As Christ’s bride we have a calling to commune, conform, and continue with Him. We must endure and persevere in knowing Him and putting on His likeness. This is our purpose! As we wait for His appearance. To know Him and be like Him. The byproduct to this is making Him known through the great commission to preach the gospel and make disciples.
God is teaching His people how to cooperate and engage with the Spirit of truth to receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. He is showing us how to put on His mind. With Revelation and Repentance. The primary way that we commune, conform, and continue with Him is by remaining in His Word.
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.” Song of Songs 1:2 NIV
During this pivotal time in history, the world is singing a demonic lullaby to put us to sleep. The enemy is diligently working to lull us to sleep. In this generation called to rest in Jesus, he is producing a false rest, a type of spiritual slumber. People aren’t “woke” they are actually fast asleep. We must stay awake with a sound mind and alertness to Jesus! We must conform, commune, and continue with Jesus, so we can be ready for His return and call others to be ready too. The days are growing short.
In the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, the princess and in turn the entire kingdom, was awakened from a spell of sleep by true love’s kiss. In the same way, it is God’s kiss of love that will keep us awake in the midst of the demonic lullaby being sung on the earth. As we meet Him in the word and in prayer we awaken to righteousness. His resurrecting kiss of love is found in the word and prayer. There are endless hidden and secret things found in this place, but they are often neglected. The word is a tiny little seed and prayer is done when no one is watching. These hidden and secret things keep us sound, alert, and awake. Our spiritual senses must remain awake and alive, not dull and asleep. God wants to kiss us every day! Yesterday’s kiss won’t sustain us. Every day we can meet Him in His Word and find fresh kisses that sustain and equip us.
The scriptures have integrity. It is one story. one work. From Genesis and revelation. It is the Word of God. But it also has multiplicity. It is multifaceted in nature. It has integrity in that it is the word of God. It is single in that sense. But in being the Word of God it is also multidimensional and has many facets. It is not one dimensional. It is one thing. His Word. But the revelation inside it has many facets and applications. It is living and active. So it is single, but also many. It is one word, but also many words. Like a quilt made up of many pieces but forming one work. The Word has many facets of revelation with one message (Jesus!).
Psalm 1 describes the person who meditates on His Word day and night. This one is described as a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever they do, they prosper. Joshua 1 describes something similar when Joshua was told to meditate on His Word so the path to the Promise Land would be marked with prosperity and success. God is calling us to be a Psalm 1 people. A people deep and rich in His Word. A people who obey His instruction. How else do people communicate with one another? They use words. They speak. This is the primary means of communion. This is how we conform to His will. By knowing His will laid out in the Word. This is how we continue in friendship with Him by continuing to listen to His Word.
When we remain in His Word (incline our ears, hear and obey, and apply our heart to it) we walk back to Eden! We walk like Adam and Eve with God in the cool of the day in the garden with the intimacy of knowing Him and hearing His voice. We enter into the Promise Land in Christ like Joshua! We take possession of the promises. Meditating day and not and delighting in His word isn’t cherry picking the scriptures or words that we want to hear. It is being a student of the full counsel of God from Genesis to revelation.
Genesis 1 and 2 show us that God alone is the One who defines good and evil. He is the creator and the giver of life. He is also the only one capable of knowing good and evil. Imparting wisdom and revelation. Knowledge of His will. To walk righteous.
Righteousness is defined in Psalm 1 and in the scriptures as inclining our ear to His instructions, hearing and obeying, and applying our heart to His word. It is the ones who meditate on His word day and night. The ones who listen to His voice!
In Genesis 3 we see that Eve listened to the snake and Adam listened to his wife and sin entered our world. Often, we listen to the snake, others, or ourselves. We take cues to define good and bad from everyone and everything but Him. This is where sin and wickedness comes into being. It is 100% a lie and illusion that we can sit in God’s seat, that we can navigate this life without heeding His instruction, or we can live without the Creator and One who defines what is good and what is not good. Over and over again since the fall of humanity we have proven that our definition of what is good and what is evil sucks. We make a mess! We sin. We are wicked. We need our Father to teach and instruct us in righteousness.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.” Psalms 119:105 NASB1995
His word is the only light and lamp! His instruction applies light to our path to navigate the pit falls. When we stop defining good as evil in our own selves and allow God to define it through His word we receive direction and guidance!
“Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my words.” Isaiah 28:23 NASB1995
A hearing ear is the key to knowing Him. If we don’t incline our ears, hear and obey, and apply our heart to His instruction, how can we say we know Him. The Bible says If we love Him, we will obey His commands. It is those that do what He commands that love Him and know Him.
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NIV
The word exposes the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. When our thoughts and attitudes are exposed by the Word we have a choice to either continue in them or to repent. We can agree with God’s assessment of our thinking and receive His thoughts. This is Humility: to depend on and live by God’s voice. To surrender to His thinking, His will, and His word.
When we incline our ears, hear and obey, and apply our heart to His instruction, the humility of Christ is being worked into us. His same love and obedience that he displayed on the cross is taking up residence in our hearts.
The primary means to engage with His speaking is His Word. He gives dreams, visions, and ecstatic encounters. But the primary way we hear His voice is through His Word. The scriptures are the main tool in the secret place. Mary sat at His feet and listened to His teachings.Being a people of the word is way more than just reading it. It is inclining our ears, hearing and obeying, and applying our heart to it. To be a disciple means we receive his discipline. We are students of His instruction. The depth we go in His word determines the height we ascend in the spirit. The scriptures are our hearing aids to ecstatically hearing His voice in dreams, visions, and encounters.
Matthew 7:24-29 shows us that when we hear and obey His word we build our life on the rock and can withstand any storm that comes. The result of not remaining in the Word will be a weak foundation.
His word is nutrition. We could have the craziest experiences in his presence corporately here. We could have dreams and visions and encounters. But be malnourished and weak. It is those who incline their ear, hear and obey, and apply their heart to His word that remain nourished and strong.
I pray we are a people deep in His word. Rich in the scriptures. Full of grace and truth. Worshiping in spirit and truth. Knowing the truth. Submitting our lives to His loving instruction. Receiving His kiss every day!
By Micah Level