Personal Revelation
Right now there is a war beginning to rage against the concept of "personal revelation." This is based on the idea that God does not reveal large things to individuals, and that somehow, if everyone doesn't hear the same message, it must not be valid.
I have really been wrestling with this. I have gotten some personal revelation as of late. I am not interested in revelation that isn't backed up with Bible verses...that is clearly the standard of truth....but my experiences as of late are undeniable. They are also quite new.
I have been a believer since before I can remember. I was raised by an on-fire for Jesus mom and grandmother. Both were filled with the Holy Spirit since before I can remember, but I also grew up in a mainline denominational church. I have truly experienced a very broad range of Christian reality/teaching.
It wasn't until the last few years that I began to ASK God for more love for God, more hunger for Him, more revelation, insight, and wisdom. In fact, I first began asking in March of 2011. I remember the day. Until then I had certainly grown in my understanding of the Bible and my understanding of God. My motto was always "I want to look back at myself a year from now and be glad I'm not that guy anymore." I held that desire in my heart ever since 1999, when I really turned my life over to God. From 1999 until March 2011, I read my Bible faithfully...literally a couple of hours a day, nearly every day. I prayed and talked with God. I laid out my concerns. I thanked Him for my blessings. I grew in knowledge, but I can honestly say I never got some sort of extreme personal revelation.
Within months of me beginning to ask for revelation, I began to regularly get it. This agrees with the Bible:
Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (8) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (9) Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (10) Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
In fact, James said that it was a lack of this sort of personal invigorating encounter obtained by asking for it, that leaves most of the world spiritually bored and turning to sin or materialism for satisfaction:
James 4:1-5 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? (2) You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (4) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (5) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
God is serious about rewarding spiritual desire. The Spirit is JEALOUS for your attention, so that He can respond to you. And HOW is the Spirit PROMISED to respond?!
John 16:7-15 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) of sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; (11) of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (12) "I still have many things to say to you, BUT YOU CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW. (13) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth (as YOU can bear it); for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (Personal revelation of the FUTURE). (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.(that excludes NOTHING)
Personal revelation of the future to individuals as they are ready to BEAR it...by asking seeking and knocking...growing in love, zeal, and holiness free to anyone WILLING to actually spend their time asking is Jesus 101. Don't let any man steal the prizes that Jesus longs to give you. There is so much available simply for the asking, but you must ask, knock, and seek like you really want it. If you haven't asked, knocked, or sought, be careful what you criticize...in fact, just be careful what you criticize in general, you just might find yourself arguing with God himself.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
I have really been wrestling with this. I have gotten some personal revelation as of late. I am not interested in revelation that isn't backed up with Bible verses...that is clearly the standard of truth....but my experiences as of late are undeniable. They are also quite new.
I have been a believer since before I can remember. I was raised by an on-fire for Jesus mom and grandmother. Both were filled with the Holy Spirit since before I can remember, but I also grew up in a mainline denominational church. I have truly experienced a very broad range of Christian reality/teaching.
It wasn't until the last few years that I began to ASK God for more love for God, more hunger for Him, more revelation, insight, and wisdom. In fact, I first began asking in March of 2011. I remember the day. Until then I had certainly grown in my understanding of the Bible and my understanding of God. My motto was always "I want to look back at myself a year from now and be glad I'm not that guy anymore." I held that desire in my heart ever since 1999, when I really turned my life over to God. From 1999 until March 2011, I read my Bible faithfully...literally a couple of hours a day, nearly every day. I prayed and talked with God. I laid out my concerns. I thanked Him for my blessings. I grew in knowledge, but I can honestly say I never got some sort of extreme personal revelation.
Within months of me beginning to ask for revelation, I began to regularly get it. This agrees with the Bible:
Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (8) For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (9) Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? (10) Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
In fact, James said that it was a lack of this sort of personal invigorating encounter obtained by asking for it, that leaves most of the world spiritually bored and turning to sin or materialism for satisfaction:
James 4:1-5 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? (2) You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (4) Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (5) Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously"?
God is serious about rewarding spiritual desire. The Spirit is JEALOUS for your attention, so that He can respond to you. And HOW is the Spirit PROMISED to respond?!
John 16:7-15 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (8) And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) of sin, because they do not believe in Me; (10) of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; (11) of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (12) "I still have many things to say to you, BUT YOU CANNOT BEAR THEM NOW. (13) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth (as YOU can bear it); for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come (Personal revelation of the FUTURE). (14) He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. (15) All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.(that excludes NOTHING)
Personal revelation of the future to individuals as they are ready to BEAR it...by asking seeking and knocking...growing in love, zeal, and holiness free to anyone WILLING to actually spend their time asking is Jesus 101. Don't let any man steal the prizes that Jesus longs to give you. There is so much available simply for the asking, but you must ask, knock, and seek like you really want it. If you haven't asked, knocked, or sought, be careful what you criticize...in fact, just be careful what you criticize in general, you just might find yourself arguing with God himself.
Revelation 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
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