Openness of talking about God in conversation
This week's discussion is about why we sometimes have difficulty openly talking about God in our conversations even with other Christians? And, if we intend to do so more often, how should we go about it?
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Here's a response from who I was discussing in the previous group discussion wrote for us in response to listening to the podcast (it's long):
"Hey Dbone-
Been meaning to write you but have not had sufficient chunk of time to reflect and carry out thoughts and reflections on paper in relation to the group discussion. NOW is the time! Good morning! How are you? (hopefully this finds your soul well)
First of all, may I say I love the group you are involved in. The hearts of the 3?? 5??? men that are in your group really blessed me. The biggest thing I carried away from listening to the discussion is how subtle the adversary actually is. I caught immediately some of the resistance you were meeting and it's simply because the adversary would love nothing more than for us to not take part in this "full sharing" that I spoke to you about. What's funny is these are some of the same things i was toiling with in my thoughts initially last year. I also had some input of my own for some of the questions asked, i thought I might share them in hopes that you may share them with the group...i thought that coming from the individual who is now seeing this stuff for the first time and experiencing it for the first time, it may help ease the minds of your friends and give more insight into what it is exactly that Gabe and I are going through in our walks with God. Here we go....
One of the biggest questions was "how do we do this practically". It doesn't come from fabricating or forcing or taking part in an 8 step program on how to "talk christian like" it comes from the mere innermost part of the heart. If i can summarize the biggest change Gabe and I have taken part of in our walks it is that Christ said to die to ourselves (every selfish desire, expectation, lust, want, made up need) totally surrender ourselves DAILY, pick up our cross....and then following Jesus...just like Jesus asked his disciples to. It's a heart change. Now when I wake up in the morning, my eye is single. I want to only serve my God...not serve myself in an all american christian dream...and then put the "God stamp" on it. I no longer want to take part in a selfish gospel. I want my life lived to exude Christ. God asks us to live transformed lives. Are we really living transformed lives? Lives that are void of self? Is my life imitating the life of christ? He was ONLY concerned with doing His fathers business. are we? Everything about his life-his words-his actions reflected a continual communion/intimacy with God. We too can do this because it is now Christ in us, we have a perfect spirit. We can wake up every day putting our selfish desires, expectation, wants aside and seek the face of God.And i mean really seek the face of God. Not out of christian duty but with a heart of-God...my life is yours-what would you have me to do today for your kingdom. He gives wisdom liberally, i promise you he will give that wisdom and instruction freely on how to love those in your "camp" How to break chains on their hearts that are keeping them from living a life selfless and totally surrendered to God.
So basically-doing this from a place of authenticity comes from a heart change. The word can be active and living. It can exude from our mouths and our actions when our eye is single. what is in our heart will issue forth-the scriptures promise that.
The idea of "forcing" conversation. This is a walk with God. Just like mentioned before....each interaction, each circumstance, each individual-God will direct you differently. God doesn't promise its going to "feel" any certain way. a lot of times-you are bumping up against a lot of resistance or darkness...but God will show you how to root it out in love and with truth. There is no blue print accept that of Love and a heart to listen and obey God's voice. It's a heart to break chains or encourage that person in your midst. For instance-While in Miami last month-God heavily put on my heart to go give a man pizza and to tell him he is loved by the creator of the heavens and the earth. Although he almost kicked the living "S**t out of me...i know I obeyed the voice of God and it planted a seed in his heart. In another situation, I sat at the bedside of a dying child with a family and simply prayed with them and gave them my bible to read psalms for comfort. In another situation-God gave me a vision of a young overweight teenager in my midst who was going to go home and commit suicide-he asked me to go encourage her to seek out the face of God and that's where she would find everlasting acceptance and love. He also asked me to share with her that whatever she planned to do that night-not to do it, for God was seeking her to love her and work through her to change other people in need of help. Crazy...right?! I know! But it's God! In another interaction-God gave me the words to speak love and truth into a situation to help an individual draw into a more intimate relationship with God. Sometimes God says go drop the J bomb...the jesus bomb. other times, God says go Love them into the kingdom. Whatever and however that looks will be different every single time as you look to God to show you and direct you what to do and say...this is taking part in the communion...and intimacy with God that he paid such a high price for...that's why he gave us spirit that we may be drawn nigh to him...that we may walk and talk with him. It's a beautiful thing.
the topic of "talking about it"....its not a prideful thing or done with a heart to bring glory to oneself. It is done in a heart of love that brings truth and encouragement. God calls us to work out our own salvation with reverence and awe. He also calls us to live openly and honestly with one another-confessing our faults one with another that we may be delivered. The adversary would like nothing more than ones pride to be in the way that he can not talk about things he is struggling with in fear that he will be "inadequate" in the eyes of other christians. The bottom line is....this is a walk. not one single person is perfect. God sees us for our value, purpose, and potential in jesus christ. That is how we are to see one another-and with hearts like that-we should be free to share what God is teaching us, growing us up in, and where we need help and encouragement in. Don't see yourself identified with your "inadequacies" for God does not see you that way. That my friend is the devil holding you back in condemnation and pride. That just sets you up for a life filled with condemnation and "not meeting the christian mark" See yourself fully identified in Christ. At that place, you can surrender your pride and be free to grow and learn and share in the growing up in God's grace. You will also be free to openly share and encourage from a life lived...where sometimes...you may not have it all right...i certainly don't nor ever will.
The topic of...is this genuine. Simply put...if the motive behind all of this talking and doing is love...it's genuine. If the heart is to encourage and call other christians and those in darkness to a life transformed and lived in christ...its genuine. If it is void of self...its genuine. Are there those out there who do it for vainglory and recognition...yes...but God gives you spirit to discern that stuff. He also gives you spirit to discern your own heart that you may keep your motives pure in the midst of running the race. May I say...God has revealed to me several times that a motive was not pure in some situations-thankgoodness for His grace that he may teach me and show me that he can keep me from stumbling in this in the future.
The topic of "free will" and "God's control". In the midst of God's sovereignty, he created man to have free will because that was the loving thing to do. He wanted a relationship with man, and that relationship would not be one based on love it was instituted without man's free will. In his sovereign plan he gave man free will to obey or disobey (in the garden)...and when man disobeyed God loved us so much that he made it available for us to choose to have life again through jesus christ. The life of jesus christ was set forth to also give us a living example of a man and a life that we can now exemplify and follow because we have a perfect spirit in us to equip us to do so. But it is by our willingness to either live lives by the flesh or the spirit. So in the midst of all of this, God can not overstep man's free will. So with questions like "what is God working in your heart"...its really asking "what is God teaching you? what is she growing you up in? What has he worked through you that you have allowed him to? All of those examples of "missions" above were all "God at work" but it was my willingness to LET Him work through me. It was my willingness to ask him, receive information from him, and then obey it.
The topic of "not everyone wants to have deep meaningful conversations". Sometimes, looking at the motive of questions actually disqualifies and discounts the question itself. that is what I am going to do here. This question is asked out of self preservation. It is posed to help protect and justify flesh/old man nature/self. We place our fleshly non spiritual man made judgements on a situation without actually checking in with God. We assume people don't want to talk, or we actually are fearful to talk about it to people because we aren't sure if we can handle any various of responses that may come our way (being more concerned with self reputation/self preservation than with God's will in the situation)....all tricks and devices of the adversary. We also many times don't "talk about it" because of fear of our own inadequacies. Again-a trick of the adversary. So how do we practically overcome this? simply put-walk with God. Recognize that you have the ability to be in active communion and intimacy with God where he has given you spirit to hear his voice and his direction and his will for every single situation. He will show you how to get into the inner depths of ones heart who is sinking in darkness or heavy burdened. He will show you how to bring His love and His glory and how to bring a person to a more fervent relationship with Him. We are called to not be ashamed of the gospel. Ask God how your life lived can be of encouragement to those around you and how you can take part in the ministry of reconciliation. That's what the gospel is about. It's not about us heaping blessings and joy and peace and comfort and prosperity or even eternal life upon ourselves. That's not the end goal. The whole end goal of everything God has provided in the gospel is for us to get out there, let the word be a living word in our transformed lives that it may break chains in the lives of others. Thats when the christianity becomes selfless and not selfish.
All in all-my encouragement to each of you is to seek God daily. Not just reading your bible or singing worship or even praying because its our "christian duty" but it's a heart thing. I'm still learning and growing in this, breaking free from the all american christian dream and duty. Seek God for the end goal of "God-i want to be so free from me that i am free to hear and obey your will" My purpose today is to be in communion with you that I may live a transformed life that speaks by word and action to those in my "camp" (work, school, church, bible study, grocery store, neighborhood, etc) And that the living word may then help transform the lives of those around me. Thats the heart and purpose of all this. And we can talk about it, and encourage one another in by the lives we lived transformed in Christ.
Love to each of you! Thankful for each of your lives and your zeal for God! Hope this brought some clarification from the original source it came from.
Dan mohler and Todd white on youtube were the ones who God worked through to bring deliverance in our christian walks-they are the original source in our lives that changed our christian perspective. Check em out-you may just fall even more in love with God. I didn't think it was possible-but I'm here to tell you, it is! Blessings to each of you and thankful for you all!
SBE"
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