He Alone Is LIFE

I have spent some much needed time with the Lord, agonizing over my own deadness, begging Him to turn His eyes toward me, to give me His ear. I hope someone is blessed by what He spoke to my heart. -------------------------------- LIFE cannot be found in a building. A building can have good things in it. But it is not LIFE. LIFE cannot be found in a book. A book can have good things in it. But it is not LIFE. LIFE cannot be found in men's ideas, thoughts or opinions. Man 's ideas... are a garbage pile compared to God's. He alone is LIFE. I had forgotten how He healed me; the process that He brought me through. It is not explained or taught by man. I have missed that relationship with the One who brought me out of bondage and into freedom in Him. Who can deny His works? Who can deny his ways? He alone talked me through it. He alone brought me through it. I passed up everything and everyone that seemed religious to get here. What He did in me is a miracle! When I look back on it all, I can't believe that He gave me the grace to come this far. The only place I need to be is kneeling at the foot of the cross- with my eyes fixed on Him. That cross reminds me that He died so that I could be FREE- free from everything I once was (a lukewarm christian in bondage to my own wants), free from man's opinions (that had kept me there). Free to be His. Free to follow Him alone. Free to hear His voice. He did not die for me to ponder and debate man's ways and opinions. He died so that I could be FREE and have LIFE. Free to be that person He wants me to be- a reflection of Him- of His LIFE. No matter what men may say about ways of deliverance or the ways of God, the point is that I AM FREE today. He brought me me through the only way He knew would work with me. O-praise God that He cares that much about us. He didn't stick within certain perimeters to deliver His healing. He didn't go by any man's rules. He looked and saw that I was willing- and He began His work. For me to now come and try to limit Him in any way is hypocrisy- for He had His own way with me. What I have done is try to put Him back into a new box. I am tired of men's ways and men's opinions. I'm finally refreshed in His living water. I am refreshed to be immersed in His ways. I have been dead lately- just like many of the authors of the books I read- DEAD. I have been needing LIFE- ever refreshing, green and growing LIFE. The ever eternal Living Christ which can sustain me alone. O, to breathe in deep that wonderful fresh life. To breathe out-get rid of the staleness that was hindering and bogging me down. I pray that as I am filled with His fresh living presence that it pours out of me onto everyone I might meet. May the green growth and the living water spread according to his abundance. ----------------------I know there are things that some would want to nit pick and debate- but the point is- I was (and many of us are) guilty of focusing on too many other good "things", rather than on Christ Himself. My main source needs to be Him. Even if I never read another book- He would be more than enough. I am ashamed to say that He has not been enough lately. He alone deserves all the glory and praise- not men in any way. What comes to mind is "information overload". I repent of making man's wisdom an idol, of putting wise men/women on a pedestal- where only God alone should be. I repent of considering "doctrine" to be the same as "Life in Christ".Think of the child, who does not have much "knowledge" but has trust, childlike trust to go where the Savior leads. They have trust and obey. It is simple. It should be simple.In His perfect love, Chanin

Hi sisterThank you, have been wrestling of late with similar thoughts, one being a sharp distinction of 'the wisdom of men'. But there is a deep chasm of difference between the wisdom of mere men and men who have walked with God 'being dead still speak'(Heb 11:4, 13:7)Not a matter of imitating their life per se, but their way of life, their devotion, their agonizing, their prayer lives, their sacrifice and denial of self which all leads up and points to the one true source of LIFE, the Lord, as you well stated.Most certainly we are not wise to compare ourselves with ourselves, yet we can learn from those who have gone before us, be exhorted, encouraged and convicted, to pray continually, to be reminded of the majesty of our God, of fearful reverence to His Holy Name. To be brought to naught so that He can be all in all, in and through us.We can and should learn from them, yet not "putting wise men/women on a pedestal- where only God alone should be." as you well stated.What comes to mind is "information overload". Boy do I know this all to well, in my hunger to grasp all that the Lord is..it can get to a point of over saturation, where you don't grasp what the Lord is teaching you before you are off on to another area... a need to slow down has been impressed upon me...be still and knowThere is no replacement for time spent alone with the Lord in prayer, in praise, in silence and in His Word, the source of all that we have come to know the Lords dealings in the lives of men.Think of the child, who does not have much "knowledge" but has trust, childlike trust to go where the Savior leads. They have trust and obey. It is simple. It should be simple.It is simple and yet so profound. Something you said here is very important "go where the Savior leads" and for each of us that will differ at times I would think.Hope this isn't looked at as a point of contention, it is not that. I believe I completely follow your train of thought, just thought I would throw in my two cents...

Maybe a better summary here:Sad But True: Many Know God Only by Hearsay

25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 "You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. 29 "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. 30 "I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 "I am not doing {this} for your sake," declares the Lord GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!" 33 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 "The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 "They will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified {and} inhabited.' 36 "Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places {and} planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD, have spoken and will do it." 37 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 "Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'""Ezekiel 361 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, {there were} very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, {they were} very dry. 3 He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." 4 Again He said to me, " Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' 5 "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 6 'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.' " 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9 Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life.'"" 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up and our hope has perished. We are completely cut off.' 12 "Therefore prophesy and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 "Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your graves, My people. 14 "I will put My Spirit within you and you will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.' "Ezekiel 37Thank you for the encouraging testimony!

I know there are things that some would want to nit pick and debate- but the point is- I was (and many of us are) guilty of focusing on too many other good "things", rather than on Christ Himself. My main source needs to be Him. Even if I never read another book- He would be more than enough. I am ashamed to say that He has not been enough lately. He alone deserves all the glory and praise- not men in any way. What comes to mind is "information overload". I repent of making man's wisdom an idol, of putting wise men/women on a pedestal- where only God alone should be. I repent of considering "doctrine" to be the same as "Life in Christ".Talking ABOUT Christ is certainly not the same as talking TO Christ. I have felt this same need to be in the presence of God in a more lasting and consistent way. I wake up in the middle of the night often thinking about God and the things of God. I refuse to allow myself to become lukewarm. I have totally shut the world out- but I must invite Christ into that vacuum. I desperately need LIFE. I need a fresh infilling of the Spirit of God. At the end of the day thats what its about. How full of the Spirit are we? Are we overflowing with the life of God within us? How can we get there? How can we STAY there? Christ said that His words were Spirit and they were life. I need His word and I need His Spirit.When the music fadesall is stripped awayand I simply comelonging just to bringsomething that's of worththat will bless your heartI bring you more than a songfor a song in itselfis not what you have requiredyou search much deeper withinthrough the way things appearyou're looking into my heartchorusI'm coming back to the heart of worshipand it's all about youIt's all about you, JesusI'm sorry Lord for the thing i've made itwhen it's all about youit's all about you, JesusKing of endless worthno one could expresshow much you deservethough I'm weak and poorall I have is yoursevery single breath"Heart of Worship"Words and Music by Matt Redman

Robert, funny that you would put that song on here. I was listening to this yesterday. I think even as I was with God yesterday just crying out to Him- He was showing me this. He is at the heart of it all. He is all that matters.I saw two pictures of myself, first I saw my eyes very busy and moving all over (trying to take in words, and information) and it was not peaceful. Then I saw myself kneeling at the foot of the cross- and I was at rest, at peace. I thought "this is all that matters, this is where i need to be." Only He has given me this life- Him and Him alone. Many things i read or hear are good things, don't get me wrong, but in my heart, i know that they are only confirming what I already know in my spirit to be true. If He is in us, we should know the truth.Even one of my favorite books- "Surrender"- though i love that book and love the truth in it-i already knew that truth and lived it before I read it. It was just nice to see what I believed in writing somewhere.With alot of talk about doctrines and beliefs, not to mention visiting a new church that is all about "right doctrines and being doctrinally sound"- I started questioning what I really believed. Am I doctrinally sound? Well, according to many people, I am not. If I shared my experiences with coming out of my strongholds with some who are very concerned with having the "right doctrine"- I would be labled a heretic. Many who put all of their faith into doctrines and man's opinions of the scriptures would not agree with or condone what the Lord did with me.That's what made me start to think- a doctrine didn't deliver me, didn't hold my hand when I didn't think I could go any further.All of a sudden God reminded me of where I have come from and how He brought me through with him just talking me through it. I was ashamed that I used to trust Him so and didn't need the approval of others and the confirmation of others to press through.I think I was better off before when I put my trust in Him and Him alone. When I had no other source to live from except Him.There is something in me (the holy Spirit i guess) that won't allow me to ge my focus off of Christ alone for too long. It's like my inside gage is set at "bring them back to Christ". How can I bring anyone back to Christ alone, if I am not there. There is an alarm that goes off in me after awhile that won't allow any "thing"- no matter how good it may seem, no matter how holy it might seem- to stand between me and the Lord. There is no substitute for the real thing, the living Christ. Things have gotten very complicated. I envy Paul and the new testament saints who had nothing to go on but the Holy Spirit. Their focus was simple. When I put too much effort into gaining wisdom or knowledge, I am always brought back to this little writing from Fenelon- it rings so true for me. The Danger of Spiritual AmbitionIt is not surprising that you are very ambitious to advance in your spiritual life, and to find yourself in the company of those who have reputation for being spiritual. No matter what it looks like, these things still flatter yourself love. Do not seek to fulfill your ambitions of becoming more spiritual or to be counted in the company of those people who are honored for their spirituality. Your aim should be to die to all such ambitions by lettering yourself be humbled. you must learn to accept obscurity and scornful disregard while you keep your eyes solely on God.You may hear endless sermons about living a perfect life. You may know what everyone preaches about it and still be farther away from perfection than ever. Your deepest aim should be to turn a deaf ear to self, while listening to God in silence. You should renounce your pride and give yourself over to what pleases God. Say little and do much - without wondering if you have been noticed or not.God will teach you more than even the most mature Christian could. He will teach you better than all the books in the world could. Why are you so eager to chase after knowledge? Don't you realize that all you need is to be poor in spirit and to know nothing but Christ and Him crucified. Knowledge puffs up, it is only love that builds up (I Cor. 8:1) Be content with love alone.What! Do you think that the way to love God comes by getting more knowledge? You have already more than you can use. Practice what you already know rather than looking for more knowledge. You deceive yourself if you think you are growing spiritually because your curiosity has intellectually explored some spiritual idea. Humble yourself and do not expect to receive from man what God alone can give.---------------------I need to concentrate on living out what I already know, other than looking for more. I want my faith to be one that is lived out not talked about.In His perfect love, Chanin

It is not surprising that you are very ambitious to advance in your spiritual life, and to find yourself in the company of those who have reputation for being spiritual. No matter what it looks like, these things still flatter yourself love. Do not seek to fulfill your ambitions of becoming more spiritual or to be counted in the company of those people who are honored for their spirituality. Your aim should be to die to all such ambitions by lettering yourself be humbled. you must learn to accept obscurity and scornful disregard while you keep your eyes solely on God.I have been spending time meditating on 2Co 5:9 Wherefore also we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to him, (2Co 5:9 Youngs Literal Translation) It has been said that this is the only legitimate human ambition.

My ..... my ..... my sister Chanin are you trying to make a brother do a Holy Ghost dance and shout right here at work? ... What you've posted reads like a psalm:((( He alone is LIFE.I had forgotten how He healed me; the process that He brought me through. It is not explained or taught by man.I have missed that relationship with the One who brought me out of bondage and into freedom in Him. Who can deny His works? Who can deny his ways?He alone talked me through it. He alone brought me through it. I passed up everything and everyone that seemed religious to get here. What He did in me is a miracle! When I look back on it all, I can't believe that He gave me the grace to come this far. )))This has literally brought those hot tears that well up in my eyes when I get filled up on thinking about the goodness and mercy of our Lord ... HE ALONE ... oh bless your holy name ... Jesus.

I found this by accident last night. Thought it was so fitting :)BACK TO JESUS ALONEWhen you can't figure out whether to:sit at His feet,walk in a manner worthy of His call,or run the race with all diligence,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you can't even remember:the twenty-two characteristics of a good wife or husband,the seven steps of appeal to authority,the eight things to do when you are worried,or the nine ways of love,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When the proof of authority is simply "they say":"Have faith, just trust; let go and let God","Just find the sin and repent","Just love; have joy; receive peace, and pray",and you can't figure out who "they" are,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When some Pastor/Preacher/Teacher/Evangelist/Prophet/Apostle, et al says:"Hear the Word","Read the Word","Memorize the Word","Study the Word","Meditate on the Word",and you are lost in the middle of Leviticus or Lamentations,and even Luke is just too much,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you hear:"It's pre/mid/post/pan/all tribulation","Don't take the 'mark'","It's 3 times, time and a half,"and you can't get through the next half hour,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you hear testimonies of others:raising the dead, praying all night, fasting forty days,leading thousands to the Lord, memorizing the entire Bibleand you hear it from someone who hasn't done itand they expect you to do it, and you feel obligated,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you hear:"Have faith, work hard, repent, conquer,tithe, give, suffer, evangelize, make disciples,wait on Him, walk in Him, pick up your cross,claim your possessions, pray, fast,and you feel pulled in 16 different directions on a rack,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When it is:home school, Christian school, public school,Sunday school, Bible school,the school of hard knocks, no school. and the discussion is heating upand you feel like skipping school all together,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you are getting a multitude of letters, newsletters, magazines, etcfrom 700 CLUB, CBN, TBN, AOG, BOM, CBN,CCC, CFI, CFNI, CMA, CORE, IVF, LCM,POAC, WCCF, YFC, YWAM....ABC.....XYZ......and each of them contains a request and a return envelope:It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you can,t figure out whether towash the dishes, do the laundry,mow the lawn, fix the car or read,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When it is running the car to:baseball, football, handball, volleyball,broomball, ballroom dancing,and everyone is having a ball but you,and you feel the car is your home and the road leads to nowhere,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you been through the circuitand you've heard and watched preacherspreach, exercise faith, build ministries, movements, and monuments,pray, praise, teach on power, signs & wonders,laugh, cry, dance,prance, motivate, manipulate,and you can,t stand any more,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you are asked, "How's it going at your church, your ministry?"and you know it really means "Ask me how it,s going at mine",and you know you are about to hear about:increased miracles, money, numbers,new buildings, broadcasts, converts,and you feel a failure,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...When you hear about and go to another conference that promises to "be it":and you went, listened, prayed, paid, bought the books and tapes,tried it, and it didn't work, and the guy/girl left town and you're left wondering why it didn't work; "what,s wrong with me?",It,s time to get back to Jesus alone...When you just heard another:"Thus saith the Lord"; that contradicted the last "word from the Lord",that was contrary to the previous "the Lord told me",and you finally get the picture that the Lord's name is being taken in vain,It's time to get back to Jesus alone...It is time to hear His voice,It is time to seek His kingdom,It is time to simplify,It is time to love Him with all our soul, heart and strength,It is time to commune with Him alone in the secret place,It is time to get back to Jesus alone!Written By: Jim May from his book Living at His Place

amen :-)

I have two thoughts on this thread. Ouch and Amen! Thank you Jesus. Thank you for the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and this relationship we have with Christ. Thank you...