Hi all,
Years ago I was the Executive Director of a large Bible school and loved to visit with the students. Classes ran from 8am until 12 noon, after which the office would usually have a couple of students who wanted to talk to me. Very often I would not be able to have lunch until 2 (14:00) or later because one student could take 2 hours or more pouring out their heart seeking advice, wisdom, prayer, or a word from the Lord.
One day my secretary thought I was spending too much time with students and made this observation:"You know John, these students come in here and take up an hour or two of your time, and that time could be spent on bigger things. Remember, they are usually making minimum wage, so they think 1 hour of your time is the same as 1 hour of their time. But 1 hour of your time affects hundreds or thousands of people. Maybe we can put some time limits to them?"
Her point was taken:Human nature values 1 hour of someone else's time according to how we value 1 hour of our time.
I'm not suggesting we limit our time in prayer because 1 hour of the Lord's time is worth so much more than 1 hour of our time. What I'm looking at is how we measure our love for the Lord. Do we love and value Him for what He can do for us? Do we love Him because we want Him to make us wealthy? Do we value Him for whatever need is most urgent in our lives at this moment? Or do we just love Him purely from our spirit with no ulterior motives?
I've seen Christians lead very sinful lives then wonder why He doesn't act on their behalf. I've seen people go deep in worship but then turn around and watch a movie filled with curse words and using the Lord's name in vain, then wonder why they can't hear His voice. I've seen Christians who use His name in vain, exclaiming 'Oh my God' and then wonder why they aren't sensitive to His leading and direction. If we don't sense that grievance when we sin, how can we expect to sense His presence and direction in our spirit?
A real evaluation of our hearts. Jesus said this in Mark 4:24:
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “The value you assign will be the value used to measure it back to you, and even more."
In modern English we might say:"Look carefully at what you hear. By your own standard of measurement it will be measured back to you..."
Jesus had shared the parable of the sower which detailed different types of the human heart as seen by types of soil the Word finds when planted in one's heart:Stony ground, some soil and some rocks, good soil but overgrown with weeds, and good ground that produces a full crop. Jesus followed that parable by instructing the value you place on Him is how He measures Himself back to you.
"With our mouths we bless Him, with our lives we confess Him." (From the hymn:Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.)
Years ago a very visible leader in church was telling me in glowing detail about a movie he had watched and loved - yes it was carnal and used the Lord's name in vain several times, but he told me:"But the filming was so beautiful and the locations so stunning." I was amazed he valued the beauty of the filming and locations over the use of our Lord's name in vain. To me, Jesus and the Father are my best friends, so what offends them offends my spirit.
I wouldn't voluntarily sit for 2 hours listening to someone curse my mother or father as they tell their story. I would either stop them, end their narration, or leave. Why would I voluntarily pay money to watch something that insults my Lord, which I sense as a grievance in my spirit. If I were to do that would my complaint that He isn't speaking to me be a righteous complaint? No.
Let me bring Mark 4:24 home:The value you place on the Lord is how the Lord measures Himself back to you.
That said, when we are young in the Lord the things I'm saying here are challenges of growth in Christ. He looks at us as immature babies or little children, spiritually speaking. I have been guilty in the first few years of knowing Him sitting through movies with curse words that grieved my spirit like a sting of a bee when I heard them, but continued to sit and watch the movie. Guilty as charged. But I was growing, and soon valued not grieving my spirit more than I valued whatever movie or show I might watch.
When you value sensing the presence of the Lord in your spirit 24/7 you will find temptations lose their grip over you. I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, just ask my wife, lol. But I did reach a point years ago that I value His presence in me to the point I rejected anything, anyone, any minister, any temptation that would threaten the purity of His presence in me. I'm not perfect, but my motives are pure towards people, and if I grieve my spirit, which happens when the Holy Spirit who is Truth, is grieved, I want to know what I did, what I said, and ask forgiveness. Value that fellowship and presence you have in your spirit above all else - and that is a process in which even Paul said he did not think he had attained. But he wrote he forgets the past and press on towards the high mark of the invitation of the Lord Jesus.
The Word has the final say
Once we have established what and who we truly value the most - His presence inside of us that we sense 24/7 - it means the Word of God has the final authority. Together, Word and Spirit in agreement is how we live.
I first realized I was valuing the Word and Spirit above my experience when I was 17 seeking the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I had read books ranging from people who didn't believe in tongues to well known charismatics, and so filled my head with the opinions of others that God's opinion got lost in my mental clutter. Finally I laid all the books down, separated myself from all of that, and returned to a child-like faith by reading and believing Acts as it was written. I valued God's opinion in His Word above all others.
When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, they spoke in tongues. When Peter and John arrived in Samaria in Acts 8 to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues. When the Holy Spirit came on the Roman Cornelius and his family and household, they spoke in tongues in Acts 10. When Paul laid hands on the dozen men at Ephesus in Acts 19, they spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Spirit.
I realized to that point I had valued my experience above God's Word and Spirit. I repented, realizing my issue was unbelief not lack of faith. I had been saying 'I prayed for the Holy Spirit but didn't get it' and 'They laid hands on me to receive the Holy Spirit but the Lord didn't give it to me' and 'Nothing happened so I didn't get it' and more. I laid that aside, and started valuing God's Word and Spirit above all else and simply said; "They laid hands on me to receive the Holy Spirit, so I did. The Holy Spirit is already here on the earth, there isn't anything for the Lord to really do in the matter, so I have received." As we 4 teenagers sat on the grass in a circle holding hands, I did start to see when my eyes were closed, letters and syllables coming to mind and they said to speak those out as I worshipped...and I did, and I did at that point finally receive the Holy Spirit.
The value we place on Him is how He measures Himself back to us. If we say we don't want the Holy Spirit then He won't push it - you will remain born again, your spirit having been recreated by His Spirit, but He won't insist on going further - if your value is tongues and miracles are past, then He meets you there - the value you place on Him is how He measures Himself back to you.
I remember reading the book 'Like a Mighty Wind' by Mel Tari
I shook hands with him in the late 19870's after hearing his testimony. He saw amazing miracles from the Lord during a revival in Indonesia in the 1960's. One experience was the Lord told a group to go to a particular village to tell them about Jesus. On the way a river they had to cross was swollen to flood stage with seasonal rains, and no bridge for miles. They stopped, not knowing what to do. But then they realized that the Lord certainly knew of the river when He gave them the command, so they would believe Him more than they believed the swollen river waters before them. One of them stepped into the water, and found his foot firmly on top of the water. Then another step, then another, then the whole group walked on the water across the river to continue their journey.
They had a command, a revelation from the Lord to go to a village, and because they valued His command to them above their experience and what their eyes saw, they walked on water miraculously. The value you place on the Word and Spirit is the same value He measures Himself back to you. It all starts with a personal revelation, a personal examination of the heart and perhaps, a rearrangement or even repentance to reset one's child-like faith.
This is a bit longer than normal, but hope leads to a new valuation of the things of the Lord. New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
Years ago I was the Executive Director of a large Bible school and loved to visit with the students. Classes ran from 8am until 12 noon, after which the office would usually have a couple of students who wanted to talk to me. Very often I would not be able to have lunch until 2 (14:00) or later because one student could take 2 hours or more pouring out their heart seeking advice, wisdom, prayer, or a word from the Lord.
One day my secretary thought I was spending too much time with students and made this observation:"You know John, these students come in here and take up an hour or two of your time, and that time could be spent on bigger things. Remember, they are usually making minimum wage, so they think 1 hour of your time is the same as 1 hour of their time. But 1 hour of your time affects hundreds or thousands of people. Maybe we can put some time limits to them?"
Her point was taken:Human nature values 1 hour of someone else's time according to how we value 1 hour of our time.
I'm not suggesting we limit our time in prayer because 1 hour of the Lord's time is worth so much more than 1 hour of our time. What I'm looking at is how we measure our love for the Lord. Do we love and value Him for what He can do for us? Do we love Him because we want Him to make us wealthy? Do we value Him for whatever need is most urgent in our lives at this moment? Or do we just love Him purely from our spirit with no ulterior motives?
I've seen Christians lead very sinful lives then wonder why He doesn't act on their behalf. I've seen people go deep in worship but then turn around and watch a movie filled with curse words and using the Lord's name in vain, then wonder why they can't hear His voice. I've seen Christians who use His name in vain, exclaiming 'Oh my God' and then wonder why they aren't sensitive to His leading and direction. If we don't sense that grievance when we sin, how can we expect to sense His presence and direction in our spirit?
A real evaluation of our hearts. Jesus said this in Mark 4:24:
“Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “The value you assign will be the value used to measure it back to you, and even more."
In modern English we might say:"Look carefully at what you hear. By your own standard of measurement it will be measured back to you..."
Jesus had shared the parable of the sower which detailed different types of the human heart as seen by types of soil the Word finds when planted in one's heart:Stony ground, some soil and some rocks, good soil but overgrown with weeds, and good ground that produces a full crop. Jesus followed that parable by instructing the value you place on Him is how He measures Himself back to you.
"With our mouths we bless Him, with our lives we confess Him." (From the hymn:Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.)
Years ago a very visible leader in church was telling me in glowing detail about a movie he had watched and loved - yes it was carnal and used the Lord's name in vain several times, but he told me:"But the filming was so beautiful and the locations so stunning." I was amazed he valued the beauty of the filming and locations over the use of our Lord's name in vain. To me, Jesus and the Father are my best friends, so what offends them offends my spirit.
I wouldn't voluntarily sit for 2 hours listening to someone curse my mother or father as they tell their story. I would either stop them, end their narration, or leave. Why would I voluntarily pay money to watch something that insults my Lord, which I sense as a grievance in my spirit. If I were to do that would my complaint that He isn't speaking to me be a righteous complaint? No.
Let me bring Mark 4:24 home:The value you place on the Lord is how the Lord measures Himself back to you.
That said, when we are young in the Lord the things I'm saying here are challenges of growth in Christ. He looks at us as immature babies or little children, spiritually speaking. I have been guilty in the first few years of knowing Him sitting through movies with curse words that grieved my spirit like a sting of a bee when I heard them, but continued to sit and watch the movie. Guilty as charged. But I was growing, and soon valued not grieving my spirit more than I valued whatever movie or show I might watch.
When you value sensing the presence of the Lord in your spirit 24/7 you will find temptations lose their grip over you. I am not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, just ask my wife, lol. But I did reach a point years ago that I value His presence in me to the point I rejected anything, anyone, any minister, any temptation that would threaten the purity of His presence in me. I'm not perfect, but my motives are pure towards people, and if I grieve my spirit, which happens when the Holy Spirit who is Truth, is grieved, I want to know what I did, what I said, and ask forgiveness. Value that fellowship and presence you have in your spirit above all else - and that is a process in which even Paul said he did not think he had attained. But he wrote he forgets the past and press on towards the high mark of the invitation of the Lord Jesus.
The Word has the final say
Once we have established what and who we truly value the most - His presence inside of us that we sense 24/7 - it means the Word of God has the final authority. Together, Word and Spirit in agreement is how we live.
I first realized I was valuing the Word and Spirit above my experience when I was 17 seeking the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I had read books ranging from people who didn't believe in tongues to well known charismatics, and so filled my head with the opinions of others that God's opinion got lost in my mental clutter. Finally I laid all the books down, separated myself from all of that, and returned to a child-like faith by reading and believing Acts as it was written. I valued God's opinion in His Word above all others.
When the Holy Spirit came in Acts 2, they spoke in tongues. When Peter and John arrived in Samaria in Acts 8 to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit, they spoke in tongues. When the Holy Spirit came on the Roman Cornelius and his family and household, they spoke in tongues in Acts 10. When Paul laid hands on the dozen men at Ephesus in Acts 19, they spoke in tongues when they received the Holy Spirit.
I realized to that point I had valued my experience above God's Word and Spirit. I repented, realizing my issue was unbelief not lack of faith. I had been saying 'I prayed for the Holy Spirit but didn't get it' and 'They laid hands on me to receive the Holy Spirit but the Lord didn't give it to me' and 'Nothing happened so I didn't get it' and more. I laid that aside, and started valuing God's Word and Spirit above all else and simply said; "They laid hands on me to receive the Holy Spirit, so I did. The Holy Spirit is already here on the earth, there isn't anything for the Lord to really do in the matter, so I have received." As we 4 teenagers sat on the grass in a circle holding hands, I did start to see when my eyes were closed, letters and syllables coming to mind and they said to speak those out as I worshipped...and I did, and I did at that point finally receive the Holy Spirit.
The value we place on Him is how He measures Himself back to us. If we say we don't want the Holy Spirit then He won't push it - you will remain born again, your spirit having been recreated by His Spirit, but He won't insist on going further - if your value is tongues and miracles are past, then He meets you there - the value you place on Him is how He measures Himself back to you.
I remember reading the book 'Like a Mighty Wind' by Mel Tari
I shook hands with him in the late 19870's after hearing his testimony. He saw amazing miracles from the Lord during a revival in Indonesia in the 1960's. One experience was the Lord told a group to go to a particular village to tell them about Jesus. On the way a river they had to cross was swollen to flood stage with seasonal rains, and no bridge for miles. They stopped, not knowing what to do. But then they realized that the Lord certainly knew of the river when He gave them the command, so they would believe Him more than they believed the swollen river waters before them. One of them stepped into the water, and found his foot firmly on top of the water. Then another step, then another, then the whole group walked on the water across the river to continue their journey.
They had a command, a revelation from the Lord to go to a village, and because they valued His command to them above their experience and what their eyes saw, they walked on water miraculously. The value you place on the Word and Spirit is the same value He measures Himself back to you. It all starts with a personal revelation, a personal examination of the heart and perhaps, a rearrangement or even repentance to reset one's child-like faith.
This is a bit longer than normal, but hope leads to a new valuation of the things of the Lord. New subject next week, until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected]
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