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How To Get Revelation

8/17/2011

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God doesn't throw revelation out to just anyone. Psalms 25:14 says, The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant. He reserves deep truths for those who have the right heart toward him. Consider this observation from Jesus when he told the parable of the sower...

For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matthew 13:15)

Contrast that heart with this one...

But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:23)

If I have an open heart, I'll hear the word, understand it, and my life will bear fruit!

So here's the real question: Am I open to hear, or do I think I know it all and can't be taught anything else? Do I have a teachable spirit?

I'm convinced that sometimes God purposely uses unexpected ways and unlikely people to share great and deep truths with us. To hear, we might have to humble ourselves or let go of preconceived ideas. If we're too hung up on the messenger, we could miss a great blessing - just ask Naaman about that (2 Kings 5).

How To Get Revelation 

First, the word of God is truth (John 17:17), and we must never deviate, add to or take away from the scriptures.

Secondly, don't forget that the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth. We need the Holy Ghost to be led in to all truth (John 16:13) and keep in mind that God's Spirit will never go against God's Word. Jesus told his disciples not to start preaching until they received the Holy Ghost! (Acts 1-2)

Third, truth has always been there, but our understanding of truth may need ongoing development. Peter wrote, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ...” (2 Peter 3:18). Growing means there's more to learn.

Church should be the perfect setting for interactive teaching and open discussions that lead to growth and revelation in the word. Allow me to use a simple beach ball to illustrate how to get revelation...

PictureDifferent Sides of Truth

Everyone of us approaches truth from a different angle based on how we've been taught, personal experiences, relationship with God, etc. Let's imagine we're looking at a beach ball for the very first time. From my angle, I see something round with blue, white, and yellow stripes. Someone else from a different angle agrees that it's round, but disagrees with the yellow and blue. "It's just red and white! No blue or yellow at all!

Some will end fellowship right there because of disagreement. But if we can agree to stay in the word and try to understand each other, we might come to realize that we both lack the 3-dimensional perspective. What we know individually is good and right, but incomplete. If we can reason together, forebear with one another, discuss it, and pray about it, we'll both get a more perfect understanding. This might take more than one discussion.

Later we'll meet someone else with even more understanding, and they'll blow us away by explaining how this beach ball truth is not only round and colorful, but it bounces, floats and if you let the air out, it goes flat! But he's a kook who fasts and prays a lot - way too much if you ask me - and who's gonna believe him? Ha ha. Let the air out...that's funny...

Truth and revelation may come a puzzle piece at a time. But if we have the right heart, if we're open to learn, if we pray and seek the Lord, if we read and study the Word for ourselves we'll come to understand how those pieces all connect together to form a beautiful secret the world will never see. That's how to get revelation!


Related Posts:   
Are You Really Reading God's Word?    
Secrets    
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What Is The Mind of Christ? 5 Ways to Keep Spiritually Minded

8/11/2011

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For to be carnally minded is 
death; but to be spiritually 
minded is life and peace. 

Romans 8:6  


Is it just me or have you also noticed that keeping your head and heart in the right place is real work? It takes a deliberate effort to maintain a godly perspective in a negative world. I'm not just talking about having a positive attitude; I mean being spiritually minded.

We're all born with a natural, carnal mind that tends to be focused on 3 things: I, me and mine. From birth it's all about us and what we want. As babies, we cried to get attention. As children and teens we whined to get what we wanted. As adults we've mastered all kinds of techniques to ultimately get our way, haven't we?

The spiritual mind is the exact opposite. It is others focused starting with pleasing God first. Jesus said about himself, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38)

What is the mind of Christ? Consider this:

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:3-8)

Having the mind of Christ involves abandoning my own will and ego, putting others' needs ahead of my own, and humbling myself to serve even to the point of great personal sacrifice. Talk about a tall order! But that's exactly what Jesus Christ, the great King of Glory did for us.

Here's where the rubber meets the road: Husbands, how are we serving our wives? Are we putting their needs – physical and emotional - above our own? Wives, are you truly honoring your husband the way the Bible describes? Do you think he feels it? Having the mind of Christ should start at home!

If you're a church leader, are you doing everything you can to promote others, or is it all about you and your ministry? What are you doing so that others will increase and you will decrease?

5 Ways To Keep Spiritually Minded

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1. Read & Study the Scriptures
That sounds like no-brainer, yet on an average week, how often do we read the Bible? Most will admit "not very". It's easy to say we're too busy...except we somehow seem to have time for TV, Facebook, romance novels, etc. If we don't get into the Word of God, the Word of God won't be getting in to us! Let's not forget that Christ was the Word made flesh...
(John 1:1-14)

2. Pray In The Spirit
Jude writes, But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
(Jude 1:20-21). The value of praying in the Spirit is incalculable. I write more about praying in the Holy Ghost here.  See Rom. 8:26-27 

3. Meditate upon the Word
Learn to go beyond just reading the scriptures. Meditate upon them, let the words of Christ sink into you. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. (1 Timothy 4:15)

4. Fellowship with other Believers
Being with other like minded souls is a real morale boost and facilitates iron sharpening iron.

5. Share the Word
Teach a Bible Study to someone! It's one of the most amazing ways to learn the Word of God and become solid in what you believe. Start with a simple, free topical Bible Study and share it with a friend. Then watch what happens to you!

We'll never get the mind of Christ by accident. It takes deliberate effort. But read the top verse again and remember the benefits of being spiritually minded: life and peace!
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Choosing To Grow Through Marriage - Interview with Meagan Frank - Part 2

8/4/2011

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    If you missed Part 1 Click Here To get to that post.

Please enjoy the second part of this great interview with Meagan Frank that comes in both video and in text below. Then leave a comment and check out the special offer specifically for Christian Home Church visitors from Meagan. Enjoy!



Advice to Men.  Tap into your emotional side. Invest in knowing your own love language, as well as the love language of everyone in your house. Be open to conversation and don’t just listen, but hear what is being said. God’s instruction for husbands is pretty clear, and stay true to Biblical directives in all areas of your life.

Advice to Women. Accept your role as a submissive wife. Submission is not demeaning…it is simply the best way to navigate marriage and honors both God and your husband.  We are called to submit, in love, to everyone around us, and it is incredibly important to do that as well as we can in our marriages. 

Advice to those Courting now with Marriage in Their Future. Identify your red flags. Spend some honest time evaluating the baggage that the two of you are bringing into your marriage. Pre-marital counseling is a must for couples invested in lifelong marriage. It will help you to identify the potential pitfalls. Do not discount the family dynamics of your primary families. Open yourself up to healing from childhood wounds: addiction, divorce, abuse, neglect, abandonment. If you are entering a second marriage or if there are step children involved, work with therapists to help prepare everyone for the new roles you are all going to have. Basically, don’t just go through the motions.  Pay attention to emotional reactions and then invest time in finding out why you might have reacted in a certain way.

Advice to Those Headed for the Rocks.  Make a choice to move through it. Find God in your mess and call on Him to bring you closer to Him. Then listen with every fiber of your being to what God has to tell you. God wants our marriages to be a way for people to know Christ’s love. Seek out positive and supportive friends who are advocates for healthy marriage. Find couple friends who model how you want your own marriage to be and invite them in to give honest and real advice. Call on marital counselors if you need an objective, and trained professional to mediate the conversation. Read books about marriage, about anger, about love, about changing yourself. You can only each control what you do individually.  Make a choice to improve yourself, and I would venture a guess that you’ll see positive changes in your spouse, as well as in your marriage.
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Special Offer to CHC Visitors
  Visit MeaganFrank.com and this Order Page for a special Offer to CHC Visitors. 

Prefer an Ebook? Visit Smashwords and use this Ebook Code: Choosing to Grow: Through Marriage- BV49K. 


If you liked this interview, please leave a comment and pass it along to your friends! 

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Choosing To Grow Through Marriage - Interview with Meagan Frank - Part 1

8/2/2011

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Author Meagan Frank
Few topics are more important today than marriage. This loving, honorable relationship between a man and a woman was designed by God himself and is the foundation of society. Unfortunately, marriage has been downgraded by the world into a disposable partnership rather than a life-long commitment. "Till death do us part" really means "Till things get tough" to many. Weddings are easy; marriage is not.

I caught up with Meagan to talk about her new book Choosing To Grow Through Marriage. I hope you'll enjoy this 2-part interview, both in text and in video and be sure to check out the special offer to ChristianHomeChurch.com (CHC) visitors!


Who Is Meagan Frank? Explaining who I am has to start with where I am. I am a married mother of three children ages 11, 9 and 5. We live in Minnesota most of the year, but for the summers we come back to my home state of Colorado. I am a newly retired college soccer coach who has been a writer since I was seven. I have been an English teacher and a newspaper reporter as well as staying home full time with our children. I have only recently decided that I want to do who I’ve always been, and I am in the process of creating a business as a writer

Why should someone listen to you? T
hat’s a good question. I admit I am hardly a formal expert in marriage. I majored in English and minored in Education in college so what I know about marriage has all been learned outside of a classroom.  Were there even any college classes about marriage anyway? As part of my study in the Education department at Colorado College, I did study some psychology, but it was not a major emphasis.  The unique nature of our college made me innately curious. It also taught me how to ask the deeper questions, and then how to analyze the answers.
 
Maybe that’s why you should listen to me. I know I don’t know everything there is to know about marriage, but I do know some of the best places to go for answers. With the help of people smarter than me, more experienced than me and who have offered up ideas about what works and what doesn’t, I researched my way to expertise.  I read 25 titles, I interviewed 70 women ranging in age from 25-85 and I collected objective data for 170 women. I am still learning and growing through what life throws at me but the book is a great starting point.


Why This Book?  The idea for this book was a response to an on-my-knees conversation with God. I had hit a low and desperate spot in my life, and in my marriage. I pleaded with God for some help to get through it.  The motivation to research for this book was the very next thought in my head. I have felt divinely inspired all along. I feel called to make our marriage and, marriage in general, a vehicle to know God’s love and to improve on the relationships around us.
 
                         Click Here For A Special Offer from Meagan for CHC Visitors!

Why Now?  Even the publishing story of this book feels as though God’s hand has been in the mix. Until now, I wasn’t ready, and the book wasn’t ready either.  Eight years have passed since my night of prayer, but I knew all along that it was going to happen on a timeline that was not mine. I had all but given up on the book after a series of rejections and not much momentum.  TreasureLine publishing seemingly came out of nowhere, and before I knew it I was contracted to finish the book.  That was a year ago, and here I am with a physical offering to make to the world.

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Who will get the most out of this book? That has turned into a pretty funny question. I initially thought my target audience was married people (maybe most specifically women) ages 25-55. I still think that is a good age range, but maybe it is best to talk about phase of life rather than an age.  I think this book will be good for people who are truly invested in preparation for marriage…not just the wedding, but the marriage. Newlyweds who are coming down from the high of the honeymoon would likely benefit. New parents will find some great information in there about the intrusion of children, and well, I guess anyone who is interested in growing through all stages of marriage. There have been a number of men and women in their seventies (thanks to the women who were part of my research groups) who have read and enjoyed the book.  There is more than research in this book, there are analogies and anecdotal stories.  If marriage is a topic of interest, you’ll find something in this book for you.

Click Here To Go To Part 2 of this Interview

Click Here for a Special Offer To ChristianHomeChurch (CHC) Visitors and visit MeaganFrank.com for more about this fascinating author. Please leave a comment below and share this article with others!

Are you a believer who's considering marriage to an unbeliever? This article might be of interest.
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