Overcoming Part 3: Hungering and thirsting for righteousness

[Gideons300]

I have made two previous posts about discovering the overcoming life God has for us. At first I was going to just have them run consecutively on one single thread, similar to Farine's postings on truth. However, since each "lesson" can actually stand alone on its own, I have decided to do them in somewhat of a chapter format. I hope what is shared blesses you greatly.

Today we are talking about.a real key to discovering the secret of finding the FREE INDEED Jesus promised. I must warn you. Some of the things I am going to share will most likely rub some people the erong way. I pray you believe me, it is in no way meant to hurt or to offend any here. Unfortunately, for change to come about, either in individual walks or in the church in general, the status quo has got to be made uncomfortable. To progress, our comfort zone must be shaken up.

So let's move forward. This place of victory God promises each one of us, no matter how weak we may be, victory over the world, the flesh and tHe devil, it is free, totally freebut as they say, it ain't cheap.LOL. So are there prerequisites? Yes, and one of the main ones is hunger. You know, the Bible says that

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."

Who among us going to discover this amazing truth of how to stare down the devil in the midst of temptation, and confidently say "No, not this time!"? It is those who want more, who are tired of sin ruling over them, tired of their prayer life being one sided, those who want reality in their walk. May I encourage you here. In my years of seeking (and failing), there were two things I did do right.

1) First, I refused to lower the standard of what God wants for us just because I wasn't walking there. If God said "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God"..... and He did, then, bless God, I wanted more than just endless sinning and endless forgiveness. I longed for heart purity...... clean thoughts......not the trash that crept into my thinking day in and day out. I had no clue as to how, but it never made me waver in the truth that it was possible for even a wretch like me.

If God said "Be ye holy, for I am holy", and He did, then holiness was indeed possible, amen? Forgiveness is wonderful, but God promised us overcoming life woth victory over the devil and his endless temptations, and I would accept nothing less. He said that sin would not have dominion over us! That we were delivered from the POWER of darkness, praise God. There was far more to walking as a child of God than just forgiveness and I refused to accept that we were destined to struggle our entire lives and never actually walk as real overcomers. The Boble is full of amazing promises to us, yet how often we have reduced them to nice sayings, but never actually believing that God meant exactly what He said?

2) I hungered for more. MORE! Look, being hungry is not pleasant. In truth, it is hard. But God has promised that if we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him. He tells that AFTERWARDS, it yields the peaceable fruits of righteousness. Whatever hardships you may face in seeking aGod for more, it will pale in comparison to what He has in store for you.

Saints of God, have you lowered the standard God has set for us all? Have you accepted the lie that we are just sinners saved by grace and none of us will ever mount up with wings of eagles in this life? Do not despair. There is more, much more, and God is, even now, in the process of restoring our vision as to what He will do for the one who hungers for Him and the overcoming life He has so clearly promised.

If you do not have the answers, do not despair. God has them! Seek Him! Tell Him you want more of Him, more of His character worked into your very soul. Tell Him your heart pants after Him and the victorious life He has so clearly promised us! He will not fail you. It is simply impossible!

Blessings,

Gids

 

[unfinishedclay]

Amen. Needed this very much.

 

[Gideons300]

Amen. Needed this very much.

I am so glad what I am sharing helped encourage you in some way.

Often times, those that God truly has His hand on are not found thriving in normal church environments. Why? Because in most church situations, If you are to fit in, you need to appear “full”, not hungry. To the hungry one, going to church where most have no expectation of a higher walk, and sadly, often no desire for it at all, it is hard to fit in. I believe there are multitudes of chosen men and women who are either struggling going to church, trying to “make the best of it”, or who have actually stopped going at all, simply because the pain of their spiritual hunger is made even worse by seeing so many acting like all is fine, when the shallowness of church as usual is so evidently plain to see.

Yes, I am fully aware that we are told not to forsake assembling ourselves together, but the real question is.... are we actually “assembling”..... growing up into each other together as a unit, REAL church, or do we go as individuals, sing a few songs, hear a short sermon, and leave, still as individuals? That is not church. That is religion, and it will never truly satisfy the heart hungering for more.

Having been one of those hungry ones for as long as I can recall, I have real empathy for others found in the same boat. Having a call to a deeper walk, a walk of true victory, manifested by overcoming the pull of the world, the temptations of the enemy, and the desires of our fleshly body, it can be hard. Trust me, I know. But I also know this. Those that hunger now WILL be filled. I have said it before and will say it again. God will move mountains if needs be to get to a man or woman who truly longs to not only be forgiven but to also be changed into His likeness, walking pleasing to Him in both word or deed.

So to you hungry ones, possibly feeling alone and alienated from the body, know this. Those feelings you have, those “hunger pangs towards God”, those are from God, not to make you miserable but to drive you deeper into the light, where free indeed is not just theory, but a very real thing.

The walk God has for us, it is about to be revealed and it will take our breath away. Sorrow and sighing WILL flee away. Hold on, faint not, for our God is about to do a work in our midst that will simply blow our minds. He is about to show us the secret to overcoming, and then praise God, actually “cause us” to walk there!

Blessings,

Gids

 

[unfinishedclay]

I am so glad what I am sharing helped encourage you in some way.

Often times, those that God truly has His hand on are not found thriving in normal church environments. Why? Because in most church situations, If you are to fit in, you need to appear “full”, not hungry. To the hungry one, going to church where most have no expectation of a higher walk, and sadly, often no desire for it at all, it is hard to fit in. I believe there are multitudes of chosen men and women who are either struggling going to church, trying to “make the best of it”, or who have actually stopped going at all, simply because the pain of their spiritual hunger is made even worse by seeing so many acting like all is fine, when the shallowness of church as usual is so evidently plain to see.

Yes, I am fully aware that we are told not to forsake assembling ourselves together, but the real question is.... are we actually “assembling”..... growing up into each other together as a unit, REAL church, or do we go as individuals, sing a few songs, hear a short sermon, and leave, still as individuals? That is not church. That is religion, and it will never truly satisfy the heart hungering for more.

Amen! Amazing that these very 2 paragraph were the MAIN focus at our Bible study tonight at church. Our pastor was actually urging members to embrace one another more closely by reaching out to the lost and bringing them in and then discipling them. Concerning what you said about the appearance of being "full" rather than "hungry", he pointed out that a disciple is not somebody who is "super spiritual" but one who is learning as he also teaches someone else through their discipleship. He brought up Paul and Barnabas. He also gave us other illustrations of what evangelism looks like and what discipleship looks like - beginning with wherever a person is in their walk of faith. And he discussed how he wants our church to apply the examples that were given to us in the gospels and Acts. Before he went into detail, he discussed his concerns about the modern church. Now, just reading what you said is confirmation for me in particular because I walked out with an understanding that I want to be used the way Jesus commissioned us to be used as I live as a disciple being taught under leadership.

Amazing confirmation here.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Hey Gid, long time no see.
.
In terms of not accepting a reduced standard of who God is, it reminds me of this one time I noticed that you might see a whole church praying being able to accomplish what one of the saints in the bible could accomplish in the beginning of the christian era.
.
I saw this as an opportunity for growth however. What you wrote kind of reminded me of that. Keep growing, none of us are there yet.
.
Bless.

 

[Gideons300]

Hey Gid, long time no see.
.
In terms of not accepting a reduced standard of who God is, it reminds me of this one time I noticed that you might see a whole church praying being able to accomplish what one of the saints in the bible could accomplish in the beginning of the christian era.
.
I saw this as an opportunity for growth however. What you wrote kind of reminded me of that. Keep growing, none of us are there yet.
.
Bless.

Michael, it has been a long time. So good to see you still posting. Hopefully, I will live to see the fulfillment of the latter rain that exceeds the former. Sadly, we as the modern church have become close to savourless salt. The world is not impressed with us, nor convicted by us. They simply are unimpressed and uninterested, a total non-factor. That was definitely not the case in the early church, was it?

Many want to place the fault of this on those in the world, but until they have someone tell them “it works!” with a smile of joy beaming out of them, the pull of the world spirit is simply too powerful. They are not to blame. We are.

May God move on His people. Live, bones, live!

Blessings, Gids