemed out of reach. And even years of academic specialization in biblical studies and theology did not seem to bring me much closer to a hope of walking in the glorious liberty of life in the Spirit as Jesus described in the Gospels. In my case, I needed encouragement. I needed a real-life example of Jesus living in someone to such an extent that I would be inspired and motivated to consider living the Sermon as not only realistic but also the only viable way to approach life and ministry in the Lord.'

Rolland Baker in the Forward to Heidi Bakers book, Compelled by Love.

This passage, that I read four months ago, has stayed with me ever since. The whole book was fantastic. Call it unrealistic, but have you ever wondered what life would look like if you really gave someone your shirt when they asked for your coat, or walked with them two miles when they asked you for one... by no means, I'm sad to say, does this reflect my life at present. But I am again inspired that we should aim no lower.

I pet 2:21-23 (NLT) "Follow in his steps... He did not retaliate when he was insulted. When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God." Do we entrust ourselves to God, justice, mercy?? wow.