John

We so often live a life filled with what we think and we see things the way that we want to see them. Now, this can be because of the way we were raised, the things we learned in school, our friends etc... But, what I am after, and will always be after is truth. And, not to sound lofty, but I have found it and it didn't come in the form of anything created, but in the form of the creator. The one, I might add, that calls us children, I just started reading through the gospel of John and his language of how he describes His Father is incredible. His passion for what he was writing is so evident in the language he uses as he tries to get these words ingrained in our minds. I often read things whimsically, kind of without thinking, but if we can see beyond just the words we can grasp a little about what he is talking about. Just read these two passages from John 1:11-13 and 1:15.

11 He (Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
15 John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’

First, John talks about our identity, which I have written about before and will probably write on a lot more. This topic seems to be very popular in the Bible, one that we should start to pray about and allow God to teach us about. Secondly, in verse 15 John says "He (speaking of himself) cried out", can you hear the passion in his voice/writing? The more I read John, the more I realize that he did not see the world the way we see it.

So, although I could write much more on this topic, here is what I'm getting at. In our society, we pride ourselves on our minds, the things we think about, what we learn, how we learn etc. and if we can stand on our thoughts and defend them to our grave then we somehow think we have won something. As if what we "know" grabs us the right to something, or maybe it just makes us feel more comfortable. Either way, or whatever reason stands in our minds to this kind of thinking, here's what it does: It creates strongholds. These are positions that we have taken in our mind and life that we won't change, and often times we don't even know that they exist. Many times we see the "fruit" of them, but not the actual stronghold. For instance, if you think that God is cruel judge and not a loving Father, then your life/actions/thoughts (fruit) will reflect that mindset. Obviously this is just a simple example, but there is so much more in our thinking that Jesus wants to change. Here's the problem with these strongholds: Jesus wants them. He actually wants to change them, mold them and tear them down so that He can build them back up in the truth that is Himself. We have created so many walls and the things that will actually set us free we argue against and somehow make ourselves believe can't be possible. Well, in my experience, because we serve a God of the impossible, who is inherently SUPER natural, here is my answer. Go after Jesus, maybe like John did and "cry out" to God. Of course everyone reading this is like "I don't have any strongholds in my life", well my response is "neither do I"   ;)

Of course I do, I just don't know it yet. Here's my prayer. "Jesus, I want you more than anything. I pray today that you reveal to me things in my life that are preventing you to change me the way you want to. Reveal the things in my life that are not your truth and then tear them down and build them in you."

Thanks guys! Your awesome!!!

Exploration

It sunny and beautifully 70 degrees outside! It seems that when the sun and the weather match up my brain starts to come alive and I can't help but write about all the goodness in the world. My mind starts relaying signals that weren't there yesterday because of this wonderful sunshine, or maybe it's the vitamin D? Either way it's exhilierating and I just HAVE to tell you how amazing our God is. Here's a short clip from my most recent journal entry:

In the audacity that follows the statement "you are my son" or "you are my daughter", in the mere fact that I have the right to call God, the creator of all, MY Father, it urges me and hopefully you to want to explore this topic further. What's wonderful about exploration is that we get to travel to places which are "unknown" or at the very least vaguely defined. Which can bring up many different reactions from many different people. The unknown, for some, is scary or frightening, we would rather retreat to what is comfortable, to the tangible places in our life that are reliable. To others, the unkown is exciting, exhilerating and allows our minds to jump around to new possibilities. For me, I enjoy both, the unknown and the solid foundations in which my mind can "rely" on, when overwhelmed I can retreat for a time and start to process these new possibilities, asking if they support my foundation or if they require my "comfort zone" to be re-arranged. 

But, for both kinds of people, this exploration phase is important and we shouldn't be scared of it. The reactions of both parties will be different, and that's perfectly fine, whether retreating or forging ahead, we need both as long as we are constantly asking God and the Holy Spirit to teach us. We shouldn't be scared of making mistakes!! If we are seeking God, reading His word, in community, and constantly praising our Lord, then "pushing the boundaries" with God, should be, in my opinion, encouraged. Let's remember that Father and the Holy Spirit are constantly wanting to renew our minds. This doesn't mean our foundation of Scripture changes, it means that our definitions are under observation and able to be changed by the Holy Spirit's instruction. Our experiences with God allow us to go deeper in our understanding of Scripture and what He wants to do to bring His Kingdom to earth. 

In my example of finding out that YOU are a child of the king, it can bring about some changes in the way we think, act, feel and respond to situations in our life. This is just one example of the "exploration phase". When we start to understand this as who we are, instead of some abstract idea, our perceptions may change as well as how we relate to the world, to ourselves and to Father God. Another example would be: when we understand who is actually living inside of us, as in God Himself! The Holy Spirit, a part of the Trinity. We now start to read Scripture with new eyes, realising it's the same Holy Spirit who worked through Paul to start the new church in Acts or through Stephen who fearlessly preached the gospel. 

Be blessed today! Explore God and get to know Him, He is waiting for people to not be scared to "make mistakes", because don't we make them all the time anyways? ;)