spiritual – Page 4 – Cross Culture Church

Meditation: August 23

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. “But you would not,” Isaiah 30:15

When fellowship is broken with God, He does not give up on us. His desire remains the same as a loving father would his own beloved son. Yet the issues facing the one that walks away continue to surmount. Trying to make the best of life only frustrates the person who tries in his own strength to hold things together. God reminds us of how frail we are when we are attempting to eliminate Him from our plans. Israel was reduced to a spiritual level of rejecting the challenges that came from God. They chose those who would speak smooth words to them. They resisted the prophetic warnings that ought to have been enough to deter them from rebellion. Therefore, nothing held together for them even in their attempts to gather. That significant part of the prophecies included the benefits of their return. He says to the rebellious, “in returning and rest you shall be saved.” It is not just a matter of returning, but resting relaxing in the place assigned by God for them. Some may return but be restless because their hearts are still drawn to another place. It is not just a bodily return, but return with your whole heart. Then you shall be saved as God quiets the restless spirit. Not only will your spirit be quieted but in confident assurance the draw of sin is diminished. When the Greater One is fully embraced, the lesser loses its appeal.

19 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 19

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, But your eyes shall see your teachers. Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” Isa 30:20-21

The departure from the Way is the root cause of the adversity that comes from the Lord. There are challenges that come as result of obedience and challenges that are rooted in rebellion. The difference between the two is the adherence on the part of the challenged to hear the instructions that come from the Lord. He is available to deliver us from all of our trouble, but do we listen to His voice before us to lead or have we left what He has to say to us behind? Their teachers were sidelined and replaced with guides who misguided them. They listened to falsehoods as blind guides led them into pits. But God did not abandon them even though they had abandoned Him. From behind His voice could still be heard. From the rear, the places inhabited and celebrated was the voice of God speaking to them in order for them to return to the old landmarks and to walk in the tried and proven Way. What foundation was the Lord building within you and what is being built upon it now? The wood, hay, and stubble of worldliness are of a different quality from the gold, silver, and precious stones of righteousness, holiness, and sanctification. Though your heart may desire many things, God will often calls us to go back rather than forward in order to revisit what we have left and be restored to the spiritual state we were once in. Those who were there are still there, but the question is, where are you? Can you in this state of mind and heart receive or has the hardness set in so that the journey is determined by feelings rather than faith? God says, “This is the Way, walk in it.”

06 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 6

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; (3) and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Matthew 16:2-3

The corporate decisions made by both our spiritual and civic leaders are the uneasy breathing of this generation gasping for lack of spiritual air. The deficiencies reflect a climate of desperation, but without the knowledge of the Savior. The world has resorted to measures which are appeasing to the fallen masses, pacifying their appeals for pleasure thus taking the path of least resistance. Many Church leaders have relented to providing blind leadership by getting in front of the parade of fools. They hold the office and gain the attention, accolades, and allegiance of the people by giving them what they want and taking them where they desire to go.

Where discernment is lacking, all things appear to be right. Every person is right in his own eyes because the King is absent from the consciousness of those who decide for us. These things are not just happening. There is a plan behind the fallout. The Deceiver is accelerating his activity because he knows that his time is short. Any degree of falsehood or hypocrisy cam be appealed to and magnified by him. It is high time to awaken out of a state of slumber and be alert and aware of the times in which we live. If it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived by him. But God stands above the fray with what we need. Only those who have been given ears to hear and use them accordingly will hear the voice of reason leading them through the destructive landmines of enemy.

07 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: July 7

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“How you have advised the one without wisdom, and abundantly revealed your insight!” Job 26:3 (NET)

God’s advice to those who are void of wisdom can be translated as those who lack the ability to plan ahead. Those who lack foresight to make plans for the future are advised by God in things only known to Him. Forward thinking is the key to spiritual progress. Our sights must be set on things above as we journey from here to there. Each situation and every message must be weighed on the basis of their spiritual content. Are we growing in grace and the knowledge of God, or becoming content in our current state? The Holy Spirit guides us beyond the level of wisdom known to the world to insights revealed to us from heaven. Only then will we feel the sense of estrangement in an environment that is not our home and seek those things pertaining to life in the Spirit. Sound advice is required in order to have good success. Spiritual things are compared with the spiritual once we have been made aware of God’s Presence and humbly submit to His will as knowing nothing on our own.

03 Mar 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: March 3

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; (8) but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.” Hebrews 6:7-8

What we have experienced and participated in with God is not merely for ourselves. He allows us to experience His goodness in order to provide healing for others. Either we will bear healing herbs for wounded, restless, and reckless souls, or we bear thorns and briers to further wound them. The deepest wound is wielded by sword-handlers who are unskilled in spiritual warfare. They cannot effectively interpret God’s grace in ways to benefit the wayward. We have been enlightened, tasted of the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Therefore, we are the ones that are to bear herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated. The fruit of our lives is for those who wish to know the Source and purpose for our being alive. Then, we are able to live our lives as a blessing to others and a praise unto the Lord.

09 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: February 9

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

”Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22

We are invited to come closer to God as we meet the conditions of spiritual intimacy. His blessings are as the result of our moving in His direction. Many may attempt to confiscate the benefits without the relationship, but God will test the purity of our hearts. He knows when true love is the motive of our actions, and His Spirit will give witness that we are in agreement with Him. Then we can boldly approach the throne of grace and obtain mercy to find the grace to help in the time of need. Assurance of faith is a blessing reserved for the pure in heart. As we are being purified by the Holy Spirit, our passions will continue to conform to His will. We will want what He wants for us when we have been drawn to the place where He abides.

03 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 3

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.” Psalm. 16:2(MSG)

To reason is a virtue. Through reasoning we embrace the truths applied to our hearts with a renewed mind and emblazoned hope. Those who have meditated upon the Word have arrived at conclusions that are vastly different from those who merely compare the spiritual to the natural. It is the reasoning that is limited to what is known, or merely natural that will lead to a great impasse. Our minds alone cannot grasp the origin of the creation of all things. Neither can we figure out their proper use and truest meaning. Only God is able to guide us into the deep mysteries that would raise even deeper questions than otherwise would be asked. However, the journey on which we are led will reveal to us His Majesty and Glory. We cannot help but worship the One who knows and reveals secret things to His children that the wise and prudent are not privy to. None of His wisdom is sensible void of knowing Him. As we pursue Him, the knowledge of His will for all things becomes sensible. Without Him, nothing makes sense.

01 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 1

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Set up the Tabernacle on the first day of the new year.” Exodus 40:2-3

The Tabernacle is the dwelling-place of God. What will be God’s position in your life this year? This is the time to consider what priority He is to occupy. Discard what would be distractions and placing in position reminders of who God is and what He has done throughout the previous year. Each utensil had to be in order. Everything had to be in their proper place because God was to tabernacle among His people. Decisions must be made early and maintained throughout the year. Many will be making New Year’s resolutions in light of areas in need of discipline. The spiritual disciplines will affect the soul and spirit. They alone have eternal value. Arrange the disciplines of your heart to seek the Lord as never before. It is His desire to express a degree of love unknown to you in your present state. When the alignment is complete, He will suddenly come into His dwelling-place to inhabit that space reserved exclusively for Him.

01 Dec 0Comments 0Likes

December 2016 Article: “He Was Born for This”

Posted by wwalker Categories: Articles

We are compelled to face life’s greatest challenges. To provide an answer to age old and new questions that will arise out of controversy. Our lives are lived in search of meaning and our values are determined by how we interpret the meaning of life. It is both quietly and overtly expressed by unsuspecting people who are drifting through life allowing circumstances to define them. The ever-changing world squeezes them into the mold of modernity. They become whatever others are becoming—neutralizing their wills by popular opinions and paralyzing their minds by the prevailing ideas of the times.

Jesus came to change concepts and to modify the established order by transforming it into a thing of beauty (“He makes all things beautiful in its own time.”) And fortunately, Christ came to usher in a new season of change and restore all things to their original purpose.
God, who made all things, is the One who assigns meaning to His creation. But the question is, what is God like? Even though he was described through the prophets and His personality was demonstrated through their lifestyles, that was merely a glimpse into the reality of God and the full display of His glory. Their attempts fell short of expressing His life and pointed us in the direction of His acts and ways. His Person, by the intimate expressions of His love, were only implied and not expressed. So many have settled for implications and never shared that intimate fellowship provided through Jesus Christ. What Adam had lost in Eden is more than one could imagine—hearing His voice daily and being acquainted with His Perpetual Presence.

The Fallen needed restoration, but who can measure the distance of the fall? A fallen world adapted its condition as its current reality. Bloodshed penetrates the soil rather than circulates through the veins, and reduces the meaning of life to personal survival than kingdom and cultural advancement. How could I wish for what I had never experienced? Sadly, the cry for spiritual union lies deep within the soul.
Within his soul, the son of the slave carries the marks of his ancestors under the mastery of slave owners. He must overcome the daily pain from the established patterns that restrict his current motion. While his DNA contains the genetic code of a bloodline that is inclusive of past experiences, his bloodline did not begin merely two or three centuries ago. It can be traced in creation and established in Adam. Thankfully, the blood of Jesus purges us from our former sins and the effect of sin in our lives. His life promises the necessity of a New Beginning, for Christ came for this very purpose: old things are passed away and behold, all things have become new! He allows the newness to be made evident for all to see! Behold; look at how new you have become because of Jesus Christ!

You become a part of the change that is necessary for all humanity. As Christ came to change the order, the order is changed because of you and not despite you. People do what they do as result of what they know. Jesus’s prayer on the Cross was, “forgive them for the know not what they do.” Their ignorance is driving their actions and leading them to self-destruction. He was born for this and now He offer the New Birth that you might be born again for this! In Christ, the believer participates with God in reconciling all things back to God’s original meaning. Your true purpose for living is hidden in Christ. Politics, education, economic prosperity, or no other means is capable of accomplishing what Christ alone can do through those who allow Him to be Himself in them. Spiritual maturity is reaching a level of understanding of God’s original intent. These are the sons of God being led to glory. They can then more fully express the will of the Father. May earth receive her King that His Kingdom may be established in the hearts of mankind.

23 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 23

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, (12) teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Titus 2:11-12

God has dispensed from Heaven an abundance of His grace. Where sin and spiritual blindness abounded, only what one had grown accustomed to was known. Grace came to teach us that our old nature must be denied. How could one ever be freed from what he once defended because it defined him? It is the grace that has appeared in order to show us that a new life was possible. When it came on the scene, it opened our eyes to know that heaven’s order should become earth’s greatest dream. The slave can at least see freedom in order for freedom to be desired. That desire for something beyond our current patterns of living is responded to and then we are empowered to aim higher above level of ungodly and worldly lusts. Each day we will embrace all the more God’s standard of righteousness thus rising above our own. It is because of the grace that has appeared that produces the salvation that we so desperately need.

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