Posts by April Moore
Intimacy: Forming and Defining Relationships
You meet.
You can’t have a relationship without meeting them in some way. You can’t decide to have a relationship without knowing they exist. You have to have some sort of defining and noticeable encounter that makes you want to know them and not stop knowing them!
My prayer for you: May you have and continue to have an encounter with God!
You Decide.
You decide what you want to be to that person and they decide what they want to be to you. God wants to be everything to you. Do you want the same?
Casual
This mutual decision is sometimes unspoken. It just happens. But the more important the relationship, the more definition it needs. There are people you see occasionally. You laugh, catch up and there is no desire for continued conversation until you run into each other again or have a need to talk to them. There’s no obligation to call or text. But if you do it’s great. You can go days or years and it’s ok. But with God… is that where you are or what you have with Him?
Close Friends
You know that you are close because typically you share more of yourself, experiences and you’re more open with this person. More people know that you’re friends. It’s not natural to hide a close friend unless your profession or life is very public and you need to keep things more private. Close friends can range in intensity and boundaries are determined by personality and where you both are in life. It’s natural to have a close friend and life causes your closeness to be and change. Sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently. But while you’re close, you’re close. You may be so close that you help them sometimes financially, with emotional crisis. They may feel like family and you watch each other’s kids. I have a friend and neighbor who is also on the board of our Nonprofit. She gets “offended” when I call her my BFF or best friend. She says… “we are sister”. I’ve accepted that view and love her dearly. Yeah… she’s going to tear up when she reads this!
Close friends can vary in levels of friendship. I’ve had a dear friend who has become like a daughter to me… because the word mentee is just too impersonal. I want to take her everywhere and help her however I can as though she were my own daughter. We grew to that place over the years.
What is my point and how does that relate to God? Have you or do you desire a relationship with Him where He’s not just provider… or the One who come to when you need things? Is He more of a friend that’s like… family? Your best friend or also a Brother to you, or a Father. He can be all of that.
Groom
This is the part that makes some people either happy or very uncomfortable. Sometimes even men have a hard time grasping the parallels around the Bible verses that talk about Christ being the bridegroom and others that say we are the bride or like a bride. They are not written to strip anyone of their masculinity or to confuse your relationship with Christ. On the contrary, it is to define the love, responsibility and commitment that God has to us. This responsibility is called a covenant. Meaning He intends this to be “for life” with you. For the sake of simplicity, we can say that.
My Testimony with Him
I had a night… long after my salvation where I felt that I wrestled with God and myself. Where I was up all night weeping… just searching out where I was. Confessing that I didn’t like things about myself and how HARD I’ve tried to change or to do better. But I couldn’t. And I realized… I was trying to fix myself, but I’m not the Creator. I needed the One who Created me, who KNOWS me and KNEW me when I had no clue who God even was. I needed Him to fix me. And so, He put me on a journey and showed me. And guess what… I often STILL ask Him to do that just to maintain… me. So that I don’t get tempted to be my own mechanic. After all, we didn’t write the manual to “us”.
He’s that stock person behind the scenes placing everything carefully so you can obtain it, making sure what you need is in order and within reach. The one we care not to meet. He’s like the cashier person that we do see, but when we get what we need we quickly forget all they’ve done and their name as we walk away. Sometimes we will forget the Names of God and all that He is to us.
He’s so in love with you and desires to be closer to you. He doesn’t want you to run from Him. Christ died so you would run TO Him.
Have you encountered God? What are some noteworthy encounters with God? If you have trouble identifying an encounter where you feel that you met Him or He revealed Himself to you in some way, do you desire an encounter?
Part 2 of 2 – Lost in the “How” of Pursuing and Craving Intimacy with God
We’re All Connected in the Kingdom
God’s treasure and His heart is in people. We should settle our hearts and have peace among others. If you experience adversity with others, know that their daggers mean nothing in the presence of God. He fights for you. But living without peace can stop the flow of God through us to others. Lack of peace can also effect our relationship with God.
Defining
Your Relationship With God
God are we friends? Casual, close, BFFs?
Do I see You as Provider, Father, My First Love, My Everything?
What part of me have I not… or stopped giving to You?
Do I truly treasure You above all things?
There are many other questions you could ask… but I want to tell you one thing
I KNOW He may ask us all.
He may ask you… “Have YOU committed to Me fully? Have you committed to the
things I’ve been leading you to do?
Revelation 3:15-16 says 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Sounds cold? Well let me ask. If YOU were in love with someone, and they went back and forth with you and never established where they stood with you. What would you say? Wouldn’t you want to know what you were dealing with? If they said they loved you and pledged their life to you, wouldn’t you want a real relationship with them… knowing where they stand? God feels no different.
Read Rev 3:14-21 and you’ll see better what I mean.
The Whole Point of Fasting, Prayer and Bible Reading/Study
Once we seek out answers to these types of questions, we may go to the Word of God to get more insight. We may sense that we have a lot of distractions and we have trouble really hearing from Him, so we may go on a fast. We may want to feel closer to Him or just empty out or hearts, or ask Him to protect and bless someone we know or care about… so we begin to pray. These things are an extension of your heart disposition. So periodically break open your heart and explore where you are with God.
After you’ve done a bit of self discovery this week, next we will pick up Part 3 that explains:
Types of Relationships and more…
Part 1 of 2 – Lost in the “How” of Pursuing and Craving Intimacy with God
My Guarantee
One thing I can guarantee is that everyone reading this will have a different intensity of relationship with God. No two are alike. I can also say that chances are even with spouses, children, family and friends… while you are the same person, no two of any of YOUR relationships are exactly the same. However there are commonalities that you find in every relationship. So no matter your walk, I think this will be insightful because we are all growing.
I struggled a bit in writing this because there are so many ways to look at intimacy with God. I certainly didn’t want to tell you read, fast, and pray. Though it’s TOTALLY TRUE AND VITAL. If it were that easy, many people wouldn’t be walking around trying to figure out how to crave or get much out of doing those disciplines. Then it hit me. All relationships have uniqueness yet some common threads. If we look at where we are in our pursuit, we can build on it and grow from there. We’re all growing so… my excitement piqued and I sat down to write this to you from the heart.
I see people struggle in their pursuit of closeness to God. The beautiful truth is, He’s closer than your very breath and completely in love with you. He accepts you and meets you where you are and draws you in deeper but only as much as you want Him to. The disciplines I mentioned get you there, but it’s a by product of a deeper truth… it stems from something more than you can just turn on and “DO”. Relationships don’t just start in what you DO. That’s a small part, because people do things for us all the time seen and unseen but yet there’s no relationship. The stock person at the grocery store that placed your merchandise on the shelf did that so it would be there for you… basically. But you rarely ever see them nor do you usually desire or think about meeting them. The person at the cash register serves you by taking care of your transactions. Allowing you to be released from the store for things that are vital to your existence. You see them and hopefully there is a mutual kindness. But once you’re gone, neither of you usually know or remember the other one’s name. Nor will you think of them. Sure they aren’t God… but you get what I’m saying, right? This was us before we really met Him. (You may want to reread this paragraph again with that revelation).
No…something more… something deliberate in your mind and heart has to happen for a relationship to form with anyone. God included. I’m no relationship guru or expert… well sometimes I attempt to be … but here’s what the Holy Spirit wants you to know.
God REALLY IS head over heals IN LOVE with you… yes… you! It’s not a cliche. Not empty words. It’s truth. Some of us know that but sometimes we forget how true it is. Let me give you a few passion filled reminders. Don’t read this like it’s just print on a page… or a screen. Read it like you’re reading about someone who’s TRULY in love. And make sure you see yourself in it. Not mankind… see yourself.
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
Romans 8:37-39 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
So our pursuit is always to know more about Him. That pursuit will go beyond our lifetime and could never be quenched… even in eternity. Beautiful… and powerful.
Clearing the air
Here are some questions you can ask yourself. You could be new to this or a well seasoned and well known for your walk. You can even be doing a lot for the Kingdom and begin to slip in intimacy, needing to find your way back. We who believe are all His and He’s more brilliant, more wise, more full of love than any of us could begin to understand. So our spiritual levels IN THIS CASE don’t mean a thing. We’ll never BE Him in that sense, but stay with me…
Really ask yourself this week… and ask or explore for the answers:
– Where are we God… in our relationship?
– Where would you like to see me progress in my closeness to you? (Really think on and visualize what the next level of your relationship would look like)
– I know I can never do enough, but what do I need to be doing in this season?
– Am I distracted from the core of what I’m really supposed to do right now?
Yes I know I said “doing” doesn’t necessarily bring relationship. But sometimes we need to UNDO things that are keeping us from getting closer to Him
Ok… I’ll proceed…
– Am I ignoring negative feelings that I have toward others and not processing it through You? Or even negative feelings about myself or situations in my life? Or even negative feelings about You, God?
– Who and what do I need to forgive? What should I repent for?
– What do you want to remove from my mind or my heart?
– What are some of my ways that hinder me from experiencing You and what You have for me more fully?
– Do I have passion and conviction for the things of God?
– Are there people in my life that, though You love them, they aren’t good for me and I need to move on from them?
After you’ve done a bit of self discovery this week, next we will will pick up Part 2 that explains:
How to begin defining your relationship with God, the real skinny on Rev 3:15-16 and more…
LIFE – I’m Tired!!!
I am hearing this a little too much lately, so I figure more of you may be dealing with it too. Alot of you are saying that you are tired. You can’t go on and you want to quit. Let me remind you of the alternative. If you don’t fight you go back into bondage and the enemy laughs over you while you are back in his clutches. In fact HE WAS THE ONE speaking to you, telling you that you were tired. You thought it was YOU! He has been talking to you all day… and all night while you were sleeping. You wake up physically and mentally tired. You got tired of praying and tired of reading and he kept whispering to you “I’m tired… I’m tired.” Your trials may be real, but God gave you everything you need to rise above it!
1.
Tell a God fearing friend what you are going through so you aren’t alone.
2. Under gird yourself in prayer
3. Get back up and worship
4. Get up and read the Word and declare I WILL GET MUCH OUT OF MY STUDY!
5. Once you feel a bit stronger… ATTACK! Tell the enemy he has no more hold on
you. I don’t believe your lies!
NOW
you pick up your strength and get back on assignment. Continue to believe what
God has spoken over you and not these lies that have been filling your head.
You’re Shining Baby!
Something I’ve been thinking about recently. Kind of in amusement. For years it felt really painful to feel underestimated. People may like you but not believe you are or will be great. They may not think much of you at all. Even family or those you consider family. I eventually got over it… loved them and now I rise above. It’s funny how easy it is to laugh off what used to be so painful… when you believe your vision and your worth. And if you’re REALLY over it, you don’t care if they EVER will see you rise. Or get the revelation of who God made you.
And some of us want others to see us do well… you know… those that thought less of us. We want them to see us rise as some sort of pay back, clap back, or revenge. Well that’s pride which entered because of your pain. If you’re really healed from it and they really have no power over you… why do you care? That’s how you know you’re ready to rise… you don’t look back like Lot’s Wife. You focus on what’s new.
Your vision and worth is too great to take time to mentally thumb your nose at “haters”. Why are haters a factor when there’s so much glory ahead? I’m just saying… you’re better than that.
You’re shining baby!
#ItDontMatter #TooBusyLookingAhead #ItsReallyTHATok
Soul Ties and How to Break Them (Part 2)
As a believer you’re not supposed to live your life subject to any demonic spirit or better yet… your own wrong decisions. God wants to restore you into righteousness.. or the right way (His way) of doing things. But it takes a process when you have found yourself amidst a tangled web of your own choices. God wants you to live free from being a victim of the actions of others, free from a victim mindset, and free to make the RIGHT choices for your life.
When it comes to relationships it is so difficult to gauge what is a good one and what is not. If you have sound leaders around you, it would be good to listen to those who have your best interest at heart. This will help you to see beyond emotional attachments that can form and blind you ESPECIALLY IF you are like I used to be and you had a history of making wrong choices. I assure you there’s hope on the other side because of the wisdom you will gain in doing things right. It will cause you to help others in ways you only DREAMED. You can also turn your greatest weaknesses and sorrows into a place that will truly bless the world around you… one person at a time!
So when breaking a soul tie:
1. REALIZE it’s an unhealthy, unfruitful and ungodly relationship. Acknowledge that to yourself.
2. DECLARE verbally that you renounce and break agreement/ covenant with the toxic soul tie between you and _____________. I take back my soul (intellect, will, and emotions). My soul belongs to me. I break every promise spoken and plans made in the name of Jesus. I bless them as they go.
3. ASK THE FATHER for guidance in how to maintain your deliverance. For example: Do you live with them, have kids (not adult ones) with them? Do they pay your bills? Are you socially or financially tied to them? Be determined to make some changes.
4. GET GODLY COUNSEL on how to disconnect from the ungodly system that upholds your life in the natural sense. Don’t trust your own wisdom, you have mislead yourself in this and you are coming out of deception. You need GODLY advice.
5. STOP LYING. Don’t lie to yourself or those walking with you in this season to save face. Be honest. Are you in ministry? Do you need to sit down for a season to heal, restore and regroup? Tell those with you the truth about how you are feeling and what you were and may still want to do.
6. SET BOUNDARIES. Breaking off means not entertaining this person anymore. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that you can be around them and do things for them and not be effected. If you have a younger child and NEED to stay in contact, do so but keep it about the child. Keep it brief. Text or email when you can about things that are happening. YOU have no reason to hang out as a “family” when you KNOW it will lead you back into bondage. There is more on this but we won’t go any deeper at the moment. I suggest reading Buondaries by Townsend and Cloud.
7. STAY IN YOUR WORD AND… increase your worship (intimacy with God) and prayer life. Really talk to God and let Him into all the areas you’ve tried to manage on your own. It is life to you and will sustain you!!!! Increase your spiritual disciplines.
8. BEWARE OF TRICKS. The person usually ALMOST ALWAYS will try to come back. OR MAYBE that person is you. They will go between being very nice or being very angry or mean… even threatening you. They know what draws you so they will appeal to that. If you need money they will bring it, if you wanted to get married they will say let’s move in together or ok we can get married. When you know that’s not a good idea. You have to come to the end of yourself and stand with God and refuse to live in bondage! The nice/ mean tactic is what happens when someone has lost control, especially demonic control. The enemy is looking for a way back in. Don’t fall for it.
9. YOU ARE IN WARFARE AT THIS POINT. Stay on alert and keep your mindset fast in this season. Stop going back and forth between two opinions. Stay in agreement with God and fight your way out. THIS IS WHERE PEOPLE FALL. They get free, they kicked the person out. They got lose but they stopped fighting and stopped being wise to the WARFARE they are in. And THEY GO BACK! Don’t let that be you!
10. THEY COME BACK IN MANY FORMS. For me… I found other demonic souls ties to fill the voids. Never knowingly. But I hadn’t done #10 so I found myself back in crazy emotionally painful situations. It wasn’t the same person every time, but it was a similar one.. or worse one.
11. HEAL AND BE BY YOURSELF FOR A WHILE. I am not speaking about isolation. Unless you have a slew of unhealthy relationships around you and you need to purge your address book (remember those?). I mean it’s ok to not have the void filled. You need time to heal, get strong and learn to allow God to fill those places that allowed you to get into a relationship(s) like that in the first place.
Get rid of those demonic ties. Think about… who you are thinking about? Some of you right now have a person or two in mind. It might even be a bad friendship, an Ex etc.
Inbox
me if you need scriptures to help you through the process if this is something
you are going through.
Soul Ties and How to Break Them (Part 1)
I remember hearing of soul ties when I was much younger but didn’t understand much about them. Back then God spoke to me and explained what they were, how they worked and how the enemy uses them. One thing I know for sure is that the enemy doesn’t create a soul tie. WE DO! But our enemy loves to influence and infect them.
A soul tie happens through physical or emotional intimacy…. even through infatuation. It can be GREAT in a healthy marriage, friendship, parental or child relationships. Remember David and Jonathan in their covenant friendship? (See 1 Samuel 18).
But there are those relationships that are not healthy. It can feel like love or desperation for that person. Always feeling like you need their love, protection, support, company etc… it’s a relationship many times rooted in idolatry of some sort, typically unknown to the person. They may be someone you always go back to either physically or mentally.
Over the years I’ve heard many people say they “will always love them or be in love with them because this was my first this or that”. This may be a good indication that it’s an unhealthy demonic soul tie. It is a delusion that has blinded many. I was once one of those people. However, early on God taught me about them and I grew a strong conviction concerning them.
Is it always demonic? I would say no, but if it’s definitely a bondage situation then yes it can be demonic. Now if you’re married, there’s other posts for that. This blog post isn’t license to get divorced. But if you opened yourself up to an unhealthy relationship… it’s not that the enemy made you do it, he may have influenced it. By your own authority you decided to become a party to it. And if you begin to sin or fall into bondage, that’s when this becomes a demonic soul tie. You’re operating on his turf, by his rules etc. And the enemy loves to begin operating inside of things that are rooted outside of God’s will. Now that we established that, please read on. There’s more.
When I broke up from someone many many years ago it hurt sooooo bad. I heard the Lord whisper to me that it wasn’t true love that I experienced. It was a soul tie. When the tie disconnects, you can sometimes physically feel the pain of the disconnection. I kept my eyes on God and resisted calling this person. I resisted but I hurt so bad that all I could do was curl up in a ball. The Lord said that some of the pain would subside in a few days. And it did… I was still vulnerable but after a week or so I could think more clearly.
I
remember how demonically influenced that relationship was and I wanted true
freedom. When you want real freedom you DON’T make excuses for yourself and you
DON’T make excuses for the other person. Each party typically was equally wrong
even if you felt like the victim. Having a relationship outside of God is
always a bad idea. But you know what is worse? A relationship that LOOKS like
it has God potential. That is the most deceptive type and again… the enemy
loves to ride along on the sin WE create. This is how it becomes even more
twisted of a soul tie. So yes a spirit of deception was there but I invited it
in. Not the other person (though they were very deceptive). I… like Eve
disobeyed the One I had covenant with…. my REAL first love… my FIRST husband…
The Father. See… we will act like this is the love of our lives when in our
heart and the back of our minds we know it is destructive but we’re hoping God
will bless it and turn it around anyway! When you ignore Him and proceed with
the relationship it’s on you to decide you no longer want to live under your
own deception.
Because it is a demonic soul tie, the demonic spirits they are subject to… you
are also. You will either be enticed or tormented by them.
This is what I decided in my early twenties. I was a Minister and realized I was under deception. I didn’t want to minister under a deceived mindset, so I called my Pastor to tell him everything and I sat myself down. My Pastor decided how long that would be. All I wanted was to truly be free and to have the man of God that GOD wanted in my life. This was about 20 years ago.
In part 2 we will discuss how to actually break a Soul Tie.
Love
you all!
—April Moore
Originally (partially) published Nov 2016
photos are from unknown sources
Be a Jellyfish!
Stay with me, surprisingly this applies to all of us. I always say I’m full of random facts. But they usually pop up as information someone needs in the strangest of ways. I felt strongly to share this story.
Many of you are familiar with VeggieTales right? The two founders, Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki (voices of Bob and Larry) lost power of the brand after the Jonah movie. They grew too fast after the movie and it began to fall apart. Phil wanted to build a brand that rivaled Disneyworld. Nothing wrong with ambition, drive, and vision in and of itself. But they found themselves having to sell the company to another larger company to keep the brand afloat. They kept some creative control for a while and they still are the voices behind VeggieTales.
After things went a different direction, Phil Vischer heard from God. Hev felt the Lord said to him, “I didn’t tell you to do all that you were doing. I just told you to tell stories. Be like a jellyfish and flow with the current.” God told Phil to FOLLOW His current and to MOVE on the current. We see this story illustrated beautifully in Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9. Yeah… it’s for kids but it truly blessed me, and I still had a few laughs.
So, he created JellyTelly (watching it with the kids now). With JellyTelly he tells stories, he explains complex Biblical concepts to children… however I learned so much myself. He walks them through the Bible. It’s more powerful than any VeggieTales I’ve seen and rich in new creative content. He also pulled other great Christian shows that may not have made it and were cancelled. Ever heard of Pahappahooey Island? You… I mean your kids need to see it. Great show. So he’s created not just his own shows… but his own channel, available online and on all streaming devices. His channel has wildly grown in popularity. In my opinion, it is definitely greater than what he first created. By just… flowing with the Spirit.
Acts 17:28(NKJV) For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
There is a correlation between sonship and being lead by the Spirit of God!
Here’s something about Jellyfish and you:
1. Jellyfish rest and flow on the current to
get around – We should be guided by the Spirit of God and rest in Him.
2. Jellyfish do move but it’s to propel the water around them – As we rest in
the spirit, our movements are to help us build the kingdom WITH God’s leading,
not independently of Him.
3. They have no brain but they have other mechanisms that together sort of act
as a brain. This way they can “detect” the current and either swim toward or
against it. God gives us discernment that does many things, but it also causes
us to detect changes in current so we can keep up with his changes in
direction. But we do have a mind and can actually choose what current to
follow. Choose His current, the leading of the Holy Spirit.
So for you and I, we work to build the
kingdom in the natural… but in the spirit we rest when it comes to direction.
We detect or discern the flow of God. And we propel through the water, or the
Spirit as we rest and trust the flow in the direction God is taking us!
Spiritual Warfare
For several years my husband and I lead Intercessory Prayer at our local church. Even before that time we served on prayers teams. Over the years and even now, I am asked how does one war at home?
Questions like:
– How do I get in that mode?
– I have so much going on, people live with me and their lifestyle isn’t like mine. How do I regain spiritual control over the atmosphere of my home or workplace?
– There’s a darkness that has entered my home but I feel so weak against it.
You’d be surprised (possibly) how many times over the years. Truth is there are many ways to answer that question and typically I’d speak at length with the person. But I’ll give you a few steps to take that are simple, effective and have gotten results for me. I’ve even emailed this to several people over time to help them in warfare.
But before we dive in, there are a few things I strongly admonish you to do prior to going into warfare.
1. Repent (acknowledge to God and turn away) from any sin you are involved in.
2. If you are living with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the best warfare is to get your house in order. They need to leave. Please don’t expect to fight something you told to come in through disobedience.
3. #2 is one area of disobedience. But there are others. Identify how you may be living contrary to God’s Word.
4. Disobedience isn’t the only reason but obedience is one of the first areas to address. Obedience of all kinds.
5. Humble your heart, forgive others… really talk to God and clear some things up between you and Him.
6. In the Bible, it was customary for an army General to inquire of the Lord PRIOR to GOING to war. Meaning asking if they should go… and how to approach the enemy. So make sure you do. The Lord may tell you to be still and worship!
Or you may proceed with active engagement.
Warfare Instructions
1. Declare and command that the enemy cannot take ANYTHING from you or your family. Declare that you all shall retain and yes even increase in strength, power and anointing.
2. Declare out loud warfare scriptures. Examples: Psalm 27:1-3/ Psalm 91:5-9/ Psalm 91:10-13 All in the name of Jesus.
3. Command the enemy to completely leave you and your family and not return.
4. Declare that all doors, portals and gates that allows the enemy access to be closed and sealed with the blood of Jesus. He is not allowed access to you or your family anymore.
5. Release Angelic protection, ministry and covering in the name of Jesus.
6. Declare that you and family are cleansed by the blood of Jesus from all residue of the enemy’s attacks.
7. Declare that there is a fiery impenetrable hedge of protection around you and your family in the name of Jesus.
8. Seal the prayer by asking God to cover any other areas that you are not aware of and to cover those areas in the blood of Jesus.
Psalm 27:1-3
The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.
(You can read the rest of the chapter)
Psalm 91:1-16
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most-High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. 4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most-High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. 14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.16 With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
The Real: When We Weary of Spiritual Things
My friend posted something on Facebook that struck a chord in me a few weeks ago. She said our flesh hates God. Hate is a strong word I thought, and I know the Word of God. Scripturally she is right… in allllll my thinking I didn’t think of it this way. And I will explain. It is why we gravitate toward things that get our minds off Him. I remember early in my walk sometimes feeling like I needed a break. I was tired… I didn’t want to backslide, but I was tired of church no matter how good it was and tired of praying or reading (yet I stayed in church). But when I stopped reading or praying, the light in my life dimmed. And I fell anyway! I finally realized there is no good place outside of Him and that my attitude was… carnal.
Romans 8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity (hostility, hatred and ill will) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. [8] So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Did you see that?
Because the carnal mind is enmity (hostility, hatred and ill will) against God.
Hard, but true. Some of us may even want to justify how this isn’t true. But it is the Word of God… I am only the delivery agent. I had to learn this too!
We have to know how GOD sees our attitudes. Complaining, arguments, lies (ALL of them), greed, lust, complacency, depression, anxiety, perversion, cheating, indifference, rebellion, doubt, unbelief, selfishness, stealing, gossiping, hateful sarcasm, passive aggressive behaviors, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, entitlement. These are the parts of us that hate Him because they are outside of Him. They are hostile toward Him. We write comedies and dramas around these subjects and we are entertained by them. We live them out in our lives and say… “God knows my heart”. We brush off our behavior as “being human” and we forget to repent.
YET HE LOVES US SO INTENSELY. He gave His Son’s life in exchange for what was… hateful children… who sometimes will fall back to their old ways when they were against God. The key is not LIVING according to our flesh and acknowledging to ourselves that at times we do act in flesh anyway, though we hopefully try not to.
The choice is ours. He knows these parts of us are still in “process” of dying. He doesn’t condemn us. But He also doesn’t want us to be comfortable and make excuses for it either. He desires that we strive to work on what is within us that may be “at odds” with Him. This walk isn’t just about “doing” the right things. It is a total transformation of our heart, minds and LOYALTIES. He is our Creator, but He is also our greatest Love. We should strive in our hearts and actions to be in agreement with this beautiful God we have pledged our lives to. And not to be in agreement with “the Other” man… be it our flesh or the enemy. But loyal to God…. because He deserves every part of us. When we come to Him, He covers the ugly parts and helps us to overcome. We don’t always do THAT for those WE love the most.
Prayer, the Word, faith and church are not “tools” we use… they are vehicles to an invisible King that passionately loves us. An invitation to the presence of The Best! We should feel valued, treasured and honored that we “get” to read and pray… why? Because reading is not just to gain Biblical information. Over the years I developed such an affection for God’s Word. I would blow kisses to God, being so endeared by it. The life that He poured into me, the love and joy I saw through His promise gave me hope. My faith increased, my eyes illuminated from darkness. I prayed but realized I was in conversation now. I would cast my cares on Him because I realized HE DOES CARE FOR ME! 1 Peter 5:7.
Resist everything in you that hates God and the things of God. Get stirred up into a place of joy for Him. Submit yourself to Him. And know that the battle against flesh never ends. There is always a place in us… as long as we are in our flesh… that hates God. But allow God to guide you out of that place daily through His Word and Presence. Ask Him for joy in Him. We need Him daily! To step into relationship with Him is to step out of a carnal and hateful mindset.