I hope you enjoyed Hilary and my latest rendition! The song, The Greatest Love Story Ever, has been around for a long time, but I guess once again, NOW is the time to make it more available through this (literally) “One Take Studio” recording.
In my SOUL I thought we should maybe do a second ‘take’ to get rid of the ‘flaws’ (or what appear to us as flaws) so that we would look and sound better. (After all, that we put on a good ‘show’, and look and sound good is what’s important. Right?) Then during the night Father spoke in my SPIRIT.
“There are many who follow signs, but few who are aware of ‘signs following.’ With ‘signs following’ you simply Live your Life. Then, when you stop, Look back and Listen up, you see my hand and hear my voice, and so Learn my Love….. For the ‘signs following’ you, are OUTSIDE OF YOUR CONTROL, and are given to witness that you are indeed, speaking from me.”
Father then showed me that the passage I was going to consider today has as it’s main theme the centrality of the work of the Spirit. He then reminded me that the main ‘flaw’ in the recording was a disruption that came due to the sound of a gush of wind. This was just as I came to sing……
“This is the substance, no longer shadow.”
I was reminded of Jesus words to Nicodemus, “The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound thereof, but can not tell from where it came, and where it goes. (Jn.3:8 )
In other words the wind is outside of my control. It is under God’s control.
As human beings we take this physical world to be ‘the substance’ and the world of the Spirit ‘the shadow’. It is however the opposite. So the fact that the wind (of the Spirit) blew as we were singing this line, was Dad’s perfect timing!
Then I realized the gush of wind had happened at exactly the one minute mark.
The heart of the song is the line in the refrain,
“One heart we’ve become……….together we’re one”
……..pointing to God’s plan that we become one with him.
The marriage relationship on earth has been given to represent the ‘mystery’ of this unity between Christ and the church. (Ephesians.5:22-32)
The wind coming precisely at that one minute mark?……….another ‘sign following’!
Then I realized that with the last four video recordings we have posted, the same has been true…. of the bird’s movements and the bird’s song …and even the technical issues to do with the colors and the focusing of the video. I also drew attention to this in the blogs accompanying those previous three recordings.
These ‘natural’ elements and the timing of their ‘intrusions’ have all been ‘outside of our control’ and only brought to my attention later on. I ‘curated’ none of them, but simply tumbled out of bed each morning to get on with ‘Living Life’.
Father then said to me.
“These subtle ‘signs following’ are invisible to most, but visible to those with humble hearts who walk with integrity, whose eyes and ears and hearts have been opened, and trained to hear ‘the still small voice’ of my SPIRIT above the noise of their own SOULS.”
I believe this highlighting of these ‘signs following’ has been given, in the same way Jesus at times began with, “Verily, Verily I say unto you…. ” In other words……he is pointing out that what He is giving me to speak in these days, is very important!.”
With that said, and with the song now posted, ‘warts and all’, let me return to the passage of scripture we touched on in my April 7th post entitled ‘The Last Battle.’
13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you (or ‘give you light’) .”
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise,16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21.Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Over the last several years “Wake up sleeper.” has become very literally fulfilled for me personally. Most nights after 3 hours sleep the Lord wakens me to speak to me – to ‘illuminate’ me.
These days everyone seems to have an opinion about everything. It can be very confusing. Whose report should you believe? I have decided to seek to only believe ‘the report of the Lord’ (Is. 53:1). In other words what I receive from Him by revelation from the Spirit. I try not to hold ‘opinions’ about anything else.
In Matthew 11:25 Jesus says, “I praise you Father, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children.”
It seems that today intellectual pride abounds! I thank God our ‘understanding’ of things does not depend on having a higher IQ, more letters after our name, or zeros on our paycheck than the next man, but on our having a humble, childlike disposition. to receive what Father wants to ‘reveal’ in our heart, by His Spirit.
God reveals to ME what I need to know in order to be faithful with MY responsibilities as a son, and reveals uniquely to YOU what you need to fulfill YOUR responsibilities.
This is the ‘wisdom’ I ask for at the start of each day. Beyond that, MY ‘opinion’ is not a luxury – it is a liability! (or should that be lie – ability – to trust in ‘my own’ ideas?)
This ‘wisdom’ and knowledge come, as the passage above indicates by the gracious ‘illumination of the Spirit’ who ‘fills’ our hearts. Then out of the abundance of the heart (not the head) the mouth can speak.
I also included verse 21 at the end of the passage, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” because what is ‘revealed’ can also become ‘knowledge’ that ‘puffs up.’ (1 Cor. 8:1)
So each morning I share whatever I think the Spirit has ‘revealed’ to me over breakfast with my wife. I thank God for a partner who knows me well and is not backward about popping my inflated ego …….and a group of forthright brothers who are committed to doing the same!
What I share on the blog is the fruit of this night time listening and subsequent submission to those who know and love me. I am also grateful for those of you who respond by challenging or confirming my ‘hearing.’
I will take a deeper dive into the song and the Ephesians 5 passage in the next blog.