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SOUNDING OUT:
Walking Involves A Learning Process
No one ever gets mad at a child learning
to walk. We coax and cajole; we do everything we can to
encourage them to walk knowing full well that as soon
as they do we wish we wouldn't have pushed them. Walking
is a simple skill that can be acquired. It's not difficult.
God didn't call it mountain climbing by the spirit or
tightrope walking by the spirit. It's just walking.
This was a bad winter in Tipp City.
Ice on the blacktop gave occasions to plenty of spills.
After the first time however, we learned to pay attention
and walk more carefully. Of course sometimes as adults
we may trip over things (even our own feet at times) causing
us to fall. Drunkenness also makes walking a lost art
at times. However, for the most part, we grow up and master
walking physically. Why would it be any more difficult,
spiritually. God uses the word "walk" for a
reason.
Our liberty gives us the freedom to
make decisions for our lives. Maintaining our liberty
requires a balanced walk between legalism and license.
A balanced walk doesn't mean swinging from one extreme
to the other. Rather, it means staying in the middle enjoying
our liberty. Making proper choices and staying put in
our liberty shows maturity in our walk.
Many of those proper choices are to
obey God, rather than men. Obedience to the written Word
facilitates obedience to those specific words of knowledge,
words of wisdom, and discernings of spirits that will
come. Once we are moving on the Word the fine-tuning of
the manifestations will seem almost effortless.
We will be tempted to go to the extremes.
Legalism and license both will tug at us to join them
in their activities. It is so easy for us to do what we
want to do instead of obediently walking by the spirit.
The more we mature in our Christian walk, the more we
will see that we don't turn God on and off in our lives
at our pleasure or whim. Walking by the spirit isn't doing
what you want until you get in a jam. God forbid that
we become "crisis Christians," where the only
time we think about God and the things of God are in emergencies.
We are going to make mistakes (I
John 1:10), but that doesn't keep us from walking
by the spirit. When we stumble, we pick ourselves up and
start walking again. Walking involves a learning process.
That learning process is maturation. We want to go from
babies to children; we want to go from milk to meat; we
want to grow up into the fullness of Christ (Ephesians
3:15).
No matter how old one is when he gets
born-again, he enters the family of God as a baby. Proper
nourishment and training promote healthy growth. Developing
the habit patterns of meekness to God and His Word, speaking
in tongues much, and spending time with our Heavenly Father
in His Word will certainly help in our growth.
Hebrews 5:11-14:
Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have
need that one teach you again which be the first principles
of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need
of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word
of righteousness: for he is a babe.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil.
What the King James Version calls "the
first principles" the New International Version calls
"the elementary truths;" The New Revised Version
calls "the basic elements;" The New Living Translation
calls "the basic things a beginner must learn."
These all come from the Greek word, stoicheion, which
Thayer says means "any first thing, from which the
others belonging to some series or composite whole take
their rise." In the alphabet it would be A,B,C. With
numbers it would be 1,2,3. Every one has to start somewhere,
and go on to more advanced items.
Everyone in God's family needs to know
the ABC's of Acceptance, Belonging, and Competence. We
have been accepted by God because we have confessed Jesus
as Lord believing God raised him from the dead. We belong
to the family of God, God is our Father and we are members
one of another. We have been enabled by holy spirit and
are competent to operate the manifestations of the spirit.
These are among the first principle we all need. This
is the milk that nurses the newborn.
I'm not an architect, but I know that
no great edifice or superstructure can be built without
a proper foundation.
Matthew 7:24-27:
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which
built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not:
for it was founded upon a rock.
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man,
which built his house upon the sand:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the
winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and
great was the fall of it.
Doing the Word is building upon a good
foundation. Not doing the Word is building upon sand that
washes away. Those that do are wise, and those that do
not are foolish. As well as anything, that determines
our maturity. When we act on the Word we encourage growth,
and when we do not we stifle it. The choice is always
ours to make.
As in any family the older more mature
believers are to help the new ones. We want to come of
full-age which is accomplished by exercising our spiritual
abilities. We must take responsibility for our growth.
Sure there should be elders in the family who can help
us, but as we grow up we become those mature ones who
are to help others.
This growth is rooted and grounded in
God's grace.
Colossians 2:6:
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord,
so walk ye in him:
Even people who know they are saved
by grace (Ephesians 2:8-10) think that they must walk
by works. No, it is grace from start to finish. The good
works are just a natural outgrowth of living in God's
grace. Sure, we want to produce fruit, but that isn't
accomplished by the works of the flesh. It is accomplished
as we renew our minds to operate the manifestations and
walk by the spirit. All we can do is walk and when we
stumble get up. We just do the best we can, and we make
a difference where we can.
There is a little story that comes from
a book called the Star Fisher:
Picture if you will an early morning
along a California beach. An elderly man is walking along
the edge of the water and stops occasionally, picks up
something, and then tosses it into the ocean. He then
walks a few steps more, picks up something, and tosses
it into the ocean. A young jogger is running along and
has been watching the man. Finally his curiosity gets
the best of him and he stops and goes over to the old
gentleman and asks: "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
The man answered: "Well, I am saving
the life of these star fish. The storm washed them ashore
last night, the sun will be up in thirty minutes, and
then they will all die. I am throwing them back into the
water to save their lives."
The jogger was a bit astounded. "Old
man," he said, "Don't you know that you have
thirty miles of beach ahead of you and that millions of
those star fish were washed ashore last night. What possible
difference do you think that you are going to make."
The old man took another step picked up a star fish, and
with all his might hurled it into the ocean, then he turned
to the jogger and said: "Well, son, I guess I made
a difference in that one's life."
We do not need to change the entire
world. Let's just make that portion where we live a better
place.
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