All my life I have striven to do and to be right. To have the right doctrine, right attitude, right view on everything. It got so bad that I forgot what's important. That the number one thing in life is relationship. First to God then through Him to others. That realisation led me to jettison my law-based religion for a love-based relationship. It's been a wonderful, but painful journey.
The problem is I have lately realized that even my seeking for a different kind of relationship with God was rooted in striving to be more "right" (read: righteous or self-righteous) than before.
So, I'm now beginning to ask myself, "Am I listening to the Holy Spirit or am I listening to myself and my obsession with "rightness"?" Since God graciously has revealed so many things to me, I thought I should take those God given ideas and revelations and made them my measuring stick. The truth is, I shouldn't have a measuring stick of any kind! That very idea is what led to our downfall in the garden (original sin). Adam and Eve were insistent on knowing good and evil instead of relying on God to direct them. So, because of their fall, we are constantly asking "Is this right or wrong? Good or Evil? " Going back to relying on God's voice, listening to what the Holy Spirit says in this moment, should be my goal. Not sticking to some idea or revelation He had given to me or others previously. I've been making my revelations into a brass serpent* (see scripture below). Taking what God had previously given for healing and blessing then making it something to be worshipped as "the revelation from God". The very same thing I've been nattering about, which is using the Bible in place of listening to God's voice, is exactly what I've been doing. I've used what He's revealed to me previously to make decisions on present situations. The Lord wants me to listen at all times, to "inquire of the Lord" in all situations. Sometimes, often actually, He will lead me to the Bible, or to a previous word or revelation, but first, first I need to ask Him!
I Cor. 4:20 - For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.
The kingdom of God is found, not in my, or anyone's, ideas or revelations . The kingdom of God, the place where you will find the King, will be found only in the words or actions given present life and power by His Holy Spirit. I don't want to be one who says a plethora of wise and spiritual sounding words, but no power or life coming from those words. Even if those very words once had power, they probably don't now. The definition of the word "Vanity"** comes to mind, something that seems to be important but is full of nothing.
I don't want the Lord to say "do this, or go here, or say that" and I say " but God, you told me something different before, which is it?" God is saying "I exist and speak in the now. My words are fresh and alive, full of power and might. Yesterday's words and revelation belong to yesterday."
Dear Lord help me to say "yes and amen" to anything you ask. To listen in the moment, and flow with You.
Listen to a great song by Matt Redman - Yes and Amen ( on youtube)
Hear Your people saying yes,
Hear Your people saying yes to You.
Yes to anything you ask,
Yes to anything we´re called to do.
Hear your people say amen,
Hear Your people say amen to You.
Let Your kingdom come on earth,
Let it be just like we prayed to You.
Yes and amen to everything that´s in Your heart,
Yes and amen to everything that You have planned.
We live to see Your will be done,
And see Your perfect kingdom come on earth, on the earth.
Yes and amen, we´re taking up our cross for You,
Give us the strength to take these dreams and follow through.
We live to see Your will be done,
And see Your perfect kingdom come on earth, on the earth.
All the promises are yes,
All the promises are yes in You.
Every good and perfect gift,
Every blessing that we have was You.
*Numbers 21:8&9 - Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
2 Kings 18:1,4 - Now it came to pass...Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.
He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.
**Vanity (noun) - the quality of being worthless or futile
