following Jesus – Larus Press

Here at Preparing the Bride, I’m telling GOD’S STORY. Presumptuous?! Not when simply looking at scripture, because scripture is the unfolding of God’s story to us who read it.

How do we prepare as the Bride of Christ? We learn GOD’s Story. Piece by piece, and peace by peace, we learn to walk as He has walked.

GOD’S STORY Part 12 Decision-making

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men…” (Matthew 4:19)

As followers of Jesus, how is it possible for us to execute our own decision-making?

Following is not easy, is it? But we must discipline ourselves, or make the choice, or surrender… even when making our own decisions. However we might choose to manage it, following Jesus is great but it is not always easy.

Often we can implement the LORD’s will. We hear from Him; then we use our talents, our time, our resources, to implement what the LORD has positioned us to do. But what about when He stretches us, asks us to go beyond our comfort zone to do something which will make a difference in this world but which pushes our envelope beyond our experience? The LORD led me in this way recently, and here’s where I went wrong…

From Follow to Muddle

Over the past week or two the LORD has been leading me in a new direction. And when it came to taking His lead, I got in quite a muddle.

I want to share GOD’s Story — GOD’s perspective as near as I have worked it out so far, on decision-making. He prompted me to take some risks, to go out of my comfort zone, and I was willing. That was my choice. I did research and considered the information. I prayed and sought His direction. All of a sudden: BOOM!

I was eager to follow… but then…

Here’s the pattern I followed with the very best of intention

Step 1: I followed …. I received a prompt and whole-heartedly aimed to follow

Step 2: I anticipated next steps

Step 3: I reasoned —

Step 4: I recognised I was in a muddle.

How did that happen? I anticipated rather than taking GOD’s lead to reason, to plan, to strategise and to implement.

What to do to prevent a repeat?

In the stillness, I must wait, rest, trust, wait some more… until I hear clearly the direction — advice — to take.

“He who waits upon the LORD shall renew his strength…” (Isaiah 40:31)

Following the LORD’s lead does not mean we don’t think, use our intellect and common sense. Rather, it means we allow GOD to influence our thinking, intellect and common sense. We allow the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to lead as we wait for Him to direct our steps.

Regret …. but lessons learned

I wish I’d not got ahead of GOD. But in recognising it I realise I’ve learned to be on the alert for my own anticipation. Enthusiasm is a wonderful characteristic, but we do need to curb our flesh, and surrender ourselves to Holy Spirit’s prompting if we are going to follow, from beginning to end, the fullness of GOD’s plan.

Decision-making begins at the very beginning of any move we make. When we give our hopes and aspirations, our goals and intents of our hearts to the LORD, when we trust He’s heard and rest in Him, He will direct our steps toward the destination. We hope, we trust, we hear, we share and then we follow…. allowing Him to unfold the direction of our steps to achieve our heart’s desire and that which He has for us.

Every blessing for the week ahead…

Priorities

If, after spending enough time to walk with Jesus in a day, you haven’t got time to do the “to dos” and your “work”, then the work and to dos are not important. As Jesus said, “take care of today for tomorrow will look after itself” (Matthew 6:34)

Thinking differently

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind… what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of GOD” (Romans 12:2)

We need to rethink our priorities if we are serious about being full of the Spirit of GOD. We need to rethink our priorities if we are serious about being fully obedient, fully surrendered to GOD. We need to rethink if we believe — as Jesus says — we are “to be perfect as [our] heavenly father is perfect.” (Matter 5:48) Because being here in this world, we are way too focused on this world — I am, that’s for sure.

Dedication as His Bride

I do believe I surrendered to GOD at my baptism. I do believe He took me at my word when I promised to follow Him. I do believe the Bible. Living it out is not as easy as believing. While I know I’m saved by His grace, I am still responsible for the choices I make, and the discipline to walk faithfully is becoming clearer and clearer to me.

He wants a spotless bride. Spotlessness only comes because Jesus suffered in our place; but following from that, we remain spotless through our choices. We can fail and He’ll pick us up. But we have to want to remain spotless, we have to will not to fail. That much we do have control over, and must control, if we are not to be found wanting when we meet Him face to face.

A choice

I realise I have a choice: Do I lack enough time to walk with Jesus? Or am I choosing not to have enough time to walk with Jesus?

And once I’m aware I have choices, I am in charge of my choices (and my time). What will I do about it?

What will you do with your time, to ensure you have enough time to walk with Jesus?

Choosing Jesus first

Yes this will change my life! It will greatly alter your life. But we can look at it this way: the life which comes after this one is longer (eternal) and more important.

GOD wants to live and move within us. Are we going to allow Him to do that?

Mankind at Creation

At Creation, Yehovah GOD made man in His image: male and female. Ever since then, with the exception of Jesus, mankind has chosen to walk in his own image.

Through Jesus we have a choice and most of those reading this post have chosen to follow Jesus. But are we saved?

There are, if you like, two salvations or two levels of salvation*:

Recognising Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. This is the one we are most familiar with.
Walking in the knowledge and consciousness that we must fully surrender. This is what Paul meant by “working out our own salvation with fear and trembling”. (Philippians 2:12)

At which level is each of us walking?

Getting to Heaven

If we are operating at level 1, we have professed our faith, repented (the order doesn’t matter), and asked Jesus to lead and to guide us. The Holy Spirit has revived our spirit within us and through baptism in water we can be more assured of the Holy Spirit operating within us.

But if we are operating at level 2, we are laying down the flesh daily, hourly, conscious that it is “not I who live but Christ who lives in me”.

I haven’t contemplated or studied enough to know where a person is in terms of heaven if we operating only at level 1. I just don’t know. Perhaps we are only responsible for the level of revelation GOD has given us. But now I’ve ruined that for you readers…

I’ve definitely smashed through the theory of “once saved, always saved” because salvation is not as simple as praying a prayer of faith; we must walk in it. (James 2:20)

In sharing the concept of two levels of salvation (btw this is not doctrine so please don’t get too excited! I am merely extrapolating in language terms as best I can, why scripture says we are saved by grace and yet we also must work out our salvation), it surely brings into question for myself and others:

If I’m serious about Jesus, why wouldn’t I be walking in level 2: fully grateful, fully surrendered, fully committed?

It seems to me that this question is for serious thought and prayer.

* Maurie Daigneau “The Gospel You’ve Never Heard”