His awesomeness becomes transparent when we truly discover that His words are justly written upon our hearts, as He states in His promise to us.
Seeking the Father’s face is much different than the Father seeking you! He reveals to us His divine purpose when we truly move into the fullness of relationship with Him.
Much like we often set ourselves to please those around us, when we are in the fullness of relationship with the Lord, when we’ve experienced that within us His word is justly and righteously written upon our hearts, it is then that we move into a deeper and richer level of glory - that we are born into seeking only that which pleases the Father in all facets of our life. This is when we are truly “born again.”
Recently I had an opportunity to fellowship with a woman who like myself, has been a single person for a very long time. As she explained the plight of her emptiness in her longings for a marital relationship, I was reminded of what I experienced for about two years after my divorce. Never remarrying, I’ve remained single for 26 years and so it was quite a stroll down memory lane for me. I smiled to myself, although not wanting to minimize her pain as I know it is as real as mine has been. I also know the level of glory the Lord has in store for her future if she will take the time to truly seek His word within and to answer His call as He is seeking her.
Forgiving the doctrines of men, I know it is not intentional that those who claim to “be of God” or are otherwise known as “godly people,” alienate certain believers with false teachings that have cultural foundations rooted in the traditions of our society based upon the understanding of men. These teachings assert that somehow it is more “godly” to be “married” (which is merely a legal status given to us by our governing authority – MEN, to create a tax structure for supporting the same government) than it is to seek the Father through relationship with Christ Jesus.
We are all called to love the Lord thy God with ALL our mind, heart, body, and spirit. Although it is the FIRST commandment, somehow “godly” people don’t seem to trust in the Father’s principles for relationships. In the Kingdom of God, we neither marry nor are given in marriage” (Mat 22:30, Mark 12:25, Luke 20:35) to one another. Christ is our “husband” and we are his bride – this is the biblical marriage. These same people who claim to hear from god alienate single people often forcing them into unbiblical unions or forcing them through guilt to stay in unbiblical unions because it is taught that marriage and “family” is the foundation of our society. They are right; it is the foundation of this society - it is NOT however, God’s foundation. It is the understanding of men taught through tradition based upon cultures. Because of this alienation through false teachings, these same “godly” people often turn those whom the Father is truly seeking away from Him in favor of living up to the expectations of the church, society, or culture and traditions.
You have to recognize these tactics, they are the same used by the enemy to take our attention away from the Father and they are taught in churches. The enemy is alive and well, flourishing through alienation of those whom God is truly calling and taught within the churches. Do not be surprised over these doctrines. Jesus reveals the plight of the churches in the letters to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. Do you question or doubt God’s word? This also is a tactic used by the enemy, doubt! We miss the warnings that are written in the life blood of Christ in favor of church doctrine rooted in tradition and cultures, based upon the understanding of men. But then too, Jesus proclaimed repeatedly that many would miss “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Mat 11:15, Mark 4:9 , Luke 14:35, Rev 2:7, 2:11, 2:17, 2:29, 3:6, 3:22, 13:9).
Those whose lives do not appear to be “normal” based upon church doctrine, society and culture are often those who are chosen by God. They are part of the ecclesia, the “called out.” They are called out from even the church where traditions, cultures, and understanding of men flourish. This was demonstrated through the life of Christ as well as the lives of the apostles. They were often misunderstood (and remain misunderstood by some) by those who claim to be “godly.” The Holy Spirit pursues people who are “broken,” the broken hearted, down trodden, lowly in spirit, as he is our comforter, healer, and our teacher. Like Jesus, the Holy Spirit does only what the Father does. God seeks the broken heart and contrite spirit, these are His people, and these are His Israel! It is through the contrite and lowly spirits that he can truly be magnified in all of His glory. And the teachings of men, cultures and traditions, continually seek to minimize God’s opportunity to shine in His magnificence and glory – by alienating those who do not fit into the culture of the church (not the culture of God – who has NO culture, He is all that is real). Those who are chosen or truly called know who they are but often doubt the call because they measure their godly worth based upon heresy within the church. They miss this call because they are too busy looking where the church tells them to look for God.
We must forgive the people of the church and the church as we are called to love one another in Jesus’ second commandment. Men are fail-able and thus, the church is fail-able. This is actually part of God’s divine plan. Let the tares grow with the wheat until the harvest. The issue of ungodly principles and their teachers is described in the bible as the separation of goats from the sheep. God knows who are His and when we seek Him first, He reveals these truths to those who have an ear to hear. When we seek to do ONLY what is pleasing to God: “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 TI 2:15). “But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (1Th 2:4).
A word of encouragement to those people who remain steadfast and true believers in the sovereignty of God:
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
“I dwell in the high and holy place,
and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly,
and to revive the heart of the contrite”
(Isa 57:15 ESV).
