Missing It

Missing It

9/5/16

How many times have we read something and have no fully understood what the author designed or intended for us to recognize?  And another question that comes to mind is just how long it takes for us to understand that we have missed the deeper meaning to what we have read previously.  It is amazing how much more we can learn if we turn our hearts towards these details and when it comes to God and His Word this subject can pose no greater issue for mankind.  It is easy to believe that we understand a majority of what God’s Word tells us but in truth, we have yet to begin to scratch the surface of such a magnificent and holy book.  In truth, we have missed it and through our misgivings, we are now suffering and reaping the rewards of our mistakes and arrogances.  God is calling for us to change our course and allow Him to restore our lives according to His standards of creation because if we do not, our lives will be eternally sunk beneath the judgmental tidal wave of destruction.

I have mentioned previously that many of the past articles that God has shared with us have come from the book of Genesis.  I must admit that up until God began revealing His true and in-depth Word to my life I believed that I understood a great deal of what Genesis was saying.  Boy, how wrong I was bout that thought!  God continues to show me things almost on a daily basis about the book of Genesis and more specifically, the first three chapters of Genesis.  This is mind boggling to me because the information that He is showing me did not occur until I decided to make my life completely right with Him and then asked Him to show me the details and truth about His Word.  It was not until that November night a few years back that God showed me the restoration process that He wanted His people to understand.  I then began to comprehend some of the fascinating material and wisdom that He has buried in His Word.  It is NOT hidden, but it is there if we choose to search His Word and the only way that we can accomplish this is for us to allow Him to search our hearts.

When I was a teenager one of the more memorable places that I lived was in a small town called Cleveland, Texas.  Dad was pasturing the church in the town and I attended the church’s school for a few years as well.  I loved every aspect of my life then and even though I made some idiotic decisions during that time I was a kid growing and learning as time progressed.  Along during this time I developed a friendship with one of my classmates and it was through this friendship that I began to sink into a deep hole when it came to selfishness.  What made this time in my life so destructive was that I had no idea that it was even in my life, I had blinded myself so much that when the truth was told it took me a while for figure things out so much so that I eventually had to ask the one person who this selfishness was directed towards what I had did so hideous in the first place.  After the long friendship had come to an end I had felt so bad for myself and could not understand why the one person who I felt like was my best friend would not even look at me when we passed each other in the hallway at school or even acknowledge me in public areas in town.  I was hurt and while refusing to talk with this person, continued my selfish pity party and graduated to the idea that whatever came between us was his fault and not mine.  Not knowing that I was actually sinking further into the selfish mode of preservation that God warns us about in His Word.

This process ignorance, both on the dumb side and ignoring of each other, continued for almost an entire year before I finally swallowed my idiot pride and talked with my friend about what had come between us.  It did not take long for him to spill the beans and let me know what exactly occurred and why our friendship had ended, and his explanation hit me like a ton of bricks.  After the initial shock of his words I began to stop and think about what he was saying and I had no choice but to believe him because his words were true.  All I cared about is what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go, even to go so far in whose house we would have sleepovers at.  I was pathetic and could not envision anything else other than what I wanted to do for I was the leader and everything about this friendship and all that I believed to be true existed for my liking.  Everything that I had been taught about being a friend immediately came back to me and when I quickly compared those teachings against my actions I had nothing to argue.

I was stunned yet at the same time hurt for the truth came out and even though it was hard for me to accept, all of the evidence pointed in my direction.  I could not deny this fact and I had a choice to either react against this new information that struck deep into my heart or to superficially react to his words and throw him off for good.  As a young teenager, one would think that I blew the entire conversation off and did not take anything as truth but I did the opposite.  I apologized for my actions, asked for his forgiveness and for the remaining time in Cleveland we got along well together.  No, it was not the same closeness as before but the process of healing, real healing was evident between us.

As I look back on this friendship and as I have grown older, I realize just how important it is in keeping selfishness out of any relationship.  Relationships are about recognition of the other and understanding just what the other party or parties involved is trying to communicate.  How many times have we looked back at failed relationships and have totally ignored the truth about their demise?  The same question can be asserted here when these relationships have been restored as well, the real conclusion can only be recognized if one looks at it with their whole heart yet at the same time financing the results from the other party’s heart.  What an excellent introduction into what God has for us through His article.  It is through the selfishness of man’s eyes and heart that we miss what God is telling us through His Word and until we understand this blindness we cannot fully know what our lives mean and what we were created to be.

What is so appalling about this example and what gripes me the most is that I was not taught to have friendships or relationships in this manner.  To make matters worse, I had gone downhill so much with the selfish attitude that I did not even recognize what my actions were portraying to my friend, nor did I realize that he was becoming more distant due to my actions.  I was not taught to act this way but taught to respect people no matter what level of communication I had with them.  It was not my friend’s fault either because as I look back on the conversation he and I had that evening, re remarked about how he would suggest alternative issues and it was through these alternative issues that he continually threw out hints and suggestions concerning my behavior and I ignored every single one of them.  My friend did not come to the conclusion that he made overnight, it was a long process that took time.  Time in which for me to “get it” to which I never did until it was too late.  It was my ears who were shut to what he was saying and it was my choice to ignore the pleas that he was doing his best to convey to me.

It is common for humans to try and manipulate their ideas into society and as this process progresses it can become clear that some of these people care nothing but their own agenda.  As God has shared with us previously, a simple and single idea from an individual have the potential of becoming a national law and when this pattern takes hold it shall run rough-shot over as many people that it takes.  This process may take weeks to years to complete but it is the step by step process in which we mainly ignore because we are usually too busy to hear from those who oppose such ideas.  As with my friend and I, I completely ignored his beckoning to help me understand that our friendship was on a downhill slide and it is through this condition that we become so blinded that we cannot function as we ought.  Through my personal blinded state, I had lost the vision about friendship and relationship and had become focused on my selfish whims instead of the unity that friendship brings through togetherness according to God’s ways.  It is through this type of true belief and understanding about God that gives our enemy the opportunity to sweep us off the foundation that we d not understand.

God gives us a tremendous amount of examples in His Word concerning this matter but for simplicity’s sake 1 Samuel 8 is going to be the Scripture used for this article.  As this chapter opens we see that Samuel is old and has now appointed his sons as judges over Israel.  The rule of authority for Israel is still under God yet the judges that have been appointed have not followed God’s ways and are definitely sending a false authoritative message to the nation.  Their conduct represents a split from God’s ways and an acceptance of the ways of the world which has been noticed by the people of Israel.  The important thing to note here is that these people are not upset at the notion that the sons of Samuel are not following God but the people have not obeyed God according to His ways and thus wish to have an earthly king to rule over them instead.  God mentions this condition in verse 8 when He was explaining to Samuel that the people had not recognized God as their true authority ever since He had delivered them from captivity in Egypt; this is a long period of time, not overnight.

It is through God’s statement in verse 8 that holds the key to what occurs in our lives, both from God’s perspective and Satan’s. God says that the people of Israel had not wished to obey His commands ever since He had delivered them from Egypt, which means they delighted in their delivery rather than understanding what God was showing them while they were in the desert.  The Israelites did not have to wander in the desert for 40 years if they had only understood that God was physically delivering them from Egypt AND spiritually delivering them from Egypt as well.  With this statement by God in verse 8, it is clear that the people of Israel had no clue, still, about what God did for them way back when.  Therefore, if the children of Israel did not “get it” then, that means Satan still had the foothold he needed to ensure that they would eventually abandon God’s ways completely. Satan understands humanness and how humans operate through their humanness and he also understands that as long as we do not comprehend God and all of His holy ways, he has the perfect setting to promote his kingdom and himself instead of God’s Kingdom and God.  God specifically addresses this fact in verse 8.

The earthly concessions had progressed enough that the children of Israel selected a person to go up to God’s representative and demand that he speak with God and tell God that they – the people – wanted an earthly king instead of God Almighty as their true authority.  From the time God spoke with Abraham and established the nation of Israel, they had been taught that God would be their only hope and true justice and way to separate them from the world, yet the children of Israel chose to go it alone and be like other nations around them.  They had been lulled asleep enough spiritually by the time they left Egypt that they did not understand what would occur to them some generations down the road, but Satan did.  He knew exactly what he could accomplish in their existence as long as they refused to understand God as much as their human hearts could.

As most of you know by now I have been writing for God about four years now.  My writing ability has improved over the years and even though I am still improving, God has given me the heart to continue to write what He is saying to His Church.  Many times I have looked back at some of the articles that He has given me and when I read the errors of my words, I become saddened and I feel like an idiot.  Because I hated to write in high school and in college and when I had to write I kept it very simple and plain, in other words, I did not care.  But when God chose me to write I was embarrassed but obeyed His Word for my life and began the journey that I am on today.  When I did wish to change some of those messages from God, He convicted me quickly and heavily because from where I was back almost four years ago and where I am today is not the same place and it is that point alone that He wants people to see about their lives if they allow Him to take control of their lives.  Our enemy works through steps in our lives because God first accomplished this fact.

Anyway, God gave us an article a few years back entitled “Approaching the T” and it was the first article that dealt with this specific biblical example of 1 Samuel Chapter 8.  God gave this message concerning the steps that this nation was taking.  While I first believed that it was only the nation that God was referring to with that message I was quickly reminded that He was speaking to His Church as well.  While this article may have been written a few years ago and earlier in my writing days, up until this moment not a single person has read the article and this speaks volumes to God and it lets me know at the same time just how far His Church and this nation that He established has fallen away from His Word.

It also gives us a clear view of what is about to occur for this nation as well, for once God establishes a plan, that plan has a holy purpose that is alive for a reason.  At the same time, our enemy is on hand to thwart God’s plan from being implemented or carried out.  All of us have been manipulated by our enemy at some point in our lives, but it is what we do after we find out the truth about this manipulation that is important.  God is in the restoration business and it is His desire to have every single child of His to return to Him so that He may bless us beyond belief.  But, He shall never force us to make that choice, it is strictly up to us.  We have approached that “T” and have made our choice.  We still have the opportunity to avoid the official consequences of our sinful actions but time is running out.

Church, it is time we wake up and begin to accomplish the mission that we were given by God through the blood of Christ.  Our nation’s establishment depends on it and our existence as an organized Church depends on it as well.  Satan does not care one bit about your life or mine and if he can continue to manipulate our choices through worldly standards he knows that at some point down the road our lives will fall apart due to the worldly choices we made.  Satan could care less about the path you take as long as it is one of sin and lies.  He shall not tell you that you are on the wrong path but he sure will stand over you and bust a gut laughing at you as you whimper when you take your last breath.  God is the only eternal being that can offer the truth about your existence including your past and your future.  Your future is eternal and it is our choice that places us eternally with God or away from God.  Church, let’s start doing our job and bring the lost to God and changing our lives through His restoration process once again, for it is our only true hope.

DLB