The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit… —Romans 8:16

We are in danger of getting into a bargaining spirit with God when we come to Him— we want the witness of the Spirit before we have done what God tells us to do.

Why doesn’t God reveal Himself to you? He cannot. It is not that He will not, but He cannot, because you are in the way as long as you won’t abandon yourself to Him in total surrender. Yet once you do, immediately God witnesses to Himself— He cannot witness to you, but He instantly witnesses to His own nature in you. If you received the witness of the Spirit before the reality and truth that comes from obedience, it would simply result in sentimental emotion. But when you act on the basis of redemption, and stop the disrespectfulness of debating with God, He immediately gives His witness. As soon as you abandon your own reasoning and arguing, God witnesses to what He has done, and you are amazed at your total disrespect in having kept Him waiting. If you are debating as to whether or not God can deliver from sin, then either let Him do it or tell Him that He cannot. Do not quote this or that person to Him. Simply obey Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden….” Come, if you are weary, and ask, if you know you are evil (see Luke 11:9-13).

The Spirit of God witnesses to the redemption of our Lord, and to nothing else. He cannot witness to our reason. We are inclined to mistake the simplicity that comes from our natural commonsense decisions for the witness of the Spirit, but the Spirit witnesses only to His own nature, and to the work of redemption, never to our reason. If we are trying to make Him witness to our reason, it is no wonder that we are in darkness and uncertainty. Throw it all overboard, trust in Him, and He will give you the witness of the Spirit.

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Journal Entry for October 22, 2015-JDV

Lord, this devotional touches on a lesson you have been giving me for the last couple of weeks. Namely, that Your Spirit connects with the Holy Spirit living inside of me when I do not bring my logic or ideas about how we relate. When I think our relationship should look like this, or when I focus on my unanswered prayers and how certain answers would make me or others whole or happy, we are disconnected: Disconnected because I did not come surrendered. I still held onto my ideas of what the world, answers to prayers and blessings for us should look like. And when I do this, I do not offer up un equivocal faith that “says” You are God and You work all things out for good. When I truly seek Your will, I have no suggestions or answers about what that should “look like”; what the outcomes should be. I simply seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and allow You to be God in my life.

And God says…”When you let go of your ideas, your perceptions and trust Me to be your God, I can meet all your needs according to my riches in glory. When you only allow me a small space in which to operate, that is to say your hopes and faith only include certain outcomes, and blessings, your faith in Me is reduced and restricted to only those areas and outcomes. And certain outcomes and answers do not and will not always serve you, Me or the greater good. My will is chosen by you and I am free move in your life as you surrender and let go of your will, and trust in Me with all your heart. When you do this you can be certain that I will make your paths straight. Delight yourself in Me and I will give you  the desires of your heart shaped by my will.”

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith… —Jude 20

There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple.

Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman— an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he “followed Him at a distance” on dry land (Mark 14:54). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises— human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus.

It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God— but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people— and this is not learned in five minutes.

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October 21 2015

Journal Entry for October 22 2015

Lord, I’m not certain I agree with Chambers this time. When he says Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different.  You have been teaching us that it is all the same; walking on water or miracles, and the day to day mundane work and service; it all comes from You via the Holy Spirit through us. You have taught us to be and live surrendered, connected, curious and obedient, regardless of the service or circumstance.  The outcomes are not our concerns, the methods or circumstances are also non issues but that we are to let You work through us and revel in our relationship; whether it be routine or supernatural.

And God says…”I work all things together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to My purpose. Seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, and I will provide everything else you require; strength and appreciation for the routine and mundane, as well as faith and belief in and for the miraculous. Do not seek a miracle or a routine outcome, simply trust in Me with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding or expectations. Allow Me to be God in your life as you live out of surrender, connection, curiosity and obedience. “

This is the will of God, your sanctification… —1 Thessalonians 4:3

 

Sanctification is not a question of whether God is willing to sanctify me— is it my will? Am I willing to let God do in me everything that has been made possible through the atonement of the Cross of Christ? Am I willing to let Jesus become sanctification to me, and to let His life be exhibited in my human flesh? (see 1 Corinthians 1:30). Beware of saying, “Oh, I am longing to be sanctified.” No, you are not.

Recognize your need, but stop longing and make it a matter of action. Receive Jesus Christ to become sanctification for you by absolute, unquestioning faith, and the great miracle of the atonement of Jesus will become real in you. All that Jesus made possible becomes mine through the free and loving gift of God on the basis of what Christ accomplished on the cross. And my attitude as a saved and sanctified soul is that of profound, humble holiness (there is no such thing as proud holiness). It is a holiness based on agonizing repentance, a sense of inexpressible shame and degradation, and also on the amazing realization that the love of God demonstrated itself to me while I cared nothing about Him (see Romans 5:8). He completed everything for my salvation and sanctification.

No wonder Paul said that nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). Sanctification makes me one with Jesus Christ, and in Him one with God, and it is accomplished only through the magnificent atonement of Christ. Never confuse the effect with the cause. The effect in me is obedience, service, and prayer, and is the outcome of inexpressible thanks and adoration for the miraculous sanctification that has been brought about in me because of the atonement through the Cross of Christ. _____________________________________________________________________

Journal DJR Good Morning Lord,

I’ve always thought and said that our goal after salvation was to become Christlike. Perhaps that’s what sanctification is? And here it says pretty clearly that’s what you want also… This is the will of God, your sanctification… —1 Thessalonians 4:3 I think where I’ve messed up is in striving to be Christlike… It has always led to failure. I think it was a “do it yourself” sanctification effort, which I can see now, is doomed to failure.

I do want you Christlike. And I’ve paid the price and paved the way and sent the power to make it happen … but it doesn’t include your willpower or religious pride of accomplishment to get it done. Stay on the track I’ve set for you… Surrender, Connection, Obedience, Curiosity about what I’m doing and going to do next, and looking and listening and then just living out of that. With that approach, you are well on your way to the Christlikeness that you desire. But it will be like a side effect…Not the thing you were striving for. There may be shame and devastation when you see the opportunities that have been missed. But those emotions will be overwhelmed by joy when you see me as I am and really see the gift you have been given. Gratitude overpowers shame and leaves you in peace, not striving.

Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…” —Matthew 28:18-19

The key to the missionary’s work is the authority of Jesus Christ, not the needs of the lost. We are inclined to look on our Lord as one who assists us in our endeavors for God. Yet our Lord places Himself as the absolute sovereign and supreme Lord over His disciples. He does not say that the lost will never be saved if we don’t go— He simply says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations….” He says, “Go on the basis of the revealed truth of My sovereignty, teaching and preaching out of your living experience of Me.”

“Then the eleven disciples went…to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them” (Matthew 28:16). If I want to know the universal sovereignty of Christ, I must know Him myself. I must take time to worship the One whose name I bear. Jesus says, “Come to Me…”— that is the place to meet Jesus— “all you who labor and are heavy laden…” (Matthew 11:28)— and how many missionaries are! We completely dismiss these wonderful words of the universal Sovereign of the world, but they are the words of Jesus to His disciples meant for here and now.

“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Acts 1:8 is the description of how to go. Jesus did not say in this verse, “Go into Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria,” but, “…you shall be witnesses to Me in [all these places].” He takes upon Himself the work of sending us.

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you…” (John 15:7)— that is the way to keep going. Where we are placed is then a matter of indifference to us, because God sovereignly engineers our goings.

“None of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus…” (Acts 20:24). That is how to keep going until we are gone from this life.

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October 14 2015

Journal Entry for Today-JDV

Good morning God, and thank You once again for leading us to a deeper understanding of our surrender and connection. It is a good feeling to understand Chambers as he tells us that “to go” is simply meant …”to live”. As he writes…“Go therefore….” To “go” simply means to live. Once again You remind us that the mission or goal is not as important as our surrender and connection. And that out of surrender and connection, You will provide our “mission field”. We may think or believe it is supposed to look like this, or that…or that our work as missionaries requires us to go here or go there, but it seems to me that You are showing us that the whole world is our mission field as we live out of surrender, connection , curiosity and obedience.

And God says…”When you keep your eyes on Jesus, and surrender yourself and your rights to yourself to Him, your connected day to day living becomes your preaching and teaching. When you seek first the kingdom of God, which is Jesus, I will provide everything else you require for your life, including your mission field.  When you acknowledge Me in all your ways, and do not rely on your own understanding of missions and missionaries, the Spirit is free to live through you and make your paths straight.  How you are used, where you are used, what you are to say and do is of no concern of yours…trust in Me with all your heart.  Your work and impact as a disciple, missionary, or teacher is none of your concern, when you are surrendered and connected. In fact most of your impact will be oblivious to you except in retrospect.  You can be assured that when you are surrendered and connected to Me, there will always be a harvest.  John 15:7-8 The Message (MSG) 5-8 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant.”

…when Moses was grown…he went out to his brethren and looked at their burdens. —Exodus 2:11

Moses saw the oppression of his people and felt certain that he was the one to deliver them, and in the righteous indignation of his own spirit he started to right their wrongs. After he launched his first strike for God and for what was right, God allowed Moses to be driven into empty discouragement, sending him into the desert to feed sheep for forty years. At the end of that time, God appeared to Moses and said to him, “ ‘…bring My people…out of Egypt.’ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go…?’ ” (Exodus 3:10-11). In the beginning Moses had realized that he was the one to deliver the people, but he had to be trained and disciplined by God first. He was right in his individual perspective, but he was not the person for the work until he had learned true fellowship and oneness with God.

We may have the vision of God and a very clear understanding of what God wants, and yet when we start to do it, there comes to us something equivalent to Moses’ forty years in the wilderness. It’s as if God had ignored the entire thing, and when we are thoroughly discouraged, God comes back and revives His call to us. And then we begin to tremble and say, “Who am I that I should go…?” We must learn that God’s great stride is summed up in these words— “I AM WHO I AM…has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). We must also learn that our individual effort for God shows nothing but disrespect for Him— our individuality is to be rendered radiant through a personal relationship with God, so that He may be “well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). We are focused on the right individual perspective of things; we have the vision and can say, “I know this is what God wants me to do.” But we have not yet learned to get into God’s stride. If you are going through a time of discouragement, there is a time of great personal growth ahead.

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Journal DJR
Good morning Lord,
The first lesson here seems to be that we will see more wrongs than we can right, and have more opportunities to do good than we can possibly do … so identifying right ones from the multitude of options is the key. We aspire to be like you in John 5:19 where you “only did what you saw the Father doing and only said what you heard the Father saying” Easier said than done I must say…. With all the clamoring voices, both outside and especially inside my head, it’s so easy to wind up finding myself out herding sheep in a desert, having missed you and wasted a lot of time.

Well, I understand your desire to get it right the first time and all the time. But don’t be so quick to judge your failures, or Moses. What if my plan was to make Moses … “a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth?” Numbers 12:3 You can see that the 40 years of sheepherding got used to change Moses. I will use all the things that happen to you as well. Good things, Bad things, all things.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.

It seems like you are saying not to strive to do good and fight evil etc.

Well, how has that worked out for you and how well did it work out for Moses? You can strive, but it will only work well when you are connected to me and following my lead. So if you want to strive… just strive to stay connected and be obedient to the nudges and cues from my Spirit. Then stop trying to work for me and stop “working” on your sins. Just live with me and we’ll have a good time together. As you live in me, those sins will just fall away. Pretty simple, don’t complicate it. A couple of non-striving things that won’t get you off track killing Egyptians are curiosity and gratitude. I recommend those two for you…

…present…your members as instruments of righteousness to God. —Romans 6:13