Deeper Communion: Part 6 – Turning Our Souls Back To Christ

Many within the Body of Christ are desperately seeking more of God.

Many have questions. Many are confused. Pain. Fear. Uncertainty. Shame. Restlessness. Apathy.  For many, these words describe the child of God as much as the Lost. A spiritual mid-life crisis is coming into full swing in this hour that has been building for years.

One of the reasons the Church is struggling so much is we have stopped allowing ourselves to be mutually taught and edified. What’s more, is little by little, without realizing it, we have started to become respecters of persons. We pick and choose what we will allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us about and are pretty aggressively watering down the Eph 4:11-14 outline for the Church. One of the things we won’t entertain is the subject of sin.

David Wilkerson. Leonard Ravenhill. Keith Green. A.W. Tozer. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and (insert your favorite here). These men spoke of the cost of intimacy. We quote them. We declare how we long to have met them and lament their passing. We speak of their passion and uncompromising preaching and teaching. These men convicted their generation to press on to apprehend Jesus Christ and greater intimacy. What’s more: they offered a roadmap on how to get to the throne room of His heart.

Father-God has a question to ask us all.

Why is it that we build emotional monuments for the dead who spoke of holiness and uncompromise, and yet scorn those alive who challenge us to do the same?

We won’t listen much to teachings about “cost.” We are seldom interested in hearing from others about what is our part of the covenant. We distance ourselves from one another when we feel challenged. The Spirit of God moves in every generation to invite us to greater intimacy. Greater power. Greater Love manifested. This is our greatest calling; Our Utmost For His Highest and The Purpose of Man. It is Why Revival Tarries and is the true Power behind The Cross And The Switchblade. Intimacy comes with a cost, and we need to stop fearing that cost, and embrace all of His love.

The Living Word sees the pain and yearning of our heart. He has responded. He is calling to us to make some adjustments in our thinking.

There is a great compromise within the Church body that Father wants to correct in our hearts.

It is the sin of self-validation.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Col 3:1-3

Self-validation is to have one’s’ mind set on earthly things. It is to be living for one’s own affirmation and self preservation. It is to live a life where the day to day reality is we seek to add to our self-worth. It is validate one’s identity and reject His for you. It is idolatry.

We do not have to look far to see that much of the Body of Christ is seeking to earn value,  worth and affirmation. Blogs, social media, discussions, comments and replies, “likes” & “dislikes.” The motive within much of the Church is to gain affirmation and acceptance. We seek to earn value and be accepted, and we will not allow others to get in the way of that.

Family of God: we need to turn our souls away from this. I would use the word “repent” but then some of you might stop reading (joke).

The beliefs we hold as truth need to be conformed to The Living Word. If we do not do this, we will never transform into His image. We will become stuck as many of us have become. We will continue to live with anxiety and fear. From there, we will look to the carnal, soulish things that temporarily soothe those pains. This means we have rejected the truth that we are fully pleasing, and deeply, passionately and brazenly loved by our Creator already. Father cannot love us more. We are deeply and fully adored already. (click here for scriptures on this truth)

 Will we continue to live the lie while confessing the Truth with our lips? It is our choice, every single day, moment by moment, to repent of this cycle (there, I said it) and begin to allow Jesus to change our thinking. Consider the following verse:

“But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.” 1 Cor 6:17

We already have access to His kingdom and heart. The problem lies within our soul. The inner man of our own heart.

Application:  

Begin asking the Holy Spirit to get your attention when you feel offended and angry with others. Ask him to show you what you are believing (not declaring) about your identity as the righteousness of Christ.

If we say (“confess”) we are His righteousness, and yet are offended and hurt by others, we are being two-souled, and the Word says we will not get far in the kingdom. The question Father is asking us each is this: “Child, are you OK with living this way?”

He will never stop loving us fully… ever! The Life in Christ we reject here we will pick back up in the life to come. Eventually, He will have the intimacy and friendship He sent His Son to offer us. But as Ravenhill, Green and many others have asked us in times past, how much of our heart does He truly deserve?

Peace, power, signs, divine encounters, joy, and overflowing Love that touches those around us, starts with our thinking. It is work. It has a cost. There is not a thing we do not pay for in this life. We are always sowing to one of two kingdoms whether we understand this spiritual law or not.

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Gal 6:8

To clear up an oft misapplication of Gal 6:8 – we cannot reap “salvation.” This verse is talking about reaping the life of the kingdom in our daily lives; our very soul. 

“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” Rom 8:2

Where does the god of this world still have us in bondage about our true sense of identity? Family of God, if  Father-God accepts us fully, (Eph 1:6) any area we get offended or seek validation through our actions, or the opinions of others means we are choosing to live as if we are still under the law of sin and death.

“We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19

“that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” Eph 4:22

Some Parting Thoughts:

We each have a role to play in this generation. We each have a higher call. Let’s go for it, guys. Let’s begin being teachable once more. Let us begin to allow ourselves to be corrected and start healing from the abuses many suffered from the religious system. Don’t run away from those who challenge, and allow Holy Spirit to convict of sin within the camp. Just, take it easy and let’s not get so bent out of shape. Do we not realize that every single legitimate revival and Holy Spirit outpouring began as an outflow of a group of repentant believers asking Father to change their thinking? Look it up. Every… single… one…

He wants to rise within the heart of the Church. Where are we in relation to His desire?

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p.s. If any of you are friends with Lou Engle out in California, and this spoke to your heart, pass this along. It might encourage him.