growing wings

i found this interesting...

GROWING WINGS
By Martha Beck

What goes on in the cocoon of change isn't always pretty, but the results can be beautiful. Martha Beck talks you through the four phases of human metamorphosis. Get ready to fly!

I used to think I knew how some caterpillars become butterflies. I assumed they weave cocoons, then sit inside growing six long legs, four wings, and so on. I figured if I were to cut open a cocoon, I'd find a butterfly-ish caterpillar, or a caterpillar-ish butterfly, depending on how far things had progressed. I was wrong. In fact, the first thing caterpillars do in their cocoons is shed their skin, leaving a soft, rubbery chrysalis. If you were to look inside the cocoon early on, you'd find nothing but a puddle of glop. But in that glop are certain cells, called imago cells, that contain the DNA-coded instructions for turning bug soup into a delicate, winged creature—the angel of the dead caterpillar.

If you've ever been through a major life transition, this may sound familiar. Humans do it, too—not physically but psychologically. All of us will experience metamorphosis several times during our lives, exchanging one identity for another. You've probably already changed from baby to child to adolescent to adult—these are obvious, well-recognized stages in the life cycle. But even after you're all grown up, your identity isn't fixed. You may change marital status, become a parent, switch careers, get sick, win the lottery.

Any transition serious enough to alter your definition of self will require not just small adjustments in your way of living and thinking but a full-on metamorphosis. I don't know if this is emotionally stressful for caterpillars, but for humans it can be hell on wheels. The best way to minimize trauma is to understand the process.

The Phases of Human Metamorphosis
Psychological metamorphosis has four phases. You'll go through these phases, more or less in order, after any major change catalyst (falling in love or breaking up, getting or losing a job, having children or emptying the nest, etc.). The strategies for dealing with change depend on the phase you're experiencing.

GROWING WINGS: THE PHASES OF HUMAN METAMORPHOSIS
Phase One: Dissolving

Here's the Deal
The first phase of change is the scariest, especially because we aren't taught to expect it. It's the time when we lose our identity and are left temporarily formless: person soup. Most people fight like crazy to keep their identities from dissolving. "This is just a blip," we tell ourselves when circumstances rock our world. "I'm the same person, and my life will go back to being the way it was."

Sometimes this is true. But in other cases, when real metamorphosis has begun, we run into a welter of "dissolving" experiences. We may feel that everything is falling apart, that we're losing everyone and everything. Dissolving feels like death, because it is—it's the demise of the person you've been.

What to Do
When we're dissolving we may get hysterical, fight our feelings, try to recapture our former lives, or jump immediately toward some new status quo ("rebound romance" is a classic example). All these measures actually slow down Phase One and make it more painful. The following strategies work better:

In Phase One, live one day (or ten minutes) at a time. Instead of dwelling on hopes and fears about an unknowable future, focus your attention on whatever is happening right now.

"Cocoon" by caring for yourself in physical, immediate ways. Wrap yourself in a blanket, make yourself a cup of hot tea, attend an exercise class, whatever feels comforting.

Talk to others who have gone through a metamorphosis. If you don't have a wise relative or friend, a therapist can be a source of reassurance.

Let yourself grieve. Even if you are leaving an unpleasant situation (a bad marriage, a job you didn't like), you'll probably go through the normal human response to any loss: the emotional roller coaster called the grieving process. You'll cycle through denial, anger, sadness, and acceptance many times. Just experiencing these feelings will help them pass more quickly.

If you think this sounds frustratingly passive, you're right. Dissolving isn't something you do; it's something that happens to you. The closest you'll come to controlling it is relaxing and trusting the process.

GROWING WINGS: THE PHASES OF HUMAN METAMORPHOSIS
Phase Two: Imagining

Here's the Deal
For those of us who have just a few tiny control issues, Phase Two is as welcome as rain after drought. This is when the part of you that knows your destiny, the imago in your psyche, will begin giving you instructions about how to reorganize the remnants of your old identity into something altogether different.

The word imago is the root of the word image. You'll know you're beginning Phase Two when your mind's eye starts seeing images of the life you are about to create. These can't be forced—like dissolving, they happen to you—and they are never what you expected. You're becoming a new person, and you'll develop traits and interests your old self didn't have. You may feel compelled to change your hairstyle or wardrobe, or redecorate your living space. The old order simply seems wrong, and you'll begin reordering your outer situation to reflect your inner rebirth.

What to Do
Here are some ways you may want to respond when you begin spontaneously imagining the future:

Cut out magazine pictures you find appealing or interesting. Glue them onto a piece of butcher paper. The resulting collage will be an illustration of the life you're trying to create.

Let yourself daydream. Your job is to try out imaginary scenarios until you have a clear picture of your goals and desires. You'll save a lot of time, effort, and grief by giving yourself time to do this in your head before you attempt it in the real world.

Phase Two is all about images: making them up, making them clear, making them possible. Moving through this stage, you'll start to feel an impulse to go from dreaming (imagining possibilities) to scheming (planning to bring your vision to fruition). Write down both dreams and schemes, then gather information about how you might create them.

GROWING WINGS: THE PHASES OF HUMAN METAMORPHOSIS
Phase Three: Re-forming

Here's the Deal
As your dreams become schemes, you'll begin itching to make them come true. This signals Phase Three, the implementation stage of the change process. Phase Three is when you stop fantasizing about selling your art and start submitting work to galleries, or go beyond ogling a friend's brother to having her set you up on a date. You'll feel motivated to do real, physical things to build a new life. And then…(drum roll, please)…you'll fail. Repeatedly.

I've gone through Phase Three many times and watched hundreds of clients do the same. I've never seen a significant scheme succeed on the first try. Re-forming your life, like anything new, complex, and important, inevitably brings up problems you didn't expect. That's why, in contrast to the starry eyes that are so useful in Phase Two, Phase Three demands the ingenuity of Thomas Edison and the tenacity of a pit bull.

What to Do

Expect things to go wrong. Many of my clients have an early failure and consider this a sign that "it just wasn't meant to be." This is a useful philosophy if you want to spend your life as person soup. To become all that you can be, you must keep working toward your dreams even when your initial efforts are unsuccessful.

Be willing to start over. Every time your plans fail, you'll briefly return to Phase One, feeling lost and confused. This is an opportunity to release some of the illusions that created hitches in your plan.

Revisit Phase Two, adjusting your dreams and schemes to include the truths you've learned from your experimentation.

Persist. Keep debugging and reimplementing your new-and-improved plans until they work. If you've followed all the steps above, they eventually will.


GROWING WINGS: THE PHASES OF HUMAN METAMORPHOSIS
Phase Four: Flying

Here's the Deal
Phase Three is like crawling out of your cocoon and waiting for your crumpled, soggy wings to dry and expand. Phase Four is the payoff, the time when your new identity is fully formed and able to fly.

What to Do
The following strategies—which can help you optimize this delightful situation—are about fine-tuning, not drastic transformation.

Enjoy! You've just negotiated a scary and dramatic transformation, and you deserve to savor your new identity. Spend time every day focusing on gratitude for your success.

Make small improvements. Find little ways to make your new life a bit less stressful, a bit more pleasurable.

Know that another change is just around the bend. There's no way to predict how long you'll stay in Phase Four; maybe days, maybe decades. Don't attribute your happiness to your new identity; security lies in knowing how to deal with metamorphosis, whenever it occur

who r u really?

i am continually amazed at people. they do the strangest things sometimes. what funny creatures we all are. i wish people's words were always true. that we would never have reason to doubt one's character or motives. that we would all be able to trust what we think we know of a person.

even more so, i pray that we have the ability to not judge them for not being what we thought they were. for we can never be behind another's eyes and we have all made mistakes.

i am saddened for what i thought i knew, and pray for grace for what i now know.

Great Commission Exemption Form

GREAT COMMISSION EXEMPTION FORM

To be filed out by those who feel that they qualify for exempt Status Acts 1:8 and Commandment Mt. 28:19

Last Name First Name Middle Name

Street Address City State & Zip


CHECK THE APPROPRIATE NUMBER UNDER WHICH YOU CLAIM EXEMPTION

_____1. I am 100% disabled, and unable to comply
_____2. I have received nothing; therefore I can give nothing.
_____3. I do not like this law: too much centralized power.
_____4. My neighbor does not want to comply.
_____5. I am applying for a 20 year deferment. I need time to think it over.
_____6. I recently completed a 20 year deferment and am applying for an extension.
_____7. My ship sails for Joppa tomorrow.
_____8. I have never gotten a personal call from the Boss telling me that this Law applied to me.
_____9. Because I do not qualify as a “child of God” under John 1:12, I am not under the jurisdiction of Statute # Acts 1:8 and Commandment Matthew 28:19, and realize that I serve another master.
____10. Other______________________________________________________________

If you need more information about the Law of the Great Commission as stated in Statute Acts 1:8 and Commandment Mt. 28:19. please refer to subsidiary Statutes: Mk. 16:15, 2 Cor 5:19, Rom. 1:16, Mt. 24:14. Mk. 13:10, Luke 24:47, Acts 26:18, and Revelation 14:6. You will find all of these in the supreme government publication entitled “Bible” – handbook for all mankind.

Please hand carry this form with you to your pre-heaven placement interview with the “Lord of Lords.” He will then determine if indeed you qualified for exemption.

Date Signature

Eternal Revenue Service
Form No. 002

what is real?

a couple of weeks ago i was questioning the realness of experiences in my life. whether or not they were "real" being in the context of whether everything was completely true from all sides, or only "real" from my perspective. hence my perceptions being my reality. not necessarily reality itself. after doing some more searching within myself over the weekend, and then prompted even more tonight, i felt i should look up the definition of real. it is as follows:

# being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory; "real objects"; "real people; not ghosts"; "a film based on real life"; "a real illness"; "real humility"; "Life is real! Life is earnest!"- Longfellow
# real(a): no less than what is stated; worthy of the name; "the real reason"; "real war"; "a real friend"; "a real woman"; "meat and potatoes--I call that a real meal"; "it's time he had a real job"; "it's no penny-ante job--he's making real money"
# actual: being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something; "her actual motive"; "a literal solitude like a desert"- G.K.Chesterton; "a genuine dilemma"
# not to be taken lightly; "statistics demonstrate that poverty and unemployment are very real problems"; "to the man sleeping regularly in doorways homelessness is real"
# capable of being treated as fact; "tangible evidence"; "his brief time as Prime Minister brought few real benefits to the poor"
# being value measured in terms of purchasing power; "real prices"; "real income"; "real wages"
# substantial: having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary; "the substantial world"; "a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"; "most ponderous and substantial things"- Shakespeare
# (of property) fixed or immovable; "real property consists of land and buildings"
# real number: any rational or irrational number
# an old small silver Spanish coin
# veridical: coinciding with reality; "perceptual error...has a surprising resemblance to veridical perception"- F.A.Olafson
# very: used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal; "she was very gifted"; "he played very well"; "a really enjoyable evening"; "I'm real sorry about it"; "a rattling good yarn"

after reading all of these definitons, i am still left with the question. if i experience something and believe it "being or reflecting the essential or genuine character of something" or believe it "having substance or capable of being treated as fact" and i am wrong, does it take away from the realness of my experiences? can hindsight color memories to the extent of questioning their reality if when i experienced them, they were completely real to me? within the state of being, that these things did occur, that they were not illusory, and that i was a part of them, and acted and reacted in faith that they were real, can thoughts now alter them? can one's own perspective or perception be tangible enough to define something as real? if it was real for me, could any thoughts now steal from me the past reality?

i don't believe they can. i chose to experience life as it came to me. in faith i stepped. i chose to belive in that reality. those are the memories i will carry. not the doubt or questioning that may have arisen after. i choose the fullness of everything that i thought i knew, not the questions i may never have answers to.

Patio's Devo and my response!

This is a dear friend's Devo that is so similar to what the Lord has been speaking to me about. What follows after is what I sent to him after he sent me the first half of the Devo. I hope you all are as blessed as I was!

About Kings

Hey Everybody!

Ever since C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia came out in theaters, I have been thinking a lot more about the relevance of believers being kings and priests. It seems to me that these are two roles which the duties and privileges thereof are highly neglected by the church today. Yet Jesus calls us "kings and priests unto God."—Revelation 1:6. In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the young man, Peter, displays a somewhat suppressed yet very real yearning to be a conquering hero, and in a general sense, a real man. When the prospect of winning the kingdom and becoming king is disclosed to him, a sense of duty and responsibility and courage rises up in him and he is persuaded to fight for the cause of Narnia; to be the hero that he's always, if secretly, wanted to be. It's because of this inward longing, which I also share, and because of our lack of understanding that I want to divulge a bit about being a king. The apostle Peter said,

"You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."—1 Peter 2:9



After reading from 1 Samuel through 2 Kings, and the Proverbs, I have learned at least 7 things about kings. In no particular order that I am aware of:

#1. A king reigns by wisdom and has many advisors. Proverbs 8:15 says,

"By me [Wisdom] kings reign, And rulers decree justice." Even King Solomon—who was not only the wisest king, but also the wisest man—had advisors. Including, but not limited to his mother, Bathsheba, Nathan the prophet, and Zabud, Nathan's son who was a priest and Solomon's friend. For Proverbs 15:22 says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." That leads me to…

#2. Before you can be a good ruler, you need to know how to be ruled. Proverbs 15:33 says, "The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor." First of all, you cannot even begin to have wisdom if you don't have the fear of the LORD—Proverbs 9:10. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil—Proverbs 8:13. Secondly, before one can be honored as a king he must first learn humility. There have been many kings. But not all had honor, because they didn't have humility. In Matthew 23:11&12, Jesus says, "The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." The king is exalted, but before anyone can be exalted they must be humble and willing to submit to others in authority. You see this in the life of King David. He was humbled as a rogue from his own country for years while King Saul hunted him down like a dog. But David honored King Saul nonetheless and never attempted to take his life, even though he had the chance and even though he had already been anointed as king. For he said, "The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed."—1 Samuel 24:6 & 26:11. Was Saul in the wrong? Yes. But because he was anointed by the LORD to be king, David would not harm him. In fact, David honored him, saying, "'My lord, the king!' And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth and bowed down."—1 Samuel 24:8. This principle of honoring those who are in authority over us—whether those in authority are righteous or unrighteous; deserving of honor or not—is a principle that has been lost on my generation. This includes honoring our mothers and fathers. Too many times I have seen the "anti-establishment" mentality; the mentality that we are not going to be told what to do by anybody or change for anybody. It also comes in the form of unwillingness to submit to the teaching of an elder or more experienced person. And I'm talking about "supposed" Christians here. What we're doing is being unwilling to submit to God's authority in men, for all authority is of God and ordained by God. And I tell you this is rebellion! And this is sin! And I tell you unless we learn submission and humility we will never be truly honored or exalted. My generation needs to recognize the value of this principle and reclaim it. Rather than doing what's right in our own eyes. If you cannot bear to sit under the teaching of another, then stop rocking the boat and get out! I think we need to examine ourselves to see whether we are teachable at all. If a person cannot accept correction or instruction, he is a proud person and a fool and in danger of leading himself and others astray—Proverbs 10:17; 12:1; 13:18; 15:5; 15:10 & 15:12. No such person will ever receive wisdom and no such person will ever be honored. It is impossible, by default, for a person in rebellion to see the whole truth, though he may think that what he believes is true. Take the life of King Saul, for example. He was totally deluded. It never occured to him that he was wrong.

Jesus who was the King of kings portrayed the ultimate example of humility to us in His own life. He became the servant of all. He even served His enemies and gave up His life for them. In His kingdom, the servant will be the greatest of all. That leads me to…

#3. No true king can establish himself. He must be anointed by God and established in righteousness. Ok. Consider any and all of the men who tried to establish themselves as king. Saul's son Ishbosheth—2 Samuel 2-4—Abner tried to set him up as king. And he "reigned" in Israel for 2 years before he was betrayed and beheaded. Then there was David's own son, Absolom, who tried to usurp David—2 Samuel 15-18—He was popular in the eyes of the people and even caused David to flee from Jerusalem, but the LORD Himself had the intent to bring disaster on Absolom, because he rebelled against the LORD's established authority—2 Samuel 17:14. Absolom, too, was killed in a matter of months. Then there was David's son Adonijah. He "exalted himself, saying, 'I will be king'"—1 Kings 1:5. But the LORD had chosen Solomon and so David made him king in his stead. Solomon later executed Adonijah because of mistrust. Do you see a pattern here? We don't have the power, authority, or right to establish ourselves no matter how hard we try or how diligently we persist. It is God who ordains His authority in men. However, in Christ, God has done a new thing. The Father has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Jesus, the Son—Matthew 28:18-20—And so Jesus has commissioned us to go into all the nations and make disciples and teach and baptize in His name. In His name; His authority. We have the authority that is in Christ, the authority that comes by the righteousness of faith. As it is written,

"It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness ."—Proverbs 16:12



And,

"But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. "—Romans 3:21-22



A throne is a king's seat of authority, which is established by righteousness. And we now know that righteousness comes by faith in Jesus Christ alone. So basically, I see a formula here: Faith = Righteousness = Authority. Our righteousness and authority are in Him, so we must trust and obey HIM. Jesus even went so far as to say this,

"I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."—John 14:12-14.



That's a monumental statement. But Jesus gave us two conditions: That we have faith in Him, and that we ask in His name. In His name means three things: In His name means according to His character, because to Jews a person's name revealed their character. In His name means His identity, meaning we must be identified with Him. Meaning that we become His; we become His disciples and His bride. And third, asking in His name means asking in His authority because asking in the King's name carries all power. Even a messenger who is sent in the name of a king is revered because he represents the king's authority. Praise God! We are established in Him, by faith.

Grace to you for faith, righteousness, and authority in the Kingdom,

#4. Kings should know and obey the Word of God. Concerning the principles governing kings, Deuteronomy 17:18-20 says,

“It shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one before the priests, the Levites. And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.”



I’m seeing as I write how all these attributes of kingship are interconnected. The king was to write for himself a copy of the bible, basically. And read it all the time so that he would learn to fear the LORD and that in knowing the word he would have a standard by which to rule justly. I think the very fact that Moses even writes this as an ordinance is very telling. Oh how important it is to know the Word!

#5. Kings are to make reforms. Many times as you read through the books of Kings you notice that God judges a king by what reforms he made or didn’t make. Just as one example, 2 Kings 12:1-3 says,

“In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. Jehoash did what was right in the sight of the LORD all the days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. But the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”



You see a king has a realm of influence in order to change his environment. As kings and queens of God, in Christ, our mission is to set up the Kingdom of God, to make reforms in the earth. That’s what it means to be the salt of the earth. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit working in us. As it is written,

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”—Romans 14:17



So the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy IN the Holy Spirit. And praise God; the Holy Spirit is in us! A fact of which we really need a revelation. Since we are the Body of Christ—His hands, feet, mouth, etc., filled with His Spirit—we ought to do the same things He did when He was here. He came to destroy the work of the devil—1 John 3:8—so we also are equipped by the power of Holy Spirit and the accompanying weapons and gifts to do the same.

Probably the best-known reformer king was the boy, Josiah. And wow, what a courageous and faithful kid! God even prophesies of his birth by a man of God in the days of Jeroboam, saying,

“By the word of the LORD a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. He cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD: ‘O altar, altar! This is what the LORD says: “A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who now make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.”’”—1 Kings 13:1&2.



And further, the word of God says this about Josiah:



“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years… He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”—2 Kings 22:1&2



This statement is said of no other king, since the time of David. This leads me right into #6, but before I do let me just say that the reforms that Josiah made revolved around the rediscovery of the Law and the re-establishing of it. He tore down all the high places and burned all the temples of baal and asherah. Consequently, true worship of the One, true God was restored.

#6. Kings do valiant exploits. Daniel 11:32 says of the end-time people of God,

“Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”



This fact is most evidently revealed in the life of King David. I mean, what didn’t David do? David killed the giant Goliath and took away the reproach of Israel. He defeated the Philistines. He cast the Jebusites out from Jerusalem and made it into Zion the capital of Israel; the holy city of God. He brought back the ark of the covenant of God and set it in Jerusalem. He expanded the kingdom. He laid the spiritual foundations for the temple of the Lord and very literally set a standard for all kings. He established true worship. David defended and delivered his people. He was truly a man after God’s own heart.

Proverbs 25:2 says this,



“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.”



Probably the most regal and daring quality in David was that he really did seek after the heart of God. David was a New Testament man in an Old Testament time. God showed him mysteries and treasures that were concealed in His word until the time of Jesus. David was a revolutionary. It is because of David’s faithfulness, even through sin, that the LORD said to him,

“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth… Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be His Father, and He shall be My son.’”—2 Samuel 7:8,9,11-14.



#7. Kings are preserved through mercy and truth. Proverbs 20:28 from the NIV says,

“Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; through love his throne is made secure.”



The NKJV says it like this,



“Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne.”



Both translations are accurate enough. The Hebrew is so dense that the English fails at fully conveying what it is wholly saying. Mercy/love and faithfulness/truth act as counterbalances of one another. Or to put it another way, they complement one another. Truth without love is too harsh. Love without truth is too unreliable. But real love rejoices in the truth, and sincere truth ought to be spoken in love. These two balances preserve the king and give him good understanding. And love makes his throne secure. Anything without love is just bland and sinful. But power and authority are especially detestable without love to guide them.

Be good kings and queens. Walk in the ways of your father David, and his seed by the flesh, Jesus Christ. Be like Jesus. Go on the great adventure; make reforms and conquests for the kingdom of God. Pour yourself out as a servant with great authority in Christ.
Risk it all for Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My reply to the first half of Patio's Devo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was so blessed by your email. It really spoke to some of what God has been showing me lately as well. I have had so much just poured into me lately from Him about what it is to be an heir in the Kingdom, and what it is to truly be a son of God (Luke3:38 if Adam is a son of God then we must be sons as well) with His DNA running through us. So much changes when we see things from the identity we truly have in Him. If you think about it, before the foundations of time, our sonship was ours to have, and the destiny for our lives was known. And our destiny, our "family business" is learning to rule. When you rule in the Kingdom, it is for the benefit of others always. We are in the position in the Kingdom we are in, so that we may benefit those being ruled in it. The only way to do this effectively is through the power of the Holy Spirit guiding us to do so. That is righteous ruling. A place we must respect greatly if we are to be given by God the responsibility to speak to or over people, even nations if the Lord desires it.

In learning to rule righteously, I have found that you have to learn obedience through experience, even suffering. We are being taught to obey even when you don't know all the details. When you don't know what the end result will be, and being obedient even when you feel wronged. We have to obey in everything in order to become effective as the royal priesthood. If we were to indulge in our personal preferences or our own agenda we would be doing harm to others, so our obedience must be non-negotiable.

Look at what happened to Joesph. His brothers sold him into slavery after living a life that was honoring to his earthly and heavenly Fathers. He was obedient, and yet he ended up being thrown into a prison. He suffered, and yet even in that suffering and his confusion, he remained obedient. God was creating a righteous ruler in him.

This kinda leads me into some of what He has taught me about suffering. Specifically about suffering it seems a lot of young people are going through. It's God's duty as our Father to break us in areas that would keep our foundations to limited. A lot of times we are resurrected almost out of what we were so that we may become what He needs for us to be. It is the death of everything that opposes God and His design for our lives. It is not necessary for young people to get everything right, yet to be tested to see the limits of our character. If we don't see things from this perspective we can be feeling upset about whatever hardship has come our way. What is truly in our heart will then be exposed.

Often young people go through a loss of identity, which is normal. When we are young most of our limitations are seen through cause and effect. As a child learns things. Those experiences form who they become and how they think. We are learning where are limitations are, seeing them broken for us so that we may build a building on a foundation that has all the necessary structure to hold the building of our life God has planned out. As God does this, confusion and contradictions arise. As do conflicts in building things in the natural. Suffering through these experiences is 100% thoroughly purposeful. With that said, we must remember to not get too enamored with the promise of what the building will be or what it will look like, or how large it will be. Getting a prophetic word about our future, or knowing our destiny in some way from the Lord is just to tell us what He is going to do. Not what we need to do to make that happen.

A lot of time pressure seems to rest on young people as we learn how to become part of the Kingdom. We start to think that if we change our behavior then God will take the pressure off. He won't take the pressure off thought until we have truly changed to the core, and His righteousness has set in. Suffering has to do with stretching out our capacity to accommodate the destiny He has for us. We can do everything right like Joesph, and still get thrown into prison if He needs us to learn something. It is in the time of adversity that we will get the keys and tools to do the work of the Kingdom. It won't be who we know, or our ability to network things into happening. You can't network your way out of prison! It will be what has been instilled in us specifically, for such a time as this. The time in the low places will prepare us for the time in the high places. It is much better to arrive at our destiny what may seem late to us and yet prepared, than it is to arrive early and be unprepared. In the appointed day of the Lord we will go forward in the fullness of our destiny. What has been appointed for each of us by God, has been appointed specifically by God for us. Our foundations are being formed for a specific building to house the wonders of God!

Jesus lived 24 7 in the Kingdom, living by the Spirit. Living led by the Spirit is a way of life. As we return to a position of the royal priesthood and Kings, the miraculous will become a way of life. We will be more at home in the spiritual than we are in the natural. We can not reach that apart from the teaching of the Kingdom of God. Much of what you were saying in your Devo. We have been given the right to rule and have dominion. (Gen 1:26) It is our family business!! When Jesus came to the earth, Heaven came with Him. The access of Heaven was with Him. "On earth, as it is in Heaven." There needs to be no separation in our minds about what the Holy Spirit is capable of doing on earth as opposed to what He is able to do in Heaven. We have been given the Holy Spirit as the bearer of all the keys that will unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

You and I were born into a noble family when we accepted Christ! We are being trained in taking on of our Father's business! We are sons of God being formed into Kings and a royal priesthood. Our foundations are being formed. Our capacities are being expanded to support a structure you and I have only dreamed of seeing. One day it will come to fruition though! Praise be to God!

fireworks

the fireworks were just not the same this year. the sky was beautiful. the sunset was mostly unable to be seen. it was there tho. just not where i could see it. hidden by clouds i was so desperate to see removed. they parted when I asked the Lord to move them, but i still couldn't see what i wanted to see. maybe someday.

sunset on the severn

so much has happened in a year!

over the weekend i took a dear friend of mine down to the river and we baptized her! it was beautiful and surreal. as i watched the sun setting on the river my mind could not help but go back to a year ago from tomorrow, when another baptism took place. how far away a year can seem. the beauty of the sunset remains in my memory, but i definitely miss it's warmth.

it's amazing to me how the Holy Spirit can move us in different directions, and yet allow us to remain connected through Him. i will trust in His goodness and His plans for me and await the rising sun!

My Sunset

the most majestic colors painted my sky
with beauty and warmth i had no right to expect
it poured itself out over my life
and changed more than the scenery

the warmth and love encompassed me
whispering i love you with the wind
such sweet music my heart had never heard
a harmony that forever changed the way it beat

it reached it's arms out to embrace me
as i longed for it never to leave
within me it will forever remain
even if now only in my mind's eye

for obediently i stand ashore, looking where it once was
wondering how long the night will be endured
oh how i will eagerly accept it's return
and the ring of warmth and love it will bring

~The sun was setting over the river last night, after we had gone down to baptize a sister in Christ. I thought back to almost exactly a year ago, and a baptism on Independence Day. Where has the year gone? So much has taken place, and so much hasn't. The beauty of the sunset last night doesn't compare to the sunset I have seen, and still see in my mind. I have known the love unable to be articulated by words. I have basked in it's glory and splendor, as it sang it's tune through my life. I have given my life over, and I will continue to do so. I will stand ashore, watching the river, for the slightest hint of color.