Okay, so before I get all carried away here, I want to invite you to walk with me as I clarify a few bits. This recipe isn’t one of those things that can be muttered or thought of passively, but rather something to be really stirred up. Though, I understand I do not have all the right stuff to really get anyone (even myself) pumped up. However, this is a blog, and I must remind myself of the title: Moving Heart to Feet. I have key bits of foundational information. And if I hold that within my own thoughts….then I am clearly not moving my heart to my feet. Thus, I have to challenge myself to come to terms with some of the scriptural background and those itty bits of study – that are not all together easy for me to step out in.
So, in a way, this is my own revelation, and I am taking you with me as I dig deep into the basics that Jesus called us all to. But, as I said it’s difficult to come to terms with. Honestly, I wouldn’t be appealed to this, if it wasn’t for my love for my Everlasting Lord. My heart (to the best of its ability) seeks Him, my thoughts in my brain (to the best of that organ’s ability) are drawn to Him.
This whole concept of pursuing God, ties into my previously whole series on “hunger, thirsty, and longing”. Why would I do two different series in a row, and plan my blog like this…I have no idea. But this is going to be fun :o) We have eight more posts to go, and then I’ll take a break and get into something else. This is going to be glorious. And I promise that the following recipes, will not be long as the previous ones. I’ll keep it short and sweet!
Okay, so sure this is “just writing”. And sure I have no degree in blogging nor writing, nor well, I do I have a degree in anything…………..yet. That is the glory of it all. You see, just as we only need a pinch of revelation, we only need two teaspoons of revolution. Only a little more, because here, we need two things: engagement and action. We must respond, vow to our revelation and do something. Proceed to walk things out, as we do so, we may find ourselves with a couple diplomas in our pockets!
Note, a revelation is discovering something that is truthful, biblical, and justified by faith,
And the following step is proceeding with a revolution and actually applying it.
A baby has yet to go to school and yet she is learning, and doing. Is it much? Is she bringing in the dough? No, probably not – unless she’s on the diaper commercials! However, she is learning and unveiling her own revelations. It doesn’t take an expert to figure that out! She hears words, she mimics them. She sees people walk; she figures out how to crawl, and eventually gets up on her two legs and walks. She drinks milk, then ready for some mushy but thicker food, and then she gets some teeth and eats solid food (not necessarily in that order).
Okay, so with that, do we get the idea? Besides my amazement over the little things that we learn as young children; there are certain things learned once, while other things are learned over time. Once we’ve just about mastered and grasped topics, we are ready to embrace them. Tackle the next step.
I find history to be an intriguing topic…there is a lot that man has learned, and yet there is so much more man has left in his existence to never learn. Okay, so getting into the historical time-line, consider the American Revolution. Though, like every other country, America has its faults – still holds an inspiring foundational event to reflect upon….
Alright, those are my thoughts, now let’s get to the bottom of things.
Definition: a sudden, radical, violent, or complete change
Notice: this is the first ingredient that we must gather. Also, the recipe only requires (but is not limited to) “one pinch”. You see, in our walk of faith, all it takes is just a doo-dab of a revelation of truth. Even the smallest amount causes the greatest impact!
By now, you know me and my adoration for words, so it’s not much of a surprise that I’ve come across an explanation I found through dictionary.com, in which quotes Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary. This is rather intriguing….
“Revelation: An uncovering, a bringing to light of that which had been previously wholly hidden or only obscurely seen. God has been pleased in various ways and at different times (Heb. 1:1) to make a supernatural revelation of himself and his purposes and plans, which, under the guidance of his Spirit, has been committed to writing. (See WORD OF GOD.) The Scriptures are not merely the "record" of revelation; they are the revelation itself in a written form…..propagation of the truth. Revelation and inspiration differ. Revelation is the supernatural communication of truth to the mind; inspiration (q.v.) secures to the teacher or writer infallibility in communicating that truth to others. It renders its subject the spokesman or prophet of God in such a sense that everything he asserts to be true, whether fact or doctrine or moral principle, is true, infallibly true.”
Revelation is revealing. Something discovered, unmasked, and dismantled to the bare-naked truth.
Lovely; absolutely lovely.
The past couple of months, I have been participating in an AMAZING Bible study on the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon), that Mike Bickle taught on back in 1998 (we are re-living the past through CDs and loaded binders) – the notes are scripturally based and relevant today. It’s been so enlightening; truly has put words to the relationship we have with Jesus. We are working on 20 sessions total, and we start the 8th session this week. There is so much more context that we have left, but I thought I’d share a few little nibbles that relate to the concept of revelation from our previous 7th sesh…..
Song of Songs – chapter two, verse three
Beloved: Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
- "His shade is refreshing. She [the bride; the body of Christ] didn’t produce the shade that she would rest in. She is resting in His shade, not her own shade….She is not trying to motivate God to love her through her good works…she knows He is the only apple tree in all the earth. God is motivated 100% by who He is and what He accomplished on the cross.”
- “She is not relating to God on how much victory she had last week. No, she has been fed on the revelation of who He is and what He did…She has been fed on the revelation of who He is. He is the henna blossoms. He is the apple tree. He is the fragrant one.”
- “All believers can know this delight of enjoying God, but only when we sit in His shade tree. When we really believe this truth of His enjoyment over us something connects on the inside and we quit trying to drink form cisterns with holes in them….We are empowered to enjoy Him.”
- “Even though this does not happen all day or even every day, nor do we necessarily feel this for extended periods of time, yet a little touch of this pleasure does a remarkable thing in changing how we think and feel about life.”
OH I could go on and on...but for the cause of staying on task, I must refrain myself, haha. There is a lot of context, truly amazes me! Okay, so this little passage (2:3) touches upon the incredible place of sitting in the Lords presence and soaking up His truth. I absolutely love this! Notice that last little bit, I didn't even notice this until I read through the draft of this, "a little touch of this pleasure does a remarkable thing...." That's going to spread a long way in this little 'series of recipes'. {see previous post}
This is one of the first acts that we really have to participate in. Though, sometimes we may not even be conscious to this participation….I mean when we first learn a new skill, we might not even be aware of HOW to get there….Other times, once we’ve grasped a certain amount of wisdom, we may have to choose to position our hearts and thoughts, to allow ourselves to be in the training process. I guess it depends on the situation. Probably every instance of discovery takes place with a little bit of everything.
It seems there are always opportunities to experience, learn, and grow – I find that so adventurous and exciting!! The Lord has new mercies for us in every individual day!! Brand spanking NEW surprises around every corner! It’s so awesome to be in a romance that has an actual plotline and thrills. God has a lot to offer.
Think about it!!!!
There are 365 days a year – that is AT THERE VERY LEAST 365 new mercies in a year!
Okay, so I was born on May 9, 1994. I have had approximately 17 years, 3 months, 1 week, and 2 days so far…that’s about 6,310 days total! (Approximately, according to my calc.)
I, myself, have had AT THE VERY LEAST 6,310 new mercies in my entire life.
I say AT THE VERY LEAST, because those are big and hefty numbers, and we cannot count the mercies and thoughts of God. Think about all of those minuets that take place within each year, and upon each decade! Wow, crazy. The Lord doesn’t even go by our time. My brain is cramping with that thought…but that’s okay, I need a few brain cramps over my All Mighty God!
Lastly here, I want to share with you one of the revelations I experienced with God in scripture, a few years ago…It is still one of the truths that boggle my mind, always catches me off guard and I find myself in awe all over again….My prayer has been that I may never sulk in my pride and feel that this isn’t exciting. May this always be a fresh truth in my walk with Christ!
Psalm 139 (MSG Translation)
1-6God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.
I'm an open book to you;
even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.
You know when I leave and when I get back;
I'm never out of your sight.
You know everything I'm going to say
before I start the first sentence.
I look behind me and you're there,
then up ahead and you're there, too—
your reassuring presence, coming and going.
This is too much, too wonderful—
I can't take it all in!
7-12 Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you're there!
If I go underground, you're there!
If I flew on morning's wings
to the far western horizon,
You'd find me in a minute—
you're already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, "Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
At night I'm immersed in the light!"
It's a fact: darkness isn't dark to you;
night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to you.
13-16 Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day.
17-22 Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!
God, I'll never comprehend them!
I couldn't even begin to count them—
any more than I could count the sand of the sea.
Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!
And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!
And you murderers—out of here!—
all the men and women who belittle you, God,
infatuated with cheap god-imitations.
See how I hate those who hate you, God,
see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;
I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.
Your enemies are my enemies!
23-24 Investigate my life, O God,
find out everything about me;
Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I'm about;
See for yourself whether I've done anything wrong—
then guide me on the road to eternal life.
The truth is truly breathtaking. Heavenly Father has crafted us to be as we are for a purpose. The passion that wells in our heart, though we may be uncertain at times what exactly we are to do with that passion…Daddy God has INVESTED His thoughts on that passion and beauty! He has a marked out plan in His book of plans (which is too heavy for us to hold). His ideas are vast and His creative hands have been at work LONG before we were little cells in our mother’s womb. Oh how He loves us so passionately!!!
God did not intend for there to be a sinful world with idols, hate, murders, and pride. God intended on individual character. He wanted us to have a CHOICE; to make our decision. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve gave into temptation. And thus the whole human race fell. Now there are questions the dwell in our thoughts. It’s annoying, hard to comprehend.
Yet, then there is hope! God created the world, gave us a choice, and man fell to the consequence. However, God is an everlasting God. He never leaves His people. He is faithful. He is the Lord of Love. He gave His beloved, perfect Son. I’m not doing a salvation blog post, but isn’t salvation a brilliant revelation!! It’s our walk of faith. Following Jesus – The Groom who walks with us (now) as we are being prepared and He also is jumping with anticipation for our arrival on the great Wedding Day Feast!
For we are our Beloved’s and He is ours;
Jesus is my inheritance, and I am His.
We must take the time to pull through some more revelations. Sitting in the presence of our Healer, is refreshing, and taking Him in is our life-support, for right now and the eternity to come.
I’ve been really into a song, “Say Anything” by Josiah Gillespie; it goes well with the theme, so I encourage you to investigate on your own for a bit. I think it really captures what it means to just go to God. I am no critic, but the LYRICS ARE GOOD, harmony is smooth, guitar is great, and the video has an interesting take as well – kinda makes me wonder what it would be like if we all really took that invitation and plop on down (wherever we are at), to sit before Jesus, and attend the ultimate digestion…………
[WARNING: This is obviously not something you would necessarily bake for eighty years or more! Please, do not take the use of the stove word for word! This is a mere metaphor that contributes to some truths of life.]
Firstly, this is an example of the needed actions that must be taken to accomplish a complete disaster in the world. Throughout the Vineyard Church there is a statement that is hoped to be within each ministry: "faith is spelled R-I-S-K". This is a phrase from John Wimber, who pastored the first Vineyard. To give a brief note or the type of man he was, know, that he was greatly astonished by the lack of works the people of God were doing....which brings me to another phrase: "we need to be doing the stuff". In the book of James it is described that a faith that lacks deeds is dead.
When there is a dead faith, it is like a spoiled floppy fish; dead faith is like lukewarm clam chowder, or a bland cup of green tea! Though the flavors were once strong, they have just been sitting around and the taste is not quite hot, not quite cold.
In Revelation 3:15-16 it is made known that just as a man who eats lukewarm food desires to spit it out, God desires to spit the lukewarm Christians out of the kingdom. He wants His house to be a fire-y temple. We are His children, come on, why shouldn't we want to be totally stoked for God??!! If you question this concept of lukewarm further, read this other blog post (http://bethelgrace.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/are-you-lukewarm/) this quotes Francis Chan from his book Crazy Love. Ask yourself if you've ever been guilty of living a lukewarm lifestyle.
For further scriptures on God’s glorious majesty, check out Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:2; Revelation 4:8; Psalm 145:5.
Secondly, the combination of ingredients, shown above, is a part of building up the Kingdom and they are the things that tear down the walls of this world. Change is what gets people all riled up. Saved people are aliens in this world; for if God says that it is so, then so it is. Christians have a true home in heaven! Who do not live by the laws of this world! (yes, we are here now, we are not OF it, but there are certain rules we must abide by because of the way the earth has been governed. Use common sense, but don't allow the little things like "everybody else is doing it" come in-between your walk with God).
Admiring the greatness of God, steals away the wonder-thunder of man! I ask you, has any human being been able to develop a living thing, outside if the creation that is made by God? If the case is somehow unknown to me then may I ask the person with all the answers: can that "human-made living-thing" do anything outside of what that human has made it to do? Can that "thing" do anything outside of the law it was placed in by that human, who therefore did create it?
Or how about a non-living thing? Say the Pyramids, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Parthenon, Empire State Building, Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame Cathedral -- all of some of the greatest accomplishments of mankind!! Would you gaze upon it in the thinking "oh these things just appeared out of the blew sometime in history!" or would you say, "Gee whizz!! I so admire the efforts man had put into that architecture! Wow! This was designed and crafted! Created and birthed from man's own hands!" a simple response is clear. Evidence is even there!
Consider some flaws of mankind. The sinking of the RMS Titanic, a luxurious ship intended for efficiency. However, we all know the ending, in fact, since the beginning of the construction it had failed all together. The "great" ship was built by selfish and cheap men who said "not even God can tear it down!” There are theories out there that suggest that the tragedy was the lack of fear in God. They were so confident with the tail end of the Industrial Revolution; they lacked purity and gained corruption.
Man is so imperfect! I need not tell you a list of my own opinions of where man has failed, for you to know that man is not perfect (by man, of course, I do mean both male and female genders of the human race). Only God could be called The Great I Am, for He truly is one of a kind, and so much greater than anything...after all, He created all things! UNLIKE us though, God is not established under flesh, or sinful ways (I will explain my opinion on that further, another time).
Alright, so before I get carried away on a spiel of my own little "sermon" on creation, and our inferiority to The Divine Being, allow me to just add a little bit of this n' that to this recipe for disaster...after all, you cannot bake unless you collect the ingredients!!
I recommend the peppermint tea, chocolate-covered-almonds, and a few nibbles of this small cliff-hanger until the next post as I share a treat for your soul's taste buds..............
