#003 Analyze and Judge Your Highest Longings

Our thoughts are like streams flowing from the mountains of desire which catch the elements of exposure.

We can and cannot help the thoughts which flow through our mind each day.  But we can manage them.  We can analyze them as healthy or not, glorifying God or not.

The Lord wants us to bring our thoughts under His government, as a citizen of His Kingdom.

So, let me ask, "what are your longings?  Which occupy you the most and the highest? Do any longings rise higher than those you have for God and His values?"

1Peter 2:2  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—

The Lord expects us to live as simple children; still immature, unable, needing help, looking to Him, etc.  Only those who see themselves as children can be helped by Father. If we do not act childlike, Father cannot help us.

Infants are absolutely unable to do anything but depend upon the parent to feed them.  They know not what milk is and the benefits of it, but they know they thirst and they simple look to smell and taste of the milk for it is to them, good and filling.

We know little the benefits and understanding of God's Word which is called milk of the Word.  But all we have to do is drink and enjoy the Milk.  For by a steady drinking, which is often to the infant, we grow, our abilities mature, slowly we become more of the human God designed us to become.

Without a steady eating we develop stunted growth and a poor immune system.

Your main longing--and one which must become strong--is to long for the true spiritual milk of God's Word.

How you feed yourself spiritually proportionately determines growth to learn wisdom, understand the deep things of God that few grasp, the abilities to overcome temptation, eliminate sins, make good choices, know how to love others properly, etc.

Make it your primary goal in preparation of meeting and being rewarded by the Lord for a life "well done." by filling your life--your mind, your desires, your character with the life-giving milk of the Word.

--Rick

002: The Believer's Judgment/Self Judgment

We Must Judge Everything In Us and What We Do

1Co 11:31  For if we searchingly examined ourselves [detecting our shortcomings and recognizing our own condition], we should not be judged and penalty decreed [by the divine judgment].

1Co 11:32  But when we [fall short and] are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined and chastened, so that we may not [finally] be condemned [to eternal punishment along] with the world.

Here is the argument to those who claim that it does not matter how we live, we are saved by grace, that everything is forgiven and we cannot be judged.

Fact:  All sins of past and future are under the blood.  We will never be judged by the wrath of God for our sins and sentenced to hell.

Fact:  We are under grace.  But don't distort the meaning.  Grace is not only extended favor because we repented and believed.  Grace is divine energy working in us to obey His Word.  Grace is not pardon, nor excuse to live how we want.  Grace is the allowed Spirit of God to direct us what and how to please the Father.  Anyone who ignores any teachings and principles of Scripture to justify personal lifestyle is a blind and ignorant Christian. 

Fact:  The grace of God working in us works ONLY in proportion to the amount of sins and selfish ways we have unrepentant of; even sins of pride, denying objective heart committed study to understanding and practicing the Word of God.

1 Peter 1:22  Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy ] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart. 

Whenever we obey the Truth, by learning the Truth[s] found in the Word of God, a divine purification of your heart takes place.

Counseling, reading books, teachings alone and are only secondary to the personal obedience to all the Truth tells us from the Word of God.  Any time you defend an action in a wrong spirit, you exhibit guilt what you are doing is wrong.  Because only a pure heart can sincerely display affection fervently from a pure heart.

To argue and defend with a believer is not displaying affection.  Only pure hearts can display affection.

Note individuals who are argumentative, angry, stressing out in their conversations.  They have impurity prevalent in their heart.

To prepare our lives for the Judgment Seat of Christ, we must judge ourselves now.  Self-judgment is the full-time activity of the spiritual believer.  He is constantly judging his thoughts, intents, attitudes, conduct, and how he is perceived for Christ.

The carnal believer denies any responsibility but to justify who he is and what he does.

But if we judge ourselves, if we discern, discriminate, separate what is of the old nature and what is of God, God will not chastise us.

Verse 31 gives two words of "judge".  If we judge not, God will judge us.  But both have different Greek meanings.  We are to judge; meaning to analyze and bring into alignment with God's Word.  If we do not, God judges us; meaning He will punish/chastise us. 

The subject of chastisement will come in another lesson.  But for now, let's understand that God will not allow any of His children to do what they want.  He saved us to become like Him.  If we cooperate their is great mercy and much grace to become as He desires.

This is the life-time process of the Christian:  to purify our souls by:
1.  The Word of God and the Holy Spirit cleanse the soul when we heed what is given to us.
2.  When we discern immediate activity in our soul, judge it, and deny what conflicts with God.
3. When we sin, we must confess/admit, own up to the sin.  Then by faith believe He restores our fellowship with Him.  For any sin left unconfessed builds up and remains blocking some sort of fellowship closeness with the Father.

One of the greatest healing in my life came when I began to get alone with God and allow the Holy Spirit to take my mind back to any and all sins that I've committed since very young.  I looked at sins against my family, other people, and the sins I carried in myself; fears, insecurities, neglect, unbelief, pride, on and on.

I vocalized  each sin, admitted with deep contrition and godly sorrow.  Ask forgiveness or received forgiveness for what God would gladly do.  Then by faith, I believed the acceptance, cleansing, and restoration healing of that relationship with God.

Over the years, I have practiced this when needed when forgotten sins came ot mind.  I did not need to do this to be saved.  I did this to remove dark spots of the soul in order to receive more of the divine light of God, to see clearly about myself and others.

This lifetime practice is the key to growing moral purity, clear vision from God's perspective, and inner soul healing.  This is the work of building in us the spiritual man/woman who will be greatly rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

Press on to Final Exam Day.

Rick

001 The Judgment: You Will Stand Before the Judgement Seat of Christ

1.  IT IS A SURE FACT WE WILL ALL STAND BEFORE CHRIST TO BE JUDGED.

Rom 14:10  Why do you criticize and pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you look down upon or despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. 

2.  A WARNING THAT OUR LIFE JUDGMENTS/DECISIONS AND HEART INTENTS WILL BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT.

1 Co 4:5  So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness and disclose and expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God.

• think before you speak
• don't say it if you don't:
• have a scriptural basis
• if your emotions drive you to speak hastily
• if your spirit is confused 
• if you only want to speak how you feel

3.  THE JUDGMENT FROM CHRIST WILL AWARD HOW WE USED GOD'S WORD TO LIVE BY.

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive [his pay] according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [considering what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing].

• how well are you studying and applying to each life situation?
• lack of time is no excuse
• unconfessed sin(s) will always spoil your appetite of hunger for God's Word

4.  WE WILL BE JUDGED TO DETERMINE HOW WELL WE PARTICIPATED IN THE WORK OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

1Co 3:9  For we are fellow workmen (joint promoters, laborers together) with and for God; you are God's garden and vineyard and field under cultivation, [you are] God's building. [Isa. 61:3.]

1Co 3:13  The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it,

5.  THERE WILL BE GAINS AND LOSSES AT THE JUDGMENT.

1Co 3:13  The work of each [one] will become [plainly, openly] known (shown for what it is); for the day [of Christ] will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done.
1Co 3:14  If the work which any person has built on this Foundation [any product of his efforts whatever] survives [this test], he will get his reward.
1Co 3:15  But if any person's work is burned up [under the test], he will suffer the loss [of it all, losing his reward], though he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has passed] through fire. [Job 23:10.]
1Co 3:16  Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?
1Co 3:17  If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.

You Walk Among the Millions of the City of God

Hebrews 12:22–23 (NASB95)

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made

Invisible Companions

You have come to . . . an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly. —Hebrews 12:22-23

One Sunday morning while traveling in West Virginia, we visited a small church in a tiny village. Only 15 people were present, yet they radiated joy as they sang. And the pastor preached from the Bible with enthusiasm. But I couldn’t shake a feeling of sympathy for him and his people. With little chance for growth, it looked like a discouraging ministry.

But the testimony of a young seminarian showed me how wrong I was! Assigned to minister in a small village chapel, he was dismayed when only two people stayed for the communion service. As he read from the liturgy, he came to the words: “Therefore, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we worship and adore Thy glorious name.” That sentence changed everything for him. In his heart he said, “God forgive me. I did not know I was in that great company.”

When we came to Christ in faith, we joined an invisible host of companions, what the writer of Hebrews says is an “innumerable company of angels,” and “the general assembly and church of the firstborn” (12:22-23). Keep this amazing reality in mind as you worship God. It will give great meaning to every service, whether thousands of fellow worshipers are present, or just two or three. By:  Herbert Vander Lugt (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The little girl was happily humming a hymn as she dusted the furniture to help her mother.

“Mommie, will I be dusting God’s chair when I get to heaven, the way the hymn says?” she asked.

Mother looked up with surprise,

“Which hymn, honey?”

“And dust around the throne,” her little girl quoted.

It took a while before the mother learned that she was quoting a line from the hymn “Marching to Zion,” with the phrase, “and thus surround the throne”!

WELCOME!

Thank you for accepting my invitation to reading my articles about God.

Here are 2 things I want you to know:

1.  I respect you and will share my thoughts in the same manner.

2.  I have truly experienced God in my many years.  It has been real.  And,  I just want to share it with people.  Please!  Consider my articles as to what I have learned.  I know I am an imperfect man.  And you may have seen me fail you.  I do not mean to, and apologize if I have.  But perhaps you have seen something about me, wondering the reason for how I express myself.  The fact is, a growing relationship with Jesus Christ over the years has brought me down a long road of change.  I hope you will consider reading how those changes came about and you might experience the same.

Over my many years, 

I have gone through the realities of the same human struggles as you have.

I have made many mistakes, both small and big.

I too have had many hurts by some of the same religious people who may have hurt you.

I have learned many lessons.  I have experienced many changes.  

I have recovered from addictions, bad habits, character flaws, hopelessness, fears, etc.

My entire life has been a journey of discovery about God.

I'd like to share that with you.

--Rick

I'd like to share these discoveries and what I practice today when faced with monumental challenges.

Over the course of my years I have grounded my faith in believing the Bible as God's gift to us; the sure Truth we can find and ground our life on.  

I have found that the Bible truly is a God-given gift to mankind.  Because it is from God, it holds the keys to a better life we seek to find and live.  Because God is perfect, He offers us a pathway to discover how to become like Him.

I don't know of anyone who does not want inner peace, a clear conscience, and the strength to persevere when things get tough.  All of us want to be better people for our families and in the community around us.  We all want the knowledge to make wise decisions; to succeed in life.

I have discovered these answers to better living by building a wonderful relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ.  I have had 53 years of following Him closely to discover Him and feel His tenderness and hear His wisdom.  I have never found one truth to fail.

I'd like to share my discoveries with you.

Yes,there can be peace.  Hope can return again.  Much of what we want to become inside ourselves can become the new ongoing experience.

I challenge you to pursue a journey toward God through the blog helps I am writing.  My deepest desire is to share.  Would you take the risk to pursue the possibility of discovery that may enrich your life beyond your imagination?

I have provided two blogs for 2 types of people.  One is for the skeptic, the non-spiritual individual.

Level 1
I share interesting truths about God that will can develop a greater hunger to know Him more.  

Level 2
Is designed to help the struggling Christian and the growing Christian who wants to deepen his/her personal experience with God.

 Level 1 

What It Means to Be a Follower of Christ.  

Click the site listed here:

http://christfollowermeaning.blogspot.com/

     This blog addresses those who have serious hesitancies about God and the Christian living.  Perhaps you have seen so much falseness in Christian's that you have turned away from all of it.

     But I use the old expression, "why throw away the baby with the bath water.  If the bath water is dirty, throw away the water, not the baby in it."

     God is the same way.  Instead of us looking at many poor professing Christians, let me share with you the beauty of  God.  I have over 46 years of experience and learning, I'd like to share with you.  I truly say how much  this has changed my life and views.  Give it a reading!

Level 2

The Journey To a Deeper Experience with Jesus Christ

 Click on the following:

http://journeytofindanddiscovergod.blogspot.com/

     This blog site Level 2 is for the serious child of God wanting, willing, and taking steps to deepen personal experience with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.

     If there has been a time in your life when you came to the point of total surrender to God, through His Son Jesus Christ, but find your life somewhat dry, perplexed by reoccurring sins, discouraging. Your faith has weakened.  Your spiritual interests have declined.  You are looking for answers from Scripture how to deal with your experiences.

   

Enjoy, and thank you,
Rick Daigle