the most important thing

Once upon a time, I went to a church meeting & heard a visiting speaker share some teaching. One of the teaching points he made irked me so I couldn't absorb much of the rest of the message. I was too busy filtering it through the incessant thought that he had said something awry and was determined to talk to him about it.

Before that actually happened, this man singled me out with a public prophetic word. I was taken aback but ready to hear. What he spoke amazed me! He shared a brief word of encouragement about my identity that zeroed in on a particular situation I had been struggling with for weeks that involved my church. Until that point, that dilemma seemed to have no clear resolution or way out.

I had lost sleep over this matter and wondered how it could possibly be resolved satisfactorily. Yet remarkably, the Holy Spirit addressed the problem through this man in a moment, bringing complete closure to what seemed unfixable! Many in the room were amazed too because they were also visiting from my church, so his words put the issue to rest for them as well.

I learned a few things that day:

1) God is a Mighty Warrior King.

I once had a prophecy that God would reveal Himself increasingly in this way yet I didn't really know what this meant. I was accustomed to trying to do the right thing for God and to stand up for Him in a situation. I figured the church issue I had been dealing with for weeks was something I had to 'raggle taggle' with, using my words, my hands, my messy struggle... to resolve it. I was ready to approach this visitor in the same manner with the mindset of bringing truth. The prophecy encounter I had through this leader showed me that my dad is a Mighty Warrior King who works on my behalf. What does this look like in relation to a finished/completed work in the cross?

The way I've been directed lately... Christ, who sits at the Right hand of God, is interceding on our behalf.

Romans 8:34

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

I don't believe Jesus' rest is that of reserved distance but rather, intimate loving involvement with us at all times (this deserves a blog itself as Abba brings more light to this for me). Jesus is in us and we are in Him. He is not outside of our experience, struggles, etc... yet He is at rest, He is laughing, He is with is... and He is totally victorious no matter how it looks in the moment! I am reminded of John Crowder here. Crowder speaks about the many more works his ministry accomplishes simply from living out of rest and how the Spirit works mightily through each of us, accomplishing/producing far more through us than by our own struggle & strife.

Spiritual rest, inside out, is our inheritance, whether we are lying prostrate on the couch or out in the job or mission field. It is not so simple as doing or not doing, it is about being, being who you are & letting every good work flow from that place. Perhaps that's why Jesus said we would do more than Him. Maybe it's because as we awaken to our true Christ identity, we naturally supernaturally flow with so many good works as a cumulative body that this would outnumber the volume of good works Jesus could accomplish in 33 years, or even 3 years. I don't believe the church is operating yet in what Jesus was doing on earth but we are steadily awakening and moving that way! We must be, because the Kingdom is advancing & He is still working within us through the whole world- we are His body, we are His Church!

2) Micro to Macro or even missing the point!

When I am focused on a micro point about a message or teaching, filtering something in my brain in a way where I think I know the ultimate truth, very often I realize that Daddy Pops has a much bigger/wider lens... I know this sounds laughable in writing!

As I was hyper focused on one seemingly erroneous thing the leader said, Holy Spirit was arranging a prophetic word to highlight my value, identity and clear deliverance out of a situation that I saw no way out without incurring maximum wreckage. In one simple act, Holy Spirit gave me what was actually needed in the moment... not the solution I thought I needed to DO to make things right. He seamlessly handled it and enabled me total freedom & rest in my walk as He did this!

So did I bother talking to this leader about his teaching after this prophecy... nope! I awakened to what Holy Spirit was highlighting and I felt grateful to God and to this man. I was in awe and told him that Holy Spirit had ministered to me through his sensitivity to the Spirit.

I reflect on this experience now having recently watched the video of my friend Andrew Baker, who spoke to the importance of not getting bogged down by arguments and debates, especially as the church body. Unity was the heartbeat of this message and a love that so favours others beyond even ourselves. I don't believe this in itself is a work but something that pours forth from the love that Christ first loved us with. As we awaken to this experience of perfect love, there is no doubt that this selfless love will manifest in every way through the body of Christ and into the world. I loved Andrew's message (link below) and the scriptures he quoted. It twigged the thought of my experience years ago where I was focused on this problem and God provided a very different response showing what He actually had in mind. I also agree that love goes together with truth, so it's not a bad thing to speak truth or speak up. Yet, I think as we are grow in this love- Abba's love- we will speak more the way Holy Spirit speaks & look that way more too. Jesus is our best example. How many times did people try to confound & ensnare Him with their riddles and questions only to find themselves befuddled and speechless in the very trap they set for Him.

To think, we have the same mind of Christ!

Andrew's video link:

https://www.facebook.com/VampireKing87/videos/10156173918209682/UzpfSTk3OTA5MzkzODkwNjE4NjoxMTc2NjY3MzgyNDgyMTcz/?eid=ARAAlYSdtxNhXMGx3ruj_oMd3fYPm43HJ9W6d-abC0hcULE3b5jAru8gl7IVm63pTx0KNvXgKe3dCV8F

I pray we can continually walk in the unity of Christ, loving & living according to the truth of His life within us. When the world sees how the church loves, many will come to know Him and recognize that God lives within.

John 13:34-35

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”