ACCESSING GOD'S LOVE ... Passover Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart ... Ephesians 2:4

    

Meditations  for  the Pascha Season

(The Passover Season, 2016)

Meditations for the Monastic at Heart

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Now is My+ soul troubled;

and what shall I+ say ...

FATHER,

save ME+ from this hour ?

but for this cause

came I+ unto this hour.

FATHER,

Glorify Thy Name.

Then came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,

I have both glorified IT,

and will glorify IT again.

John 12:27-28

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Meditation Verse

Ephesians 2:4

[ ... and were by nature --- that is, by our Adamic lineage and family spirits ---  the children of wrath, even as others... ]

But GOD, Who is rich in mercy, for HIS great love wherewith HE loved us,

Literal Greek:

But --- in contrast --- GOD being rich in mercy through HIS great love (with) which HE loved us

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MEDITATION

In times past, before CHRIST came to be LORD of our lives, we were conducted  , the literal Greek tells us,**  into our UnRedeemed, UnSaved, and UnRegenerated Family ways.  Our conductor, remember, was the dark and evil prince of the power (authority) of the air. (** See yesterday's post entitled "Our Conductor.")

The satan works in the children of disobedience, conducting them -- indeed, DRIVING THEM --- into the course of this world which leads to the Wrath of GOD. In times past, we followed our family spirits in this path, our Adamic lineage.

NOW, HOWEVER... with the Advent of JESUS CHRIST into our lives ... we are invited into a different existence.

NOW, HOWEVER... instead of facing GOD'S wrath, we are being over-whelmed by His great, rich, and fulfilling AGAPE LOVE.

Are we experiencing His great LOVE in a tangible way -- or -- do we know His LOVE mentally, academically, as a head-knowledge that we have been taught?

We usually AFFIRM that His LOVE is there; we usually do not feel much of it, though, as we plod on through our existence.

Most of us struggle through life trying to "see" His LOVE through the valleys and turmoil of life on planet earth.

If we SAW and EXPERIENCED His over-whelming fullness of that AGAPE LOVE, the joy  resting upon us would be so strong that we would become invincible in it.

The JOY of the LORD would be our STRENGTH. We would be able to face all difficulties with thanksgiving, praise, and a decisive  VICTORY of faith over our troubles.

SO... how do we ACCESS His great LOVE which we do not doubt is there ... and there for us?  How do we ACCESS that LOVE of GOD so that we are carried in joy over the mountains of distress in our lives ?

A FEW STEPS TO ACCESS HIS+ LOVE

1. REPENT of SELF-PITY. It is a spiritual trap which leads to depression, oppression, and worse. Self-pity is a SPIRIT.  For some, it is a family spirit which afflicts all members of the family. It torments.  That is why you know it is a spirit, not a reality. 

It will be seen in various manifestations of sadness and sorrow, but also in resentment, anger, and oddly enough, pride.

You can smell it. The spirit of self-pity usually is accompanied by thoughts of "Why doesn't  XYZ love me? I don't deserve this, do I ? "

Bitterness and feelings of mis-treatment will be there too.

All of this MAY indeed BE TRUE.  We are helpless to make anyone love us or even stop mis-treating us.

So... quickly and EARNESTLY forgive. Quickly and earnestly pray blessings upon that troublesome person or situation.

THEN LEAVE IT ALONE, COMMITTING it unto the LORD. DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR of that "room" in your mind again. If it creaks open, SLAM IT SHUT AGAIN in the Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST.  HE+ can take care of it without your help.

2. RE-DIRECT ALL  THOUGHTS TO THE LORD, magnifying HIM+ and glorying in WHO+ HE+ is.  Bless The LORD out-loud if possible; these tormenting spirits hate to hear thanksgiving and praise. AFFIRM WHO+ JESUS is and His+ great Victory over death, hell, and the grave ... and the satan.

3. REPLACE the tormenting thoughts with The WORD+ of GOD.  Do not necessarily turn to the comforting Scriptures ... yet.  But rather, turn to the AFFIRMATION of WHO+ JESUS is Scriptures.

Try Psalm 24, Psalm 118, to start with. Out-loud is best; tormenting spirits like to block the ears of one's heart. John 14 and John 15 are excellent torment-chasers. They will HAVE TO FLEE as JESUS' Name is being lifted up.

Doing Scriptures out-loud CLEANS THE AIR.  Remember: you are doing Battle with the prince of the power of the AIR.  

For we wrestle not

against flesh and blood,

but against

principalities, against powers,

against the rulers

of the darkness of this world,

against spiritual wickedness

in high places.

Wherefore take unto you

the whole armor of GOD,

that ye may be

able to withstand

in the evil day,

and having done all,

TO STAND.

Ephesians 6:12-13

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LET US PRAY:

Dear Holy, Heavenly FATHER,

We thank YOU for Your LOVE... that LOVE which came through the Cross of JESUS CHRIST.

We thank YOU that by His+ excruciating death, HE+ beat the satan for HIM+ and for us.

We do not mean to doubt Your Great LOVE, O Heavenly FATHER, when we are in the midst of our troubles.

Forgive us for "agreeing with the satan" that we are "unloved" ...  when we feel abandoned, un-loved, rejected, and helpless to change any of our conditions.

Move us from the mental knowledge of Your LOVE to the APPLICATION of it in our lives.  Show us how to have victory over the lies the satan torments us with when we are faced with troubles.

Then we will proclaim Your name and say with the Psalmist:

" I LOVE The LORD  because  HE+ hath heard my voice and my supplications. Therefore will I call upon HIM+ as long as I live. " ( Psalm 116 )

Again and again, in peace, let us pray to the LORD: LORD have mercy,  in the Name of our Beloved SAVIOR+, the LORD JESUS CHRIST...

Who+ lived and died and Behold, HE+ said, I+ am alive forevermore, AMEN, and have the keys of hell and of death... and am seated at the Right Hand of My+ FATHER... and ever liveth to make intercession for you." 

... We pray. Amen and amen. 

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Worthy is the LAMB+.

Worthy is The LAMB+

that was slain.

Worthy is the LAMB+,

Slain from the foundation

of the earth.

Revelation 13:8

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PRAISE and THANKSGIVING

be to The FATHER,

and to His Beloved SON+

JESUS CHRIST,

and to

the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

ONE GOD:

FATHER,

SON+,

and HOLY SPIRIT,

both now and forever,

world without end.

Amen.

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Our EVIL CONDUCTOR ... Passover Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart ... Ephesians 2:3

FAMILY SPIRITS

Meditations  for Pascha

(The Passover Season, 2016)

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Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart

Now is My+ soul troubled;

and what shall I+ say ...

FATHER,

save ME+

from this hour ?

but for this cause

came I+ unto this hour.

FATHER,

Glorify Thy Name.

Then came there a Voice from Heaven, saying,

I have both glorified IT,

and will glorify IT again.

John 12:27-28

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Meditation Verse 

Ephesians 2:3

2:2 ...Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

2:3

 Among whom also we all

had our conversation in times past

in the lusts of our flesh,

fulfilling the desires

of the flesh and of the mind;

and were by nature

the children of wrath,

even as others.

Literal Greek:

... [ according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in  the sons of disobedience ] ...

By whom  also we all were conducted at one time or another by the strong passion of our flesh, doing the determinations of the flesh and the thoughts and were being  children, by lineage, of wrath, as even others.

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Meditation

By our natural, inherited lineage, our fleshly, Adamic,  earth-centered, Self-centered man is going to inherit ONE THING: the wrath of GOD.

This verse tells us --- if the passive verb tense is translated accurately --- that we ALL were being conducted through life BY SOMEONE who is our enemy ... and the enemy of CHRIST JESUS. We all at some point in time were sons of disobedience.

This dark and wicked prince of the power of the air uses our AGREEMENT with him as the handle by which he manipulates us.

It is to the great detriment of our soul.

Let us re-read that passage:

... [ according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in  the sons of disobedience ] ...

By whom  also we all were conducted at one time or another by the strong passion of our flesh, doing the determinations of the flesh and the thoughts and were being  children, by lineage, of wrath, as even others.

Using the strong, unbridled passions of our fleshly nature, we actively DO what we DETERMINE TO DO. Our flesh and thoughts set out to do one thing:  to accomplish OUR OWN WILL. 

In short, we agree with the satan... whether our thoughts and flesh SEEM to be pursuing "good" ( humanly speaking)  or the evil side of life. 

In time past before we humbled ourself and came to CHRIST JESUS, we walked in the path in which the satan led us.  That evil created being led us by our own determined flesh to do our own will and live our life "our" way.

Because our lineage stems from Adam, we not only inherited his disobedient nature but we inherited something else: the wrath of GOD.

Now, having come to CHRIST JESUS, we are saved from this wrath ... if... if... if... we yield our will unto HIS+.

That BIG " IF " ...

That big " IF "  represents a huge gap between us and CHRIST.  The choice to yield unto The LORD occurs at every juncture, every crossroads , at every temptation and lure in our lives.

Now here is the reality of it all:  Yielding --- choosing JESUS' way instead of our own --- actually occurs daily , hourly, and for some, minute by minute.

Why is this? 

It is because our family spirits try to drag us BACKWARDS into being the "old" man instead of that New Creature in CHRIST.

These wicked family spirits never give up ! They make us snap at our spouses, turn a cold shoulder to others in need, desire earthly pleasures, and ignore the conviction of the HOLY SPIRIT .

These family spirits are our lineage.

If we stand for CHRIST JESUS in our hearts, sooner or later these wicked spirits will try to resume their influence.  They will try to re-conduct us BACK to acting un-CHRIST-like in thoughts and words and deeds.

 

Do we want to be the children of GOD'S wrath ? 

Do we want to inherit the torments that those family spirits are going to inherit in the Lake of Fire?

If we do NOT want that, then we must STAND AGAINST reverting back to the Old Man ways.  We must stand in the Name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST --- internally, in the midst of the testing --- against these beings.

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Let us pray:

O Holy Heavenly FATHER,

I see I have not been watchful nor on guard.  I have fallen away from my steadfast determination to NOT GO MY NATURAL WAY.

It is my fault when I agree with these wicked spirits.   I  have been delivered, washed, and set free from their control by the BLOOD+ of the LAMB+. 

Help me to stay free of their influence, lure, and eventual control, now. Unmask their influence in my life.

O Mighty GOD, awaken me to their hidden workings in and about my life. 

I repent of listening to them. 

I repent of agreeing with them; they always try to make me lift up Self... my DEAD self.

I renounce these family spirits all, which try to make me act like my UnSaved family members.

I renounce each one of them in the Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST Who+ told me "... the spirits are subject unto you."

Yes, His+ Words are Truth. Help me to cling to His+ Truth, O FATHER.

This I pray in the life-giving Name of the Unblemished LAMB+ of GOD, our LORD JESUS CHRIST, Who+ died to set me free from family spirits ... and is able to KEEP me free. Amen.

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Worthy is the LAMB+.

Worthy is The LAMB+

that was slain.

Worthy is the LAMB+,

slain

from the foundation

of the earth.

Revelation 13:8

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PRAISE and THANKSGIVING

be to The FATHER,

and to HIS Beloved SON+

JESUS CHRIST,

and to

the Blessed HOLY SPIRIT.

ONE GOD:

FATHER,

SON+,

and HOLY SPIRIT,

both now and forever,

world without end.

Amen.

ONE Will : TWO Choices --- Passover Meditations for the Monastic-At-Heart

ONE WILL . TWO CHOICES.

There are two forces at work in the Universe. The most powerful one is The LORD JESUS CHRIST.  The second most powerful one is the satan.

Human beings have been given Free Will by The LORD.

That is, poor as well as rich, bond as well as free, female as well as male, young as well as old, ignorant as well as brilliant... we all have ONE thing given in EQUAL amounts to each of us:  a Free Will.

No-one or no thing can MAKE  us CHOOSE to do wrong or right.

Now, there may be a price to pay for doing the right thing, but if we are willing to pay that price no matter what it is, we will see that NO-ONE or NO THING can change our will to do what is right.

No-one can MAKE us choose to do wrong.

If we die holding onto our right choice, we die... but "they" have not forced us to change.  That is why "they" kill us: we would not change even in the face of death.

A Free Will has been granted each and every individual on planet earth.

Because Man did not give it to us, Man cannot take it away. It was given at creation to Man by the LORD of Creation.

Therefore, HE can take our Free Will away... and HE does. As soon as we close our eyes in death, our Free Will is ended: we must remain in our choice.

That choice was made while we went through our allotted years on earth. Yes, every day --- indeed, every hour --- we lived on planet earth, we choose.

What did we choose ?

With our GOD-given Free Will, we chose to yield allegiance to one of the 2 forces of the Universe.

At any point in time in our entire lives, we agree with either The LORD or else with the satan. 

In short, we either yield to The LORD JESUS CHRIST or we yield to the satan... at any given point in time throughout or lives.

Saved or Unsaved... we agree with either ONE+ or the other... and never both at the same point in time because they are deadly enemies.

This is why sharp words, bad attitudes, and regretful actions are oftentimes seen in persons who are Saved.  They have agreed with their Adamic nature instead of agreeing with the LORD.

Now some persons might think they do NOT agree with the satan, even though they want nothing to do with The LORD. That is, they do not want the LORD JESUS CHRIST to control their lives. They want to be free of "religious" strictures which hamper their Free Will.

So, they live their lives decently and as humanely as THEY see fit... without the LORD JESUS. 

What they do not realize is that they were BORN with a suction cup attaching themselves to the satan. All progeny of Adam were born with this spiritual appendage, unfortunately.

If the satan cannot lure people by evil temptations into his camp, then he lures them by good ! 

Yes, he instructs them through their "human mind" in how to be good and righteous --- humanly-speaking --- and attaches them to the OTHER side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  

Unfortunately for these good-doers, they are STILL attached to the wrong tree; they have not been attached to the Tree of Life.  Because all men speak well of them, their error is hidden to their own eyes and they are in grave danger.

This danger is, of course, Eternal Damnation. 

Those fellows hanging onto the evil side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil are actually in better shape because they KNOW they are wretched and evil. And, in their better moments, some may wish they did not "have" to always be evil, but (sigh) they are powerless to change ... they think. 

Human beings have been given their own Free Will.  No-one can take it away here on earth. In addition, NO-ONE can control that Free Will except the individual TO WHOM IT HAS BEEN GIVEN.

Furthermore, our own Free Will is the only freedom we have.

GOD did not give EVERYBODY across the globe in all era's and ages the right to vote, own property, or even marry whom he / she chose.

Indeed, some individuals have been born into the most wretched living conditions and circumstances imaginable.

Some live in slavery, some in horrible fear. Some in bondages that most of us cannot even imagine. Some have even their rights to their own bodies taken from them, and that, at a very young age.

Most common folk have very limited choices for vocation, recreation, housing, etc.

Most can do very little to change the range of choices they have for their station in life and very few can change their station, even in a free society.

Our human freedoms generally are limited to the "tea or coffee ?" variety... choices of very little significance.

That Free Will, though, is granted to us all --- each and every person on earth --- by GOD for one purpose: to choose to whom we will be attached for all Eternity.

If we choose the satan, then we will be attached to him throughout Eternity.

If we choose our flesh, then again we will be attached to the satan throughout Eternity.

If we choose the mind's way, humanly-speaking, using Reason as our guide, then we will be attached to --- Surprise!--- the satan, just like Eve and Adam, as they reasoned out the path for their own happiness in the Garden of Eden.

In short, if we choose what we think is best to enhance Self, then we will be attached for all Eternity to the satan once again.

If, in our Free Will, we choose to attach ourselves to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, then HE+ breaks the natural, Adamic bond we have with the satan and we are promised Eternity in Heaven !

However, the satan will NOT let us go that easily. After all, we were attached at birth to him and served him many a-year. He was, as one could say, very "attached" to us!

When we yield the control of our life to The LORD JESUS CHRIST, that attachment to the satan is severed... unless we turn BACK to our Adamic, natural man's ways... which always leads us back into the satan's camp.

Unfortunately, that "turning back" can happen in little ways as well as big.

At the start, we do not forsake JESUS CHRIST, but we also do not want to forsake some of our life-long habits, our vices, our faults, or other un-Scriptural ways we have developed when under the tutelage of the satan's camp.

 

Two forces --- and only two --- are at work in this Universe. Neither one FORCES us to choose its kingdom. Our choice is totally voluntary.

At any given point in time, we have the Free Will to be used by ONE+ or the other... but never both at the same time.

Our only freedom is to choose TO WHICH we will attach ourselves.

THE LORD will not and the satan can not make us choose; we do it ourselves.

That is why man is totally accountable unto GOD.

We are not accountable for the conditions into which we are born.  We are not accountable for what others do unto us.

We are only --- but, EVER --- accountable for choosing The LORD JESUS or the satan.

It is OUR choice... our only REAL choice here on earth.