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Government of My Life

Isaiah 9:6  For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

If the government of my life is to be upon His shoulder, I must stop making decisions based on reason or duty. If I know that of mine own self I can do nothing (John 5:30), then my total reliance must be upon the still small voice(1Kings 19:12) inside. Because I can do NOTHING of mine own self, that means I cannot even distinguish the still small voice. How can I obey what I cannot even distinguish? This is where the government is on HIS shoulders. I cannot rely upon myself for ANYTHING. I totally depend upon HIM —the SPIRIT that I AM. I just do what I feel to do, say what I feel to say, as my mind is stayed on HIM —not on what I ought to do or say or what is the reasonable thing to do or say.

Isaiah 26:3  Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

And no matter what the outcome, I don’t begin questioning and second guessing what I did or said. No, I keep my mind stayed on God and my faith in His promises to walk and talk in me (2Corinthians 6:16). I never again take the government of my life upon my own shoulders. Some trust in horses and chariots, some in their own ability to make the right decisions; but I trust in the name (nature) of God (Psalms 20:7) —the nature that is ready and willing to take full responsibility for running (guiding, directing) that which He begot out of Himself (James 1:18).

What I haven’t heretofore realized is that when I take the government of my life upon my own shoulders (which are in no way equipped to bear that burden) as did the prodigal son, my Father doesn’t interfere. He just patiently and eagerly awaits my return —my coming to myself, coming to the realization that I don’t have to remain in the pig sty of self indulgence which I’ve dug for myself, nor yet in the chains of duty that the elder brother put upon himself. We are all free to live the life of abundance when we can hear our Father say, All that I have is yours (Luke 15:11-32).

But none of us will know this freedom until we understand what it means to let the government of our lives be upon our Father’s shoulder.

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Baptism by Fire

In the discussion between Jesus and His disciples recorded in Mark 10:32-45, Jesus, first of all, tells them of His upcoming crucifixion and resurrection which, of course, they do not comprehend. He is telling them that, as the last Adam, He is about to destroy the devil —the humanity, the ego, which characterizes man living in this world. This is what must take place before the man Jesus can be resurrected as the Christ, the Life-giving Spirit that enlightens every man that comes into the world (John 1:9).

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Encouragement to Continue

I continue to encourage you to trust the Holy Spirit in you to guide you into truth; this includes trusting that same Holy Spirit to guide you away from that which is not truth. Another way to say this is that when you dare to follow the guidance which comes from within, you will always be increasing in your knowledge of God (who is Truth) and letting go of any false concepts you have been holding onto —that which Jesus calls the tradition of men and for which we lay aside the commandment of God (Mark 7:8). I stress this point because doubting my ability to hear for myself was by far the single biggest hindrance to what I feel is my own spiritual understanding and development.

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What Is Your “Giant”?

We read the stories of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, of Daniel, of the men who spied out the Promised Land (and even of Peter and Paul) and wonder what we would do if we were in their shoes. Those of us who enjoy freedom of religion are very thankful that we will probably never be put to the test.

We think this way because we read the Scriptures only as historical accounts of God’s people. What we fail to realize is that every story is our story —even when we are unaware of it. Every time I make a decision to believe the promises of God (which Paul tells us are yea and Amen —2Corinthians 1:20) rather than the wisdom of this world (which is foolishness in the eyes of God —1Corinthians 3:19), I am immediately face to face with my fears (the Nebuchadnezzars or the other giants of Scripture) which are threatening my very life. This is equally true in every area of our lives —physical, financial, mental, social. I may not be facing the same giants that you are, but all of us do face them. The moment you decide to believe anything promised by God, every conscious and subconscious fear you retain in that area immediately asserts itself.

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One with God

Jesus prayed this prayer for us:

John 17:11-21  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. … That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

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How Can I Know Truth?

Identity in Christ —Life or Doctrine?

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

Jesus taught in parables or word pictures to convey spiritual truth —because words are never sufficient. God even had Ezekiel (ch 4) lie first on one side and then on the other as a parable to help the children of Israel understand what was happening in their lives. We all think in pictures as we attempt to get understanding. My picture will always be different from your picture.

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