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Seated In The Heavenlies
by Carol Shaffron Every creature in God's glorious creation has the sense to rest except the one who is supposed to be the most intelligent. This past week I hamster sat for a very good friend's little girl's hamster, PomPom. That little golden brown furry creature slept and rested more hours out of twenty-four than he was awake. And the thing is, he brings so much joy to the little girl he owns! And to anyone else who's delighted by little furry creatures. Could it be that we've lost our ability to rejoice not because God appointed and ordained us to be so busy, but because we simply fail to heed HIS clear directives? This world or age in which we exist demands our time and our energy. But has God truly ordained that we give it to the world or to labor? What idols are we really bowing to? What demands drain our energies? What things pull us away from our God and HIS rest and steal our true blessings, authority and power? "Seek FIRST the kingdom of God.." Those words have been resounding in my spirit for the last two or three years. "SEEK FIRST the kingdom of God.." Do we? Or are we really comfort and pleasure seekers trying to pacify our flesh? I include myself in the equation. Not all too long ago I realized that I had the silly notion that God lived to indulge me. It wasn't really clear and out there. I mean I really thought if I just obeyed God's word He would give me what I wanted, that He would make things turn out the way I thought or imagined they 'should'. I'm not at all sure what it was that finally woke me up to the fact that I'm living in a corrupted world system and every thing I've taken in through my sense is from this corrupted world view! Over the last several months I have grown increasingly disillusioned with this world and with my own ability to do anything. I've realized fully that without Christ, I can do nothing-nothing of everlasting significance. I've realized it's not about satisfying my flesh's lusts or screwy appetites, but LIFE is truly about laying it all down and giving Christ full reign in my life, in me, in every single area-financial, social, spiritual, physical, mental, intellectual, physiological-did I forget any area's? Educational. My LIFE has taken on a whole new dimension! It's become an adventure and at this point in time, I am stuck in a 400 square foot rental home. It's become a haven because I've invited and welcomed our Father, Jesus and Holy Ghost to come and redo me. WOW! I cannot even begin to expound on all that's taken place. God has cleaned out all the old junk I was packing around! I can see and breathe much easier. I - the real me - spirit was literally being choked and suffocated by corrupted appetites I didn't realize were out of place in my life. When you come from this world-and who hasn't? Except for maybe those who have been raised in distinctly Christian homes and have come from generations of Christains or believers, the rest of us have come out of the world's system. But have we really allowed God to purge us of its influences? Or like the Israelites in the desert do we keep longing for Egypt? keep dragging Egypt along with us! What would the church really look like if we laid it all down and let God come in, take up residence within each of us and truly BE WHO HE IS? If we look in the book of Acts we get a small glimpse. And if our churches don't look like that, sadly we are not truly living God's dream for us! God has been showing me glorious things He has prepared for me! For me! For little ol' me who was born in a tiny coal mining town in southeastern Pennsylvania-nowheresville! He has seated me in heavenly places in Christ Jesus far above all principalities and powers and rulers of the darkness and spiritual wickedness in high places! WOW! That was God's intent for me for us before creation. Somehow, someway God led me-kicking, screaming, resisting, fighting almost all the way. Until, that is I finally realized IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS AND HIS GLORY! But He wants to share it with us! Imagine, the God of all creation wants to crown us with Glory! What does that mean exactly? I've heard that it means God desires to destroy all the shackles, chains and bondages that have held us back from fulfilling our highest and best. Does that not boggle your little old earthly mind? It boggles mine!!! But we are spirit like God. Join spirit with SPIRIT and what do you get? D - Y - N - A - M - I - T - E! God is big enough to blast through every mountain you're facing, He's big enough to lift you right up on top of it! God is big enough to obscure all those nagging little demons that buzz around your head and whisper or shout into your mind-lies. We are designed to hear our Father's voice clearly. It's up to us to take the time to be still and to listen to learn to discern HIS voice from all the other voices that lead us here or there off the course God has set for us. "Take My yoke upon you, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Its a fight to dump all the baggage! It's a real fight to lay it all down because the flesh does not want to give up control. But it's the flesh that is wearing us out and dragging us down! And God is pruning and purifying by fire! Any one who is not being pruned or purified needs to check to insure he has truly invited Jesus to come into his heart and be his Saviour and HIS LORD! God will not force Himself on anyone. Scripture tells us the Bride makes herself ready. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be dressed in filthy, fleshly rags when MY PRINCE comes back for me. No flesh left to mar my beauty-no sirree, not for this gal. Pruning hurts! It's agonizing to have those things that seem so precious and even so necessary cut away-very agonizing at first. That is until you come to realize you feel lighter and more joyfilled. Healing from old emotional wounds can also be painful. To paraphrase Paul, let us throw off the weights that so easily beset us and run the race to win. Let go of the past and its baggage and take off running to the finish line. In this race everyone who makes it wins. Are you running your race with weights? Or have you laid tham all down and taken on HIS yoke? To the flesh and to sin that means death, but to the spirit it means life, peace and true freedom. That old hymn, Look full in His wonderful face and the things of the world will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace... This believer has found out how true that is... Shalom Shalah Copyright 22 Shevat 5768 Shalah Ravah (Carol Shaffron) Inspirational poetry flowed from my spirit once I was born again. Published in the local paper I was encouraged to keep writing it. Seeking to know God I become more sure writing is my calling. My most heartfelt concern: oneness in Christ. www.shalomchayil.com Copyright Chesvan 5768 Shalah Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |