A Place Called Hope

Hope - a feeling of expectation and the desire for a certain thing to happen.  That's the definition, but what is the true life meaning for each of us who know Christ?  We live expectantly.  We are truly waiting for the Lord Jesus to come at any time.  How many times have you thought or had some Christian say to you, "I believe Jesus could come back at any time."?  Probably more times than you can count.  That is because we are living expectantly....  We expect Him to come, and He will!!  Jesus Himself said in Revelation 22:7, "Behold, I am coming soon!  Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."  Keep in mind that is the Son of God who is speaking there and His Words give us one thing, Expectant Hope!  If you are more impressed with this world you live in than the coming glory of heaven, you may not hope for Him to come because you want to have heaven on earth.  It aint gonna be heaven on earth.  Any hope in earthly treasures is fleeting at best and the whole thing will burn anyway.  Once again, Jesus reminds us of the Hope-filled attitude of living a Christian Life in Matthew 6:20 where He says, "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do no break in and steal."  Hope in heaven is real and it does not disappoint, but propels us through the life we live here on earth.  It is the hope of things to come.  Expectant living enables us to handle the toughest times, as well as, the best of times with a steady way of thinking and reacting.  Hope in the coming of Jesus gives us strength for NOW!   Sometimes I get really low and my feeling of hope starts to wain some, and I renew my interest in the hope I have in Christ and the gloomy clouds will clear and my prospects look so much better.  Now that's the kind of hope that satisfies the soul.  If I didn't have that hope I would just curl up and fade away.   REALLY!!!

Another hope is found in the belief that God is going to do something great.  That expectant hope is the one we truly don't understand and many times misread.  Like many people, through the years I have been thrown many curves I didn't hope for and those curves have been life-changing, whether financial or other.  As a minister of the gospel I believe I am bound to go where God leads for the cause of Christ, not the cause of myself and that all-out attitude about following God has it's downfalls materially.   Many times I can't even explain it in human terms that make sense when telling someone the "why" of my moves.  My hope is that God is leading me to a place where I can serve Him most effectively.  That place many times is not the most appealing place, but it is God's place for me and that is the best at the time.  My family through the years has had to adjust in a huge way for me to follow what I believe is God's Plan for where I serve.  Thankfully it was always in the United States, although I would have gone to a foreign land if He led me there.  All of this was generated through HOPE.  Hope that God would do a great work and I would get to be a part of it.  These travels put me in places that were sometimes fun and friendly, and sometimes mean and miserable.  The main thing wasn't necessarily being happy, but more being faithful.....no matter what!  I'm not patting myself on the back here, but I tried to go "wherever" as best as possible.  Even when Andra was going "what are we doing" and my kids had to start another new school,  I felt that I was called to do whatever it took and live wherever He put me.  Through the years I have felt both the joy of success and the misery of failure in front of my wife and kids and neither have been lasting or balanced.  Success in following His Call has not translated into success financially or positionally.   I haven't been the guy who wanted to climb up the ladder of success in ministerial circles, because I didn't believe God looked at it that way.  Praise God He has always refreshed my vision wherever I landed and gave me a desire to equip the Lord's church and believe for revival in a dry land, and I have done it motivated by HOPE, not anything else.  I was always looking for God to do a great work and when it didn't happen, I still had my hope.

As I look back on 2013 and the other years of my life in ministry, I can't help but think about the hope that has "kept me alive" for all these years and propelled me forward in my walk with the Lord.  If you were to look at all we have had to deal with through the many years of ministry you might say, "how can you keep on hoping?"  To which I would have to say, "I don't have anything else, but my hope in God."  I knew a young man who was going through some financial woes in his life who just kept believing that God was going to come through for him.  His hope was fresh and real and not presumptuous at all.   His wife told me one day that she didn't understand how this young man could keep believing that God was just going to help him one day and all would be well.  In a world where everyone needed help, God was just going to pick him out and help him.  That young man had the hope I am writing about today. He had the misunderstood hope that sometimes can't be qualified or understood by human reasoning.  He had the hope of God and that is the hope that keeps us all going.  In the same way that we hope for the coming of our Lord, we hope for Him to take care of us in our daily lives, and even though it boggles the human reasoning of most, we don't give up our hope.  Peter wrote in his second letter about his reasoning for the hope of Jesus coming again, verse 16 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty."  My hope is that I have, through the power of God, impacted in a positive way some lives along the way, starting with my family.  I know it has been my hope to do just that, and the very desire to do that has come from the hope I have in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am an eyewitness to His power in changing lives.  He is the beginning and the end of all things....REALLY!!

In Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, Chapter 1 verse 19 he writes, "For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes?  It it not you?"  It is my hope that I have impacted some in a positive way to live a real faith that touches others in a positive way and leads them to Christ.  It has been my  desire to do that for the past 39 years and the hope in Christ continuing to do that through my life, is just as fresh today as before.  I'm living proof that God keeps that hope alive through all the good and the bad, and that his hope is something you can count on.  I Live In A Place Called Hope. This next year is one of hope as well, and I believe, like that young man, that God is going to do something great through my life as I live for Him.  I don't deserve anything He does for me, but my worthiness has never been an issue for a God who sent His Son to die for the sins of the world.  He does what He does out of a great love for His Children, and praise God I am one of His Children.  So, I'm not moving out  of this place called hope. I'm gonna continue to have residence here and continue believing God will always come through as I live each day of my life.  If all around me should give up hope and my population get to just one, at least there will still be one.  Why?  Because I live in a Place Called Hope.  I want to be called a true follower and be able to say like Paul, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus, our hope!"

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

With Thor You've Always Got More

I went to watch the new Thor movie that just came out in theatres and I love it!  I am a big

super hero fan and the thrill I got from seeing good defeat evil was huge.  This is the second movie bearing the Thor name and it follows the same theme as the first one with Thor trying to control his great strength and calling, and use it in the right direction.  In this movie Thor was more concerned with the "heart" of what he did and the "effect" it has on others and himself.  His desire to be the "king" was his thorn in the first movie, but life experiences have molded him into a deeper thinking Thor.  He realizes that strength isn't found in  being the strongest, but having true integrity and using that strength for good is the real result of true strength.  Thor's metamorphosis is beginning to change him into a super hero who knows the strength he has and the effect it has on others.  I guess you could say, "with great strength, comes great responsibility."  Hmm, I've heard that before.  That's because this great truth is found in Luke 12:48.  Verse 48 follows up on the parable of the watchful master who was left in charge to keep watch for the return of the Lord.  It is that master's responsibility to keep the servants ready for the Lord's return and not fall asleep on the job.  In today's church we see a lot of churches and church folk sleeping at a time when we should be wide awake!!!  We have been given a great amount of Holy Spirit power by the Lord, but we don't have watchful hearts and minds and we have become dulled by the world's constant drag on our lives.  If it isn't Obamacare problems, it will be church conflict, or something.  It really shouldn't matter what problems we face, but are we watching and staying alert for the return of our Lord?  If we aren't, then all these other problems have taken us away from the main thing; watching for the return of our Lord.  In the verses preceding verse 48 Jesus says to be ready even in the 2nd or 3rd watch.  It could be any time, but He wants us to be ready.  You may ask, "how can we be ready?"  Good question.  We can be ready by sharing the gospel with all we come in contact with and by training disciples to do the same.  Right now we have more harvest than we can reach with the present workers in church life.  We need more "watchful workers" who burn with the fire of revival in their hearts and push the bubble that causes change in our churches.  When we get servants with that kind of fire, then the process of going backwards as a church will stop and the ship will be turned and ready to sail.  To do this hearts will have to change.  We need to realize that we have Thor-like power, but our hearts have to be right our we will all try to be King.  There is only one King and he is Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings.  It should be our desire to live our lives for Him alone and use the power He gives us for His Glory by being a vessel poured out for Him.

Micah 5:4 says it well, "He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of thename of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to theends of the earth.

The greatness of our God is found in the realization that our only hope is found in Him and His strength.  Don't rely on the world's strength, it is futile and hopeless.  Don' rely on your strength, it is weak and temporal.  Rely on God's strength and then you will find the spiritual Thor inside that will impact this world as never before and cause revival and renewal wherever you go.  The title of the movie I watched last week was Thor:  The Dark World.  We live in a dark world, but we have the Light of Life and we must let that light be seen. When?  NOW!!!  Matthew 5:14 says, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden."  We are on the Hill and the name of that Hill is York Terrace.  Time to shine!!!


The pilgrimage continues.......


David Warren

Relieve the Pressure Lord!!

The relief valve (RV) is a type of valve used to control or limit the pressure in a system or vessel which can build up by a process upset, instrument or equipment failure, or fire.

The pressure is relieved by allowing the pressurised fluid to flow from an auxiliary passage out of the system. The relief valve is designed or set to open at a predetermined set pressure to protect pressure vessels and other equipment from being subjected to pressures that exceed their design limits. When the set pressure is exceeded, the relief valve becomes the "path of least resistance" as the valve is forced open and a portion of the fluid is diverted through the auxiliary route. The diverted fluid (liquid, gas or liquid–gas mixture) is usually routed through a piping system known as a flare header or relief header to a central, elevated gas flare where it is usually burned and the resulting combustion gases are released to the atmosphere.^[1] As the fluid is diverted, the pressure inside the vessel will drop. Once it reaches the valve's reseating pressure, the valve will close. The blowdown is usually stated as a percentage of set pressure and refers to how much the pressure needs to drop before the valve reseats

Alll of us have to deal with pressure.  Life is filled with pressure.  Whether we are Christian or non-Christian, pressure is a reality.  The difference in life is how we deal with pressure and how we continue to live with the pressure, even when it increases.  The Apostle Paul is a great example of dealing with pressure and at the church in Corinth he speaks of the greatness of the pressure he was dealing with and he gives a great perspective in how to deal with it in the midst of dealing with it.  In 2 Corinthians 4:8 Paul gives some great insight into how he was dealing with the pressures he was facing.  8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; You can read this and think, "How does this help me?"  Or you can read this and think.....Yeah, that's it.  I have a very close friend in the ministry who has gone through terrible trials and unjustified troubles, and all in the midst of serving our Lord.  He has been wounded and then stepped on by the very people he called close friends and it has left a huge scar on his heart, but he continues on.  How?  By the grace of God.  Remember, we don't only live in the grace of God, we live as a result of it.  This is God's pressure relief valve for those who follow Him.  When the pressure gets to be too much, He relieves that pressure by giving us more grace.  Grace= relief.  It's amazing how easily we forget that we are fallen individuals who, but by the grace of God, have life itself.  The very things that cause pressure turn us to God and cause us to experience His Love in a more excellent way.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to God, "I need more pressure to make me experience You more fully Lord."  But I am saying that in the middle of the pressurized things of life, He is right there relieving that pressure.  God is our pressure relief valve and He knows just when we need to have the pressure lifted because He is growing us every step of the way to be more like Him.  This shows that God is intricately involved in the  details of our lives and knows and sees what is best for each of us.  We can't see it.  But He can.  You may ask, "How does this help me get through the pressure of life?"  Looking at it from God's perspective will help us handle those things as He gives us strength and relieves the pressure at just the right moment.  We see things dimly, but He brings it all into focus when we trust Him and His Word.

Remember, we are sinners saved by that grace and God is helping us in the midst of our struggles as sinners.  The pressure comes from our not trusting Him enough.  The pressure is relieved when we know God is out for our good, not our bad.  He is there all the time giving us strength and reminding us to not rely on our own strength.  When we mess up, God is very patient and continues to direct our path and give us hope and encouragement.  The following story illustrates God's great love and patience with us.

Years ago, my father coached a team of eight-year-olds. He had a few excellent players, and some who just couldn't get the hang of the game. Dad's team didn't win once all season. But in the last inning of the last game, his team was only down by a run. There was one boy who had never been able to hit the ball--or catch it. With two outs, it was his turn to bat. He surprised the world and got a single!
The next batter was the team slugger. Finally, Dad's players might win a game. The slugger connected, and as the boy who hit the single ran to second, he saw the ball coming toward him. Not so certain of baseball's rules, he caught it. Final out! Dad's team lost! Quickly, my father told his team to cheer. The boy beamed. It never occurred to him that he lost the game. All he knew was he had hit the ball and caught it--both for the first time. His parents later thanked my dad. Their child had never even gotten in a game before that season.
We never told the boy exactly what happened. We didn't want to ruin it for him. And till this day, I'm proud of what my father did that afternoon.
To my friend who has been "beat up" I continue to pray for God to relieve the pressure he must feel and not give up.  I also pray for healing and a fresh dose of God's grace in the midst of his struggle and I pray that for you as well.
When you pray, "relieve the pressure Lord."  God turns the valve so you can continue on renewed and invigorated.  Thank  you Lord.  We must  all remember that God is the one who lets us be in the game and encourages us when we realize accomplishment, even though it may not be much.  Now that is Abba Father for sure.

The Pilgrimage continues.....


David Warre

Living Life in the Spirit/Cross the Invisible Bridge of Faith

Romans 8:1-9  speaks to the point of living a life that is totally spirit led in every aspect.  In

fact to live anything less is telling God we don't trust Him, and that is a mistake.  Paul was an authority on trusting God and living His life in the spirit in every aspect.  In verse 9 he states, 9 But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won't know what we're talking about.  The fact is we should know what Paul is talking about because that is exactly how we live our lives.....in the Spirit.  In verse 28 Paul shares a very important word with us that is very familiar.   All things work for good for those who love God and are called according to HIS purpose.  His purpose is found in the realization the Holy Spirit gives each of us who know Christ.   Living a Spirit-Led life is an exciting life of purpose and intensity.  God's purpose and intensity are so much more than we can comprehend or totally realize, so the pool that we draw from is never ending and fresh.  So how come we don't access that pool of power?  We have a constant tendency to fall back into living our life with a worldly perspective.  A perspective that leaves out what God can do in a situation.  Our perspective should be, "OK, reasoning says this, but let's ask God what His perspective is and what He can do."  When we look at it that way, everything begins to change and hope and faith are reaffirmed and strengthened.   I need that strength to live the victorious life Christ has made possible for each of us.  I need to see the things around me through Christ filtered eyes and see those situations for what they really are; tests to grow my faith.  Not only grow my faith, but concrete my faith.  My son recently put in a new pool behind their home and in one part of the concrete he, along with his wife and children, put his hands in the wet cement and left an impression that dried when the concrete dried.  Now when you go to their home and walk around their pool, you can see their impressions of that time when the pool was almost completed and they poured the final concrete.  It's a reminder every time they go swimming of the process of getting the pool completed.  Our life in the Spirit also has many times when we need to make a mark as a reminder of when God completed another step in our life.  That way every time we start to enjoy the fruit of living in the Spirit we see and remember that point in time when God was molding us to be more like Him.  Life in the Spirit is something that cannot be fully explained, but just commented on because it is different for each of us.  That is even more confirmation of how close God watches and protects us in the varying circumstances of each individual believer.  Now, that's a God who cares and empowers!!!
Listen to what Paul wrote to the Corinthians about thinking and living as Spirit-filled believers.
2 Corinthians 5:1 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven - God-made, not handmade 2 - and we'll never have to relocate our "tents" again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move - and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what's coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we're tired of it! We've been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! 3 4 5 The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what's ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we'll never settle for less. 6 That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. 7 It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. 
Keep going, but let the Holy Spirit guide your steps and remember, Trust God!!

The Pilgrimage continues...

David Warren

Smothered Light

In Mark 4:20-25 Jesus shares a great truth about the life we are to live and how much He

wants to shine His light through us.
 20 "But the seed planted in the good earth represents those who hear the Word, embrace it, and produce a harvest beyond their wildest dreams." 21 Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel? 22 We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open. 23 "Are you listening to this? Really listening? 24 "Listen carefully to what I am saying - and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. 
In relating our need to grow closer to the image of Christ every day,Jesus relates it to a seed that, when taken care of will produce not just fruit, but a bountiful harvest.  This is illustrated as He shares the parable of the sower earlier in the chapter and he gives a warning that equips us to follow through on this great truth about growing as a believer.  Remember this, Jesus is the light of the world and His light is very powerful.  So powerful that it shines through those who follow Him also.  That light needs to be able to grow brighter and brighter in each of His followers and if we will embrace His truth and trust His will, we will shine brightly in our world and lead many to Christ.  This is one of the foundational truths for those of us who are disciples (learners-followers) of Jesus Christ.  In verse 21-22 Jesus shares some Christlike Common Sense that we should all understand.  You don't put a light under a basket if you want it to shine. No Duh!!  He goes on to say, "if you have ears that want to hear the truth then you will hear this message.  I'm listening.  Are You?  We live a in a world of information that gives us plenty of "light dampening truth" that we should not listen to at all.  To listen to a little, compels us to listen to a lot, and before long our light weakens and almost goes out.  In verses 24 and 25 Jesus gives us a warning that we must heed.  Don't even listen to advice that takes you away from shining brightly and effectively.  This advice can come in the form of well meaning direction about not following Christ too much, or it can be so blatant as to say, "It's not worth it to live all out for Christ."  In whatever form it comes in, we must always have an inclination to let His light shine in every area of our life.
Paul spoke to this in Ephesians 4 and following....7 And so I insist - and God backs me up on this - that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. 18 They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself.  
So the truth is this - Don't follow those who are in the darkness any more.  Follow Christ and let His light shine through.  Then you will have some depth in your life and in your thinking, instead of being empty-minded.
What is luring you away from faithfully serving Christ?  Weigh it heavily and then get rid of it and your light will shine brighter than ever before and that is just the beginning.  Satan is a liar and it is his plan to snuf out all our lights.  Don't let Him do it.  Embrace the truth of Christ more and more as you live your life.  Let God "light you up!!"

The pilgrimage continues...


David Warren

Unfathomable

Unfathomable - unable to fully understand the extent of.....As we approach the celebration of Easter, I can't help but think about all that took place leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus.   Today is the observance by many of something called Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday.  This is the time during  Passion Week where Jesus set the example prior to the Lord's Supper, for what a true servant is supposed to be like.  He was on the verge of giving Himself to be crucified and taking on the sins of man, and His example of being a servant was about to ramp up considerably.   His last words to His disciples were filled with more than they could totally grasp, so I'm sure we would have trouble grasping them as well.  We see just the surface, but it's the depth of what we may not realize that can be looked at again and again, as God reveals more of Himself to us through His Word.  There is not a bottom to this pool, and the depth is more than we can handle, except we be fitted with a special breathing apparatus supplied by the Holy Spirit.  When we try to visualize what happened it is more than we can fully understand or appreciate, but just a glimpse causes us to fall on our knees in thanks and appreciation to the one and only Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Last summer I went diving in the lake at my sister-in-law's lake house with a snorkel and fins.  Of course, I was limited with the amount of oxygen I had at my disposal and my ears were limited because of the pressure in the deep water.  At one point I had to make a decision as to if I really wanted to see the deeper part of the lake or just kind of hang around in the middle and not have to feel the pressure of the depth.  I made a decision to go a bit deeper and even though it hurt, it was very much worth it.  I saw where the lake bottom changed and formed little valleys and crevices.  These were things I didn't even know existed when looking at the lake from the surface.  I just never knew because I never went any deeper.  I also saw ahead of me the depth that continued on down in the lake and realized I would never be able to go that deep and survive. It was inspiring and intimidating, much like studying deeper into the ways of God.  I think I sometimes pass on going deeper because it causes me to really have to think deeply about things that are far beyond me, so I stay on the surface and swim with everyone else.  There's nothing wrong with that, but my curiosity compels me to look for more.  Every year we attach a date on a calendar with something that impacted mankind for eternity, and we call it Easter.  This great act of a loving God to reach out to us has become to so many, a tradition, which is base level acknowledgement, so we don't forget it ever year.  But to those of us who know Christ, it is anything but "base level."  The death, burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ is our "life."  It is the moment that gave us our identity as human beings, or our existence.  For us to keep that one thing in mind is to dive a little deeper in the lake of forgiveness, where we will see just how the whole thing is put together.  It may cause some pressure on us that we have to work through as we live in this fallen world, but diving to the depth in understanding will show us things no one can see on the surface.  Of course, when we look closely at all that was accomplished through this act of love, we realize that it is totally unfathomable.....it's too deep to comprehend, but we know it is GOOD and we know it is GOD!!  When we come to that realization it causes the Easter "holiday" to become much more than a yearly thing, but a moment by moment thing.  The realization of what happened on the cross, the grave, and until right now at this moment takes on a whole new form that is lived every day in our lives.  The result of living that out causes us to be known as Christians or Christ-Like.  The effect of that jubilant, freedom living has it's effect in local churches as well.  When we worship our Lord in a service, it becomes an exhaling of all that below the surface relationship that is growing deeper and deeper as we learn more and more of the unfathomable love of God and our praise explodes out of that wisdom.  Our gratitude for life becomes a refreshing, daily walk that draws others to us to find out what is going on in our lives.  Dead end philosophies are replaced with open ended hope that is offered to all who come to Him.  Worldly, temporal allegiances become concrete foundational commitments that stand the test of time.  Church attendance becomes a mere shadow of a person's commitment to the Lord, as it is paled by Life Attendance at it's fullest expression.  We begin to look more and more like the one who defeated death, hell, and the grave and our world will never be the same.  Keep in mind, that even though we swim deeper and deeper in God's Grace, the depth is still more than we can ever reach or imagine and that is good.  Why?  Because it reaffirms our belief that God's resources are endless and beyond compare.    In John 13,  Jesus was speaking to the disciples about His betrayal and His crucifixion and they couldn't understand the depth of what He was doing and why He was doing it.  They didn't understand before, but they definitely understood after and Jesus spoke to this in verse 36 where he said to Peter, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later."  That was literal for Peter as he was also crucified for following Jesus himself.  But the depth of that commitment was generated by the teachings about being a servant from Jesus prior to the Last Supper.

So today I must ask myself, "what does the coming time of celebrating Easter mean to me right now?"  I believe it means He will show me once again just a glimpse of all that took place to fuel me for living out this faith today.  Passion Week, as we call it, becomes a time for each of us to realize His great love for us and compels us to dive deeper into our relationship with Jesus and learn the deep things that can only be learned by those who know Him.  We should never take this capability to see the deep things of God for granted and should you choose to dive deeper you will see things that people in surface faith never get to experience.  The lake is there waiting.  Take time to jump in and allow the Gospel to come alive in your life.  The Holy Spirit is waiting to show you the way.  Trust Him...His truths are unfathomable.....

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Baggage Carousel

I was remembering back to a time not so long ago when I traveled to a local airport to pick up a friend of mine.  Wanting to help them with their luggage made me very keen at the baggage claim carousel as the baggage from the flight was making it's rounds.  They told me they had two bags and so I was looking for at least a large one that couldn't go in an overhead and probably a smaller one that just happened to sneak in.  As the alert message above the baggage carousel came on and announced the luggage we were waiting for was on it's way, the old drill of looking over every piece to make sure we got the right ones began.  I am amazed at what people call luggage and the amount of tape you can put on a bag to make it work.  Some that were coming were works of art and some were proud representations of overpriced luggage companies.  The assortment was huge and then I spotted what I thought was my friends bag, but he nodded NO.  Finally he saw his bag, and I jumped into action and retrieved it and we were on our way.  Luggage, or what I like to call baggage is a pretty big ordeal.  If you don't stop to get your baggage, it will be thrown into an unclaimed area and you will be notified that you need to come and get it because it is in the way of other people moving around.  If they lose your baggage, you will have to file a claim to get it and that is so time consuming and frustrating.   If you pick up the wrong bag that is considered stealing, and you know the result of that mistake.  On the other hand, if you have a lot of baggage it gets very difficult to keep up with it as you go from place to place.  Baggage can be like, what the Bible calls, a millstone around your neck.  A millstone is something that is very heavy and it is heavy because it is designed to do one thing, crush corn into corn meal.  A millstone is not designed to carry around like a briefcase or anything that is lightweight and easy.  It is very difficult and it is out of character for one to be used for anything but crushing something.  So if baggage is like a millstone, then if we have any,  we are unnecessarily allowing ourselves to be burdened.  In the Christian life satan loves to heap on more and more baggage on each of us, so as to weigh us down and control us, and dominate us.  Jesus, on the other hand, tells us to take on His burden, which is light.  In Matthew 11:29 Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."    You may notice that when we take on the yoke of the Lord it isn't designed for just carrying something, it has direction and instruction as part of the deal.  No heavy millstone, just direction....  Now that's the kind of baggage a person can handle and actually grow from in the process.  I was talking to a friend of mine who is going through a very unfair type of situation and his attitude about just trusting God to help him through it is a good example of using baggage to teach us and give us wisdom.  If you have ever seen a yoke on an animal you will notice that reins are attached to it in order to control the one who is carrying the yoke.  Jesus offers us direction and instruction, but with a light load, as He directs our path.  The writer of Proverbs alluded to this in Proverbs 3:5,6 where it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;6 In all your ways acknowledge Him and, and He will make your paths straight."  How much are we supposed to trust in the Lord?  With all our heart!  Pretty cut and dried to me.  The yoke of the Lord will direct us and guide us to what is best  for us and that is because Jesus is at the helm of this ship we call "our life."  There will always be the tendency to look at the baggage carousel and pick up the wrong baggage that is too heavy and cumbersome, but wait for the right baggage that when you open up that bag you find everything you need for your "life journey."  satan's baggage is always going to be on that carousel, but don't pick it up.  It's not for you or me.  Be alert to what God is sending your way to help you and then pick up on what He is trying to show you.

Andra and I are in the middle of going a whole new direction in our lives and it is a little scary, but God is giving us pieces of luggage filled with things that will equip us to travel safely and confidently on this journey and the luggage is not heavy.  We do need to get the right luggage through.  Oh Yeah!!  We are at the baggage claim now and we are ready to claim that baggage that has our name on it and get on with our lives.  We are confident in God's direction and His strength to make this journey and be all He wants it to be.  It is different than what we might have planned, but what do we know?  Not much!  God knows what is best and we won't let the baggage of the enemy burden us into obscurity!  His vibrancy remains fresh and new in our lives and we want Him to guide our steps.  He will do it!!

The Pilgrimage continues......

David Warren

The Levels of Identity

I have been teaching a witnessing helps study entitled The Way of the Master for the past few weeks.  We get to watch videos of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron as they share how to get into a conversation about a relationship with Christ through using the Ten Commandments.  Basically, you ask a person if they have ever lied and when they say yes, you ask them what a person who lies is called and of course, they will say "a "liar."  When a person is identified at that level to be "known" as a liar it changes their whole perspective on what they do and who they think they are.  The questions move through other commandments like stealing, adultery, and using the Lord's name in vain.  You can tell that when a person admits they break one of the commandments it doesn't sound too bad, but when you share that they are what they did wrong it takes on a whole new level.  I stole becomes "you are a thief" and so on.  At one level the sin doesn't sound too bad, but when that sin becomes a person's identity, it seems so harsh and permanent.  In Matthew 5 Jesus brings a whole new level of sin identity into being by giving a lesson of reality to His listeners about the law and the spirit.  What we are known as is "who we are."  In other words, that is our IDENTITY.  In Matthew 7:21 Jesus further emphasized the identity thing by saying "Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter."  Our level of identity in our faith is found in the basic fulfillment of the Word of the Lord.  To just say I'm a Christian because I "go to church" or "live in a house with other Christians" or "I was raised in a Christian home" doesn't give us the identity of a Christian.  It is through faith we are saved and that "faith identity" throws us directly into the "will of the Father."  For too many Church goers, we think that since we do Christian things like carry a Bible, attend Bible Studies, or church, and try to be a good person most of the time that will be the level of faith God will allow for us to enter heaven.  That level of belief is mostly just identifying with Christ as a Savior.  Receiving His identity is a totally different thing though.  Our life changes from me being a Christian to becoming "Christ in Me!"  Thus, Christian.   We are to be found in Him and take on more and more of who Jesus is and shed less and less of my identity.  Identity's fruit is seen in our words and actions.  If we continue to sound like sinners,  and live in sin, then sin is our identity and that just doesn't work when we have Christ, the Son of God, in control of our life.  Our  Faith Identity begins a process that begins to change our wants and desires, and replaces them with the desire of the Father.  That is who we become and that is a Christian, a saved person, a changed person.  A new identity at a heavenly, spiritual level.  It gets kind of confusing for those who want to identify with Christ to realize that bowing to God's Way and Will is not a choice.  It is who they are.  It's not something that is forced on us, it is US!!  You may ask, "At what level is a person saved?"  Scripture says it is at the level of repentance and faith.  At that level we become a different person or Christ like in our core.  Core beliefs, core language, core direction, CORE!!!  At that level it sure makes sense when the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain!"  Christ becomes our life and that life is centered in Him and His purposes.  You know...WWJD, but for real.

You may say, "What's all this level stuff got to do with life?"  Our identity is who we are, or become over time and that shapes our present and our future.  All our hopes and dreams are rolled up in it and when it is found in Christ, He shapes it for His plan.  ALL IN!!

You know that your identity has changed when someone speaks about you, and instead of saying "you are a Christian" with a question mark, they say, "you are a Christian" with an exclamation mark, because that is your identity.  So, hold fast to that identity and guard it.  It really means something for eternity and for right now.  Philippians 2:16 "Holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain."  There is great purpose and value in the identity we have in Christ and that purpose is in line with Jehovah God!!! 

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

The Bigger They Are......

If you have ever read the story of David and Goliath you have seen that people tend to line up for battle behind their heroes.  These heroes are men that have been put in that standing by those who know how they have shown great courage, or done outstanding achievements, or shown great valor.  Goliath was put in this category by the Philistines and he challenged the Israelites, who at that time, were under the leadership of their first king, Saul.  Goliath kept calling out the Israelites and mocking their God and David got tired of hearing it and stepped up to challenge the great Giant.  King Saul tried to give him some battle armor for David to wear but David didn't want it, and he believed God for victory.  You know the end of the story.   David took a smooth stone and put it in his sling and hit Goliath in the head and Goliath fell to the ground.  1 Samuel 17:51 picks up the story as follows, "David ran and stood over him.  He took hold of the Philistines sword and drew it from the scabbard.  After he killed him , he cut off his head with the sword.  When the Philistines saw that their HERO was dead, they turned and ran."  Wow.  Bested by a boy.. What kind of hero can stand up against a powerful God working through His servant?  None.  God's power was shown through the stone of a young boy and David became a hero who was of a very small stature.  The God of the Israelites came through when they needed Him the most and He did it in a very grand fashion, so all would know it was Him and not a man, who had the true power.  He used David as a vessel to show His greatness and David was known as "a man after God's own heart."  How do you want to be known?  Hopefully in the same way.  There is no doubt we will all face our Goliaths in our lives and we will need the power of God to defeat them.  There is no doubt we will feel great fear in the face of the world's heroes, but stand fast, your God will give you strength.  Some of the foes you face may seem insurmountable and huge, but God is not into size, and His power is sufficient to win the battles in our lives.   The bigger they are, the harder they fall in the presence of Jehovah God.  You may not know now the weapon that God will use in you to fight your Goliaths, but you can be sure that with God empowering it, you will see victory.  The bigger the enemy, the more God's power will be shown, and that power will be enough!!  Just like the story of the two guys who were being chased by a bear.  The one guy said as he ran, "I hope I am faster than this bear."  The other guy said, "I just need to be faster than you!"  If you get the point, then you know what I mean.  God will come through with just enough of His power to defeat the Goliath's in your life.  The bigger the problem, the more of His power.  There was a very good distinction about David that accompanied him wherever he traveled.  He really trusted in God!!  He believed God could do what He said and David lived his life out of that faith.  I pray that I might be the same way and live in the security of following my hero, Jesus Christ.  He is the one who goes ahead of me and paves the way.  Praise God for our mighty conqueror, Jesus Christ.  Our cornerstone.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Innocent by Association

Matthew 12:46-50 - While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.  Someone, said to Him, Behold Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.  But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, Who is my mother and who are my brothers"  And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Behold My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."  I remember going to an outside Christian concert in Muscle Shoals a few years ago and some of the top bands in the country were playing.  A friend of mine was a drummer for one of the groups playing there and when he saw me in the audience motioned for me to come to a guarded area behind the stage.  He said, "Come back to the bus after our set and we can get together a talk."  The guard at the gate was listening to all this and my friend turned and said, "He's with me."  The guard proceeded to smile and acknowledge my validity as someone who was important too.  I went back out to the front area and listened to his band finish their song set and then proceeded to the "back" secure area for artists only.  As I approached the gate another guy saw me coming and moved to explain the rules, and at that time the guard who had met me earlier stepped up and said, "Hey, he's good.  He can come in."  The other guard immediately stepped back and opened the gate for me.  I was walking in the holy of holies.....The band area!"  My friend was in one of the busses and when he saw me came out to meet me and I went on their bus.  It was a "cool" thing to be acknowledged as being "with the band."  Why?  Because they were famous!  I was part of the group, in so many words.  I was a groupie with a security pass!!  It wasn't who I was, but who I knew that made this all happen.  I liked the feeling though and felt like I had credibility because I knew one of the band members.  Others saw me and thought, "Who is that guy?"  In reality I was a nobody, who did not play in the band or was not a part of doing anything to be a part of the fame they had acquired.  I just knew someone "in the band."  Had the guard just let anybody come in the gate, it would have minimized my credibility, by raising everyone else's.  The bar would have been lowered and taken some of the fame out of the whole thing.  Bummer!!  

We all want to be famous to a certain extent.  To feel the rush of those who are in the spotlight, and feel the fame of those who are thought to be famous.  When someone is in the spotlight for their accomplishments everyone runs to them.  But what about when they are in the spotlight for something that is thought to be bad.  No one wants to be around them.  That kind of fame runs their friends off at every level.  It was really this way with Jesus.  Oh, when He was healing the sick and doing other miracles and stating that He was the Son of God, Jesus had plenty of people wanting to ride His Fame Train.  It all changed though when they saw that this train was coming into persecution station and they were all a part of it.  Symbolically, Jesus accepting us will be the same way as when I went behind the gate because I knew the guy in the band.  Jesus will be at the gate and telling the guard, "he's with Me" and that will be a great time for those who have accepted Him.  That's for when we die, but what about in the meantime?  Jesus mother and brothers acknowledged they knew Him, even though His teachings had started to alienate some people, they still claimed Him.  He really went "big picture" on the crowd when He said, "You are my family, not just my mother and brothers.  You all are my mother and sister and brothers."  Jesus gave credence to all who were following him and associated with all of them and us as family.  He didn't lower the bar for the few though.  He actually raised the bar for all.  There is an old statement made about friendships and it says, "Guilty by association."  It means a person is guilty because he or she is associated with a person who is guilty.  For our forever family that statement means "innocent by association."  The other statement takes those who are innocent and associates them with guilt.  The statement taken from Christ' dying for us means those who are guilty are innocent because of of our relationship with Christ!  Thus, Innocent by Association.  Christ died that all may come to know Him as Lord and Savior and be a part of His family.   Christ knocked down the backstage fence and came out in the audience and associated with all of us and gave us the opportunity to associate with Him through His blood.  We are FAMILY!!!  In verse 50 Jesus makes a very strong statement  when He says, "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."  What does that mean?  Just what it says.  God sent Jesus to die for our sins and if we repent and give our life to Him, we are doing His Will.   It also means that our family tie with Him is above any other family tie we have in our life.  God's family is preeminent.  When we accept Christ, we have that family tug that draws us closer to that family relationship.  We become associated more closely with the family of God and that family is where we feel at home.  The only thing is this family closeness ties us to Christ in the good and the bad.  Remember, Peter was out there in front during the good days and denying Christ 3 times during the tough days.  I know I have denied Christ before and it eats at me because He is family and I should not be ashamed at all.  The bond we have with Christ has it's good days and bad days, but we should be willing to take both of them for family.  Years ago a high school girl in Columbine, Colorado was questioned as to whether she was part of this family or not by a guy holding a gun to her head.  She answered "yes" and was killed because of her association to Christ.  She was guilty to that killer by her association to Christ, but innocent eternally because of her family ties.  May we never deny Christ, and may we live a life that is vibrant and effective every day as we  lift up the Name of Jesus, in good times and in bad.  In the overall picture we must always remember that we are "Innocent by Association" and that is throughout eternity.  That is the BIG PICTURE and that picture is the one that counts.  Praise God He wasn't ashamed of me, even in my sin.  Romans 5:8  "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  INNOCENT BY ASSOCIATION

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren

Word Wars

Words are amazing things.  Words can build up or tear down.  Words can tell the truth or

lie.  Words have power to sway, but not to much power in reality.  It is with words that we put people in high regard and also with words we tear down their towers.  Words make terrible building materials, but great building dressings.  Words are how we communicate with each other and with the Lord.  God uses His Word to communicate with His children and His Word is powerful, and real, and true.  Our words are too many times hollow and quickly contrived and lacking power.  Paul knew this as he wrote to the church in Corinth and in Chapter 4 he further emphasizes the importance of being real and powerful.  Words don't necessarily bring power to a situation, but if power is already there the words spoken out of that power bring truth and reality to it.   The church at Corinth had been exaggerating what they had been doing and what was happening through their ministry and that was reported to Paul.  He hit it head on telling them that many of them were rich while he and other believers out in the field were poorly taken care of and wanting, but rich in spirit.  The church there had apparently accused Paul of using his gifts from them unwisely  and tried to call his hand about it.  Paul went on to tell them that they lived in the security of their home, while he and the other disciples lived as homeless, roughly treated people, without much, but the Gospel.  Paul sent Timothy to them to teach them again what it means to be a follower of Christ and to reaffirm his earlier teachings so they might get back in line in their thinking about those who had surrendered their lives to full time Christian service.  Paul doesn't avoid the subject, even though it deals with him getting support, but brings their thinking back in line with the power that comes from their support, both in spirit and in truth.  The church had some of their leaders getting arrogant about their position like Paul wasn't coming back to check on them, and he confirms that he is coming back and will be there soon.  He brings out the point that their words don't mean much to him, but God's power in their lives does.  In verse 20 of Chapter 4 he says, "For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power."  In this particular situation Paul is having to bring them up to speed in the area of "talk" and how "talk" can destroy or help.  I have been faced many times with "talk" and the putrid stench it can make when powerless and human induced.  Usually it begins as a prayer request and balloons to a full force lie over time and the destructive path it blazes leaves not only the one being talked about in shambles, but also those who get caught up in its path as well.  These words that have no real spiritual power can tear down the highest wall of protection in a committed person's life and replace it with doubt and despair, and thus make that person powerless.  In reality these words have no true power though and the end result is usually something less than what God wants.  Words......Just Words........ Paul goes on to tell them that they are going to hear it from him and in verse 21 asks them if they want their rebuke with a rod or with love and a spirit of gentleness?  This rebuke by Paul then moves on to a new level of accountability with him asking them about the reported immorality in the church.  You see, Paul knows if there is no power, then the words are powerless to help the cause of Christ also, but the reported sin in the church must be dealt with "since they brought it up."  Paul goes on to expose and bring to light the immorality in the church and that the source of the bad attitude brought on against him and the other disciples who were out doing the work of the Lord was birthed in lies and gossip.  Paul wasn't to blame, but the hurtful words that affected his support was brought on by the immorality in the church that was supporting him.  Thus the power of the gospel was hampered and compromised in their lives.  They wanted to talk about someone who was a long way off so they could not defend themselves, but Paul decided to go to their location, thus stopping the talk and setting into motion a kind of purging that dealt with the sin of the church head on.  It is a purging that included teaching on true service, marriage, divorce, and many other subjects that were painful at best.   All of this happened because of a War of Words.....the scenario might go like this. Someone would say "I heard that Paul and his companions are living it up and that they make more money than most of us."  He must really think he is something.  We need to cut back on their support because they are making way too much money."  In reality, Paul and his companions were not making a lot of money for what they needed to make and most of it went to expenses the people could never understand because they weren't walking in his shoes.  Paul would go straight to the source of the gossip and ask them to clarify who said what.  At that point no manner of avoidance would stop Paul from getting to the source.  He would probably find out that the source was someone who was living an immoral life and then he would expose their basis for accusation with truthful power.  The power of truth would have so much power that it would cause the situation to be fixed immediately, so as not to waste anymore time than had already been wasted.  The weak words were replaced with truth and the Word Wars were over.  Problem solved!!  I get the feeling that the boldness Paul had in getting Christians killed prior to his meeting Jesus, was replaced with a boldness to keep the truth the truth after meeting Jesus.  In other words, he didn't mince words!!!  "No, I'm not going to bring this up cause it may hurt their feelings" stuff.  Real truth....Head on!!

Why do we have Word Wars?  Because like the church at Corinth we have empowered immoral living people by putting them in positions of leadership and thus allowing their powerless words to gain power in making spiritual decisions.  Leadership mistakes always have power decreasing results.  So, a person who is being looked at for leadership needs to be qualified in every area, or you have got a problem.  That problem will almost always affect ministry and the lost being saved, so pray hard and live up front and real, because the effect is eternal.... Don't let feelings and popularity and position cause you to put someone in leadership.......EVER!!!  You will regret it when it's time to move forward.  Satan will use said person for his bidding and not God's if at all possible.  You do remember the name Judas don't you?  That didn't go so well either, so keep it real and follow God's Word, not man's when making decisions.  His Word has power and man's word is powerless.  In the case of word wars, God's Word will win every time if we use it.  If we give man's word the edge, anarchy and sin will be victorious.   This little blog will really make you look up  the next time someone says, "I give you my word."  Man's word cannot be trusted because there is no power in it.  God's Word has the power we live by and can always be trusted.   Go by God's Word.  It's called the Bible and it is a great standard for living life and doing church work and I believe we need to get back to it again if we are ever going to realize true power.  No more word wars, God's Word wins!!!

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Holy Spirit Gravity

Gravity - The force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. As believers there are a few things that we long for in our lives and pray for God to do in our life.  One of them is praying for the Holy Spirit to FALL!  I used to hear this and not know what it meant and then it happened in a service I was attending and I knew I wanted it to happen again and again.  What makes the Holy Spirit Fall?  There are numerous things that might happen to make Him become evident in a meeting or in a situation.  The first thing that makes it happen is "that's what God wants."  That is the most important one I can come up with, and God being in control is what makes it something that glorifies Him and Him alone.  I used to wonder, "If the Holy Spirit is falling, where is He falling from."  A place higher than us!!  We think of God being on what we call "a higher plane" and that higher plane is only reserved for the One who is holy, and of course, that is God!  But we pray for Holy Spirit Gravity that causes the Spirit to fall on those who are worshipping the Lord or preaching His Word, knowing that the effect will be something that is God induced, and thus God honoring.  In Acts 10 Peter was preaching to a group of people and his message was telling the truth about God, and Jesus, and how the whole thing was put into place.  In verse 41 he tells of his eye witness account of who Jesus is, and that he had eaten and drank with Him after He had defeated death.  He told of being commissioned to preach the Gospel as one who bears witness to Jesus being alive.  As He is preaching in verse 44, in the middle of his message, the Holy Spirit fell on those who were listening to the message. It was an amazing event and those who were there were amazed that God would choose to fall, and affect not only Jews, but the Gentiles who were there.  It caused Peter to say that "no one would keep these Gentiles from being baptized."  In Chapter 11 some of the apostles were skeptical and concerned that the Holy Spirit would fall on Gentiles, as well as Jews.  Of course God had prepared Peter to be able to deal with this because of an earlier vision He had given Peter about who could receive the Gospel and opened the door to reaching the Gentiles.  Up until that point the Gentiles were not considered able to receive salvation, but God had already shown Peter that ALL could receive Jesus.  So we can derive from this that the Holy Spirit falls on individuals when they are alone or in group settings.  In fact. when Peter saw the vision from God it showed God was preparing his heart for the work ahead.  The one thing I get from all this is that God has everything in order, so that when He does send the Holy Spirit, He comes with purpose and power.

We pray for the Holy Spirit to fall in our worship services every week, knowing that God is the one who controls that, and that it is for His glory, not ours.  Until God has a plan for it we don't see Him move, but we still long for a visitation from the Lord through His Spirit.  Why?  Because it gives us a sense of hope and assures our faith that God is still there and watching.  Of course, we know He is, but our faith needs these times of seeing God move to affirm it and strengthen it.  We know that when God shows up, lives are changed.  Some Christians are scared of God showing up through the Holy Spirit because they think things will get out of control.  In reality the only thing that will get out of control is our control on those things.  Our lack of faithfulness many times causes us to want to keep God at "arms length" and the movement of any Spirit from God would make us get real and get right.   

So, do you pray for the movement of the Holy Spirit?  If so, expect it to happen and know that God will direct it for His purpose and plan, and lives will be impacted in an incredible way.  WE all need a fresh touch from God, not that the first touch is getting stale, but maybe because we are getting comfortable with a faith we can control and understand.  If we can control it and understand it, then it may be more faith in ourselves than in God.  MAY IT NEVER BE SO!!!  God spoke very specifically to Peter and in sharing that vision in Chapter 11 verse 16 Peter says about a conversation with Jesus "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."  Then in verse 17  Peter shares a great word where he says, "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's Way."  I don't want to stand in God's Way when He is trying to move and you shouldn't either.  Let the Holy Spirit change our lives by falling under the power of His Holy Spirit and may the Holy Spirit Gravity cause Him to come and fall on my life and on churches all over our land.  We need God to be the center of our world and the center of our thinking and that will attract the Holy Spirit to us.  God must be at the core of who we are and what we want in this Holly Spirit Gravity. When it happens He will shake up our world and draw us closer to God.  One thing is for sure We need it!!!  I hope we are all attracted to the power of God moving in our lives.

The Pilgrimage continues....

David Warren

Innerspace

Back in 1987 a movie came out entitled Innerspace. It was so long ago that even Dennis Quaid was young.  In this movie scientists had figured out how to shrink a person and put them in another person's body for scientific research, etc.  The comic relief of this movie was Martin Short ingesting a micro-sized Dennis Quaid and going through a series of hilarious scenes where some bad guys were trying to kill Quaid.  One of the scenes that caught my eye the most was when Quaid's character ended up at the cerebral cortex of Martin Short's character and he started talking to him from his little micro ship.  It was really a cool concept that he could communicate with the guy's mind by being positioned in an area where communication was possible.  He was in Innerspace!!  He could actually tell him where to go and what to do while in this area of the body and Short's character's steps were being guided by Quaid's instruction.  Is this new science to believers?  No!  We know all about communication on the inside and how God speaks to us through events, His Word, and impressions given to us by the Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us.  If you say this to an unbeliever they will look at you funny and say, "Yeah right!"  But we know that God communicates with us in our Innerspace and that the end result is Him leading us through the passages of life while He guides us.  If we were going to produce a movie that told how this happened it would probably be a little too anticlimactic for most.  In 1 Kings 19 the prophet Elijah found himself in what he thought was a tough spot.  He had just showed God's mighty power against the priests of Baal and God poured down power from heaven in an awesome way!!  He proceeded to kill all the priests of Baal after that great showing of God's Power and then it happened.  He started doubting God and became so afraid of Jezebel that he went and hid in the wilderness.  Now get this.  He had just called down fire from heaven and had slain the priests of Baal, and Jezebel threatens to do the same to him and he runs away scared?  Wow!  This is starting to sound like me from time to time.  I see God do something great and then doubt him in the smallest of things.   In 1 Kings 19:4, Elijah has run out into the wilderness and requested that he himself might die.  In fact he says to God, "It is enough; now, O Lord take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."  What did God do?  When Elijah went to sleep under a Juniper tree an angel touched him and told him to get up and eat and cooked some bread for him and had a jar of water also.  He ate and went back to sleep and then the angel touched him again and told him to get up and eat because the journey was going to be too great for him.  Elijah got up and ate and drank get this, "went in the strength of that food for forty days and nights and ended up at Horeb, the mountain of God.  Elijah went to a cave and camped there and God came to him and said in verse 9 "what are you doing here, Elijah?"  Elijah explained the whole thing to God and God told him to go stand on the mountain before the Lord.  Here's what happens next:  A great wind that was strong enough to break rocks came through, but the Lord wasn't in the wind, and after the wind a great earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire, but God wasn't in the fire.  Then a gentle voice called out to Elijah and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He told God the whole story again and God replied by saying for him to go and appoint Elisha as prophet to replace him.  It was from that moment on that Elisha ministered to Elijah.

How does God speak to us?  How does He communicate His will and His direction to us?  He speaks through His Word, and through the way He leads us in our prayer times.  When we grow closer to God through His Word we start to get impressions given to us by God and direction is also given with a spirit of discernment.  This spirit doesn't come immediately, but through time and growth in the Lord it does come to us and it is like an exercise for our senses.  The writer of Hebrews said in Chapter 5 verse 14, "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."  That still, small voice that Elijah heard is the same voice that speaks to us today, not necessarily through wind, earthquakes, and fire, but through the perception that God gives us through the Holy Spirit.  It would stand to reason that if you want to hear that voice more and more, we all need to grow more and more closer to God so we can know when it is Him who is speaking.  Where does He speak?  In our Innerspace.  It's that place you cannot explain, but just know is there when He speaks.  It is a very individual and wonderful voice that you can never forget and long for day after day.  It is the voice of God!

Everything we are to do or be should come from who Christ is on our inside.  Our personal relationship with Him is just that...personal.  No one else has the same relationship, even though many parts of this relationship resemble what others have in their life.  But, once again, it is very personal to each of us.  Why did God minister to a running, scared Elijah?  Because he personally knew what Elijah needed and ministered to him at his core.  Do you have that kind of relationship with the Lord on the inside?  You can, and really, you must!  True victory on a daily basis in following God depends on it and the only way to it is through deepening your personal time with God.  You need to let Him get at your cerebral cortex and start telling you how to live your life and where to go in your service for Him.  If you will do this He will start to show you great and mighty things that you never thought possible and then He will build on that again and again until you recognize His voice, His gentle loving voice, every time.  Let Him get in your Innerspace today and start listening.  He's speaking, but perhaps your ear volume is just turned down.  He is speaking so we can speak to others as well.  1 Thessalonians 2:4  But as we have been approved by God, to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who test our hearts."  Allow God to speak to your heart from that personal relationship with Him and then speak His truth to others.  It's amazing how much God wants to speak to children, but His children need to have our ears tuned in so we can hear Him.

The Pilgrimage continues.....

David Warren