Poise and the Spiritual Life, Part I

April 3, 1996

It could be said (but rarely is) that the spiritual life is a life of poise. The spiritual man is poised, not shaken, turned, or frazzled by the world, the flesh and the devil. His poise is a result of two factors: focus upon Christ and being balanced upon the whole counsel of God. The spiritual man or woman is not led astray by every wind and doctrine that is currently popular among the masses. I speak of the Christian who walks upon the spiritual lifeline or upon the path of righteousness. Unfortunately, most who believe in Christ are not spiritual at all. They have chosen to walk upon another path-the path of carnality. Why? Because they have come to follow a different gospel, namely, the gospel of power, fame, noteriety, wealth and success, saving the world, or whatever else their personal agenda seeks.

GIVE ME MINE, GOD

I especially want to address those who get trapped into the "Give me mine, God" attitude propagated by today's new spiritual evangelist. So many (too many) get caught up in the fervor and emotionalism of these spiritual con-men. These are men and some women, who entice their victims with visions of health, wealth and prosperity because, they teach, it is their due as believers. This is especially offensive since it goes squarely against the concept of grace.

THERE GOSPEL IS A MIXED BAG

These inciters are liars and thieves. They rant and rave to the "nth" degree about the power of the Holy Spirit, miracles, and having what you say . This is purported with great enthusiasm by today's successful preachers and teachers of the Word of Faith movement as essential elements of the Christian way of life. These are a mark of one's spirituality, or so they say. And if truth is gauged by one's popularity and large financial coffers, then they must be on the mark. But I believe their success can only be attributed to their marketing abilities and talent to endear themselves to the gullible and desperate. For what they arrogantly teach as doctrinal truths is a mixed bag of truth and falsehood. And if I remember any mathematics at all a positive plus a negative is a negative. Therefore truth plus falsehood is a falsehood.

No, the Christian way of life is far more advanced, sophisticated, and geniune than the Word of Faith movement would have you believe. Yet, the absolute beauty of the spiritual life is that it does not require a high intelligence or social standing. You need not be powerful and have a large bank account. And you need not speak in tongues, run around the ailses of your church, or have to prove your love for God by shouting at the top of your voice, "God is on the throne and the devil has been defeated." On the contrary, what is required is trust, humility, and perseverance. Thus, the spiritual does not seek what is "due" him (the believer), but what he can "do" to please HIM (the object of belief).

The Holy Spirit is the Great Revelator Open Hand Ministries was founded with the desire to teach God's truths in an objective and factual manner minus emotionalism, gimmicks, and spiritual hype. This ministry's focus is on the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. It is not, and I say respectfully, focused on the Holy Spirit on whom so many ministries have set their hope. I say this based on biblical grounds. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit,

We refer to our faith as CHRISTianity, not SPIRITianity. Now if the Holy Spirit sees fit to remain in the background to glorify Christ, how much more should we do the same? We glorify Christ Jesus each time our focus, concentration, and attention is upon Him as He leads us down the Path of Righteousness and upon the Spiritual Life Line to the Promised Land. Such attention upon Christ pleases the Father and the Holy Spirit.

POWER THROUGH MENTAL CLARITY

The Holy Spirit's main thrust in our spiritual life is to disclose, reveal, and manifest Christ to us. Clear vision in spiritual matters is imperative to reach spiritual maturity-the state which glorifies God. The Apostle Paul refers to the spiritual as having the mind of Christ. Mental clarity is the source of our power and cuts through the veil of darkness and frees us from the bonds of lies, deception, and half-truths.

The Holy Spirit is called by Christ, the Spirit of truth. He is our guide into all truth. He is the great revelator of the mysteries of God's Word, which is Christ's mind. It is He, the Holy Spirit, who takes God's Word and breaks it down for our spiritual digestion. Knowledge is power and as our knowledge increases we are able to think more and more like Christ, our Lord.

The Holy Spirit reveals to us the mind of Christ. He takes what is His and gives to us. We dishonor the Holy Spirit and do Him great disservice by putting Him ahead of Christ our Lord. Believers caught up in the Word of Faith and Charismatic movements do this continually by invoking the spiritual gifts rather than seeking the true food which supports the spiritual life, God's intimate counsel .

OTHER SPIRITS

Many churches today which initiate or invoke so-called spiritual gifts are participating with demons and other spirits. They invite the public to join them in their "spirit-filled worship", or participate in their "Holy Spirit Celebration." The spirits of Jim Jones and David Karesh are alive and well today in the Word of Faith and Charismatic movements. But these spirits are much more subtle and cunning in their evil. They come as an angels of light, whose servants are disguised as legitimate servants of righteousness.

Test the spirits The following questions might help you determine God's true shepherds from the false. Do they teach God's Word in an objective and factual manner? Do they expound and exegete scripture based on the whole counsel of God's Word? Are their doctrines based on glorifying God through living the spiritual life? Do they offer an atmosphere conducive to the learning experience by controlling distractions in their congregations? Do they focus one's attention upon the Lord Jesus Christ?

Or, do they spend the majority of their services in singing and clapping? Do they encourage and invite their congregations to join with them and participate in speaking in tongues and words of knowledge, worshipping the Spirit, and being slain in the Spirit . Do they encourage you into jumping up and down, shouting, screaming, asking for miracles, healings, visions, financial wealth and prosperity and many other such hypnotic, hallucinatory and highly emotionally charged practices? These carnival events are spiritual in nature alright, but not of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.

FIXATE ON CHRIST

Therefore, this ministries prime purpose is to teach the means by which we reach spiritual maturity while at the same time steer you away from these other spirits. We do both by focusing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who focus upon Christ render powerless the seducing spirits of Satan and his demonic doctrines. He is then free to go forward in his spiritual life. This my friend is the power of which Christ speaks in Acts.

The spiritual life is a process. It is gained little by little , Dt. 7:22, year upon year as the believer in Christ studies the word, prays for wisdom, and meditates upon pleasing His savior. And with each step, the believer will be tested. This testing is for his good, Dt. 8:16. Yes, testing is for your good and my good. But God will not allow us to be tested beyond our ability, 1 Cor. 10:13. Therefore, we cannot excuse ourselves for failure to pass. For in each test God provides deliverance. Deliverance is found in trusting in God's promises. Christ trusted His Father explicitly in each and every instance in which He was tested. In our next lesson, we shall see the poise Christ exhibited, and perhaps learn how we too may remain poised in our time of trial.

Poise, Part II

Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright ©1960, 1962,, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by Permission. Copyright ©1996 Robert W. Case Jr.