My Spotless Mind

I woke up this morning so it's already a good day. When I wake up every morning, the first thought is always about me. It may be how I feel, or what I was dreaming, or something like that. I'm talking about that very first thought when I am conscious. From that point, I have to reduce my self-consciousness and remember God.

I don't like waking up alone. I am single, but that's because I had chosen to marry someone who did not love God. I didn't understand that no one could really love me if they didn't love God. I have always known what I wanted. Now, finally, I realize what I need.

I am not a preacher. There have been times in my life that others may have even wondered if I even knew God. I have come to a point in my life where I understand that pain is anywhere in my life where God is not.

Sometime last year I had been reading my spiritual text and I realized that all of it was about relationships. My chosen text is the Bible. I have formally studied all major religions, their histories and current states. I choose to be Christian. I know that this is not everyone's choice, and that's not really my concern. As my mentor put to me last year, the source of my pain was always because of my separation from God.

All the stories and teaching I have been reading has to do with the relationship between God and me, God and others, God and this earth, along with the angels whether or not they had fallen. And then there were stories about relationships between people and everything else we call reality, both seen and unseen. I believe that when I began to see and understand these relationship stories I began to wake up.

My mentor and I do not have the same religious beliefs. He taught me not to be religious. We share a strong belief in spirituality. My salvation from the pain of living came when I learned how to embrace spirituality. When this happened, I learned how to love. I learned humility, and when that gets out of whack, I have to remember something simple. How long can I hold my own pee? I am not in control of anything.

God is in control. It follows that for me to have a relationship, whether it is friends, family, or a partner, then God will have to be in control to be able to relieve the inevitable pains that we bring each other. Remember I started by saying that any part of my life where God does not live brings me pain. I am allergic to pain.

I need love. I need God. And I need you. How God operates in any of my relationships is up to the three of us. Without those three ingredients our recipe is incomplete and who knows what we'll cook up. However, if God is the center of us, then when we look into each other's eyes, as lovers, as friends, and/or as family, then we will always see home when we need to. Anything else is superficial.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hos 4:6)

As a minister of the Gospel, I have met, and have been introduced to, many a fine person. I myself, have been poor, rich(at times), having much, and having little. I have had all that I desired, and lost everything that I had worked for. I have been called a saint and a sinner. I have had no home, but now God has settled me. I have been cold, to the point of shivering, and have been alone, with no helper. I have known pleasure, and pain, sorrow and joy, hope and despair, hunger and filled. So I have learned over the years to be all things to all men. For I know the state of many, and how they feel toward all manner of life. I have had three heart attacks, and have been pronounced dead once. I have had cancer, but was cured by God. I have been ignorant, and wise. I have been blind, and with sight, I have been strong, but yet week. I was lost, but now I am saved. I have learned in my lifetime how to be bold, and humble. I have learned that for lack of knowledge many are destroyed, for as Paul stated, I have learned to be content in what ever state of life I am in.

For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.(1Co 9:19-22)

For me, knowing much about anything, is a blessing from God. I know much about little, but am still learning, and have endured many hardships.
For in this, I can understand many, and communicate with knowledge.
For a man to teach faith, he must have faith. For a man to teach trust, he must have learned, to trust. For a man to teach patience, he must have patience.
For a man to receive forgiveness, he, himself, must learn to forgive.
For though I be free from all men,(Free in the body, and choice.) yet have I made myself servant(Servant in the Gospel.) unto all(That will listen.), that I might gain the more.(That I might gain those that are lost for Christ.)
To some, my life , is rich, to others, my life is poor. Its all a matter of whom you ask, and how they perceive me.
Jesus was poor, but had all thing, He was alone, but never without the Father. He was hungry, but not without substance. He gave all He had, to gain the world.

And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. I had to understand their ways, and laws, to insight them to learn about the Messiah. I had to learn, and come to love them as my brothers and sisters, though I was not of the House of Israel.
To them that are under the law, I had to learn the law, understanding why they have held onto their belief.
To them that are without law, being still under the judgment of God, to show them a better way, a better life and, a better covenant.
For I had to remember that at one time, I myself, was without law or obedience to no man. For at one time, we all worshiped devils and not God. This is fact and I lie not.

To the weak became I as weak, knowing how they feel, for at time, still today, I have known weakness, in body but not spirit. For as it is written, "The body is weak but the spirit is willing." I can climb the highest mountains, swim the deepest seas, fly threw the heavens as an eagle, but only in spirit. For what the spirit can do, the body is unable to preform. This is the lesson that mankind must learn before it is too late. For this body must die, but the spirit is eternal.

I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. To those that are learned, I myself, am also learned. To those that are rich, I also am rich(Not as this world considers richness.) To those that are poor, I myself am poor(Understanding their life, for at times I was poor.)
To those with infirmities, I have also been gravely ill, there-by understanding their hopelessness and despair.
For those of a different language, I have been given tools to communicate with them.
For by knowing death, I can sympathize with those that loose loved ones.
Though this spirit is held in this body of flesh, it can still become all things to all men, there-by understanding all.
Do I hate? Yes, but not as this world hates, for I am in the world, but not of the world.
Does God hate? Yes, but only unrighteousness and sin. Is there an easy way to become all thing to all men? No, for this action must come from the spirit, and not of the body. Though a man know all languages and manner of life, without guidance, from God, he is still a tinkling symbol and a house of glass.

We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. (Rom 15:1)
I am a success to some, and a failure to others.
I may be nothing to man, but I am a Servant to God. For do I try to please men or God? I am made all things to all men, not to please them, but rather to inform them of the righteousness and forgiveness of God.
For I cannot compromise my position(as an adopted Son of the most High.) with God to please men. For within men is no righteousness to be found. Ars.

There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight." ~ Numbers 13:33 (NKJV).

The Israelites were like grasshoppers in their own sight.

When problems come against us, most of the time, we cower underneath them. They look as if they are giants towering over us, too big for us to handle.

How did David defeat Goliath who was much taller, bigger and stronger than David, a mere shepherd boy?

David told Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." (I Samuel 17:45 NKJV).

Just like David, we have a secret weapon. We are not to do things in our lives in our own strength. Instead we are to do them in God's.

We are soldiers in the army of Almighty God. We are to fight our battles on His authority, not on ours.

When we fight in our authority, we become overwhelmed, frustrated and ready to give up. On His authority, though, just like in David's case, it takes only one smooth stone to knock out the giants in our lives.

Our sword is not a physical sword, such as the one Goliath used. No, our sword is the Word of God.

The Word of God, the Bible, is inspired by God Himself. Ephesians 6 calls it our Sword of the Spirit. It is alive and powerful and stronger than any two-edged sword.

We have to speak the Word of God to our mountains--the problems in our lives. We can't complain about them. We can't worry about them. Neither of those cause the mountian to fall or the problems to cease. We have to wield the Word of God at our problems.

We need to find Scriptures concerning our problems, then pick out up to five of them. Then we have to speak those Scriptures to our problems.

The more we speak the Word to them, the more we chip away at the problems. As we chip away at them with the Word, the smaller they becomes until it is non-existent because the Word of God and our faith are growing bigger in our lives than the problems.

We don't need a sword made of metal. All we need is the Sword of the Spirit--the Word of God.

All too often it seems that people go to God in order to get what He can provide for them rather than simply having a loving relationship. But this is not new as we can see in the Gospel of John.

John 6:24-27: When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Christ knew that they were not there to learn more about God; they just wanted more miracles. They were not seeking him with their heart; they just wanted to be fed. In light of this there is a very interesting verse recorded earlier in the Gospel of John.

John 4:23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

Very few were seeking God, but He was seeking those who would want to worship Him. It seems that people want God's peace, the blessings of health, prosperity and protection. But all too often they look to get these things of God and forget about God Himself. He is more than willing to give us all that we need if we simply come to Him.

Matthew 6:31-33: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

God says to seek Him and all that He has is ours. The Gentiles had to worry about food, clothing and shelter because they did not have a heavenly Father that would take care of them; but for us, there are no worries when we have a heavenly Father Who cares.

Why look for just the "things of God" when you can have God Himself? Those who only wanted part of God were warned.

Jeremiah 2:13: For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

Why settle for just a cistern of water (a vessel to put water in and walk away) when you can live at the fountain of living waters? He has already told us that He seeks those who will worship Him. The word "seek" means to strive to find, to ask after, to inquire and it shows intensity and effort. We should be as eager to seek Him as He is to seek us.

Even when the Children of Israel turned away, God was willing to take them back if they would just reach out and seek Him. How could anyone not want to seek such a loving God?

There is a wonderful record in the Gospel of Luke that once again describes the depth of seeking that we should have.

Luke 2:43-49: And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it. But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day's journey; and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? If you were a parent, would you be seeking your lost child with your whole heart? This is the same word "seek" that refers to us seeking God and God seeking those to worship Him. As truly wonderful as our God is, we should seek Him daily with all our hearts so that we can know Him, love Him and worship Him.

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