Home

Learning to be Content in a World that has no Peace.

  “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I  have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13

  We strive for a lot of things, and as the world gets darker, stranger and more alien to our sensibilities, restlessness settles in. As we live out the reality of this current season where the Lord is “…shaking everything that can be shaken.” Hebrews 12:27. We become more and more unsettled deep within ourselves. We have all felt it, so pretending it does not exist is just pointless.

So what are we feeling?

  I was painting the inside of the greenhouse as the temperature kept rising, pondering this question when an old song came across my Spotify list.

  As I listened, and pondering its words while pouring out more paint into the container. In that moment I kinda realized that her song was providing clues to my thinking. Consider the chorus of the song.

{click on the image above to listen}

  Could it be that all our discontent, greed and lust in this world is just the twisted and distorted actions of children seeking a home they can not find?

  Could it be so simple that learning to be content, is the mastery over our mind and soul to understand that we have a greater home coming?

  Could it be that this underlying feeling of emptiness is the strain of living in this world, away from everything that is holy, perfect and complete? And that we are doing nothing on this Earth, but filling our lives with pointless nicknacks and keepsakes that do nothing in the end just to fill the void?

  In some ways, I can identify with Abraham who was always looking for a promised home he could not find. Maybe this is one of the roots behind so many moves in my adult life? Always searching, always looking.

  There seems to be something down deep within us that KNOWS we are not where we need to be. A deep pull that is at war with our flesh, and it is in this moment some of the other words of Paul filter in like Romans 7:15-20 or 1 Corinthians 9:27. So I stop painting for a moment, and think about this war.

  A war between what our spirit knows and our flesh wants. One wants this world, the other wants a world unseen. I don’t know about you but I can think of many things I would like, and my mind can justify all of them… but is it right?

Desires

  When my wife and I got married, and older lady who was very caring and always supported us gave us a small gift. It was a scripture in a simple frame to hang on the wall. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

  This to me, this always read like a spiritual law or truth. Basically don’t let your emotions get entangled in “stuff.” Let your emotions become intertwined in the Lord. This was always a, get step one right and step two will play out by itself kind of thing. But still it requires trust, trust not to get ahead of what the Father is doing. Trust that he will take of all things even when it does not seem like it.

  In a world that knows no peace, he is causing his family to learn to walk in peace. And it would seem that surrendering our desires to him is a pathway he is currently working in within us.

Questions to Ponder

1. If we start to fully understand that our home is not of this world, how will that effect how you see the people around us?

2. If we start to fully understand that our longing for our future home is greater than anything else, how will that effect our actions?

3. We have prayed for 2000 years, “Your Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven,” is it not possible that our realization that our home is not here is at least evidence that this prayer is working in us? And if so, how else will Heaven display itself through us?

  The reality is God is shaking everything, especially your desires. He wants you to long for the right things. Most of us have been so interwoven into the fabric of Babylon that we have no idea what a Holy desire is. We feel conflicted at the thought, questioning with doubt if they could be evil. Thats just how messed up we are on the inside that we can not perceive what is holy and what is not.

  The Charismatic corner of Christianity has sought after gifting for a long time. But apparently the gift of discernment has eluded us. Because if it was fully in operation we would have detected all the pretenders in the pulpits like Mike Bickle. And thats one of the big reasons we seriously need to reevaluate our desires.

  Desires can become passion that drives us, just as any person with a serious chocolate craving. Or a person addicted to things they should not. This is why the Lord wants us to be driven by holy desires, to want what he wants. This is one of the first bits of evidence that the Kingdom is coming to Earth through you.