Blessings With Persecutions: Living With Enemies…and maintaining groundedness.

Say you’re undertaking a personal discipline – dieting, working out, studying – and out of the blue some little demon accuses you of something you’ve never done, insults your intelligence, your accomplishments… or generally your right to exist. Suddenly your personal goals are compromised by this negative energy.

Our social impulse causes us to value comments and opinions of others, even if they’re entirely unqualified to comprehend the issue they’re discussing. We react to people not via a logic process but by learned social reflexes. We don’t want to be exiled into an anti-social limbo so we usually humor all comers on the social landscape. Unfortunately, that lets open a shield which would normally filter the comments from the rabble according to their proven value.

Consider the logic process one employs when assessing inanimate objects: replacing a worn appliance, deciding which model has the best reviews, best track record and the like. These decisions are made much less self-consciously than decisions about the comments we allow to rent space in our heads. But, being human, we can’t freely eradicate harassing comments once they’ve been smeared upon us. We can develop our self-actualization tool kit to prodigious degrees, but knowledge alone won’t slay this beast. The catalyst that enlivens our self-sovereignty is “time.”

Devoting time to oneself impresses an image of substantiality and import upon our minds with respect to whom we are and the things we value. This isn’t just time spent consuming mass quantities in front of the tube. This is a sequestered moment of an uncorrupted awareness of your spirit and a simultaneous immersion in the Lifesource. A journal exponentiates this energizing process, I find, as it reacquaints us with our roots via past entries, then builds on these strengths as we substantiate our present revelations by the physical action of putting them to paper.

This is the “service” that is routinely performed in your temple.

And, without notice, those emotional ghosts of the past die of neglect in the shadows of your reawakened self.

Renewed Spirit, Warring Ego

The Spirit soars at morning’s break
Unhindered by matter
Energized by light

“All is possible,” Spirit proclaims
While intellect awakens to hop a ride.
Intellect nudges Ego.
“All is possible” Ego repeats in blissful ignorance. “I revel in my power,” it hamfistedly concludes.

The body stirs, grasping its environment in hopes of molding it to the ego’s will.

The leaden material world keeps Ego in check with its uncooperative heft and impliability.

“Lies!” Ego rages to Spirit. “You inspire me with fictions! You lure me into consciousness that I may waste my day on vain labors.”

“You are deceived,” Spirit counters. “Possibility is not license. I open the doors. You’re tasked to morph the Will such that it does not violate the pure. Greater worlds await – but not without order.

“Fear not humility. Your power is too faint to craft what you seek. Submission to the Source is your power. Let the bondage of errant cravings and corrupt visions be burned away by the bitter forfeiture of your claims to power, that greater power may be known: not by you – but for you.”

Fragmented Hideouts and the Rising Spirit

The Gifts of the Spirit bring us to a state of  increase: in our awareness of God, awareness of our *own* spirit… and – an increase of responsibility in the use of this  freedom and power.  “Discerning the spirits” is a foundational theme of the Bible and other spiritual writings, and the process can find us in the midst of a wildly volatile storm in which we’re tempted to change “doctrines” every ten days! But with time, a broader view emerges, one that shows us that our original understanding was not so far off, it only needed a few flecks of illumination.

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. (Psalm 18:28)

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Empty fragments of the ego scream
“We’re real – we hurt – we need”

Nature whispers, “what is it you need?”

The fragments respond: “that which you denied us long ago.”

A voluminous yet subtle wind whispered, “All you had need of was yours, save for your failure to reach.”

My spirit rises from my core; my energy propels my consciousness beyond my fears.
“Don’t feed the ego,” my inner eye warns, “the fragments fuel their lusts from the rising spirit.”

I consider. Hadn’t the fragments arisen from starvation of spirit during ego’s growth?

“Certainly,” consciousness responded. “But their now-corrupted forms will misdirect the energy toward the dark. You must guide them with the knowledge they were denied in the ignorance of youth.”

One step closer. The horizon gleamed an additional lumen with new understanding.

One’s spirit must rise if we are to be whole.
We must deprive man’s artificial constructs from leaving us orphaned from nature, from spirit, from life.

Do not fear the dark.
Observe it from the vantage point of light.
As enlightenment filters through, let your rising spirit nourish your being.

The fragments will mend, morphing one step closer to their intended design.

 
© John Erickson

The Freedom Within

Much of the confusion of adolescence results from the intertwining of the seeking out of the new capacities afforded the expanding young adult consciousness and the boneheaded ignorance offered them by adult figures in their lives. In the absence of understanding profitable applications of their wider views of reality, being and personal validation, the unguided missile of their probing intellects will be interpreted as a mental aberration or illness. The greater understanding of the newly energized, unbroken intellect is drowned in a pool of repressive ignorance issued by small minded adults wishing only to make their own lives simpler by inspiring fear in the “challenging,” visionary youth.

The customs and culture that incubate this problem won’t change. It cannot. Such is human nature. The misperceptions of the majority define “normality” vs. troubled, “decency” vs. illegality. A confederation of short-sighted simpletons dictates the parameters of the society in which we’re absorbed.

The spark must come from within.

As you discover the views which comprise a greater vision of life, so to you must validate them – the world cannot comprehend the vistas of the visionary – thus they cannot celebrate them. Just as you can see angles to life which remain in the shadows to the eye of the masses, it is likewise upon you to use your visionary amperage to power up your own solutions. You must fuel your own confidence when the obtuse majority are condemning you.

Once you have come to a point of success, then you may find value in socializing with the insightfully-variable herd. But heal thyself first.

THE JOYS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION (or: *Why*, exactly, do we fight introversion?”)

A) “So, I applied for the IT position Tuesday. I’ve got a feeling from the interview that it’s going to work out.”

B) “You should have at least applied. But that’s OK, they’re pretty forgiving of ‘problem’ people.”

A) “I just said I applied. And where did you get this ‘problem people’ comment?”

B) “You just said it! You have a problem with your temper, though. That’s probably why you’re divorce went so badly. You’ll pull through it, I’m sure.”

A) “I’ve never been married.”

B) “See? There it is! That’s why Karen left you. You’ve got to try to keep that under control.”

A) “Karen? She’s my dry cleaner. Are you even listening?”

B) “No. I just pick out one or two words from people’s conversations and try to think of a response that will make me feel good about myself. Then I think about cartoons I’ve seen.”

A) “Do you know how annoying that is?!”

B) “You’re right, she probably shouldn’t have sued you for so much, but maybe next time you’ll be more careful with other people’s cars.”

Communing With Daybreak

Life overlaps eternity
The green of nature imperfectly restraining a luminous fuel for the soul
A revelatory whisper
Heard in the isolated life-stations which ambush us spontaneously as we traverse the landscape
Speaking to us of life’s worthiness
in a wordless articulation which remains with the beholder.

Thoughts While Reviewing The Old Testament

Characteristics hidden from wide acceptance within Christianity are common occurrences in the writings of the Old Testament. Sexually you have the matter of the various kings and patriarchs having multiple wives (“polygamy” is to much of an emotionally-charged term to use here without obscuring the point I’m trying to make) along with their concubines. At the same time, sexual “uncleanness” was punished with the death penalty, so… the allowance of multiple spouses may possibly have been a pressure-valve for venting surplus sexual energy without committing a capital offense.

We’re all aware that Solomon’s prodigious population of Significant Others was – mostly – the product of diplomatic ties he had established with the respective wife’s homeland. Nevertheless the sexual incentive behind his ambitious spousal proliferation cannot be negated. In the end it ruined him, inasmuch as some of his better-halves lured him into ungodly religious practices, leaving him depressed enough to pen the book of Ecclesiastes.

 
Battle.
The gruesome killings of the Old Testament are difficult to digest when viewed through the eyes of the New Covenant and the Age of Grace. But there *are* parallel components to these events: moving boldly in a state of faith, arising from a position of oppression and poverty to receive a state of victory by God’s hand, and knowing we’re not required to accept attacks by tyrants. Just recently I was inspired by an account in 2 Kings 2:23-25 where Elisha (Elija’s protege) was being trifled with by some surly teens. This may seem out of place, but he was known as a prophet of God and that was an era of harsh punishments for blasphemy. Elisha called down a curse on them before God, and vicious beasts mauled 43 of them.  One key principle of this is that Elisha left the “vengeance” to God – he didn’t bring his flesh into direct attack.  Another point is that such belittling need not go unchecked – when such interferes with one’s assignment from God. The Lord’s prophet would lose his nimbus of authority were he to accept such treatment silently – in that instance. Anyway, I received enough insight into that scripture for it to do my heart good.  We’re not powerless as we walk amid a world of enemies. 

 
Gold.
Solomon was rich, and he got richer. He was the wisest of the people up to that time (at least in the beginning before his wayward wives wore him down). But, as he dispensed his God-given wisdom, he happily received gold and gifts as tribute to his profitable insights. I personally don’t care to be so mercenary in doling out my epiphanies, but God takes care of me in other ways. I’m often the fortunate recipient of coupons good for big big savings at area merchants. But marketing and income constructs were very different in Solomon’s time so we must put his occupation in it’s historical context. The parallel principle in this account is to have no awkwardness about material success –  provided it doesn’t fuel your ego. Material pleasures can encourage reliance on the flesh – a frail and temporal vessel – rather than maintaining one’s state of faith and keeping one’s locus of consciousness in one’s spirit. 

The War: Spirit vs. Flesh

The healthy personality has the bulk of its “will” emanating from its spirit. It is less fazed by physical pain, hunger or intimidation because it is rooted in one’s core: the Eternal Self.

The  fragmented spirit  seeks to derive energy from the body in order to feel “alive.” Food, sex, stimulants and validation from others are craved.  Without this physical stimulation, the individual having a fragmented spirit feels cut off from life, cut off from himself, from his core.  He’s overly focused on the limitations of his physical reality and panics at the realization of its vulnerability and mortality.

The healthy psyche has a spirit-to-body awareness ratio of, to give it a figure, 70/30 (“70” being the spirit’s influence). This is achieved either by an upbringing in which his life was marked by “staying in motion” and didn’t dwell on overwhelming perceptions of self-doubt.

 If this was corrupted in youth, the fragmented soul must be redirected consciously by the spiritually aware adult.  One must take note of those areas in which one pursues approval seeking behaviors rather than being inner-directed; or flesh stimulation via sensory gratification.

Once one is aware of this dependency, he must bring his response to the outer environment to a screeching halt and delve into his core.  He needs to allow his spirit to rise to a point at which his inner reality defines his external persona. 

No regard is to be paid to the emotion-crazed outer world until one knows oneself apart from the assessments of others (those who insist on unquestioning obedience to the frantic and pointless physical world).

God engineered this design and he always has the resources on hand for us to make the necessary changes to enable the rebuilding of our original, healthy design.

Thoughts During My Morning “Speaking In Tongues” Routine

I tend to analyze things as I do them. If I sense something is amiss, I want to be certain that I’m on the right side of things. Most certainly this is the case with anything involving my connection to God.

Speaking in tongues has provided discernible benefits to me. Yet there were times when some questionable experiences arose: I would notice “chaotic” activity in the environment, things that would suggest demonic influence. For a time I avoided tongues-speaking until I could gain sufficient understanding of what this experience actually was: Godly or ungodly, a pure manifestation of the Holy Spirit or an opening of one’s spirit to both good and evil influences.

 After some time of abandoning tongues I noticed a steady decline of my spiritual “vigor,” my state of faith in addressing the worlds affairs and problems. It became clear to me that speaking in tongues was an essential part of a strong faith life for the Believer. 

It all came down to “discerning the spirits:” (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 John 4:1). I noted that there’s an inclination for the flesh to rise up whenever we experience an increase in strength, either physically or spiritually. As we are freed from burdens that were weighing-down our spirit and our thoughts, our flesh may feel emboldened to take matters into its own hands and forsake dependency on God.

So I’ve assembled notes from time to time in an effort to clarify the ways in which praying in tongues has proven to be most beneficial and within God’s economy.

First, take it by faith that the Lord, being good, will not hand you a snake if you ask for a fish (Luke 11:11).

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Seek God first, then seek tongues.

Open up your spirit, visualizing the Holy Spirit, and let your spirit’s language flow. Visualize positive scenes, colors, love-thoughts toward any enemies and battles that await the day ahead. Why “love-thoughts”? Because this will orient you to God’s state of mind. That way, the devil won’t be able to tempt you into thinking thoughts of rage and revenge toward those past enemies that he parades across your mind’s eye.

We have negative thoughts throughout the day, and it is no different when we are speaking in tongues. When we’re getting that renewal of power while speaking in the spirit, the flesh will be tempted to use this new energy to attack those who pose threats toward us in the natural. BUT: “we wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers” in the spiritual realm. We must “spot” those intrusions when we’re praying and cast them down in the name of Jesus.

Then RELEASE them.

Repent – then MOVE ON. We’re given a time to exercise our Anointing, and we aren’t allowed to waste it on feeling “unworthy”. Once we’ve repented, that matter is done. Now you must continue recharging your spirit with this vital energy from God. (He wouldn’t have given it to us unless we needed it, after all.)

Spiritual GUI

Think of the New Testament as a  Graphic User Interface:  a human‑friendly means to interface with an overwhelmingly complex piece of operating software. The spiritual world is made up of a myriad of beings and wills. Facing it with an “open mind” leaves one exposed to a vast swamp populated by an infinite quantity of deceptive influences intermixed with Godly spirits. We’ll never live long enough to comprehend the raw reality of the world beyond the veil. A GUI which places a control panel comprised of familiar terminology gives us a fighting chance to find our place in that world.

Some Christian supernatural experiences appear in other religions, cultures and eras. “Speaking in Tongues” is an example. Glossolalia has occurred prior to Christianity in other parts of the world. This is also the case with healing and deliverance from poverty.

 The difference with the Christian experience is that these miracles and supernatural phenomena are thematic:  it leads the individual to a comprehension of God’s nature: love, giving, a hope for the future in the form of Eternal Life. A supernatural redemption from our sin‑nature which once stood as a barrier between ourselves and God.

Outside of the Biblical paradigm, supernatural experiences tend toward a “one step forward, three steps back” pattern. There are miracles in other belief systems, but they are accompanied by much confusion:  they do not distinguish the demonic influences from the Godly ones. 

There are those who welcome any supernatural experience.  Being human, we’re fascinated by metaphysical activity when we see a real‑life manifestation of it.  We can easily lose our discretion in such moments and just enjoy the show. Unfortunately this approach invites demonic activity.

A miracle is then followed by negative experiences. We’re also left with a greater confusion of the nature of the spiritual world and life in general.

Using the Bible to assess of the nature of God — and identifying and resisting the devil —  gives us a secure base of operations from which to navigate this limitless world which lay beyond our temporal plane of existence.  Grasping that our initial fallen state is the cause of life’s persecutions — and that the sacrifice of Jesus delivers us from these blights — this gives us a template by which we can order our approach to the supernatural. It has an elegance of design that I haven’t found in any other “interface.”