April 2001 Teaching
Coming into Balance - Part II
By Dennis (Eagle Spirit) Bracy
Hopefully, you've read Part
I already. If you did, then hopefully also you've taken the time to
surrender your own ideas and interpretations about His word and His
heart, allowing Him to sift through and give back only what is right.
This is vital to coming into balance in your life because it takes away
the old pinnacle holding you up and places you on His pinnacle to be
balanced over.
We must get to the place where we judge each other by His standards
rather than our standards. Some would say that we should not judge each
other at all, only He judges us. This is one of those statements where
balance should come into being. Only God judges the intent of our heart
but we are foolish not to make some judgments of each other. Some use
the scriptures like a Bible Bullet (meaning they will take a single
scripture and speak it out as a declaration of proof to back up their
own selfish beliefs) doing that is foolish and wrong. (Matthew 71-5)
Starts out saying basically don't judge. I believe that means don't
judge the intention of a person's heart, only God can do that. Now,
because that same scripture goes on to say that the measure that we use
to make a judgment will be used to judge us by, it seems that it is
God's will that we make judgment based on their consistent or
non-existent growth in Christ. Don't make quick, harsh judgments of
their motives. We need to use a measure of grace, mercy, and
righteousness in it so that we will be judged also with grace, mercy,
and righteousness. (John 724), (2 Chron. 622-23), (2 Chron.
196-7).
Another way to come into balance is to stop putting so much energy into
proving every little point of your beliefs, even if you believe you are
right. It's not wrong to debate scripture, yes I say even right to do
so. Just understand that the way to reach the lost is through Jesus'
love not in debate, which I've seen so many fall into. I've said before
that there are people who can show you "proof" all through the
Bible to back up their theory that the Rapture will take place before
the Tribulation, still others that can do the same for mid-trib, and
still others, post trib. The point is and has always been, Get ready,
this is going to happen. Be ready, when it does. The enormous reality is
that there is going to be a Rapture and a Tribulation period.
Learn to talk and listen to God all throughout your day, as you go. I
don't mean to say this is a terribly easy place to get to nor stay in
because your flesh alone will constantly try to keep you torn away. We
must learn to recognize our own constant and selfish ambitions so that
we can show others a way to true freedom.
Finally, learn that we are all at very different places in our Faith
walk. I know things now that I did not know at first. I could "get
away" with things then that I now do not have "Freedom"
to do. And likewise, things I thought I could not do, are things that I
now have freedom to do. You see, God sees the hearts' intent; we only
see the actions. We all have been in or will be at this place somewhere
in our walk. We must realize that it might just be ok, if someone has
freedom to do some things that we do not. It's equally ok if you can do
some things I can't. Here, is where the distinct yet sometimes blurry
lines come in to play. "Freedom" is not a slang word for
"right to sin".
Anything is sin if God's Word and Spirit says so but, I believe that sin
can differ from person to person as their Knowledge of God grows. For
example, If God told me not to take a bath and I went and took a bath, I
would be in sin because of direct disobedience. However, If God only say
that to me then no one else is in sin who went and took a bath. Still
Freedom for everyone is different and we must respect those differences
that God has released to some.
2nd Example - It does not matter if everyone in your church has freedom
to drink a glass of wine occasionally. If you feel personally convicted
about drinking even a glass, then to drink that glass would be sin for
you because the Holy Spirit put it in your heart not to do it.
(Whatever, the reason, it does not matter.) At this point it becomes a
matter of obedience over sacrifice.
Likewise, if everyone in your church believes it's ok to drink a glass
of wine, then you are in contempt of God if you pass judgment on them
because you are judging the heart of those who's' heart you cannot see.
If we come into balance, the balance of power on this earth will shift.
Peace, Dennis (Eagle Spirit) Bracy
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