Are you a 'boy racer' and live for the moment or is your attitude that of Christ Jesus who made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. Phil 2:1-11
Last night I had a couple of dreams and in these I saw people having fun in the spiritual realm, playing if you like with the things of the spirit. And other people were buying gifts for people or helping people. There were almost two camps of people, those who were having fun in the spirit, but it was all about them and short lived fun, while the other people were investing in and helping other people.
One of these dreams I saw like young boys, boy racers really coming up the hill but racing in their cars and zooming around some who were already there, but then racing off the other side and then I saw three of them walking back with their right arm cut off and now just limbs. The others in the car never came back, they had taken off in a different direction to get away from the authorities because of the mess they had caused.
When pondering this I really felt that God was saying that people are going to rise quickly in the things of the spirit, but like that of boy racers, think they own the world and are invincible and in the process will cause accidents. Some will return for help but will have lost their strength, spiritual power in the Lord, and others will fall away. As I thought about why they didn't stay up on the top of the mountain I remembered I saw the timing on a clock of 7:18. Now I don't know what that means exactly but part of it means judgement and part of it means trying to jump ahead of the timing of God. This is often something that happens, especially with the youth. In their excitement and fun of things they often don't see the long term picture, rather they live for the moment, but God has more for them and those around them than the moment they are in right now.
There was a difference in these dreams with different people, as I said earlier one was about helping others and the other was all about self. Phil 2:21 says "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."
When I was sharing these dreams this morning with Jim he got the scripture in Phillipans 2:5 which says "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant." As I looked at these verses the ones above really stood out as well and sums up I think what the Lord was saying to me... 2:1-5 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.
To follow Christ is to follow his example of how he walked. It's to love others, to understand who you are in him but not to abuse the power & authority you have in him. He knew what power he had in his hand, yet he did not use it for his own glory or exaltation, but for the good of others. I believe there is a warning here for all of us as we grow in the things of the spirit. We are going to experience things we have not experienced before, its going to be fun and exciting, and we are going to understand a little of the power we have in our hand through Jesus, but be careful that you don't jump ahead of what God has for you thinking you have it all, that you take the time to learn and grow in the things of God which actually lead you to more than you think. We get a taste of Kingdom power and think that is it, but something I am learning is that if I wait in the patience with God and allow him to teach and guide me at the pace he has for me and allow him to show me the hidden things in my life that need adjusting, then he has bigger things than my mind had originally comprehended - and its never just about me. The more the Lord has taught me to wait and grow in the things of the spirit, the more I realise how much more people could have been hurt along the way through my misuse or misunderstanding of what the Lord had given me. Not only other people but myself included because how I do I handle the persecution when it comes? Will I stand up under it or will I lose some of my strength in the Lord through it?
I believe we are coming into a time where we will see the 'power of God' manifested through us but we need to know how to handle that power. Will we keep the spirit of God of humility and servanthood and allow God to grow us and change us so we become people of strength in him that can help many people, or will we use it for our own desires?
One of these dreams I saw like young boys, boy racers really coming up the hill but racing in their cars and zooming around some who were already there, but then racing off the other side and then I saw three of them walking back with their right arm cut off and now just limbs. The others in the car never came back, they had taken off in a different direction to get away from the authorities because of the mess they had caused.
When pondering this I really felt that God was saying that people are going to rise quickly in the things of the spirit, but like that of boy racers, think they own the world and are invincible and in the process will cause accidents. Some will return for help but will have lost their strength, spiritual power in the Lord, and others will fall away. As I thought about why they didn't stay up on the top of the mountain I remembered I saw the timing on a clock of 7:18. Now I don't know what that means exactly but part of it means judgement and part of it means trying to jump ahead of the timing of God. This is often something that happens, especially with the youth. In their excitement and fun of things they often don't see the long term picture, rather they live for the moment, but God has more for them and those around them than the moment they are in right now.
There was a difference in these dreams with different people, as I said earlier one was about helping others and the other was all about self. Phil 2:21 says "For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ."
When I was sharing these dreams this morning with Jim he got the scripture in Phillipans 2:5 which says "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant." As I looked at these verses the ones above really stood out as well and sums up I think what the Lord was saying to me... 2:1-5 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also to the interest of others.
To follow Christ is to follow his example of how he walked. It's to love others, to understand who you are in him but not to abuse the power & authority you have in him. He knew what power he had in his hand, yet he did not use it for his own glory or exaltation, but for the good of others. I believe there is a warning here for all of us as we grow in the things of the spirit. We are going to experience things we have not experienced before, its going to be fun and exciting, and we are going to understand a little of the power we have in our hand through Jesus, but be careful that you don't jump ahead of what God has for you thinking you have it all, that you take the time to learn and grow in the things of God which actually lead you to more than you think. We get a taste of Kingdom power and think that is it, but something I am learning is that if I wait in the patience with God and allow him to teach and guide me at the pace he has for me and allow him to show me the hidden things in my life that need adjusting, then he has bigger things than my mind had originally comprehended - and its never just about me. The more the Lord has taught me to wait and grow in the things of the spirit, the more I realise how much more people could have been hurt along the way through my misuse or misunderstanding of what the Lord had given me. Not only other people but myself included because how I do I handle the persecution when it comes? Will I stand up under it or will I lose some of my strength in the Lord through it?
I believe we are coming into a time where we will see the 'power of God' manifested through us but we need to know how to handle that power. Will we keep the spirit of God of humility and servanthood and allow God to grow us and change us so we become people of strength in him that can help many people, or will we use it for our own desires?