God Is Not Mocked

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

I awakened in the early morning hours hearing this Scripture being spoken inside, along with several insights connected to it. I’ve no doubt the Holy Spirit is speaking and that I am to start writing whatever I hear.

Last night before going to bed I noticed that my husband’s feet and legs are badly swollen and that there is redness going up his legs. I’ve seen this in many people, not really knowing what it means—just that it isn’t normal. I told him I thought he should see a doctor and suggested that it might have something to do with his diagnosis of diabetes.

Earlier yesterday afternoon I had carried some groceries up the stairs and all at once experienced some pretty intense pain in my left shoulder. I immediately thought of everyone I’d ever heard of who had rotator cuff surgery and also about my exercising with some light weights yesterday morning. But, as I have learned to do, I very quickly renewed my mind to the truth that the shoulder of the Christ (my true identity) who is living me cannot be damaged or even experience pain and that I (in my true identity) have been given dominion over my physical concept of body. My true body “not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2Corinthians 5:1) always remains “perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:4), just as it was originally created. I decided to take a nap to aid me in “taking no thought” for my body (Matthew 6:25). Upon awakening, I was still experiencing pain; but knowing that I believe and then receive (see Believe–Then Receive), I just continued with what I was doing and after a short time noticed that the pain was entirely gone.

I have for a long time been spending time meditating on the whole concept of “healing” others—laying hands on the sick and seeing them recover (Mark 16:17-18), having articles of clothing taken from one’s body (Acts 19:11-12) or even one’s shadow (Acts 5:15) “heal” others, and any of the number of other ways people have received “healing” from others rather than directly from God—because Jesus said we would do the works that He did (John 14:12). I have a dear friend, as well as my husband, who definitely need to experience “healing.” I put “healing” in quotation marks because it is not really healing, but the reality of spiritual being coming into manifestation.

I was thinking about all this in connection with my husband’s legs when I awakened this morning.

A few days ago my husband suggested to me that my friend might not be experiencing “healing” because there were some things she wasn’t willing to do, even if God asked her to. Of course that is true of us all in certain areas (see Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice and A Prayer of Surrender). I knew it was true of my husband in the matter of eating. I have known since his diagnosis of diabetes that it could easily be controlled by diet. I even stopped buying and cooking the foods that he shouldn’t be eating, but he continues to buy and eat whatever he wants, which includes lots of ice cream and fruit juices.

Thinking of this took me to thoughts about the plant-based diet I felt God had led me to go on a little over a year ago to lower my cholesterol. Since I knew the truth that in my true identity I cannot even have high cholesterol, I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t just believe this truth and see it manifested in my body (as I have experienced so many times, including in my shoulder as related above). But, like Peter who knew that there were no fish to be caught because he had already fished all night but nevertheless “at the word of Jesus” once again cast his net (Luke 5:5), I did as I believed I was told to do and, like Peter, reaped the fruit of that obedience, in my case, the lowering of my cholesterol.

A few months ago, I believed God gave me revelation about the “why” of His instruction about the diet. I wrote about that in the contemplation Knowledge or Love but wasn’t led to post it then.

In recent months I have felt that I am to be just led by the Spirit about what and when to eat. The cholesterol did drop dramatically after I stopped adhering strictly to the diet. I have continued to keep myself open for further instructions or revelation.

This morning I began to see it all from another angle. I remembered the story of Naaman who was told by Elisha to dip seven times in the Jordan (2Kings 5:10), of the man who was told by Jesus to “wash in the pool of Siloam” (John 9:7) and, as related above, of Peter who was told by Jesus to cast his net on the other side of the boat. None of these things seem to have any bearing on the case, and yet they were necessary prerequisites to receiving what was needed. I see now that it is obedience to the voice of God (now spoken to us from the inside since God has taken up His abode within us—(see Where Is God? and What Is the Word of God?)) that is always the necessary prerequisite. We get to see for ourselves how willing (or not) we are to be obedient to that voice when the instruction is to do what we can see no possible reason for doing. When that instruction seems to go contrary to other Scriptures that we know to be true (as was the case for me when asked to go on the plant-based diet), we really get to see how willing we are to obey the voice of the Christ inside. And we get to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2Corinthians 5:7) while we are being judged and criticized by those around us (and even by our own “human” or “natural” minds) as we await an explanation from God as to the “why” of it all.

What I saw this morning upon awakening is that this experience of going on the diet has had multiple benefits for my spiritual journey, some of which are related in the contemplation Knowledge or Love (which I will now post). But probably of most benefit is my seeing that I am willing to do whatever I’m instructed to do, even if it causes pain to those I love most—seemingly my greatest hindrance to obeying the voice of the Spirit (see A Prayer of Surrender and Obedience Is Better than Sacrifice).

As the truth (the “Son”) has begun to set me free, the freedom keeps extending to more and more areas of my life—as ripples in a pond. As of now, I know that I am free from any dietary “law,” that I am free to eat as the Spirit instructs, without reference to what science (and all the many people, all with their own ideas) tells me I should or should not be eating. I am confident that the Spirit will instruct me to eat or refrain from eating that which is most beneficial to me and that I no longer need to “take thought about what I eat” (Matthew 6:25, 31).

Getting free from the law (see Freed from the Law) is even more wonderful than I had ever imagined!

1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen

So what has the “God Is not Mocked” title have to do with any of this? Everything! I cannot say that all the promises of God are mine for the taking and that my true identity can be manifested in the realm of the visible, if I am unwilling to listen to and act upon what that true identity (the Christ, the “new creature”—(see The New Creature)) reveals to me. To do otherwise is “sowing to the flesh,” not the Spirit, and will “reap corruption” because “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7).

This is not making any comment or judgment about my friend or my husband. This is all about me, but thinking of them is what led me into this revelation about receiving from God for myself. I am still awaiting revelation on this matter of “healing” others. I know Jesus, Peter and Paul required nothing from those that received healing at their hands, except the belief that they could receive.

I continue to long for the day that I can say with Paul:

1Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

Of course I cannot make that happen, but I am confident that, as in this matter of being freed from the law, God will be faithful to show me whatever beliefs I have that must be “rooted up” (Matthew 15:13) before I can do those “greater works” that He promised I would do (John 14:12).