Friday, January 27, 2006
Abstracts
Here are two parts which I read in Pst Ulf's book.
"Let those who has ears to hear, hear!"
The Flesh always Excuses itself
King Saul was a man who never dealt with his flesh and this decision negatively affected his whole life. When the anointing came upon him, the Bible says he became another man. But tragically, he changed through the anointing on him, but he did not change as a result of God's work in him. His mind remained full of disobedience, self-pity and self-deception and he was careful never to be too radical.
Saul was anointed and called -- but he was not ready. He never seriously came to grips with the rebellion in his life, and this gradually manifested itself. Carnality inevitably results in disobedience and denial. It strives to enjoy God's benefits, without sacrifice and obedience.
In 1 Samuel 15 God commanded Saul to put all the Amalekites to the sword and utterly destroy their sheep and cattle. Though he heard God's orger, he still spared everything of value, including the life of the king himself.
Later, the prophet Samuel entered the camp and enquired, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Sam 15:14). Samuel heard signs of life, although everything should have been dead. He heard more than the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle. He heard the clamour of an unbent ego.
But Saul countered with a religious excuse,"Yes, but I have saved the very best to sacrifice to the Lord!" In an effort to preserve the flesh, he started to defend his actions. We do the same and we deceive ourselves. We often lie without even realizing it. We lose our sense of discernment and we no longer see clearly.
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Turn from Dead Works
Many people, Christians included, become extremely happy when something especially nice happens. It could be a new car, or some well-deserved praise or an encouraging phrophecy. But the next second, we are as dejected and downcast as we were before. We feel that nothing is going well, we feel isolated and we have no peace.
In his third letter, John writes, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). Your soul can get along well despite imperfect circumstances. Circumstances never will be perfect. You can live a life of abundance from heaven despite trying circumstances. Your flesh always focuses on circumstances because it wants to be self-reliant instead of trusting God. Such a lifestyle invariable leads to disappointment and failure because it is based on the wrong foundation.
Do not build your life based on what you see, fee, hear or taste for the moment. Your foundation must be in the living God, not in circumstances. Turn from dead works and believe in Him. Dead works can be both works that produce death, and those which originate in dead thoughts, that is to say, thoughts that so not originate with God. There may be nothing especially wrong with these thoughts and actions but they are things that God has not asked us to do. They highlight the flesh's need to be in the centre.
When you turn to God and trust in Him, circumstrances will matter less because you walk by faith and not by sight. Faith only works when you submit to Gd and turn in trust to Him. The flesh demands to first know all the answers - Who? Where? How? When? and then it might take a step -- by sight. But when you have faith, you know that things will work out, not because circumstances seem to be getting sorted out, but because you know what God has said. You do not need to help God get you to the place He wants you to be, just trust He will get you there, instead.
The carnal mind is more sophisticated than we care to admit. It loves to plan and manoeuvre you into a position where you believe you have full control over everything, so you do not need to stand in faith and trust in God. You have a calling, and because you do, the flesh is sure to figure out how you can realize it, which people to contact and the most effective moves to make.
God does not want us to operate on two levels at the same time: one where we long to see our calling from God fulfilled and another where we manoeuvre and calculate and "help" God to fulfil it. This mix of soul and spirit will lead to ruin, and God does not want that for you.
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I just want to tell this person that whatever happened in the week is not by coincidence. Nor is it caused by anybody. Its God's plan for you, so that you become a person God wants you to be. Take these two passages with humility. Turn away from dead works and allow the spirit to take over your mind and soul. I may not know your side of the story. But at the same time, you may not really know another person's side of the story. There's nothing which is absolute. That person or persons may be in the wrong, but you may not be in the right.
Only God's word will lead us into the light. If you are at a stagnant position, it is a warning sign that something in you must change. If you are moving backwards, it is important that you do something immediately. Promotion and demotion comes from God. Not men.
If what I just said is frustrating you, we all know something is wrong. Not with the things that happened, but with the person involved. Changes will only get to where God wants you to be. Check your heart. What seems correct may not be what God wants you to do. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Know God's heart. And its all about God and you. Nobody else.
I pray that through this you won't just have learnt something. But your mindset and attitude will change and your life will be transformed.
Lets move on in God in this 2006!
"Let those who has ears to hear, hear!"
The Flesh always Excuses itself
King Saul was a man who never dealt with his flesh and this decision negatively affected his whole life. When the anointing came upon him, the Bible says he became another man. But tragically, he changed through the anointing on him, but he did not change as a result of God's work in him. His mind remained full of disobedience, self-pity and self-deception and he was careful never to be too radical.
Saul was anointed and called -- but he was not ready. He never seriously came to grips with the rebellion in his life, and this gradually manifested itself. Carnality inevitably results in disobedience and denial. It strives to enjoy God's benefits, without sacrifice and obedience.
In 1 Samuel 15 God commanded Saul to put all the Amalekites to the sword and utterly destroy their sheep and cattle. Though he heard God's orger, he still spared everything of value, including the life of the king himself.
Later, the prophet Samuel entered the camp and enquired, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" (1 Sam 15:14). Samuel heard signs of life, although everything should have been dead. He heard more than the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle. He heard the clamour of an unbent ego.
But Saul countered with a religious excuse,"Yes, but I have saved the very best to sacrifice to the Lord!" In an effort to preserve the flesh, he started to defend his actions. We do the same and we deceive ourselves. We often lie without even realizing it. We lose our sense of discernment and we no longer see clearly.
====================================================================
Turn from Dead Works
Many people, Christians included, become extremely happy when something especially nice happens. It could be a new car, or some well-deserved praise or an encouraging phrophecy. But the next second, we are as dejected and downcast as we were before. We feel that nothing is going well, we feel isolated and we have no peace.
In his third letter, John writes, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). Your soul can get along well despite imperfect circumstances. Circumstances never will be perfect. You can live a life of abundance from heaven despite trying circumstances. Your flesh always focuses on circumstances because it wants to be self-reliant instead of trusting God. Such a lifestyle invariable leads to disappointment and failure because it is based on the wrong foundation.
Do not build your life based on what you see, fee, hear or taste for the moment. Your foundation must be in the living God, not in circumstances. Turn from dead works and believe in Him. Dead works can be both works that produce death, and those which originate in dead thoughts, that is to say, thoughts that so not originate with God. There may be nothing especially wrong with these thoughts and actions but they are things that God has not asked us to do. They highlight the flesh's need to be in the centre.
When you turn to God and trust in Him, circumstrances will matter less because you walk by faith and not by sight. Faith only works when you submit to Gd and turn in trust to Him. The flesh demands to first know all the answers - Who? Where? How? When? and then it might take a step -- by sight. But when you have faith, you know that things will work out, not because circumstances seem to be getting sorted out, but because you know what God has said. You do not need to help God get you to the place He wants you to be, just trust He will get you there, instead.
The carnal mind is more sophisticated than we care to admit. It loves to plan and manoeuvre you into a position where you believe you have full control over everything, so you do not need to stand in faith and trust in God. You have a calling, and because you do, the flesh is sure to figure out how you can realize it, which people to contact and the most effective moves to make.
God does not want us to operate on two levels at the same time: one where we long to see our calling from God fulfilled and another where we manoeuvre and calculate and "help" God to fulfil it. This mix of soul and spirit will lead to ruin, and God does not want that for you.
====================================================================
I just want to tell this person that whatever happened in the week is not by coincidence. Nor is it caused by anybody. Its God's plan for you, so that you become a person God wants you to be. Take these two passages with humility. Turn away from dead works and allow the spirit to take over your mind and soul. I may not know your side of the story. But at the same time, you may not really know another person's side of the story. There's nothing which is absolute. That person or persons may be in the wrong, but you may not be in the right.
Only God's word will lead us into the light. If you are at a stagnant position, it is a warning sign that something in you must change. If you are moving backwards, it is important that you do something immediately. Promotion and demotion comes from God. Not men.
If what I just said is frustrating you, we all know something is wrong. Not with the things that happened, but with the person involved. Changes will only get to where God wants you to be. Check your heart. What seems correct may not be what God wants you to do. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Know God's heart. And its all about God and you. Nobody else.
I pray that through this you won't just have learnt something. But your mindset and attitude will change and your life will be transformed.
Lets move on in God in this 2006!
# posted by Sarah Loke @ 13:58 
