Dearly Beloved,
The following is another attempt to use the goggle of Christ’s Faith to weigh all conversation and filter all thoughts under the sun.
Graceful Reading!
1. Not all believers would end up being shepherds, but we are all called to have a shepherd’s kind of heart like that of Moses, which can easily be led against our worldly arrangements. Hearts that’ll strive to keep the commandment of the New Testament that the Lord reveals, or that would look for opportunities to prefer others and thereby gradually interpret faith, hope, charity, mercy, and love; even eternal life. (Jude 1:20-21/Jn. 17:3).
2. One simple way the Lord can easily limit a believer who isn’t sincerely or really ready to follow or know Him, or who can harm His work or his people, or who wants to keep his carnal life with one hand and seek the Lord’s life with the other, is by withholding wisdom from such. Such a one would later find so many excuses to go about the Christian faith in ways that appeals to him, rather than follow the Lord like a sheep does, and like faithful men of old sheepishly did. (Prov. 15:33).
3. We must endure our wilderness; even seasons of trials where the Lord deals with our carnal nature and prepares us for our inheritance. Another spirit that is anti that of this world must be cultured in us; one that sees/judges everything from the eyes of the Spirit – and follows the Lord fully (Num. 14:6-9/Isa. 11:2-4/1Cor. 2:14-15). We must allow the Lord birth in us a contrary spirit and eye view of faith like we saw in Caleb and Joshua; one that rests not until we lay hold of our inheritance (Num. 14:12-14/Acts 20:32). One that doesn’t conform to the fears governing the land, induced through the standards of living; fears that devour life/strength or weaken any inhabitant who isn’t seasoned in faith. (Num. 13:28-33/Heb. 2:15).
4. Men believe they can bring technology to perfection, and have inched towards this with all their strength and heart, so how come believers don’t believe that spiritual perfection is possible, though evidently written in the scriptures? Many believers don’t believe they can come to a place where the works of the devil in their souls will be completely destroyed, making them sin no more (1Jn. 3:4-9, 5:1a/18a) and also become untouchable by the devil (Jn. 14:30, 1Jn. 5:1b/18b). The simple reason for this, is unbelief towards God’s promise – as found in Adam and in the children of Israel.
5. A prosperous man is one whose soul abounds in healthy living, who like our Lord Jesus, can simultaneously live in time and eternity, after harnessing all resources of the natural and spiritual at heaven’s disposal. Such a man would fight to carry his cross daily, and strive to journey at a pace where he would finish his course and sit on God’s throne. So the world’s definition of prosperity is actually fit for the trash. (3Jn. 1:2, Jn. 3:13).
6. The version of Christianity of convenience is a creation of the world that limits many believers in every generation from thirsting for, or living by God’s power – or by the faith of the Son of God. Christianity of convenience gives room for believers to choose what they hear, and freelance with doctrines or emphasis that are inferior or contrary to that of Christ. It also limits them from being fed above spiritually to a place where they are above the reach of the power of Satan (i.e. sin).
7. There is nothing wrong in placing a good value on this present natural life, on creation and all good things God freely provides, but when a believer continues to remain bankrupt of an understanding of the life Jesus received into his flesh (soul) during His walk on earth, then the legitimate things/blessings of this present life would become a captivity or idol to his soul, because he would lack the wisdom and power to selflessly and purposefully handle or relate with them.
8. The more we hunger for righteousness, the more our old, stale and dysfunctional habits that impact negatively on our destiny in Christ – would be overhauled and replaced. So spiritual hunger is non-negotiable; and nothing feeds true hunger like being at the cutting edge of what the spirit is saying to the churches (saints) – in each season. Righteousness is a ministry of Christ’s face and a revelation of God’s thoughts, which alone can continuously satisfy our hearts until we come to a place where we would hunger and thirst no more. (Matt. 5:6, Rev. 7:16-17, 21:6).
9. If we are truly being busy with what our Lord Jesus has instructed us to be busy with, and if we are doing so with the attitude in which He did, then we should have the same results He had at appointed seasons – and even do greater works like he promised. When we do otherwise, we would lack the wisdom and power to face a world whose values are established against faith, and we are guaranteed a technical knockout in round one – if that hasn’t already happened. (Rom. 16:25-26).
10. The church as the Father ordained it, has one primary job description: to teach and preach Christ as the Spirit reveals, and to do so until every contrary formation in our souls is replaced with the things that constituted Christ and God, even things that framed Jesus into a complete new creation personality. This is the only guarantee that we would end up trading the fleshy (carnal) estate of our soul, for a docile and ductile heart of flesh – that God’s laws can run on. (Eph. 4:15/Eze. 36:26/Heb. 8:10).
Blessings!
Pst. Tayo Fasan
Kindly share if blessed/inspired to do so
