Christian Mystics and Now!

I've enjoyed the books of several Christian "mystics". Andrew Murray, Watchman Nee, and A.W. Tozer. These are people that God gave spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. And they shared God's heart and mind, how God felt, and what He thought to their generation.

Their asceticism was simple and did not bring glory to themselves. They knew God, and the things of the world had little appeal to them.

Now...
The mysteries of the believer's union with the Father through the Holy Spirit are being made clear to all of us.

Hebrews 8:11. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 

Acts 2:17-18 ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Revelation 19:9. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10. And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

1 Cor. 14:1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.

And behold, I Am with you always,

There is never a time that the Holy Spirit is not present in our lives.

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 12:32  “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The "Here and Now" and the Presence of God

The "Here and Now" is where we pay attention. To pay attention means to consciously focus on one aspect of that which we are aware.

We can be aware of many things in the here and now and still not pay attention to them.

Definition: the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others.

"Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention

"Attention is the cognitive process that makes it possible to position ourselves towards relevant stimuli and consequently respond to it. This cognitive ability is very important and is an essential function in our daily lives."

https://www.cognifit.com/attention

"Attention is a complex cognitive function which is essential for human behavior. Attention is a selection process for an external (sound, image, smell...) or internal (thoughts) event which has to be maintained at a certain level of awareness. It is not a stable but rather, fluctuating skill."

http://www.happy-neuron.com/brain-and-training/attention

From all this information we begin to understand that paying attention takes conscious effort.

Two Bible verses come to mind…

Romans 8:14 All that are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God.

John 10:27  My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

And this one…

Matthew 10:19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.

These verses speak of the present-tense indicative verb of paying attention to the Holy Spirit in the here and now. Not just acknowledging God's presence but recognizing Him and "choosing" to pay attention and to engage in your relationship with Him.

The enemy does not want you to do that. He will use distraction by trying to get you to focus, not on the present situation I call the "Here and Now" but on the past using condemnation/hopelessness or the future using speculation/fear... Or both.

Reality does not exist in the future or in the past.

We exist and have our being in the "Here and Now". It is where we make our choices and decisions that will shape our future. Do you trust in your limited perspective and understanding in your situation, or will you choose to pay attention to the Lover of your Soul and trust in His Guidance and Counsel? "Now" is the time, and "here" is the place we create the future God wants us to have.

Philippians 3:12 (NLT) I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.

Proverbs 3:5 (CEV) With all your heart you must trust the LORD and not your own judgment. 6 Always let him lead you, and he will clear the road for you to follow.

Play it by ear?

To play it by ear is to act according to the situation. Playing it by ear means you work with what you get.

The original meaning of this term was to play music without sheet music, meaning you improvised from what you heard and did your best to bring everything into harmony with a melody that everyone would appreciate.   Hmm?

Jesus said "I don't do anything except what I "see" (Present tense) my father doing.

I believe this is what it means when Paul said "All that are led by the spirit of God, they are the children of God"

Matthew 10:9 (Luke 12:12)When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say.

God has a sense of humor.

The other night I lay in bed and realized how little I understood when compared to God's perspective and understanding. The current circumstance had made me realize this. (Christmas Day 2019)

Then a thought came to mind about the scriptures that mention that God creates the hearing ear and the seeing eye. Then I heard the Holy Spirit say "you'll begin to see better in 2020" Get it? 20/20 vision. I chuckled, then laughed.

I realized then, I didn't need to worry. God had it in hand!

PS. 06/28/2020 He has "Everything" in hand. The global shaking is His "Threshing" floor.

Who is the enemy?

Ephesians 6:12  For our battle is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. 

IT IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE. Fought in the Spiritual realm. It is only successful for us in the physical realm, who have been born of the Spirit, when we proclaim "Not my will but yours be done" and then trust and obey His guidance in that moment.

https://www.gotquestions.org/spiritual-realm.html

THE LORD, A COVENANT GOD

Deuteronomy 7:9 
Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, 

Hebrews 11:6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

Hebrews 3:1. Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see. 2. This is why the ancients were commended. 3. By faith we understand that the universe was formed by God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

By Faith we understand...

Matthew 9:20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21. She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 22. Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Matthew 8:5. When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. "But just say the word, and my servant will be healed." 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith... 13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.

By the Holy Spirit we hear the promise. In hope we believe it's truth. In obedience we trust His Guidance. And in joy we proclaim His faithfulness.

BIBLICAL FAITH in its basic form...

God Initiates - We Respond

Hallmarks of Biblical faith

Anticipation and expectation are hallmarks of Biblical faith. They indicate the presence of hope that comes from even the smallest glimmer of understanding.

Not hope based on wishful thinking. But on a promise embraced. Not on a scripture verse claimed, but on a personal word spoken by the Holy Spirit that bears witness to Biblical truth and relates to our situation. Faith comes by "hearing" God's voice and hearing God's voice comes by knowing the written word of God. (Two witnesses)

"Developing an ear for His voice seems to be at the heart of this issue, for faith comes by hearing, not having heard (see Rom. 10:17). Faith implies a present tense relationship with God. What we know can keep us from what we need to know if we don't stay childlike in our approach to life and ministry." Bill Johnson

“Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.

Matthew 8:8–10
8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, 3 ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel 4 have I found such faith.

Have a Hope

God says he has a plan for you. Are you paying attention?

Jeremiah 29:11 RSV  "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Who did Jesus say had the greatest faith? What did the Centurion understand? (Authority)

What did it motivate him to do?  He asked Jesus to "give the command". What was Jesus' answer?

A promise!

Abraham's faith was based on a promise. He believed God and it was accounted to him righteousness.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please God. For he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and is a rewarder to them that seek him.
What is the reward?

2 Corinthians 1:20.  For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Hebrews 6:13  For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.” 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. 16 For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. 17 Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, 18 that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

Awake in Reality?

Do you trust In the perspective of your five senses or trust in God's present guidance in the "Now"?

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Corinthians 6:2 KJV   For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Valid

1 having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities
2 a : well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful b : logically correct

Lies and Distraction

Satan is a liar and he uses distraction.

Wikipedia defines Distraction as the process of diverting the attention of an individual from a desired area of focus and thereby blocking or diminishing the reception of desired information (TRUTH).

The world is full of distraction. It is designed to take up your time. To occupy your attention and to bring your focus on the temporal instead of the eternal.

The enemy’s basic attack is to make you doubt what God has said is true about who you are in Christ. Your identity. He does that by trying to get you to focus on the flesh and what your 5 senses tell you. What you can see as opposed to the unseen. The work of the enemy is to destroy relationship with God and those around you. The battleground is your mind and the weapons are truth and lies. (in your thoughts)

II Cor. 10: 3-5 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh. 4. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience (Lordship) of Jesus Christ