Yesterday was my birthday and Homer bought me a lovely new prayer journal with the title “And so the adventure begins.” He also bought me some of my favorite donuts from the local Tim Horton’s to complete the unexpected birthday surprise. I love my husband very much and he wanted to bring me something that he knew was my “taste”. Not something he thought I would like but something he KNEW I would like because of the intimacy that we share. My heart rejoiced because he “entered in” to know my heart and give me a gift I loved; which brings me to the point of today’s blog.
I look for three mile markers in the life of a believer to see if they are growing in the fruit of love and preparing themselves to be part of the overcoming Bride of Christ. The one who will stand at His right hand. The first mile marker I look for is simplicity. Simplicity is the same concept as humility. It takes humility to access the third heaven where God the Father dwells to connect with His heart and to enter into His will. Whenever concepts about spiritual topics become too complicated you can be sure that pride is following close behind. If you are aware of some church history the Catholic church, in centuries past, tried to keep the bible away from its’ parishioners because “it was too complicated for the masses to understand.” The leaders decided the Bible needed the interpretation of a priest. Homer bought me a simple gift because he “read” my heart for himself and entered in. Christ has given us His Word so that we will read His heart for ourselves and “enter in” with simplicity or humility.
The second mile marker that I look for is practicality. It is the same concept as self-sacrifice. Let me quote Heidi Baker and what she has said about love. She said love has to “look like something.” Love cannot just be a concept that rattles around our head without a practical ‘boots on the ground’ aspect of entering in with compassion to another’s need. During the last few days I have been grieving over a prayer friend who missed an opportunity to enter in practically with self-sacrifice towards those that she knows are in need. I cannot force this friend to be sacrificial, just as I know that God does not force us, but it is a missed opportunity that will not come again. Homer did more than just wish me a happy birthday. He had the resources to go out and purchase for me “practically” a birthday gift that brightened my day and present it to me with great joy. He did not just give me “words”. Christ expects us to enter in with practical help to another’s need and not just give words that keep us safely ensconced behind stained glass windows of self. Real love will be practical or self-sacrificing.
The third mile marker that I look for is intimacy. It is the same concept as communion with God. My favorite scripture can be found in 1 John 4 vs 17, “In this (union and communion with Him) love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us...” Do you see that without that communion with God you will not be listening to Him and bringing the fruits of that listening to the greater body of Christ? You will instead be spouting nonsense from your own self nature that will not in any degree help others mature in the Lord. Christ took the time to hear the will of the Father and bring that will back into His present reality while He lived the life of a God-man in this earth. Homer and I spend a great deal of time together and he heard and read my heart by the fruits of intimacy that we share. That is why his birthday gift to me was spot on perfect. He did not project onto me a gift that really was something coming from his own heart; like the man that gave his wife a set of tires for their anniversary gift! When I first heard this I laughed but in reality it should make one grieve. It was not a gift that said “I love you” to his supposedly most significant other.
So what does this SPI model (simple, practical and intimate) have to do with “when the timber is green?” In the book of Luke chapter 23 verse 31, Christ, during the crucifixion, is passionately declaring “For if they do these things when the timber is green, what will happen when it is dry?” When the timber is green it is during times of relative peace. When the timber is dry it is during times of great tribulation and persecution.
In our testimony from Wilderness - How to Marry Jesus in 10 Years or Less, I was keenly aware that God was sending us into the heart of a church in North America that had been feasting for years on a false health and wealth gospel. God was sticking His finger in the eye of religion and a false gospel that was gorging itself on their own self nature for decades. If our story had taken place in other parts of the world where seeing the poor was common because the country itself did not enjoy abundance, then it would not have been very remarkable; but rather common and ordinary. If our story had taken place in parts of the world where the government was in full blown control, like in North Korea or China for example, then it would have paled against the testimony of believers who have been persecuted to the point of torture for their faith. No, it took place in North America, Canada, where the timber is “still green”. Listen to me church and hear my heart. If you are not learning NOW the concepts of being simple, practical, and intimate, if you are not learning NOW humility, self-sacrifice, and communion, what are you going to do when the timber is dry? We can either learn these virtues now under obedience or we can learn them later under tremendous persecution.
I have been hearing from the prophets to “PRAY FOR TRUMP”. If the church does not pray, then darkness will take over; if the church does pray then the grace that God has granted during this season can be multiplied to even more good years. Church, can you not see that this is really not about prayer but about self? God is giving us opportunity to let go of self to enter in to pray and partner with Him NOW to govern this earth with righteousness. He is giving us opportunities, through prayer, to begin to dismantle the self-nature and to prepare ourselves for further lessons in moving from self-will to the Will of the Father. The North American church has cloaked itself in SELFISHNESS. I just finished glancing at an article from a well-known pastor who wanted to discuss “discipleship”. I looked for the words of Jesus in that article; in particular Luke 14 vs. 33, ”So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Instead a great deal of the “discussion” centered on foundation words from Paul; and these are good in their place; but not during this season in time of advancing darkness! Christ, the Cornerstone, made it very clear what the prerequisite to being a disciple was. Homer did a good blog on this a few days ago. My point is this. Don’t waste opportunities that Heaven is giving you NOW, when the timber is green, to start giving up self. Praying for Trump is giving up self and entering in to partner with Heaven instead of doing our own thing. Take every opportunity being presented to you, NOW, to choose the life of the eternal cross through the concepts that I have just previously written about. Give to the Father a gift back to Him that will bless His heart. Train yourself to be spiritually fit in basic 101 of beginning to enter into the crucified life. Give up time, resources, and your own will. This is the “taste” of the Father and the Godhead. Say I LOVE YOU back to them by choosing the crucified life. The choice is yours. Will you give up self when the timber is green or when the timber is dry?
Blessings,
Wanda
