Bad Fruit

There is no help within mankind.

I was reading a blog post by a fellow God lover (http://edgeofthewilderness.blogspot.com/)who spoke about how mankind tries to pull himself up
by his boot straps and the futility of these attempts.

And how most if not all of the religions recommend that as the path to fulfillment, enlghtmenent or
whatever the 'goal' for that group of people is. (I hope I haven't mis-stated what he is trying to express)

This made me think about  a person I was dealing with the other day who is suffering from what, as far as I can tell, is some type of paranoia. Mental delusions.

I spoke to the Father under my breath and asked Him to rebuke the spirit of confusion and paranoia. I spoke to the spirits themselves and told them they had no place in that vessel for that person has said they are a believer.

I've done this before and there seems to be relief but it doesn't last.

This got me thinking about how the mind that will not yield to the Lordship of Christ is subject to it's own desires. That is NOT good!

As we walk in  the fruit of our own self directed desires, we are led further from the Truth of God and become subject to demonic enticement. There is no good thing in our flesh, Paul tells us and our minds need to be renewed so we can think thoughts after the Father.

For all mankind, even those who say they are believers, if we continue refusing to yield to the gentle inclinations of the Spirit that direct us to die to self, take up our cross, yield ourselves to the various chastimsents the Father allows for us, renew our mind through the Word and whatever else speaks of new life in Christ, then we expect nothing else but an eventual consuming of selves into a black hole of self delusion, mental/emotional anguish and hopelessness.

The Father doesn't want it this way.

WE are choosing these destructive paths that eventually may lead to an eternal separation from the Source of Life - is it any surprise though? We won't choose life on 'this' side of immortality so we receive the fruit of our doings on the other side; and the separation is made complete.

Mankind must cooperate with the work the Father desires to accomplish in us - for our OWN good!
He won't force Himself, and those of us who are trying to be His disciples, we can't force people either.

We must:                            
In meekness instruct(ing) those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth (2Tim 2:25, KJV)

Notice the emphasis; it's GOD that must move upon the person to repent and acknowledge what is true,

Clear - Part 3

I was sitting with a woman the other day in a government facility awaiting my
turn to get help with tax paperwork when she said, "Look at that."

I looked at where she was pointing and saw a small bit of wadded up gum wrapper
laying underneath the water fountain.

Then with a smirk in her voice, she said, "someone is supposed to be cleaning around here!"

I would not have given the small piece of paper a thought if she had not pointed it out.

I know a few other people like her. Every perceived 'wrong' is talked about in disdainful tones
and the people who have commited these 'wrongs' are vilified.

I felt sorrowful in my spirit and said to the Lord, 'Why do people have to concern themselves with
such minor, insignificant things?'

I was going to go on with another stream of thinking when this wafted into my mind:

"To the pure, everything is pure, but to the defiled, everything is defiled."

I recognized this as a verse from the bible although I didn't know chapter and verse. I have
since found the verse in Titus1:15 and in the KJV it says:

"Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled"

Corrupted or polluted is used in place of defiled in at least a couple of versions I looked at.

Then, a comment about another verse came to my mind: "We see splinters in other's people's eyes because we are actually witnessing the plank in our own and projecting it outwards onto others."

Then came: "The evil one comes but finds nothing in me."

Ok, the Lord had my attention. He knows I want to be a 'Clear' (see this post about being a clear) so I was excited about Him bringing these thoughts to me.

I told the Lord in my mind as I sat there, "I don't want to be 'unclean'. I want to be pure. I know that because I am seeing this trait in someone else that it most likely is present in me (ok, not most likey, IT IS),

Later that night, I thought about how Jesus said that it is not what goes into a person that makes them unclean but what comes out.  I told the Lord again that I want to be clean/pure on the inside but that I don't know how to do it. The verses came to my mind that talked about how shall a young man cleanse his ways? By taking heed to the Word. And the verse where Jesus told the disciples, Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you. So I agreed with the Lord that His Word will make me clean.

I thought too, that it won't just be the written Word but the internal Word that the Father speaks to me by way of the Spirit. 

Part of me being able to hear the Lord clearer will depend on me allowing myself to be washed by His Word and coming in line with what He intended for humanity to be. It's a circle process: The Father speaks to me His Word, I submit and am cleaned; as I'm cleaned I hear the Father/His Word better and I'm cleaned so I can hear even better....

I love you Lord. Continue to accomplish your will in me in conforming me to the image of your son.