As I have been studying Galatians 4 and reflecting on Father bringing us into a place to receive inheritance, I am struck by the need for maturity. There is a progression in maturing that God brings us through in making us heirs, we are heirs through Christ and yet there is a process by which the Holy Spirit works in our life to bring us to a place of maturity. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Sonship, His role is not only to seal us as sons and daughters but also bring us into the fully reality of sonship. Amazingly according to God's way, you are and then you do. The world's way is that you perform to become someone. In God's grace, He declares that we are His children by being "in Christ" and then the Holy Spirit goes to work removing sin in our lives, bringing us into agreement of who we are, exposing unsurrendered places in our lives, and bringing us into a place of submission. Yet at times the strongholds that surface and contradict Christ, exalt themselves above Him and when we continue in agreement with them rather than come to repentance cause problems in our life and walk with the Lord. Since we are now under Grace and not Law, many people are confused about how maturity happens. Under Law there are rules, expectations, and punishments exacted to get people to change their behavior to conform to the accepted and desired behavior. This doesn't even have to be a Law based model but simply the elementary principals of the world, which say if you do right you are rewarded if you do bad you are punished. This system which is based on fear of sin does not bring transformation at a heart level, though it may outwardly looks effective because there is changed behavior. Under Grace, Father matures us through our relationship with the Holy Spirit who is working in the midst of our circumstances, relationships, and personal struggles with sin that all produce internal pressure (refining fire) that exposes the strongholds of belief that are the root of bondage in our lives. The larger the strongholds, often the harder they fall. Father knows exactly what it will take to see these stronghold that are producing ungodly fruit (behavior or attitudes in our life) come down. Steve Backlund once said, "The Kingdom of God is not advanced by good behavior but by good beliefs." There are some who misinterpret the conviction and pressure of the Holy Spirit as condemnation or even demonic attack, Father is absolutely committed to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10). The Holy Spirit has been impressing on me that there is a difference in the internal pain that we experience, one is that it can be for building up and the other is what I call "stuck" pain. Hebrews 12 talks about how the Father disciplines those He loves, His sons and daughters but discipline is about building up rather than tearing down but it does mean putting pressure on us that creates an internal pressure till we yield and repent. Since much of my childhood was painful, I came to the incorrect conclusion that all pain was bad and needed to be avoided. Rather than there maybe pressure that Father is working in my life to mature me to a new level of trust and walking in sonship with Him. In Romans 8:28-29, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;" Conforming involves changing someone into the image of Christ, the term conforming includes pressure on places that our character does not match those of Christ. In Ephesians 4:13 Paul continues the theme of maturity by talking about how God is using all the leader's (apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist, pastor) to build up the Body, "until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ." I believe Father is desiring that we mature as sons "in Christ" so He is free to release our heavenly inheritance, which will bring blessing, freedom, life, and maturity to others.
I was listening to a message by Bill Johnson called "Filled with His Fullness" when I began to fall in love with this passage in Scripture in Ephesians 3:14-21. I didn't fall in love with a bunch of words or ideas but with the invitation of God to be person that was so filled with God's Presence that He simply leaks out of you as you live. Bill did his research and found that Paul wrote this passage of Scripture out of the experience of being stoned to death and then visiting the throne room of God in a heavenly encounter. We know this based on some historical research and the connection with 2 Corinthians 12, Paul has either a near death or actual death from stoning and this incredible revelation and vision of what the church is to be in the future. He delivers the message to the church in Ephesus which is a vibrant church who is on fire for the Lord without compromise and actually seeing victory over the local occult. Paul is actually encouraging them that they can go to another level of Presence, power, freedom, and love in Christ. Paul in a Throne Room encounter with the Father comes back with this incredible vision which is more like a dream because of it's magnitude. I love the amplified version for understanding the meaning of a passage, so here is the passage in Ephesians 3:16-21 "May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it)." The language in this passage is beyond expressive but takes into the realm of heaven on earth, where people are so transformed, filled with His Presence, experiencing His love, and walking in power that Christ in them is a force to be reckoned with. Father has been speaking to me about being filled unto all the fullness of God, that He wants me so saturated with His Presence and nature that I am like a saturated sponge ready to leak Him onto others. Yet the lies of the Enemy, allowing others to distract me from His Presence, the weariness of life, and a natural mindset taking me away from this dream. In my natural adult reason I can come up with 1,000 reasons why God can't do that in me, because this is more of a childlike dream where you sit in wander. It would be much easier to be filled unto all the fullness of God if I didn't seem to leak out His Presence and love, desperately needing to be refilled. In 2 Corinthians 4:7 Paul talks about having these treasure in clay pots, like cracked or frail clay pots. Why is it that we can be in worship and so in the Presence experiencing God's love and another moment be frustrated, quick-tempered, discouraged, or despairing? I believe because in our frailty we agree with lies and discouragement, seemingly losing our awareness of God in those moments yet He is always with us and available. I pray as you read this passage and the Holy Spirit speaks to you, that you would be hungry to experience His fullness not just getting by on a 1/4 tank hope not to run out.
I believe Father has revealed to me on a new level the importance of dreaming like a child to open up the realm of the Kingdom of God, like opening a portal to a whole new world. To often we as adults are busy being serious, in control, attempting to handle everything, being religious, smart, and trying to look good when all the while Father is not impressed with our show. He knows underneath all this is a scared little boy or little girl, who just wants to be loved and play again. It was Graham Cooke who said, you don't inherit through logic but through your dreams. I am amazed at how few adults dream, they are too busy with all their responsibilities, duties, demands, and pressures to enter the child-like place of dreaming with God. The Lord recently showed me that orphan hearts have their dreams aborted by lies, unbelief, fear, lack, inadequacy, or in the name of being practical. I have experienced much of my life as an orphan heart, for most of my life I barely dreamed because if I dreamed I believe I had to accomplish my dream through my own effort. Since my sense of identity was very small, then it was a burden to dream. When our identity is unlimited because it is connected with our union with Christ, then we no longer limit the dreams that come forth. In Ephesians 3:20 says, "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]." We see in this passage that God wants to do beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams but also that the limitation for God working in us is the "power that is at work within us." In other words this power is working in us but we can limit this power by turning away from God to our own resources, feeble view of ourselves, and our sense of distance from God (apart from Christ's work on the cross). Paul has spent the last three chapters looking at our new identity and the power of Christ's finished work on the cross to transform us into sons and daughters of God, giving us joint seating "in Christ" in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). I believe Father is inviting us to see the world from His perspective, seated far above all ruler, power, authority, and dominion. Once the Lord gave me a vision of sitting in a floating throne over the earth, watching the battles that were on the earth from a safe place in the heavenlies. These battles seemed like little skirmishes when seen from this high place and throne, but when you are in the middle of one of these battles it can feel very overwhelming. It is through child-like dreaming, in a moment when my heart was open that I was able to have this vision of the floating throne. I am a little ashamed to admit that my carnal thinking entered quickly to try to destroy this, saying things like.... that's stupid, that's not for you, that's too good to be true, why would you get to sit on that throne. Notice that much of the carnal thinking is from an adult rational and skeptical perspective, rather than from a child-like place of faith and trust. Interesting that God has given us an amazing inheritance that we can only picture when we enter into a place of child-like dreaming but can only be handled by those who put away childish/immature ways. In the Kingdom of God truths that are seem as paradoxical and opposed to one another are reconciled by God through His wisdom and revelation. Will you enter into a place of child-like dreaming again? Will say "yes" to Father to be a little boy or little girl, entering into His Kingdom of dreams, visions, and impossibilities? Or will you continue to be an orphan heart, trying to be strong, handling everything by your own ability, cynical, untrusting, and serious. Joy is often mentioned connected to the Kingdom of God because I believe since the Kingdom is for those who are child-like in faith there is great joy in the Kingdom as there is with most children. Why should we strain in the adult world to get ahead, get what we want, and keep up with the Joneses when we can live in the Kingdom of God and dream incredible dreams with the God of the Universe.
