When we see Jesus face to face His presence will govern and light Heaven the same way the sun illuminates the sky, the glory of the Lord allows no shadows in all of Heaven. In my imagination, i can see myself talking to Jesus, hearing His words, and being within reach of the person who has been the all-encompassing focus of all my affections. We’ll get to talk to Him, and hear His words. My dad used to say when he got to Heaven he had some serious questions for God, and i remember thinking, “i doubt it. i’m pretty sure when we see Him all our questions will be answered.” Imagine hearing His voice! In Rev14:2, it says His voice is “like the voice of many waters”, and like “the voice of loud thunder.” Imagine the stories we’ll tell and hear. There will be no contention, competition, or conflict, no one looking over your shoulder waiting for you to make a mistake, no mis-communicated words, and no disappointment. The sparks of struggle will be over and done with… no more friction from the intersection of life and death in us. We will have transitioned beyond our earthly place to the Heavenly home with Jesus.
Sounds a little too good to be true, but it is true non-the-less. Jesus said it’s true, my Bible tells me so! In a world where so much of everything that is said, seen, and heard leaves us wondering how much of it all was true, God is the one consistently reliable person alive. When i look at the milling crowds in the stores and on the street, i wonder to myself, “Why do we have such a hard time letting God be good to us?” i think i know why i do, but maybe it’s not such a bad question for yourself either. Sorting out the “why” of that question is all part of transition which often looks like the sparks of struggle flying into the sky on warm air currents from a campfire that’s just been stirred. The transition to maturity is… uncomfortable.
i’m Social Porter and this is Outposts, a semi-live broadcast from the deck of a rural cafe overlooking the Ockluhwahhah River. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired to think on the goodness of God beyond just what is encountered in your work-a-day world. i’ll say it again, i think most folks have a lot of Bible in their heads, but somehow they’ve missed the Father’s heart… this evenings topic is part of an effort to offer some things to contemplate in hopes of broadening our horizons to know who it is that loves us, what He means when He says what He says, and why we do the things we do. Do you know what i mean?
i’ve been thinking lately that the only thing worse than people who don’t believe anything, are people who are colorless and believe anything and everything, sort of like carp, just swallowing anything and everything presented to them and are generally ok with most things that happen, as long as it doesn’t happen to them. Colorless.
Friends, we are the people of God and we are supposed to be loyal to God’s values, but i do suppose it would be good to know what those values are.
This evening’s topic is “Friction”, meaning the sparks of transition and how we conduct ourselves in the middle of it all.
When the Lord moves us from where we are to where we will be, either, mentally, physically, spiritually… or maybe all three at one time, it is called transition and with it comes friction. i can’t say for certain, but i’m pretty sure most all of us have endured transitionary periods.
In the Lords’ doing of a new thing, the habits, patterns, and rhythms we’ve developed over time may take a while to unravel as He creates new ones… from our perspective it’s a season of discomfort, we may even experience a season of “lack” or, what we think is not having enough… enough food, money, support, inspiration, passion, insight, or vision….whatever it is, we just feel a lack. i’ve learned over the years to stop arguing with my lack. Some may call it all a season of testing, in the sense of seeing if we can pass some imaginary measure of performance to go to an imaginary “next level” as if we’re in a video game somehow, but the truth is, more than likely, in the end it is to draw our character to the surface. All very trying to say the least. Most transition seems to bring out our sighing deep breaths, complaints, worrying, and agonizing over even the smallest things.
Watching the transition of an unhatched chick is probably one of the most exhausting and agonizing transitions i can think of. While getting free of the shell, the little bird must also learn to breath… it is astounding it even lives long enough to mature… in it’s transition from egg to maturity, it seems all odds are against it surviving from the start. The egg shell was once it’s protection, but what was once a protection from harm has now become it’s potential death, just like what once was a blessing to us has now become a curse, if we don’t transition to the new place we will be constrained by the old.
Colossians 1:28-29, “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling, using all God’s working that He powerfully works within me.”
In Colossians1:29 and 2:1, where the English word “struggling” and “struggle”, or “strive” and “striving” is used… it is derived from the Greek word “agon”, which is where we get our English word for “agony”. Striving and struggling is not always linked to hard breathing and sighing, but in the sense of becoming mature and wrestling with life, yes, it is.
It is not the happiest of places. Transition is a place where our flesh contends with the direction and will of the Lord… and in that place of contending, there is friction, pressure, heat, and sparks… there are even dangers of finding solace in the things of the world which are easier and seem more peaceable at the time, but in the long run are hurtful for us and may even diminish us. But as all things come to a head there are two facts that remain which we must consider.
One fact is… we may not want to go thru the deep waters of change, but like it or not, God is going there. We may have our certificates of achievements, titles granted by men, approvals, and endorsements of participation, but none of those things are fire proof. Our mindset of seeing ourselves as having value based on who we sat under or mentored under is not fireproof. How we value God, ourselves and others must change. Moving forward is necessary, and if we’re not willing for the transition, we’ll never know the greater anointing.
The second is… we can’t solve problems with the same mindset which created the problems. When i came to the Lord, i learned all the things i should NOT do, say, or think. i learned by heart all the can NOTS, will NOTS, do NOTS….and consequently i was always in a KNOT and learned very little about grace. As time moved on, the Lord, repetitively took me through transition to learn about how the law could bring me out, but only grace could bring me in. By law everyone is disqualified, but only grace gave me rest, which means i had to learn to rest in His strength. In transition we rarely are 100% sure what we’re doing is the Lord, but i think it prudent to add that by the time we’re 100% sure, our opportunity is probably long passed us by.
i knew a man many years ago who had a large enough pasture to split into 4 sections of 20+ acres each, all fenced with gates leading from one pasture to the other. In one pasture, he put cattle. As the cattle grew and ate one pasture down, he would move them to a new and richer field where the grass was lush, giving the other pastures time to recuperate, be fertilized, tilled, and watered. Do you know, every time he moved them to a better place, all the cattle would bellow and moan for 2-3 days and nights, all because they had moved to a new place. The stress of having been moved was far more devastating to them than the excellence of the place they had moved to. Eventually, they would resign themselves to being in the new place, creating new routines with new places to stand and whatever else cattle do, learning to re-group as they got bigger and more mature. There will be times of exasperation.
i tend to see myself like that. As the Lord takes me through a season of transition, even though He leads me beside still waters and restores my soul, i low and bellow about my discomfort while the friction of change reshapes my passions and vision. The stress and discomfort of the new development and growth is far more gripping than the excellent place He’s brought me into. As usual though, i learn to make new friends, find the courage to venture out to explore, new routines are created, fresh experiences and wisdom are gained, and it’s not too long before i realize the new place He has brought me to is better than the old place i left.
There will be times of exasperation… expect it. Haven’t we all said with finality things like, “If you’re going to use me, then use me! And if not, then let me go!!” Things will conclude and settling down will come around. Trust God even when where you’re going isn’t apparent.
i know a man whom built a house for himself in a remote location. He was burned out with church, most people had become an irritation, and he was just tired of religiousness, self-important preachers, and dead works. The house was beautiful, just the right size to be manageable with enough property to keep some livestock and grow a garden. As time went on God healed his heart of the wounds of the past, and the season of being brought aside with the Lord was coming to a close… a new transition was in the wind. What was once a solitary place of healing and solace had now become a secluded prison of his own making, and the Lord was leading him to greener pastures. It was uncomfortable, all his familiar things seemed to be becoming something else… the struggle of “becoming someone he didn’t know how to be” was lonely and uncomfortable. He knew the idea was to go with God not get what you want, but the surface resistance to forward momentum can be difficult to overcome. i believe God allows aloneness to mature us to rely on Him & Him alone. Though we feel so alone, let us be determined to depend on God until we know we are not alone.
Often in transition we focus just on the things that have changed. Remember, you are more than the change and your life is broader than your circumstances. Invest yourself in church, clubs, the gym, service to God, family, and friends. If you have moved, find a new church, find a gym, ask people where the best local walks are, go visiting the shut in and afflicted… there is no need to stop doing the things you used to do to stay balanced and bright.
Be patient. This is only a transition, it is not entrenched pain. Did you get that? This is the Lord leading you through a transition to higher ground, and it is not entrenched pain. Change is wearisome and this may well be a tough time… but you can do this. Pray that God wouldn’t take away the pain of the transition, but that He would draw you closer to Himself that you would be comforted by His presence. Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you as you watch the past fade away and embrace what lies ahead.
The church must change. We cannot continue to do things the way we did in 1968 anymore. The old way of church seems more like the 1968 religious paradigm that smells like a dead body in the back… God is moving on and we may not be going there, but God is going there, whether we like it or not. Position yourself and make ready. There is a major repolarization on the horizon and we need to be ready.
Put your dog tags of where you go to church back in your pocket and learn to identify with Jesus Christ, not the club… the question is “Do you know Jesus?” not “Where do you go to church?”. We need to become more flexible and adopt some spiritual adaptability. i don’t mean be more lenient about sin, poor doctrine, and unrighteous living, i mean to be more flexible when it comes to following the Lord. If we put God in a box He will kick over chairs, overturn tables, scatter the money on the floor, and maybe even anoint people whom you would never have thought possible. Luke 11:33 speaks of hiding a lit candle under a bushel basket… i’d like you to know that if you do that one of two things is going to happen… the candle will go out, or it will burn the basket down, and seeing as how the light of God does not extinguish, your hiding place (the bushel basket) will likely go up in flames at some point. We need to be more flexible. If the Lord takes you through a transitional season to prepare you to move to another country, don’t draw a hard line saying you won’t go there. i know this may seem hard to hear, but if we will not bend, He may simply pass us by and pick someone else. He did it to Israel, why not you?
As we learn flexibility and some spiritual adaptability, it doesn’t happen all at once. Three words come to mind: little by little.
In Deuteronomy7 the Lord told Israel in the days of change that were coming, He would drive out the nations before them, little by little, for if they did it too quickly, the wild things around them would multiply. i believe Israel thought this a wonderful promise at first, but when they were in the middle of all that transition, the friction of constantly following God’s lead and the daily choosing to be obedient to subdue nations larger and stronger than themselves, it was nerve wracking, and a fearsome thing. i bet they were all very, very uncomfortable.
They probably wondered if they were capable of winning against such odds, and i’m sure we all think the same things to ourselves, “What if i’m a failure the first day at my new job?”, “What if no one likes me?” “I don’t know that i can remember all the processes.” “What if i can’t find a good church?” “I don’t know how to be the Christian i’m supposed to be.” “What if i can’t find a job or a house?” What if no one loves me and i never get married and have children?” Yea, well… “what if” a lot of things.
Just like Moses knew that God’s heart was for Israel to triumph over their formidable enemies, and that God had a strategy for victory and deliverance, we need to believe God will not leave us in the middle of our transitional season to go off doing something else. And what do you think God’s plan was? Here is what i think: Basically, it was one step at a time, little by little. Inch by inch life is a cinch, yard by yard it’s very hard. The Lord could have easily just cleared a path to the promised land, but in His wisdom, He knew Israel needed some skin in the game and they needed to fight for what God had given them….they had to know God was with them and that they could overcome with strength and confidence…. that the Lord meant all He said, and would do all He promised.
We have a better promise than Israel did in the desert under the law. Hebrews 8:5-6, “… Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle,for the Lord said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.” But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”
I absolutely believe God has a place for you which has been providentially orchestrated. He has put dreams, vision and desires in your heart, and i bet if you listen closely in your inmost person you can hear His destiny calling.
Just like Israel, you are on a journey toward the full possession of His promises to you, and also like them, you can rest assured you will face opposition as you go. But God has the same strategy for victory in your life as He had for Israel all those years ago: little by little. You will get where He wants you to go one step at a time, one day at a time, one trial at a time, one victory at a time. You can do this, so don’t allow yourself to be overwhelmed in the in-between place, hallway between appointments, your time of transition. In order to be more than conqueror’s, as Paul wrote in Roman8:13, there needs to be some overcoming, some trust in God-building, faith stretching, rigorous honesty preferring times in our lives… there needs to be some standing for the truth regardless of how life looks… that is called exercise, and spiritual muscle building… others would call it maturity.
i don’t believe the Lord will eliminate all the opposition against you at one time, nor will He set you in your quote-unquote “land of promise” without taking you through the experiences necessary to learn the lessons and develop the character you will need in the new place where your transition is taking you. He will take out your enemies, eliminating them one by one, and that will take time… all of which He expects us to participate with Him in accomplishing our own path of growing up and being overcomers in His Name.
Instead of quickly eliminating the opposition, God wants to get out the old and bring in the new. He will start with the posture of our heart… our attitudes and mind-sets, He’ll file off our sharp edges with circumstances, challenging relationships and anything else that would keep us from being fully prepared and equipped to possess the promises He has given us. If you are afraid, just watch the Lord… He’ll setup and coordinate situations that will help us overcome fear and replace it with faith.
If no matter how we try, we can’t seem to get a grip on our finances… watch the Lord and see how He may send you additional work so that your bondage to your bills can be replaced with financial freedom… and when the extra work comes we can’t be lazy whiners preferring to lay on the couch.
And yes, we all typically moan and bellow because we’re so uncomfortable, but i’m offering these views in hopes that if we understand the heart of the Lord a little more closely, transition may not be so uncomfortable or painful as we imagined.
i believe it is highly likely, that the things which eventually break up marriages had all the signals revealed during the courting phase, we simply weren’t paying attention. Maybe we were busy looking at the great grill work, or that amazing engine, or the beautiful interior, but we never got around to doing the work of opening the trunk… the tell-tale signs of trouble were there we just didn’t pay attention. If there is someone in your life who would be a liability to you in the future, God may remove that person and lead you to develop a relationship with someone who has the heart and ability to be a blessing upon arriving at the new appointment.
Making the choices to follow the Lord in all those examples are places of friction, where what we want and dream about comes into better alignment with the Heart of the Lord. Important and compelling changes in our live’s require time and patience, so try not to get frustrated in the process. Yea, i know, easier said than done. Too often today’s Christian mentality sees life as no more than one big long trial, and the true goal can only be reached by those who have “worked themselves up towards God” by their own holiness, by conquering all fleshly desires. Life is NOT one big long trial, nor are we powerless to do anything other than what we actually do. Friends, as long as there is a devil and we wear flesh, it’s going to be a struggle, not that we should stop fencing in our passions, but also familiarizing ourselves more exactly with God’s grace and be kind to ourselves.
Remember, as God removes the things that would hinder you and replaces them with things that will help you, He is developing you into a strong, wise, well-equipped warrior who is able to emerge from every difficulty victoriously. Let the Lord do what He does best… just Let… Him… Do… It.
So many are in transition, and i hope this is a little insight to encourage us all to not get down about it. Travel well, follow the Lord, let go of those heavy loads, and let your heart rise, the Lord is with you. Think about it.
Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”
When the Lord is involved, even the longest wait has meaning and purpose. He redeems time and restores the years the locusts have eaten.
According to Rom8:28 we can have confidence that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose“. Not one minute of your seemingly uncomfortable and lengthy journey is a waste of time. God does not waste an inkling of His breath, His time, or yours… instead of being grieved or made heavy which may occur in your season of transition, look at it as a priceless opportunity for learning and growth.
There is friction in transition, tension and release, resistance and liberation. It is uncomfortable and messy, like revival, uncomfortable and messy, but God is in the middle and knows exactly what He’s doing. Transition always leads to transformation.
i’m Social Porter and this has been Outposts for Living In His Name Ministries, hoping to inspire listeners to think about what you spend your time thinking about. If God is not in your picture, it is time to reconsider your position. Consider carefully, time is of the essence, it is not the time to give up.
When we see Jesus, there will be no controversy, or rivalry, nor calamity, or discouragement. The sparks and friction of transition will be over and done with.
But, in the meantime, take it easy, little by little…enjoy the adventure, relax and breath, it’s all part of growing up. Pray for your neighbors, and be careful. Hopefully we’ll meet again next time, amen.