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Kingdom Awakening vs. Kingdom Attaining
All believers know that they did nothing to attain their salvation. For sure, we were not only "saved by grace - and not of yourselves," but even our drawing to' and our' faith in' salvation was all Holy Spirit. So our part was a simple yes to all of the Holy Spirit's "doings" in our hearts. But what is not well known is all "attaining" was over from the first moment of our salvation.
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Sadly, despite all the "anti-works" teaching in church-land, the kingdom of attaining quickly becomes our post salvation "normal" once again. Why are today's gospel messages still so full of our need to? ("We need to spend more time in His Presence, etc..) And, there is far too much "have to" (as in "we have to become more desperate for God"). Then there is the "ought to." ("We ought to be praying more for our leaders, etc..)
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The question becomes: Why is our "doing" still getting top billing in our preaching, teaching, and worship. His Kingdom is firmly established on His "doing" and not ours. We have too much faith in our behavior rather than in His behavior.
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The reason is both complicated and straightforward. Our brain is full of years of "need to do" programming. The orphan, for example, adopted by the King, is still "programmed" with orphan thinking. So, despite being a "legal" member of the royal family, she still struggles with "attaining" royalty instead of "awakening" to it.
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The complicated "need-to-do" programming is so deep and extensive that we are constantly tricked into being the fixers of everything, including our need to fix. When, for example, we feel faithless, our need to get more faith kicks in. When we feel anxious, our need to get peace kicks in. Whenever life triggers some negatives, our years of the programmed need to self-manage, self-medicate, self-handle kicks in. All leading to Paul's cry in Romans seven, "Who will deliver me from this body of death?"
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Aaah. Now selah. Listen with your heart to Paul's answer. "I thank God, through Jesus Christ our Lord."
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Wow! Way, way, too simple for our "need to do" brain but, like salvation, it is all that is needed. The orphan's struggle becomes less and less every time she responds to her "need-to-do" voices with THANKSGIVING!
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In everything (especially in bad feelings), give THANKS! For this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you! (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
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Could it be that developing the habit of simply voicing our thanks IN EVERYTHING - actual occasions, with ever-increasing intensity, a transforming awakening in our hearts of the Father's Eternal, Supernatural, Miraculous Love? He is overcoming all of our "need-to-do" with all of His "already done" majesty and power!!
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Now, to that "could-it-be" fixation, we say a resounding YES & AMEN!!
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