Back to Basics - Back to Grace - Freedom in Christ

Wow, it has been just over a year since my last blog entry. I don't know where to start. I can testify to one thing. He is faithful and will never leave us nor forsake us. It has been an amazing time of learning more about Him, His grace, His faithfulness, His love. A lot of it has been very difficult. I truly feel like we have been through the valley of the shadow of death, the desert, etc. My faith was tested like never before. Believe it or not, I never believed that my faith would ever be tested. We have, however, come through it (still are) stronger and having a deeper knowledge of Him. For me it has been amazing to see how God has been there for us throughout the whole process, unchanging, steadfast, faithful. Even when I have felt at my lowest, hopeless, He has still been in control, waiting to show me the next step and to teach me another mystery of His Kingdom. Isn't this beautiful.

I cried out, "I am slipping!" but your unfailing love, O Lord , supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer. (Psalm 94:18, 19 NLT). Because of this scripture, I can say confidently, never give up.

We have learnt a lot of "how not to do its". I am not saying that this is for everyone. That is for your to figure out but this is what I am learning from my walk with him.
Never take one aspect of the kingdom and make it an idol. The only idol we can have is Jesus. The most important thing is our relationship with him and then others (discipleship plays a huge role here). So many churches focus on one aspect of the Kingdom and then think they have the secret, the answer. Some of them focus on missions (missional church) or prophecy or healing. The only thing we should focus on is Jesus and our relationship with him. Out of that will come our works. It will be a natural process. There is danger in becoming a group of people that focus on one aspect and make an idol out of it, thinking we have the answer and perhaps even becoming proud of our works.

We are a group of people addicted to and obsessed with the work of the Kingdom, with little to no idea how to be with the King.
Many church leaders unknowingly replace the transcendent vitality of a life with God for the ego satisfaction they derive from a life for God.

Another vital truth for me has been love. John 13:35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. If this is missing then the warning bells should be going off. Don't be so busy performing that you don't love your neighbour.

For me it is back to basics. The fundamentals of our faith. I know once again see the beauty of grace, the freedom we have in Him. I had been so busy with works that I had lost sight of grace. That is so sad. There truly is freedom in Christ. Why do we as His children try and negate what He has done for us by putting our works stamp on it. We are so busy with performance that we don't love each other.

We are so quick to point a finger and judge when others are not doing what we think they should be doing according to a specific section in God’s Word that we ascribe to. I never want to judge again.

Man-made rules that we wear like a cloak. We hang them on ourselves until we are so burdened by them that we are in bondage. We can’t love; we can’t minister; we can’t worship, pray or respond to our Father coz we too busy to hear His voice and then we sometimes hear what we want to hear.

John 16: 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

We are in a period now of healing, taking stock, rebuilding our foundations, listening only to Him and not man who has his own plans. Back to basics.