Post by Zac Loh on Sept 13, 2005 0:35:27 GMT -5
Jesus said that you will be free when you know the truth [John 8:32]. Truth is sometimes not easy to take. It can be undesirable and painful. Like a bitter pill and a painful jab. Occasionally, the truth can slam you head-on - as if you are standing in the middle of a highway and a speeding truck runs you over. But still, the truth can set you free... if you are humble enough to take it. You may stagger for a few months, and it may take a few years to understand the truth that hit you in a wham.
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - [Eph 4:14-15]
We do not explain away the truth, to suit our beliefs. We do not place it, in such a way, so that it is acceptable to us. We do not highlight only those which is to our liking. Truth cannot always be milk. Truth can sometimes be meat that takes time to chew, and swallow. We need to speak the truth in love, even if it is hard to take. We cannot avoid taking this path if we seriously want to grow-up.
Let me tell you a true story of how Colossians 2:20-23 struck me in a mighty, colossal way; around the year 1989.
It happened during one fine afternoon during my devotion. For the past few months prior to this time, I was thinking about a local church which I personally knew of. This church had mixed philosophy and humanism, into Christianity. There were a number of signs pointing towards an emphasis on mere outward acts of religiosity.
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations - “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. [Colossians 2:20-23]
When I read this portion of scripture, suddenly, the anointing of God surged into my spirit. I spontaneously burst-out in tongues. The power of God was of at an extremely high voltage. And then, there was another power surge. My spiritual eyes were opened, I could see with the light of truth, the true condition of this church.
There are a few stumbling blocks to the anointing of God. It is an understatement if I say that the following list is by no means exhaustive.
1. WORLDLY PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy that is of the world, and that is not in-line with the Word of God, is a stumbling block. Sad to say, there are many lines of thinking that the church had gullibly adopted from this world. Some govern the church using these human philosophies, being contrary to the way of God.
We have to check the way we think. Do we have any bias towards the Word of God? Do we take the Word of God to tailor-make to our thinking? Have we allowed pure, human philosophies which are not of the Spirit?
What works may not work at all. What are the results that we are looking for? Are we contented to just make it work and just-keep-it-going? Is the result in accordance to God’s expectation? Have we, inadvertently, thought that our expectation is synonymous with God’s expectation? Are we looking for quick, temporal results? These are the hard questions that we have to answer ourselves. We have to keep in mind, that this is the church of God; and it is for God.
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. [Romans 11:36]
The anointing will not move in a way that is different from the way of God. God will not bless something with His anointing if He does not approve the way things are being done. Needless to say, our way must be of the Spirit. How can the Spirit move if the way is not His? To facilitate the moving of the Spirit, we have to get the way from the Spirit, we have to move with Him.
If you choose to sing I Did It My Way, do not expect the Holy Spirit to sing along with you!
2. PURE HUMANISM
One of the best way the devil works is to make us think towards the requirement of people. We do not give what the people want. We give what God wants to give to the people. Clearly, humanism is contrary to the way of God. You can ask Peter.
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” [Matthew 16:23]
Do you realize how you could have offended God just by thinking for the sake of people, without considering how God feels? Are you a God pleaser or a man pleaser? Think. The anointing will not come from people. The anointing will come from God to bless the people.
3. RITUAL FIXATION
There is nothing wrong with a ritual provided it is for the purpose of God. But doing something for the sake of doing it... is ritualism in a disguised religiosity. A week old ritual can still lead to ritualism. It does not take many years to be ritualistic. Because we have this fixation to do things a particular way, the Holy Spirit has been limited. What we do must be in relation to God. It must be in compliance to the Spirit. Do not let rituals use us. Let God use rituals. And let God use us.
4. FALSE HUMILITY
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. [2 Timothy 1:7]
To tap into the anointing of God, we need boldness. On top of it, the anointing will, many times, be manifested in boldness. False humility is a negative value to the anointing of God. There is a true humility that is from God. And there is a humanly-produced false humility. This false humility appears in the form of modesty. True humility, is a humility that glorifies God. False humility draws strength from the comments of others. True humility is God-appreciating. False humility is self-depreciating; yet is looking for an attention.
5. PERFORMANCE BASED
Our relationship with God is based on grace. We can never be good enough for God to use us. Even if we fast 40 days, we can never be good enough for God. It is by grace. Have we pressured ourselves to produce the anointing? Are you stressed-out because the anointing is not good enough? Remember, the anointing is from God. We cannot create it. Neither can we fake it.
that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head - Christ - [Eph 4:14-15]
We do not explain away the truth, to suit our beliefs. We do not place it, in such a way, so that it is acceptable to us. We do not highlight only those which is to our liking. Truth cannot always be milk. Truth can sometimes be meat that takes time to chew, and swallow. We need to speak the truth in love, even if it is hard to take. We cannot avoid taking this path if we seriously want to grow-up.
Let me tell you a true story of how Colossians 2:20-23 struck me in a mighty, colossal way; around the year 1989.
It happened during one fine afternoon during my devotion. For the past few months prior to this time, I was thinking about a local church which I personally knew of. This church had mixed philosophy and humanism, into Christianity. There were a number of signs pointing towards an emphasis on mere outward acts of religiosity.
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations - “do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. [Colossians 2:20-23]
When I read this portion of scripture, suddenly, the anointing of God surged into my spirit. I spontaneously burst-out in tongues. The power of God was of at an extremely high voltage. And then, there was another power surge. My spiritual eyes were opened, I could see with the light of truth, the true condition of this church.
If we are faithful in what God asks us to do, then He is faithful in what He says He will do.
Dave Meyer
Dave Meyer
There are a few stumbling blocks to the anointing of God. It is an understatement if I say that the following list is by no means exhaustive.
1. WORLDLY PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy that is of the world, and that is not in-line with the Word of God, is a stumbling block. Sad to say, there are many lines of thinking that the church had gullibly adopted from this world. Some govern the church using these human philosophies, being contrary to the way of God.
We have to check the way we think. Do we have any bias towards the Word of God? Do we take the Word of God to tailor-make to our thinking? Have we allowed pure, human philosophies which are not of the Spirit?
What works may not work at all. What are the results that we are looking for? Are we contented to just make it work and just-keep-it-going? Is the result in accordance to God’s expectation? Have we, inadvertently, thought that our expectation is synonymous with God’s expectation? Are we looking for quick, temporal results? These are the hard questions that we have to answer ourselves. We have to keep in mind, that this is the church of God; and it is for God.
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. [Romans 11:36]
The anointing will not move in a way that is different from the way of God. God will not bless something with His anointing if He does not approve the way things are being done. Needless to say, our way must be of the Spirit. How can the Spirit move if the way is not His? To facilitate the moving of the Spirit, we have to get the way from the Spirit, we have to move with Him.
If you choose to sing I Did It My Way, do not expect the Holy Spirit to sing along with you!
2. PURE HUMANISM
One of the best way the devil works is to make us think towards the requirement of people. We do not give what the people want. We give what God wants to give to the people. Clearly, humanism is contrary to the way of God. You can ask Peter.
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” [Matthew 16:23]
Do you realize how you could have offended God just by thinking for the sake of people, without considering how God feels? Are you a God pleaser or a man pleaser? Think. The anointing will not come from people. The anointing will come from God to bless the people.
3. RITUAL FIXATION
There is nothing wrong with a ritual provided it is for the purpose of God. But doing something for the sake of doing it... is ritualism in a disguised religiosity. A week old ritual can still lead to ritualism. It does not take many years to be ritualistic. Because we have this fixation to do things a particular way, the Holy Spirit has been limited. What we do must be in relation to God. It must be in compliance to the Spirit. Do not let rituals use us. Let God use rituals. And let God use us.
4. FALSE HUMILITY
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. [2 Timothy 1:7]
To tap into the anointing of God, we need boldness. On top of it, the anointing will, many times, be manifested in boldness. False humility is a negative value to the anointing of God. There is a true humility that is from God. And there is a humanly-produced false humility. This false humility appears in the form of modesty. True humility, is a humility that glorifies God. False humility draws strength from the comments of others. True humility is God-appreciating. False humility is self-depreciating; yet is looking for an attention.
5. PERFORMANCE BASED
Our relationship with God is based on grace. We can never be good enough for God to use us. Even if we fast 40 days, we can never be good enough for God. It is by grace. Have we pressured ourselves to produce the anointing? Are you stressed-out because the anointing is not good enough? Remember, the anointing is from God. We cannot create it. Neither can we fake it.
Our best performances are so stained with sin, that it is hard to know whether they are good works or bad works.
- Charles H. Spurgeon -
- Charles H. Spurgeon -