Monday, January 10, 2005
Journal Entry 1-10
We've started reading John Bevere's Christian devotional Drawing Near and as part of that I'm keeping a daily journal. I'll be posting my entries for any who are interested.
I was considering in my prayer time today what prevents me from "drawing near" to God and having intimate time with Him. I've certainly had the experience in the past, but it has always been haphazard.
I though about how on Mt Sinai the Israelites [Ex 19,20] became afraid of God and asked Moses to be an intermediary. As a Christian, I don't have that excuse, instead of in fire, smoke and loud noises, God came down as a baby since then.
The more honest answer is that what stands in the way is my flesh. This too is a cop out. I had the revelation recently that is entirely possible to be miserable in the flesh and still be rejoicing in the spirit. This explains how a woman can look back sentimentally on the birth of a child when in fact she was in agony. The spirit, when it breaks through always trumps the flesh.
The little I've been reading so far of Watchman Nee's Spiritual Man has also helped. Some would make the absurd claim that we are only bodies. Most, at least after some thought would say that we are flesh and something less material involving emotions and intellect. In fact we are body, soul [thoughts, emotions, will] and spirit. I don't want to digress too much into an involved discussion of this, but our being is in our souls, which can choose between flesh and spirit. We were designed to choose spirit, but rarely do and therein lies the rub.
So as I'm trying to spend a mere 20 minutes with God, all manner of carnal distractions have to be taken captive. I did actually have a few precious minutes in His Presence, and even then it was a struggle to maintain. John Bevere points out that when we are called to pray without ceasing, it is supposed to be a dialog with God that goes on all day. That's the point of this study. All the rest is about how to do that.
I was considering in my prayer time today what prevents me from "drawing near" to God and having intimate time with Him. I've certainly had the experience in the past, but it has always been haphazard.
I though about how on Mt Sinai the Israelites [Ex 19,20] became afraid of God and asked Moses to be an intermediary. As a Christian, I don't have that excuse, instead of in fire, smoke and loud noises, God came down as a baby since then.
The more honest answer is that what stands in the way is my flesh. This too is a cop out. I had the revelation recently that is entirely possible to be miserable in the flesh and still be rejoicing in the spirit. This explains how a woman can look back sentimentally on the birth of a child when in fact she was in agony. The spirit, when it breaks through always trumps the flesh.
The little I've been reading so far of Watchman Nee's Spiritual Man has also helped. Some would make the absurd claim that we are only bodies. Most, at least after some thought would say that we are flesh and something less material involving emotions and intellect. In fact we are body, soul [thoughts, emotions, will] and spirit. I don't want to digress too much into an involved discussion of this, but our being is in our souls, which can choose between flesh and spirit. We were designed to choose spirit, but rarely do and therein lies the rub.
So as I'm trying to spend a mere 20 minutes with God, all manner of carnal distractions have to be taken captive. I did actually have a few precious minutes in His Presence, and even then it was a struggle to maintain. John Bevere points out that when we are called to pray without ceasing, it is supposed to be a dialog with God that goes on all day. That's the point of this study. All the rest is about how to do that.
papijoe 6:51 AM
|