After the joy of the new birth comes a process, which I call “seed death,” which is aimed directly at the throne room of the new
believer. The purpose of this action is geared at breaking “self rule” that has so long dominated a person’s life. The Lord does not
“roughly” toss us off the throne but over a period of time he gets the job done. For example, if rebellion to authority has been our
companion then he will remove that aspect out of our lives. He does this in a “breaking process that works over a period of time by
seasons of spiritual weather patterns that crashes up against our nature. This can best be described by watching the waves of the
ocean hitting the surf. Over the constant movement of waves hitting against huge and sharp boulders over time, the results have left
the rocks smooth by way of removing the sharp edges. With that in mind as a illustration we can expect our rough edges to be worked
on by contact after contact with people, places and things that fashion us into smooth stones for God.
Jesus gave us a truth that is universal in its reality. “I tell you truly that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains
a single grain of wheat; but if it dies, it brings a good harvest.” (John 12:24) As we all know any seed left alone will not produce unless
it is first of all placed within the soil so it can die and then produce the life within. The cracking of the shell is a hard process to go
through because of the “death factor,” but in order for life to come forth we must die to self. As a result, when the seed case of
believers gets cracked and their world starts to show signs of “unraveling”, this can be a scary thing for them. However, with each crack
a little “light” appears and it is this “light” which takes away the fear of losing control over ones destiny. If we are not committed to living
for God then we will never make it through shell cracking for we will always resist change and constantly refuse to hand over the reins
of government to the Lord. As a result we will always be in a state of bitterness and despair! But if we willfully accept the things that
happen in our life as from the Lord then we will know “the peace that passes understanding,” that Jesus spoke of. Please know that
there is also things that happen to us due to wrong choices we make in life. We cannot overlook the principle of “sowing and reaping.”
However, what I am talking about here is not that but instead I am making reference to growing in Christ and being transferred from
what we once were to what we are now becoming in Christ by way of his plan for our lives. Even in the process of seed dying we, from
time to time, will make wrong choices which might slow down the growth but not stop God’s program in us from being carried out.
God in His wisdom knows exactly how to accomplish His will within us by putting us in situations that will crack open the shells in our
life. Some of us have a harder shell life to crack, depending on what kind of people we have become throughout the course of our life.
Some need to have a rubber hammer to break the shell while others need a “twenty ton sledge hammer” in order to put a dent in their
casing. If we be willing and dedicated to allow the work to go forth then we will be better off in the long haul, but if we dig our heels in
and resist this process the harder and longer we will remain outside of harvest expectations. We can dream and hope for great things
but yet if we remain as a solitary grain of wheat then we will be unfruitful in expressing godly and spiritual life.
Have you met someone who knows scripture from one end to the other yet lacks life. They can quote to you verses on how to live
and what God is telling you but yet afterwards you feel worse off than what you were before you met them. They minister to you the
letter of the word but the life inside is locked away which makes them unattractive in spiritual appearance. The sad thing is, the
knowledge they have is a knowledge of death instead of life. This knowledge has so “crusted” over the outer shell to such a degree
that they remain a prisoner to their own world.
Growth through brokenness is required in order for us to achieve “spiritual knowledge.” But as long as we seek to deliver ourselves
from those things that are “unpleasant” and “disgusting” then we will remain ignorant of grain life and we will continue to lack
knowledge of Truth and Spirit. Truth comes to us by way of the Spirit and the greater knowledge of Truth then the more knowledge of
Spirit which in turn brings us to more areas of walking in the Spirit.
When it comes to service to God we would rather take the easiest path to become a productive servant. The way of the “Cross” is not
the most sought after path to walk on and surely it is the least traveled one besides. We avoid struggles or when we seek to remove
ourselves out of situations by taking matters into our own hands and leaning on our own understanding on how to get out of what we
don’t care to be in. Instead of trusting in the Lord we end up going back to infancy stages once again.
The way of death is submission to the cross and as we allow the cross to place its mark on us only then can we radiate life. Have you
ever seen people who have been through much sorrow, they are the ones who can really understand the tears of life for they have
been branded by sorrow and they carry that mark of excellence in their soul. Since they themselves are familiar with suffering they then
can identify suffering with suffering. This gives them the edge for they themselves are able to relate by the amount of suffering they
themselves have went through.
We grow in segments or stages, each level of growth will mean going through something in order to receive a degree or diploma of
knowledge. The knowledge that comes from God cannot be learned by text book study alone but by dealings from the Lord delivered
to us by way of the cross. When we turn loose of self, and surrender to the breaking process of the cross working in us then we will see
life, yet if we refuse to be changed then we will remain cold and solid. Each of us have things that have happened to us throughout
the course of our lives and these things can hinder us from being effective in the new life we receive at spiritual birth. No one knows
better than the Lord as to how to work within us to accomplish His will. He will use the elements of decay to bring forth life. All that He
asks from us is to “trust” that He can do the job and that He is working in us by His Spirit perfecting things of beauty even though we
cannot always see at the time what it is that he is doing. When God’s hand is upon us we are “marked” by death yet we are
transformed into life. It is this life that will be an attraction to those in whom we come in contact with. This life will radiate in two
directions with two distinct realities. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, “Thanks be to God who leads us, whoever we are, on his own triumphant
way and makes our knowledge of him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume! We Christians have the unmistakable “scent”
of Christ, discernible alike to those who are being saved and to those who are heading for death. To the latter it seems like the very
smell of doom, to the former it has the fresh fragrance of life itself.” The King James says it this way, “Now thanks be unto God, which
always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a
sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the
other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?”
It is true that we come to God as we are in our present condition without changing before hand. It is after we make this step that the
changing comes to us by the working of the life of Christ in us from the inner man to the outer man. We are all individuals before the
Lord and each of us will be dealt with on a personal front. For God is a personal God who will engage us in relationship that is
between him and us. Many have a hard time coming to Jesus because of the shadow of the past that hangs over them and makes
them think and feel that they are not worthy or that God surely cannot forgive or love them. But the truth is that he does love them and
that he has the power to save to the utter most ends of the earth. I know in my own life what the Lord has done and if he can save me
and change me then he can do the same for you as well.
So how do we attain “knowledge and what will knowledge do for us anyway?” In Matthew we read this: (Phillips) “Simon, son of
Jonah, you are a fortunate man indeed!” said Jesus, “for it was not your own nature but my Heavenly Father who has revealed this
truth to you! Ok, notice the statement here, “has revealed this truth to you.” The King James bible says it like this, “And Jesus
answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven.” In order for us to see the “light of day” we need “revelations!” Not just one but one right after another until we see Jesus,
this kind of knowledge will push us faster and harder then any other kind of work that we do. We need to see Jesus in our past,
present, and even in our future. This truth is not only for those who are trying to understand the Christian message but it is also for
those who already have been transferred into the Kingdom of Light from out of darkness. A head knowledge is not enough to deliver
us out of shells but we need something much greater working on our behalf. For we are confined to small and hard places in which
there is little room to move. One revelation can instantly shed light within our soul that will take volumes of books to cover. So, we crack
the shell of the past by revelation. We see ourselves in the truth that is revealed to us by God. This kind of knowledge is the key
element that will bust the egg and bring in truth which gives us victory.
Along with the shell of the past there also comes the “sins of the past” which is a kindred relationship. It doesn’t matter how far or how
fast we run those sins seem to keep up with us and try as we can we just cannot seem to get away from them. We try every tactic
known to man, but it only pushes us further down into despair brought on by failure. This is a “tough nut to crack” (so to speak) but yet
we find ourselves caught up in this battle and getting defeated daily. So, we think to ourselves, what do we need to apply to the egg
to break it open so we can walk free and get on with other things. Once again we turn to God and receive revelation on the matter.
We are caught up in a vicious circle like a rat spinning around and around in a wheel. The faster he runs the faster the wheel spins
and there is no stopping it. In this “light” we are doomed to failure because we cannot ever hope to break loose from the shell cause
there is no hammer big enough or strong enough that we can use that will give us freedom from the sins of the past or the present, for
that matter. For as long as we live in the flesh we will be defeated. We cannot over come the sins by trying to do right. For the truth is,
“within us there is no good thing.” Therefore we have nothing inside of us to call on to help us overcome the things we want to get free
of.
To defeat the sins of the past we need a Blood covering. Too often in this shell covering we instead battle against the shell by using
our own standards and muscle. Many die at this stage cause they end up becoming weakened and so defeated that they give up and
declare, “I cannot do it!” They never learn the power to live the Christian life comes from God and not of ourselves. Therefore they fall
back into sin and live accordingly. The war against the flesh was fought with the hammer of “self-pride” and “personal abilities.” Instead
of turning to Jesus for the power to crack free they cried “surrender.” Whenever we attempt to overcome sin within us by fighting
against it with a desire to change (spiritual pride), yet we do not have a “Blood covering” (reference here is Jesus’ blood for the
remission of sin,) then we are like the rat who is spinning around in the cage. The more we fight the more we lose, for we are caught in
a endless circle of “no exit.” Until we realize this by revelation then we are powerless to free ourselves. Once truth is revealed then we
act accordingly and victory breaks the shell as we realize how Jesus is truly the way the truth and the life.
We want so badly to become “spiritual” yet we carry on this goal by operating in “form” all the time while living in denial of God’s power.
True spirituality is not achieved by a desire, but by knowledge of what we know as we walk in truth. We become spiritual by knowledge
of truth, our spirituality can be measured by our knowledge of truth not by our mental achievements but by what God reveals to us by
His Spirit. Knowledge through revelation of truth ushers us into new frontiers of spirituality. On this frontier is where we must throw
ourselves wholeheartedly upon the power of God. We must lay hold on truth revealed, and enlarge our camp of knowledge in order to
receive the breaking of shells. We can walk away from condemnation if we walk in the Spirit this is vital for us to realize. So once
again what does it mean, walk in the Spirit? The best and easiest definition I know is this, walking in the Spirit is walking in truth
revealed. So with that in mind we then can deal with the things in light of what we know through and in the Spirit. The more we know
the more accountable we are before the Lord. As long as we remain without knowledge then we also do not display much Spirit as
well. True knowledge and walking in the Spirit go hand in hand, one feeds the other so to speak. We receive truth and that truth
places us in knowledge which comes to us by way of the Spirit, therefore we walk in the Spirit within the knowledge of truth revealed!
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