16-07-24 notes

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

How is your walk with God? Walking isn't particularly thrilling. Walking with God is steady, it is something we desire to do but it is a challenge to endure. Walking with God is the way others should describe our character, not that we care what others think, but it is our desire to keep up with our Lord. Genesis 17:1 To walk before Him is to have the confidence we're going where He wants us, to be blameless is to have developed the close relationship we all strive for.

To seek thrills in life is the sign of unhealthy relationship to the Father. We're saying relationship to Him alone is not enough, we want more, which is rejection of Him.

The reality of realizing God's presence does not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but only depends on our determination to keep the Lord's presence in mind. Determination struggle, not what our flesh wants but what our spirit longs for. We refuse or are not diligent in keeping His presence in mind (walking with Him). We create problems for ourselves. If we can ground ourselves in Him, more than awareness, but a grasp of the reality of it, then we will see Him in all aspects of our lives, we will be truly walking with Him. Our constant longing for direction from Him will also go away as we cling to the presence knowing we walk with God and wherever we go He is there. We live truly in the shade of His wings. We walk.

From Ecclesiastes 6

Its not what we do in life, but who we are and the influence of our character. To walk with God and let His character shine through us at all times in all circumstances is the best purpose of our life. Setting sights on any other accomplishment is a denial of Him.

Having pride and self realization is the root cause of sin. Sin is anything not of God, can we walk with Him and not have His character affect us, change us into His image. We cannot do anything meaningful apart from Him.

We often live to continue our existence, when we should be living for Him. If we hoard it rots, what will happen to the "treasures" you cling to when you are gone? Things, houses, land, that could be a blessing for others from God if you would only relinquish. He can take what He has given us back, and make no mistake everything you have came from His hand. Our only care should be about our relationship to Christ. Once in proper relationship we relate to life as a child.

Instead our flesh begs us to lust, we must have it now and don't care about consequences. Animal like lusts, relational lusts (with others not God), the lust for spiritual things (not focused on Him)- it comes from self realization and pride, the root cause of sin. Properly related to God we are satisfied with Him and can wait endlessly (His love in us hopes all things endures all things and is patient, kind [1 Cor 13])

Jesus desires relationship with each of us, and with it our perspective changes. It becomes His perspective, we see Him remake us in His image.

It is conceit (pride) on our part to think we are the wisest generation that ever lived, knowledge is not wisdom. Modern thinking says to reject God, we've gone beyond Him. Clearly not wisdom. James 1:5 If we lack wisdom... Society has so rejected the Lord's ways we don't even know who to ask. His ways are rejected but isn't that pride and self realization?