Thursday, July 25, 2013

ARE YOU SPIRITUAL?

I wouldn't know all of the factors which would count as to being spiritual.  One would surely be a focus upon the Holy Spirit.  Watching the action of Spirit Father has to be a significant clue....if not an enormous revelation.

Yet, there is a move of our physical person which tests our spiritual life; the power to descend.  Self prefers the lime-light, the mountain top, and basic supportive attention.  To lose self is spiritual; it is a spiritual move of the flesh. This would be known as surrender.

Who else but Oswald Chambers would have significant comment?

The test of spiritual life is the power to descend; if we have power to rise only, there is something wrong.  We all have had times on the mount when we have seen things from God's standpoint and we wanted to stay there but if we are disciples of Jesus Christ, He will never allow us to stay there. Spiritual selfishness makes us want to stay on the mount.  We feel so good, as if we could do anything--talk like angels and live like angels, if only we could stay there.  But there must be the power to descend; the mountain is not the place for us to live, we were built for the valleys.  This is one of the hardest things to learn because spiritual selfishness always wants repeated moments on the mount.

Jesus was built for the valley.

In relationships, whether marriage or friend or God, man has failed to respect the need for the valley walk. Jesus, the Groom, came to earth and died of insult and wound in order to experience resurrection power which came not from himself but from the Spirit.  Our appetite for the mountain top experiences with no taste for valley pain has warped our walk with God.

We are happy when happy while ignoring the "yes factor" during the sad and discouraging times.  This has left us both boring and impotent.

Paul and Silas were imprisoned.  While being shut up and shut down, they roared in lavish praise of God. We know the rest of the story.  When one insists on mountain top or nothing, the roar vanishes.  The whine and complain arises.  The opportunity to glorify God fades.

Are we spiritual?  To the degree we are willing to endure the valleys may give us our first hint.

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