Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Well, today this scripture means a great deal to me. The Lord speaks to me every year in the days leading up to my birthday about the next year of my life. There was something very significant about year 22 of my life. The Lord told me the last night that I was 21 that the next year would be filled with much tribulation. He told me year 22 would begin with sorrow and end with Praise. This was true in many ways...but what was so very kind about that day was that He also told me, "fear not, you will overcome and year 23 will be the year of Psalm 23." I have clung to this word from the Lord all year. It has kept me steady...or, sane atleast when times were tough. And now, I stand on the edge of year 23, not knowing what exactly He meant by that, but believing in His goodness and love towards me. I am embracing this word and eagerly expecting the provisions, peace, rest and confidence in His guidance that this scripture implies. I also understand that in order to "fear no evil", I must at some point "walk through the valley of the shadow of death". I don't know what that will look like, but I see the last verse of that psalm, and I am filled with so much joy and hope! David boldly proclaims, "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever." I am so looking forward to this next year...and all that it brings.
I can look back on last year and see a few trials that I faced that I sort of wasted. Make sense? Instead of praising Him through the storm, I doubted at times. Instead of standing in faith, I got offended with Him for not coming quick enough. When faced with persecution, I ached and groveled much longer than I should have. I learned so much about the narrow way. My prayer for you and for myself this year is that when faced with any kind of trouble, that instead of looking the problem in the eye and trying to solve it- that we would look up into His eyes and let Him do what He will. If we can simply believe that He is good and that He really has our best interest in mind, maybe we can rest in knowing He has it under control. Sorry for the rambling. I tend to have a million words to say and only time to write 1000 of them down. He is just so good and I am so excited for this new year of my life!
I had a wonderful birthday! I feel like a kid that got everything they asked for, even though I didn't ask for anything. ;) I was so totally blessed! It's going to be a good year!!! Come what may, The Lord is my Shepherd!!! (that means I am safe as long as I follow where He leads!) :):):) good news!
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Running the race...
"Take my life, Lord. Come & seal it....it's all I have to give!"
Life..........Oh, how I love it! I cherish my moments where I can sit and just "be" without doing anything! Most of those moments lately have been at night when I am about to fall asleep or when I accidentally wake up and can't fall back to sleep... A few nights ago I was laying in bed for literally hours and for the life of me, I could not fall asleep! After a while I gave up on trying to fall asleep and I just let my thoughts wander...
I realized that for my whole life I have been extremely unmotivated by nature. I have never stuck with a diet, and only by a miracle have I finished a fast or two. I often set goals, but never take even the first steps to go towards them. But there have been times in my life where I have locked my gaze in on something and given it 110%! I have been remembering a few different times in my life specifically where I was "good" at something. All of those times came from great motivation/encouragement from someone. When I ran track, I did it because the coach saw me coming down the hall at school one day and said "you will be amazing on our team! We want you!" and all through training I had many team mates telling me I would win! And I almost always did. I was confident and I was excellent at everything I did because I knew I had someone rooting for me to win & I wanted to meet that expectation. There are other examples...but this one will always stick out to me. It's a part of my nature...
The Lord has used my "track days" as an example many times to encourage me in one way or another. I know spiritually I thrive most when I have constant encouragement, which is true for most of us. It is very important for me to have someone telling me I will finish well. In some moments I have had a pastor or friend or...surprise, my husband- completely look past where I am and tell me where I will be. God knows me! He created me and knows my every thought and my every desire. He knows how I am wired, and He can speak one word of love and convict my heart. He has a special way of sending someone to love me by not focusing on my weakness today, but saying, "you will win! you will win!" This act of kindness and mercy is what pushes me to run harder after Jesus! He doesn't shake His finger at me and tell me everything I am doing wrong, He says, "Keep running! Don't take your eyes off of Me!"
How many of you have ever been jogging or running? You know that it is impossible to look at your belly button and not stumble or come off course. When you are running, espically at a high speed, you can easily look to the left or the right...but if you look that way for too long you will eventually start running in a different direction. You must look forward, constantly! I am finding it hard in this very moment to see myself as "winning" , and somedays I feel like I have no one cheering for me...but I know Jesus is standing at the finish line rooting for me at every moment! Even now, I can hear His words being sung by Misty Edwards, "just don't give up! Don't give in! If you don't quit, you win! You win!" Is it that simple? I have heard it preached many times that it is impossible to just stand still in your relationship with the Lord. If you aren't moving forward, you are ultimately moving backwards. I believe this is true. If Alex and I just continued to live together but never have conversation, or shared our hearts, we would eventually drift apart. We can't make it for the next 50-60 years with just our 2 1/2 years of history & relationship to sustain us. We must continue to run together, in the same direction.
This is my prayer,
Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on the prize! You are the goal! You are the prize! Help me to remember when I look to my left and my right and see people passing me, I run my own race before you...I do not compete against my brother or my sister. We all run to You, for You. Right now You have not called me to a public ministry, or to have a successful career. You have called me to be like Mary, to sit at Your feet and to learn from you. You have called me to be like Rachel, who weeps for the children. You have called me to be like Ruth, to follow where You lead. While I am a wife, while I am a mother...You have called me to run to You! Help me to be "all in", and not half hearted as I am often tempted to be. I will cling to You and You alone. Thank You for being my portion & my hope in this life. <3
Life..........Oh, how I love it! I cherish my moments where I can sit and just "be" without doing anything! Most of those moments lately have been at night when I am about to fall asleep or when I accidentally wake up and can't fall back to sleep... A few nights ago I was laying in bed for literally hours and for the life of me, I could not fall asleep! After a while I gave up on trying to fall asleep and I just let my thoughts wander...
I realized that for my whole life I have been extremely unmotivated by nature. I have never stuck with a diet, and only by a miracle have I finished a fast or two. I often set goals, but never take even the first steps to go towards them. But there have been times in my life where I have locked my gaze in on something and given it 110%! I have been remembering a few different times in my life specifically where I was "good" at something. All of those times came from great motivation/encouragement from someone. When I ran track, I did it because the coach saw me coming down the hall at school one day and said "you will be amazing on our team! We want you!" and all through training I had many team mates telling me I would win! And I almost always did. I was confident and I was excellent at everything I did because I knew I had someone rooting for me to win & I wanted to meet that expectation. There are other examples...but this one will always stick out to me. It's a part of my nature...
The Lord has used my "track days" as an example many times to encourage me in one way or another. I know spiritually I thrive most when I have constant encouragement, which is true for most of us. It is very important for me to have someone telling me I will finish well. In some moments I have had a pastor or friend or...surprise, my husband- completely look past where I am and tell me where I will be. God knows me! He created me and knows my every thought and my every desire. He knows how I am wired, and He can speak one word of love and convict my heart. He has a special way of sending someone to love me by not focusing on my weakness today, but saying, "you will win! you will win!" This act of kindness and mercy is what pushes me to run harder after Jesus! He doesn't shake His finger at me and tell me everything I am doing wrong, He says, "Keep running! Don't take your eyes off of Me!"
How many of you have ever been jogging or running? You know that it is impossible to look at your belly button and not stumble or come off course. When you are running, espically at a high speed, you can easily look to the left or the right...but if you look that way for too long you will eventually start running in a different direction. You must look forward, constantly! I am finding it hard in this very moment to see myself as "winning" , and somedays I feel like I have no one cheering for me...but I know Jesus is standing at the finish line rooting for me at every moment! Even now, I can hear His words being sung by Misty Edwards, "just don't give up! Don't give in! If you don't quit, you win! You win!" Is it that simple? I have heard it preached many times that it is impossible to just stand still in your relationship with the Lord. If you aren't moving forward, you are ultimately moving backwards. I believe this is true. If Alex and I just continued to live together but never have conversation, or shared our hearts, we would eventually drift apart. We can't make it for the next 50-60 years with just our 2 1/2 years of history & relationship to sustain us. We must continue to run together, in the same direction.
This is my prayer,
Jesus, help me to keep my eyes on the prize! You are the goal! You are the prize! Help me to remember when I look to my left and my right and see people passing me, I run my own race before you...I do not compete against my brother or my sister. We all run to You, for You. Right now You have not called me to a public ministry, or to have a successful career. You have called me to be like Mary, to sit at Your feet and to learn from you. You have called me to be like Rachel, who weeps for the children. You have called me to be like Ruth, to follow where You lead. While I am a wife, while I am a mother...You have called me to run to You! Help me to be "all in", and not half hearted as I am often tempted to be. I will cling to You and You alone. Thank You for being my portion & my hope in this life. <3
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Back again with much to say...
I am back! After several months of not updating, I am returning once again. So much has happened since I have posted last, and I am not sure where to start.
*For starters, we have moved to another city...not far from "home", but far enough that it has brought a good bit of distance between our family and the ones we love. This has been both good/exciting, and hard. We used to be just a short drive to my parents house and to just about everyone I know. Now it is about 40 minutes... not terribly far, but it makes getting together with people a couple of times a week a little more difficult. While it has sort of been a lonely season, it has been so good for my relationship with the Lord. I never realized how much those lunch dates and coffee dates kept me from "needing" time with God. We can become so full of good things that we don't have room in our day and our hearts for the BEST thing..which is communion with Christ. So, I call this my season of "time out". While I love and miss seeing all of my people so often, I am so enjoying this season of getting to know my Papa God again.
*Anna is 1 year and 2 months old! She is sleeping 12-13 hours a night (PTL) and feeding herself. Her level of communication is amazing me! She says "yummy yummy yummy" when she is hungry. She is clapping, dancing, singing and laughing. She is RUNNING instead of walking, and pointing at everything she wants. I am amazed by her daily. She is so loving and kind, she has more patience than I do and she loves hugs and kisses. Puppies and kittens make her squeal for joy and she loves laying in the grass anytime we go outside. She is beautiful. Her height and weight are in the 95 percentile and she is wearing 12-18 month clothes! So she will be tall like Mama. :)
*We are still doing much "soul searching" about where we are going to be next. We are not digging our roots down deep here, although it is a lovely town we feel like it is only temporary. We will be happy and willing to go anywhere the Lord leads us.
The Lord has used this season in so many ways to help me let go and trust God even more with our lives. I am finding myself more and more frustrated when I take my eyes off of Jesus and put them on the things and people around me. It is so easy to forget what God has called you to and start wanting the American Dream sometimes. I think this is espically hard for mothers, because we are always feeling the weight of another life besides our own. Wouldn't it make things so much easier if we just had _______________ and if _______________ would hurry up and happen?? And the truth is, things would be easier, but it wouldn't be satisfying. Our hearts can only be satisfied when we are walking in the will of the Lord for our lives. Not our neighbors life, not our parents life, and not our BFF's life. So, God has been teaching me that if I will do what He has called me to- without the fear of what he or she will think...then and only then will I be content and filled with peace.
This is true for you too. How many dreams do you have locked away in your heart that have stayed in hiding because someone told you you couldn't do that? Remember that you will stand before God and He will ask you why you didn't do this thing or that thing...and, "my parents told me not to" is not an acceptable response. We all have one life here on earth. We have one chance to love Jesus when it's not always easy. Some get 20 years, some get 100. God is looking for a heart that is unashamed of Him and unafraid of man. A heart that will say, "Yes, Lord!" in the face of persecution. As John Wesley put it,
“Give me one hundred men who love only God with all their heart and hate only sin with all their heart, and we will shake the gates of hell and bring in the kingdom of God in one generation.”
I do not want the American dream, as tempting as it may be some days, but this is my dream: I want to see blind eyes open, I want to see the lame man RUN, I want to see the orphan find a loving home, I want to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want to see revival come to America and the Nations of the earth. I want to see toddlers preach the gospel and choose worship over barbies and hotwheels. I want to see a generation fall in love with Jesus, not just one moment in a meeting, but all day everyday. I want to see food multiplied to feed the hungry. I want to see BORING, STALE, Church meetings come alive with the presence of God. I want to proove that it IS possible for a Mommy to be radical in this day and hour. My destiny will not be put on hold until Anna graduates high school...My destiny is today and everyday and I want her to be able to remember me not as the mommy who always had fresh baked cookies when she got home from school (which I probably will) but as a woman of prayer who loved Jesus and loved others well. I want to stand for truth and holiness even when people think it's foolish.---This is my dream.
*For starters, we have moved to another city...not far from "home", but far enough that it has brought a good bit of distance between our family and the ones we love. This has been both good/exciting, and hard. We used to be just a short drive to my parents house and to just about everyone I know. Now it is about 40 minutes... not terribly far, but it makes getting together with people a couple of times a week a little more difficult. While it has sort of been a lonely season, it has been so good for my relationship with the Lord. I never realized how much those lunch dates and coffee dates kept me from "needing" time with God. We can become so full of good things that we don't have room in our day and our hearts for the BEST thing..which is communion with Christ. So, I call this my season of "time out". While I love and miss seeing all of my people so often, I am so enjoying this season of getting to know my Papa God again.
*Anna is 1 year and 2 months old! She is sleeping 12-13 hours a night (PTL) and feeding herself. Her level of communication is amazing me! She says "yummy yummy yummy" when she is hungry. She is clapping, dancing, singing and laughing. She is RUNNING instead of walking, and pointing at everything she wants. I am amazed by her daily. She is so loving and kind, she has more patience than I do and she loves hugs and kisses. Puppies and kittens make her squeal for joy and she loves laying in the grass anytime we go outside. She is beautiful. Her height and weight are in the 95 percentile and she is wearing 12-18 month clothes! So she will be tall like Mama. :)
*We are still doing much "soul searching" about where we are going to be next. We are not digging our roots down deep here, although it is a lovely town we feel like it is only temporary. We will be happy and willing to go anywhere the Lord leads us.
The Lord has used this season in so many ways to help me let go and trust God even more with our lives. I am finding myself more and more frustrated when I take my eyes off of Jesus and put them on the things and people around me. It is so easy to forget what God has called you to and start wanting the American Dream sometimes. I think this is espically hard for mothers, because we are always feeling the weight of another life besides our own. Wouldn't it make things so much easier if we just had _______________ and if _______________ would hurry up and happen?? And the truth is, things would be easier, but it wouldn't be satisfying. Our hearts can only be satisfied when we are walking in the will of the Lord for our lives. Not our neighbors life, not our parents life, and not our BFF's life. So, God has been teaching me that if I will do what He has called me to- without the fear of what he or she will think...then and only then will I be content and filled with peace.
This is true for you too. How many dreams do you have locked away in your heart that have stayed in hiding because someone told you you couldn't do that? Remember that you will stand before God and He will ask you why you didn't do this thing or that thing...and, "my parents told me not to" is not an acceptable response. We all have one life here on earth. We have one chance to love Jesus when it's not always easy. Some get 20 years, some get 100. God is looking for a heart that is unashamed of Him and unafraid of man. A heart that will say, "Yes, Lord!" in the face of persecution. As John Wesley put it,
“Give me one hundred men who love only God with all their heart and hate only sin with all their heart, and we will shake the gates of hell and bring in the kingdom of God in one generation.”
I do not want the American dream, as tempting as it may be some days, but this is my dream: I want to see blind eyes open, I want to see the lame man RUN, I want to see the orphan find a loving home, I want to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength. I want to see revival come to America and the Nations of the earth. I want to see toddlers preach the gospel and choose worship over barbies and hotwheels. I want to see a generation fall in love with Jesus, not just one moment in a meeting, but all day everyday. I want to see food multiplied to feed the hungry. I want to see BORING, STALE, Church meetings come alive with the presence of God. I want to proove that it IS possible for a Mommy to be radical in this day and hour. My destiny will not be put on hold until Anna graduates high school...My destiny is today and everyday and I want her to be able to remember me not as the mommy who always had fresh baked cookies when she got home from school (which I probably will) but as a woman of prayer who loved Jesus and loved others well. I want to stand for truth and holiness even when people think it's foolish.---This is my dream.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
A word from my hubby.
Alex just finished an article which I think is very fitting for right now as many in the church are seeking to walk more and more by the Spirit. Check it out...
I believe that we are in a season when the Lord is going to begin to release a fresh word about the cross. Although the cross has been preached for years in the western world, I believe that it is important that we do not only preach about the cross that He carried, but the cross that we are called to carry as well. If the message of the cross was only for the purpose of bringing sentimental feelings to sinners, then we would only need to watch the Passion of the Christ every Sunday.
It is possible for a man to weep and to speak eloquently concerning the cross, and still not be carrying one. Even many people in the world are moved to emotion when they speak concerning the cross of Christ. There are many who wear crosses around their necks, and have them tattooed on their bodies, yet they still continue to live lifestyles that are without restraint. We are in an era where the cross has become the most comfortable of all messages, when it is understood that because Christ paid it all, there is now no personal responsibility to come after Him and take up our own crosses as well.
However, the acceptance of the cross is not just meant to be a message that brings people to their knees to say a quick prayer of salvation and then to continue the way they were living before. When this is all that we are using the cross for, then all we have done is gathered a lot of people together and then denied them the power to be set free. Salvation is not the end of the matter, when people get “saved” this is only the first step towards sanctification. For Christ did not come just so that we could receive forgiveness of sins and then continue to live the same way we did before, but that we could experience the power over sin as well, to be set free.
How is this accomplished? First of all, we must understand what the cross is. When the Lord calls us to come after Him and to take up our cross, He is talking about giving up the expression of our souls. In Matt 16:24-25, the Lord says “take up your cross.... for whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it...” (Matt 16:25) The Greek word for life in this text is translated “soul life.” In this passage, Jesus is telling us that the way to take up our cross and to follow Him is to give up the expression of our souls.
The soul is usually categorized as the mind, will and emotions. It is the place where we express our unique individuality- our tastes, desires, and our expression to others. For this reason, it is not the soul that needs to be replaced, but the carnal use of it. For although the world would have us believe that the expression of our souls is beautiful, the scriptures are clear that all such expression is evil. As David said, “I have no good apart from You” (Psalm 16:2).
Whenever the soul is expressive of its self, it is biblically termed the flesh, in the negative sense. “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Romans 7:18 ESV). For this reason, it is our flesh that daily must be rendered inoperable upon the cross that the Holy Spirit prepares for us, so that only the life of Christ is manifested. (See 2 Cor 4:10, Matt 16:23-25)
For all that we can do apart from Christ is to emulate that which is holy and righteous, as the Pharisees did. Yet the Christian life is not one where we disfigure the outward man, appearing to be more Christ like, it is one where we get out of the way more, and allow Christ to be, and do, all that He requires of us. (See John 15:5)
ORIGINAL INTENT
From the beginning, the soul has been the source of everything that has caused us to stray from God.
Before the fall, when Adam and Eve were in the garden, their soul was in proper submission to the Spirit. However, Eve chose to forsake the role of the dependent creature, and to become like God, making her own decisions. She decided that she wanted to use the expression of her soul, instead of clinging to Christ. So she cast off restraint, choosing to “become her own person.”
When she did this, through eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the immediate result of her independence was that her “eyes were opened” (Gen 3:7). Obviously this is referring to the eyes of her flesh, for the eyes of her spirit were open already. Now they had opened the door to the carnal nature, and they were beginning to judge according to what they saw in the natural, instead of judging as Christ does, “..not by the seeing of the eye, or the hearing of the ear.... but as I hear, I judge.” (See Isaiah 11:3, John 5:30) This was the beginning of sin for the human race. The root of every problem that we have is ultimately because we are operating in the soul realm, and not in the spirit. Now it is important for us to learn to discern the difference between the spirit, and the soul, that we might be able to come back into the fellowship of the Garden once again.
HOW CAN WE DISCERN THE SPIRIT?
Although learning to discern the Spirit is a lifelong pursuit, there is much that can be understand from the scriptures concerning His nature. There is a certain tone about Him that the flesh is unable to replicate. Galatians 5:19 tells us that the works of the flesh are obvious. The works of the flesh include things such as malice, bitterness, envy, hatred, immorality, and the like.
The flesh is marked by frustration- it is the way we feel when we are trying to figure everything out. When we feel as though the thing that we are doing has hit a “snag”, then we know that the Spirit is wanting us to do something different instead.
The flesh:
The Spirit:
_______________________________
The Spirit is represented by this solid line, for there is no wavering at all in His countenance. “The Kingdom of Heaven is peace, joy, and righteousness, in the Holy Spirit.” When Jesus walked the earth, He was able to sleep in the boat without feeling the least bit disturbed, and when the people were going to throw Him off the cliff, He was not afraid, He walked through the middle of the crowd.
It is well known that when a worker at the Treasury is learning to handle currency, it is because they have become so accustomed to handling the real money that they are able to discern the counterfeit bills. In like manner, the way that we get to know the Spirit is through being with Him. Then when the works of the flesh come along, we are better able to avoid them, because they have a certain “feel” about them that the works of the Spirit do not have. This is the way for us to grow in discernment, as Paul said in Hebrews 5:14, it is “by reason of use” that our senses are exercised to discern good from evil.
As we continue to look to the Spirit, moment by moment choosing Him, we will begin to grow in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. “Let perfect peace rule in your hearts.” (Col 3:15) We will begin to know the peace of Christ as the umpire, or guardian, as to whether the life of Christ is flowing, or the nature of the carnal man.
May the Lord bless you,
Alex Haselden
My Anna :)
I believe that we are in a season when the Lord is going to begin to release a fresh word about the cross. Although the cross has been preached for years in the western world, I believe that it is important that we do not only preach about the cross that He carried, but the cross that we are called to carry as well. If the message of the cross was only for the purpose of bringing sentimental feelings to sinners, then we would only need to watch the Passion of the Christ every Sunday.
It is possible for a man to weep and to speak eloquently concerning the cross, and still not be carrying one. Even many people in the world are moved to emotion when they speak concerning the cross of Christ. There are many who wear crosses around their necks, and have them tattooed on their bodies, yet they still continue to live lifestyles that are without restraint. We are in an era where the cross has become the most comfortable of all messages, when it is understood that because Christ paid it all, there is now no personal responsibility to come after Him and take up our own crosses as well.
However, the acceptance of the cross is not just meant to be a message that brings people to their knees to say a quick prayer of salvation and then to continue the way they were living before. When this is all that we are using the cross for, then all we have done is gathered a lot of people together and then denied them the power to be set free. Salvation is not the end of the matter, when people get “saved” this is only the first step towards sanctification. For Christ did not come just so that we could receive forgiveness of sins and then continue to live the same way we did before, but that we could experience the power over sin as well, to be set free.
How is this accomplished? First of all, we must understand what the cross is. When the Lord calls us to come after Him and to take up our cross, He is talking about giving up the expression of our souls. In Matt 16:24-25, the Lord says “take up your cross.... for whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it...” (Matt 16:25) The Greek word for life in this text is translated “soul life.” In this passage, Jesus is telling us that the way to take up our cross and to follow Him is to give up the expression of our souls.
The soul is usually categorized as the mind, will and emotions. It is the place where we express our unique individuality- our tastes, desires, and our expression to others. For this reason, it is not the soul that needs to be replaced, but the carnal use of it. For although the world would have us believe that the expression of our souls is beautiful, the scriptures are clear that all such expression is evil. As David said, “I have no good apart from You” (Psalm 16:2).
Whenever the soul is expressive of its self, it is biblically termed the flesh, in the negative sense. “I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Romans 7:18 ESV). For this reason, it is our flesh that daily must be rendered inoperable upon the cross that the Holy Spirit prepares for us, so that only the life of Christ is manifested. (See 2 Cor 4:10, Matt 16:23-25)
For all that we can do apart from Christ is to emulate that which is holy and righteous, as the Pharisees did. Yet the Christian life is not one where we disfigure the outward man, appearing to be more Christ like, it is one where we get out of the way more, and allow Christ to be, and do, all that He requires of us. (See John 15:5)
ORIGINAL INTENT
From the beginning, the soul has been the source of everything that has caused us to stray from God.
Before the fall, when Adam and Eve were in the garden, their soul was in proper submission to the Spirit. However, Eve chose to forsake the role of the dependent creature, and to become like God, making her own decisions. She decided that she wanted to use the expression of her soul, instead of clinging to Christ. So she cast off restraint, choosing to “become her own person.”
When she did this, through eating of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the immediate result of her independence was that her “eyes were opened” (Gen 3:7). Obviously this is referring to the eyes of her flesh, for the eyes of her spirit were open already. Now they had opened the door to the carnal nature, and they were beginning to judge according to what they saw in the natural, instead of judging as Christ does, “..not by the seeing of the eye, or the hearing of the ear.... but as I hear, I judge.” (See Isaiah 11:3, John 5:30) This was the beginning of sin for the human race. The root of every problem that we have is ultimately because we are operating in the soul realm, and not in the spirit. Now it is important for us to learn to discern the difference between the spirit, and the soul, that we might be able to come back into the fellowship of the Garden once again.
HOW CAN WE DISCERN THE SPIRIT?
Although learning to discern the Spirit is a lifelong pursuit, there is much that can be understand from the scriptures concerning His nature. There is a certain tone about Him that the flesh is unable to replicate. Galatians 5:19 tells us that the works of the flesh are obvious. The works of the flesh include things such as malice, bitterness, envy, hatred, immorality, and the like.
The flesh is marked by frustration- it is the way we feel when we are trying to figure everything out. When we feel as though the thing that we are doing has hit a “snag”, then we know that the Spirit is wanting us to do something different instead.
The flesh:
The Spirit:
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The Spirit is represented by this solid line, for there is no wavering at all in His countenance. “The Kingdom of Heaven is peace, joy, and righteousness, in the Holy Spirit.” When Jesus walked the earth, He was able to sleep in the boat without feeling the least bit disturbed, and when the people were going to throw Him off the cliff, He was not afraid, He walked through the middle of the crowd.
It is well known that when a worker at the Treasury is learning to handle currency, it is because they have become so accustomed to handling the real money that they are able to discern the counterfeit bills. In like manner, the way that we get to know the Spirit is through being with Him. Then when the works of the flesh come along, we are better able to avoid them, because they have a certain “feel” about them that the works of the Spirit do not have. This is the way for us to grow in discernment, as Paul said in Hebrews 5:14, it is “by reason of use” that our senses are exercised to discern good from evil.
As we continue to look to the Spirit, moment by moment choosing Him, we will begin to grow in the peace of God that surpasses all understanding. “Let perfect peace rule in your hearts.” (Col 3:15) We will begin to know the peace of Christ as the umpire, or guardian, as to whether the life of Christ is flowing, or the nature of the carnal man.
May the Lord bless you,
Alex Haselden
My Anna :)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Baby Ryan
I got to take some pictures of my sweet little niece Ryan Nicole today...
Isn't she precious??? :):):)
I love her!
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