The Dynamics of Spiritual Living

So many people spend a lifetime in search of a God who can and will make their lives right; One who will take away the pain and suffering that seems to be part and parcel of this life. Their comprehension of “right” is based on a concept that is usually too narrow to encompass this experience that is entitled life. It is adopted from a westernized idea that a God out there will correct all the ills that first begin within and this He will do without ever revealing or addressing the source of what ails us. It is a belief in the correction or healing of the symptoms without addressing or affecting those things from which the symptoms arise. The truth is if we want true change in our lives, it is an internal work that we must embark upon. If we are to experience a difference in our external world, then we must find the courage to face the inner realities that dictate it. The Scriptures say “wisdom is the principal thing but with all of your getting, get understanding.” We need to understand. Our outer realities are wreaking havoc in our lives and we do not have the spiritual constructs in place to challenge them. Our individual and collective outer realities are a reflection of an internal belief that we are giving credence to and validating in some way. Too many people shy away from the internal and external challenges that confront those who would have and maintain a vision of a perfect God who always acts in their best interest in an imperfect world. How does one reconcile the pain and the struggle that is part and parcel of this world with a God who is Protector, Shield and Provider to those who worship and adore Him? What of the wrestling of issues, ideologies and beliefs that often confront and challenge one who would stand tall and firm with resolve in one’s faith?

In Africa, there are dead zones, there are famines and droughts. In India, there is slave labor. In America, there are luxuries made possible by the injustices laid upon another’s shoulder. There is rage and anger in our youth. There is frustration and bewilderment in hard-working parents as they watch their children throw their lives away. As believers, we look and say that heathens encounter those experiences. If we can bring them God, then all will change. There are those who believe in God but from all appearances, hardship and adversity follow them in their experience. The Scriptures say that time and chance happen to us all; bad things happen to good people. In too many instances, our faith demands that others abdicate what their engagement with this life has dictated. We may recognize our own human rights but not the human rights of another. From a global perspective, If there is any possibility for change, it lies within our ability to take a long, hard honest look at ourselves and to change those things which need changing. It means giving others the opportunity and the room to do the same. When we take that long, hard look, it will take faith to believe that we can change anything about this reality that we are both living and witnessing. From, a cold calculating world we must find a way to live within the realm of faith which comes from a foundation of truth that confirms within, what appears to be contradicted without. Can we find and keep a heart which is filled with warmth, compassion and love as indication of our deepest humanity? There are many questions that could be posed around the subject of one’s faith but the truly wise person knows that faith is personal. We have to choose. Can we survive the harshness of our own hearts or by faith create a gentler, kinder and more grace-filled world? We must take our faith and by it create works comparable to the wonder of faith when it is in operation. It produces what we would call a miracle. I would suggest that all that there is to be known about faith, must happen within the context of the experience of faith. We must live our faith. By faith one person achieves one goal and by faith another person achieves a different goal. Both achievements are reached by faith but the experience of the walk and act of faith varies. It is my hope that the presentation of the following themes will bring each reader to a greater level of faith, miraculous faith; able to embark upon a journey that is nothing less than miraculously, a consecrated walk with The Master. It is also my prayer that each walk with The Master will bring each individual to the sanctity of mind which envisions a world without end, brimming with possibilities; one that each person is willing to labor to behold; a world filled with love and grace.

Through prayer and the examination of each specific theme with application, we present within this work, the opportunity to prepare oneself for consecration. Consecration is vitally important to a comprehensive view of the Scriptures as they relate to the process of salvation. Without consecration, one’s understanding of the Scriptures is greatly skewed. We take our slanted views and perceptions and label them as truth. We take our accepted realities and layer them with our understanding of Who we think YHWH is. It is very difficult to have a divine experience when our lives, our reasoning and our understanding are so steeped in the mundane. We need a revelation