Walking "the Walk", and Talking "the Talk"

I have had a few earthly “mentors” in my time, those who I have looked to for help in learning to navigate the spiritual realm. Godly women (never mind the varying degrees of Spiritual Maturity, they were ahead of me!)  who helped to train me in the “way I should go” Spiritually. There were men too, but,  for a number of reasons not necessary to list here,  they were not as effective. It was not all their fault, though they can not honestly abdicate that responsibility either. But I do not want to focus there.

Those who did successfully “disciple” me into the Word of God, and, more importantly, into His ways,  were His own hands & feet to me. They served me,  as an arm of Him, and brought to me the love and correction that was motivated and indicated by His heart toward me. And more importantly they taught me how to be led by Him when no one else is around, or of sound mind. This has come in handy! Lol.

One of the men who have been a constant “Father” in the Faith to me has been dead longer than I have been alive! His name is Oswald Chambers, and frequently it happens that, “He, being dead, yet speaketh!”. I mean, of course, that he speaks to me through his writings. I am not dabbling in anything dangerous or unseemly! Lol   The man simply had an intellectual grasp on the Word of God, that was enhanced by His obvious clear connections to the heart of God, and that is able to “get through to me” where others fail. And today's writing was no exception. Well, actually, it was yesterday's writing by “date”, but nonetheless, it was what the Spirit chose to highlight to me today. The date makes no difference anyway, it isn't like some religious horoscope or something! Lol

He took as his text, Hebrews 12:5 (that book & chapter being one that regularly comes into the mental/spiritual intercourse these days), which says, “Despise not the chastening of the LORD, nor faint when thou art reproved of Him”. Now, I personally love the poetical KJV, I practically “cut my teeth” on it! However, for those who prefer plainer English, it means (paraphrasing); “don't freak out, get put out, pout like a two year old, or just plain give up, when the LORD finds it necessary to correct you!”

He goes on to make the point that to do so is the same as, or is what in meant by , “quenching the Spirit”. He maintains plainly that,  "If we only have a shallow experience of sanctification, we (will then) mistake the shadow for the reality, and if the Spirit of God begins to check (to correct or pull us up short of our intentions), we say, - 'oh, that must be the devil!'.” That explains the process by which much of the deception has crept into today's "church". He goes on to explain how petulant we tend to get over being corrected, and how little progress we would actually make in the other parts of our natural life, if we were to take this attitude on every level!

This set off, as it invariably does, a line of thought in me that went all the way back to our beginnings as humans. Take walking and talking for example. If, for example, we were as prideful at the age of one year old, as we tend to be as adults, we could never learn to properly walk or talk! Since both activities, being that they are learned behaviors, take constantly adjusting our "knowledge base", and our "practical approach" to the objective (walking or talking), to manage either! We are often “corrected” merely by the natural “consequences” of our immaturity. That is to say that we fall down a lot due to our under-developed sense of balance, etc. Yet, that rarely prevents anyone from learning to walk! Barring of course, there isn't some unnatural deterrent to it.

How quickly, how efficiently, and how “well” we " learn" – whether we are talking physically, Spiritually or intellectually - are programmed by a loving creator for the optimal benefit of the learner, however, they are also, unfortunately, directly affected by our surroundings. If we are gently encouraged or abusively barraged, for example, reasonably challenged or completely overwhelmed, or “protected” from all challenge in a crippling way. Or, put another way, if we are allowed to develop according to our own personal - God ordained - best, or if we are constantly compared to , and pounded to compete with, others; or suffocated from becoming anything at all (enslaved by others), etc.

But what Mr. Chambers is alluding to,  is that we, who arefree to choose tend to balk when the Spirit of God would have us to grow further than we anticipated or desired. He is talking of resisting that quiet “leading” of the Spirit, which urges us  to leave the comfort zones for higher ground! He states, “Sanctification is not my idea of what I want God to do for (or even in) me; it is His idea of what He wants to do for (and in and through) me; and He has to get into me the attitude of mind and spirit where, at any cost, I will allow Him to sanctify me wholly.”

We who claim to live in His freedom (the talk), need to stop abdicating theresponsibility of maintaining that relationship to others (the walk). We must learn to hear His heart for ourselves, then accept the responsibility of obeying what we have heard, or be taught that we are accountable for accepting the responsibility – consequences - for not obeying it! We must be taught to recognize the consequences as corrective measures, as assessments, much like the end of grade testing in the academic world. It is designed to show what has been obtained, of the necessary goals, and what is yet needing concerted effort to complete.

Spiritually, as the people of God, We have a goal! It is, to be made in His image! The “mold” or “form” is set! We do not need to remake that! We must conform to HIS image, not to our own infinitesimal idea of that image! Yes, it is a “big order”, but He has promised to supply the materials if we are submitted to His Spirit, which works His Word into us! The Word that was made flesh and lived among us in the form of the Son of God, and now lives among us as His Spirit!

It is time to stop being lazy, to stop relying on a dead system of programs and paradigms, it is time to grow up and not just show up! It is time to stop continuously learning, and begin to apply and use what we have already learned, ad nausea um! We are glutted with Word! But we are becoming a stagnated entity. There needs to be a flow! He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches!

The ancient Hymn writer was hearing the call way back then too, he poignantly penned;

“Rise up, O men of God! Have done with lesser things ! Give heart and soul and mind and strength! To serve the King of Kings!

Rise up, O men of God! His Kingdom tarries long, Bring in the day of brotherhood and end the night of wrong!

Rise up, O men of God! The Church for you doth wait, her strength unequal to her task! Rise up and make her great!

Lift high the cross of Christ, Tread where His feet have trod! As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, O men of God!

The “Lesser things” – being even church sponsored programs, meetings, and “fellowships”.

The “Night of Wrong” - being that God's people are enslaved by an institution parading as God's “church” but which prohibits them from doing His bidding!

To “Make her great” - being to enable her to perfect her calling, and to stop preventing her from it!

To “Tread where His feet have Trod” - being that He went among those in need, more than He went among the religiously satisfied!

Again the call is going forth, “As Brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up, O men of God! And that means us too, ladies, even those who are discipling young ones at home! For it is written that, “Those who stay by the stuff may divide the spoil” I Samuel 30:24-25! We follow Christ, we do what HE indicates. It does not always follow our idea, especially the religiously influenced idea, of what we may imagine that He might indicate! The scriptures are full of the many ways He disappointed the religious of His day. Since He is unchanging, then anyone following Him will most likely do the same! Do we really mean it when we sing, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.”? Are we that sure we are hearing Him? If not, we had better be adjusting the connections!

The time has come for another “Reformation”. What we need now is a new wine-skin. The new wine is flowing. We who desire life need to discover how God wants it carried, and get on with its distribution. It is high time to, “ be done with lesser things, (to) Give heart and soul and mind and strength, to serve the King of Kings!” The call comes, “Onward and upward!” Who will rise to the occasion? ~ Selah.