Reliance
“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.” – C.S. Lewis
Overcoming
Overcoming is not meant to conquer and destroy every obstacle that hinders movement. To overcome is to eliminate the power of a situation and the ideas that stem from it. The response to the obstacle or oppression determines whether it continues or ceases activity. Obviously, the situation would not exist if it were possible to merely walk away from oppression or ignore it altogether. Overcoming difficulties in life does not require physical strength or mental brilliance. To triumph over whatever…
When The Carnival Is In Town
When the carnival comes to town each year, it is always a fun time for all. We can especially enjoy the roller coaster, the tilt-a-whirl, the Ferris wheel and the carousel, all going around and around. Games like whack-a-mole, the bean bag toss and throwing darts hoping to pop a balloon all offer fun and entertainment. Night after night, friends can enjoy the rides, the games of chance, the music, the colors and all the amusements and delights. However, after…
What Makes You Blessed?
Many believers come to think that ‘blessed’ means nice cars, nice homes, money, friends, great job, solid family, etc. But it is really what God decides to do with your life is what makes you blessed. For a time, two natures reside within us, and it takes a faithful endeavor on the Spiritual Journey to become Christ-like that continually strips away the old nature and develops our own divine nature. This divine nature is the land that was promised, and…
The Spiritual Journey: Significant Event #6 – Ascension
Ascension is the period of rising above all that was formerly known. All unusable prior things and earthly cares and concerns have been abandoned. The believer’s consciousness begins to arise, which can feel like buoyancy or weightlessness. The energy changes and the believer can begin to relax into this new realm. This period of ascension takes the believer upwards through levels, which some sojourners have described as “the result of the final level is seeing the face of God himself.”…
When The Dog Bites
Circumstances, big or small; situations, major or minor. We sometimes feel taken in by these occurrences in our lives, manipulated and mistreated with the sense that this is not our own doing. We seclude ourselves, nurse the wounds and think we heal only to return to the situation with the thought ‘it will be different’. It is commonly compared to the guy that plays with a dog, having a great time and then the dog bites. The guy runs off…
The Sound Of Silence
There was a famous song in 1965 called ‘The Sound of Silence’. One of the artists summed up the song’s meaning as “the inability of people to communicate with each other, not particularly internationally but especially emotionally, so what you see around you are people unable to love each other.” In the spiritual world, silence is found during the times when the heart is being tested. During the silence, the ear of the believer is also being trained to listen…
What In The World?
The sensing of an unfulfilled need is common during the Spiritual Journey. “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” – C.S. Lewis
Freedom
You will find that as you relinquish how you used do things, which is just another old pattern or habit, that creativity will make things a whole lot more fun and interesting, for you and those around you. When you are conscious of self-rule, all actions will be judged as right or wrong, setting up the believer for torment about what was or wasn’t done. A change of behavior is not the answer because the faulty nature remains hidden, along…
Memory Lane
It is important to understand that methods learned that alleviate pain, suffering and misery have been stored in the memory. The same holds true for the afflictions of pleasures and gratifications. When circumstances in the Spiritual Journey are created to bring attention to those afflictions, the solution of how it was dealt with in the past comes to the forefront to be exercised again and again to relieve stress or relive fervor, but it’s only a temporary measure. When that…