The Way to Our Security

Security is the awareness within us of a firm, dependable confidence and surety that, the circumstances that we find ourselves in and the decisions and actions that we are taking, are rock solid and grounded in certainty. With this type of confidence, it will help us to live free from fear, danger, apprehension, poverty, doubt etc. This type of security that we need will be tested throughout our existence on this planet. It was God’s infinite plan to create a need for security in man, which would through man’s endeavors of trying to find security, lead him back to his creator God, who is the author, planner and security of all that life represents.

Now we need to get in touch with our feelings and be honest. Our life attitude must be one of watching and learning with a desire of making a mark of fulfilling our purpose in the short dispensation of time we have on this planet. Now if this is true in our lives, we have to be aware with great concern over what is going on in the world today and it can become a very scary thing at times to see the conditions that exist. As we watch the news, we are hearing about things like terrorism, wars, debt, what is going on in the stock market, murders, sex scandal, perversions and people’s ideas of how morality should be handled and saying that, they come in the name of the Lord. It is my fervent prayer that you who are reading this get in touch to what I consider God’s top priority for His people in these last days. That being to seek Him with everything we possess.

Over the years of the history of mankind, we see a reoccurring theme showing us that when we have a severe crisis. (Example) America going to war, twin towers coming down or the stock market crashing etc.; it’s then everybody turns to God and runs to their church or synagogue for a while until the crisis passes and then goes back to finding security in their own comfort zones. Hollywood notices this and has made a living over these types of story lines. Why? Because man in his own endeavors to find security is to weak willed and totally lost in maintaining a life style of being committed to nothing but, his own self-centered ambitions.

There have been many people that I have talked to that are living like an ostrich with their heads in the sand, believing that they are living in a condition that they call safety. However, man in his basic nature has no resolve, commitment and daring to face life head on and get involved in a higher purpose then living in his own little world of what he considers security. This attitude is called fear with a survival mode mentality. Fear is not just a word, but also a living entity of demonic activity that has captured the lives of people who do not know the love and security of the Lord Jesus Christ. We who are born again believers are not to point our fingers at the unsaved and say it’s only their problem. The unsaved need to know Jesus, which leads all men into having the initial taste of experiencing security; however, to us who are saved, we have no excuse in living the life style of an ostrich. Fear should have no place of rest in the born again believer.

1John 4:18-19 states, “There is no fear in love, anxiety does not exist. However, full-grown perfecting love turns fears out doors and expels every trace of terror. When we are afraid this gives us the thoughts of impending punishment or loss of some kind. This situation is telling us that, we have not yet grown to full maturity in understanding God’s great love for us. We need to realize that we can only strengthen our love for Him because we are first allowing Him to love us.”

Now let’s describe the two alternatives we have to choose from between being secure or insecure. In Romans 14:17 Paul the Apostles describes how to walk in security with the Holy Spirit. He states, “The kingdom of God is not for us to concentrate on our own personal self centered needs but,  we need to pursue righteousness, which gives a person the required ability of interacting and being able to come into agreement with God’s ways, with heart peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Now the opposite of this or our insecurity is found in 11Peter 3:14 where Peter states, “Be eager to be found by Christ on His return without spot and wrinkle and at peace, in serene confidence, free from fears, agitating passions and moral conflicts.” We will start with describing insecurity, which is fear, agitating passions and moral conflicts.

We have already defined that fear comes from an incomplete maturity of a love relationship with the Lord because; we become hindered from having a constant flowing relationship with the Holy Spirit. If we are living in this soulish condition, we need to acknowledge this to the Lord and not feel ashamed to come to Him and be broken. When we don’t acknowledge this, we live in denial as though we have arrived at some spiritual stature of perfection in our lives. We need to humble ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to keep us in a teachable state. When do we arrive at perfection in understanding God’s love? Never. It’s walking with Him and experiencing His love daily that keeps us healthy as two people love on each other. You can’t learn about love like learning about being perfect in math or some other subject and then going on to something else. It’s like the blood circulating in the physical body and supplying nourishment to the entire body. Once it stops being circulated the body becomes under nourished and dies.

When fear rears its ugly head in our lives it brings with it, agitating passions and moral conflicts. Agitating passions are feelings and thoughts of a continual uncertainty of where we are heading, because we are not being sure of our destiny.

These are dormant emotions, which rise to the surface from within our soul, when we encounter circumstances that cause us to not get our own way. At times, these emotions are manifested with anger, rage and jealousy at us not getting the results in our endeavors that we have put our hand to for success. These losses of success can cause a depression to set in and we can go through periods of withdrawal and seclusion within ourselves. We also have feelings of guilt and there is a continual roll playing within our minds that, if we had done this or that differently, we would have had a different results.

These are the feelings the Devil plays upon and we feel like the Lord is hiding from us because, we think He has ought against us. In turn, the deep-rooted love and security that we need in our relationship with God is hindered because, it breaks down us experiencing God’s grace or (unmerited favor) which we receive without earning it.

The definition of moral conflicts is an emotional disturbance due to opposed and contrary impulses. It’s having two trains of thought that collide in direct opposition to each other that is caused by a force coming against our desires for security. The word moral means, the reasoning within our minds of making choices of what’s right or wrong. This right and wrong reasoning are motivated by our conscience. This process is the normal evolution of all mans endeavors of searching for his security and meaning to life and no one on the planet escapes this process. The real issue is our searching has to be directed and influenced from within by us interacting with the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit has to be the divine influence on our conscience. Man cannot trust his conscience without the Holy Spirit influencing this process because, it became crippled in the Garden of Eden when Adam sinned and disobeyed God.

The word conscience in the Greek is suneidesis: meaning, to become aware of, to be informed, or to have your eyes opened. In the Webster’s dictionary it means, a mental inbred or inherited gift from our physical parents by which, we distinguish between right and wrong concepts of life. You might say it’s our moral barometer. It acts as a filter to screen healthy and unhealthy thoughts and motives, which shows up in our behavior.

Our conscience was contaminated when we inherited our broken relationship with God because of Adam eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was natural and customary for Adam and Eve to walk with God in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. Cool of the day does not mean as it cools off towards the evening hours. In the Hebrew it means, RUWACH: a Spirit presence like a wind or breathe. The Spirit of God would weave Himself into their physical bodies.

Adam lived with an overwhelming anticipation when God showed up. Their oneness and openness in the Spirit gave Adam a quick understanding of God’s thoughts and ways. He was totally naked in God’s sight and he was unashamed.

You might say, he was in a constant state of being pure and uncontaminated because, he only looked at things and had an understanding of how God looked at him. He was pure and blameless in God’s sight. When he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and disobeyed God, he became ashamed and focused his thought life not on anticipating God showing up, but he became aware of his own nakedness and became ashamed of himself and felt guilty. He decided to take fig leaves, sew them together, and make aprons for Eve and himself to cover their shame.

This was his way of justifying his behavior by inventing his own moral barometer through his fig leaf conscience as a guide for living. When God showed up, he hid. God said "Adam where are you?" Adam answered, "I was naked, I heard the sound of you walking in the Garden, and I was afraid, so I hid myself." God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree I told you not to eat from?" Adam said, "The woman you gave me made me eat from it." God then said to the woman, "What have you done?" Eve said, "The serpent outwitted and deceived me and I ate."

Here’s where the problem starts. The sin that Adam and Eve committed was not from being disobedient by eating from the tree, but from what happened to them by eating from it. A new equation of life was added to their make up that God never intended. Their carnal or fleshly eyes were open and for the first time they began to think in right and wrong concepts. God no longer was able to conform them with His thoughts because, the relationship had been broken and He could not weave His Spirit into theirs anymore. They had started to control their moral reasoning with a contaminated conscience controlled by the Devil. This human barometer of moral thinking now had become a conflict of interest from the relationship they once had with the Lord before they disobeyed Him. God never wanted man to reason with his fleshly mind in deciding what was right or wrong in his own reasoning. We are not to judge our behavior or anyone else’s. Only God is to judge because, He is the one to make the evaluations of our hearts and since He created us, only He knows how to repair any areas in us that are broken.

The first thing they did after their eyes were open was, they shifted the blame and did not take responsibility for their actions. They hid in the darkness and focused on their shame and nakedness. They didn’t want to come clean and trust God’s forgiving grace and love. You will also notice that God asked Adam "who told you, you were naked.” I hope we realize that these types of forceful emotions come from demonic influences that bring the condemning and guilty thinking, which separates us from experiencing God’s love, mercy and grace. We need to recognize how we have been deceived because of being ignorance of our playing field of life and have to accept the fact that, only Jesus is the mediator between God and us.

Now let’s talk about how we need to go on and live in security. We have to now experience and become secure by allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us what righteousness and heart peace and joy in Him is all about.

The word righteousness means, justification = (guiltless and blameless in God’s sight), innocent = (ignorant of evil,) and holy = (set apart for Him and pure.) It’s very difficult at times to realize that God always looks at us like this, because we have to deal with being tempted to look at our faults, failures, and lack as we walk with the Lord. God looking at us as innocent and holy represents us looking at ourselves without spot and wrinkle as He does. When we look at ourselves with spot and wrinkle, we fall out of a secure atmosphere because; we begin to judge ourselves by our actions and failures. We have to be reminded by God on an every day basis, of how much He cares for us. This constant reminding by Him of how highly He esteems us helps us to clearly understand those areas of our life that He is changing. What’s more, as we are changing, we have a deep understanding of His love, which is motivating us in the incubation periods of our lives, as we are maturing to be more like Him.

As we experience righteousness, it acts as a seasoning or a spice to our daily walk, just as spices in our food enhance and create flavor to our palates. It’s impossible to have peace and joy in our lives without us understanding and walking in righteousness. Hebrews 5:13 states, “Unless we are skilled and have come to understand what righteousness means and begin to think in righteousness terms, we will continue to live with a child like mentality because, we lack the skill of living in God’s reasoning, with healthy thought patterns in our daily activities.” It’s us living in this total assurance or thinking patterns that, drives out our fears of insecurity and doubt. We need to really understand that, God’s kind of love has no strings attached to it. He doesn’t love us on Monday and if we foul up, change His mind on Tuesday.

Jesus was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds (or sins) and was raised from the dead to secure our guiltless and blameless appearance in His sight, if we have accepted His finished work at the cross. His death on the cross and us accepting His sacrifice alone puts us permanently in right standing in God’s sight. This act by Him absolved us from all guilt before God. It’s absolutely critical that we understand that,

We do not become more righteous by doing more things in God’s service or lose our righteousness by missing God’s will from time to time.

Jesus did not save us because of any works of righteousness that we had done. It was only because He had pity and mercy on us. It was God the Fathers premeditated plan of uniting Himself to man without us doing anything to deserve it.

It was by us accepting Jesus sacrifice and being regenerated through the Holy Spirit that ushered us into the eternal family of God. It is only by experiencing grace, His unmerited favor operating in power with in us that, enables us to conform to His will in purpose, thought and actions

This completion of Christian experience has nothing to do with rules of conduct. Our conduct comes into line as we have this righteous relationship with the Holy Spirit. This relationship is with a living person that you can communicate with that has a total passion of wanting to keep us safe and secure in a world of trials and spirits of destruction and death.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no man then this, that he lay down his life for His friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you.” We experience His friendship because; we do what He commands us to do. What is He commanding us to do? We allowing Him to love us without conditions give us the Christian power to live the Christian life. Jesus laid down his life for us. If you don’t have a revelation of this, think on it for a while. (It will change your life forever).

We need to forever realize that Jesus himself is our righteousness. It’s the continuing revelation of this fact (being made more real to us every day), that gives us the spiritual ear to hear the Holy Spirit talking to us, and understanding God’s interpretation of scripture. I have found as I walk and talk to the Lord everyday, it clears my mind of the negative influences bombarding it. I hope you can relate. We live in a sick society being deceived by demonic influences and thoughts. It’s only by hanging out with God and receiving His pats on the back that can keep us free from condemning thoughts.

John the Apostle in 1John 3:20-23 says, “When our hearts in self accusation make us feel guilty and condemns us. Remember that, God is greater then our hearts and He knows and understands everything and nothing is hidden from Him. Therefore, if we live without our conscience accusing and condemning us, we will have confidence and a complete boldness and assurance when we come before God in our daily conversations. In turn we will receive from Him whatever we ask because, we are watchfully obeying His orders and suggestions and doing His plans because, we have a will to please Him.”

Heb.1: 8 states that, “righteousness is God’s scepter or royal power.” This is what He uses as a measuring stick in communicating His thoughts to His people. Unless we are flowing in an attitude spirit of righteous thinking, God’s word cannot be rightly divided and understood, as it should be. Heb. 1:9 states that, “God loves righteousness. He delights when He sees his people living in integrity, virtue and uprightness in following His commands in purpose, thought and actions. God hates lawlessness injustice and iniquity. Therefore, Jesus was anointed by His Heavenly Father with the oil of great joy and gladness above and beyond all of us.” This oil represents the power and person of the Holy Spirit, who now lives in us if Jesus has become our savior. It’s important that we recognize that, purposes and thoughts come before actions can take place. Without us functioning in righteousness, we do don’t possess God’s purposes and thoughts to do His actions.

You notice here it does not say that God hates the people who are functioning contrary to righteousness. He hates the condition because; it hinders his people from understanding the great love He has for them.

Where there is a lack of a loving relationship, insecurity persists.

We need to put on and possess the Lord Jesus characteristics since He is righteousness itself. We also put on the great joy that He lived in and it becomes a part of our nature. Putting on the Lord is not something you can learn about with our natural mind. It has to be a supernatural work being done by the Holy Spirit working on the inside of us. For this to take place, we have to begin to understand the way He communicates His thoughts to us. As we begin to live in His Righteous Spirit, we will have a peace within us. Let’s try to describe this peace.

Jesus said in John 14:26-27 “The Comforter, Counselor or Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name or in My place and act on My behalf, will teach you all things and He will remind you of all the things, which I have talked about while I was with you on the earth. My legacy of peace I give and leave with you. Not the type of peace the world gives you. This is my own peace I am giving you. Do not let your heart be troubled; neither let it be afraid. Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed and stop being intimidated, unsettled and insecure.”We see here that, unless we have this vital relationship with the Holy Spirit, there cannot be this type of God peace. God gave us His peace as a legacy and gift. A legacy is something that is handed down to an heir. Jesus received His peace from His Father and used it as a spiritual gift as He went about ministering to the people He met. It has to now be passed down to us. Its God’s peace that lays a foundation that allows the Holy Spirit to operate in power in the arena of our life.

Where there is strife and contention it hinders us from hearing God’s voice and this peace does not have its full play with righteousness and heart peace comes joy. The word joy in the Greek translation is chara: meaning, calm delight, cheerful and having an attitude of well-being in our comings and goings. We need to realize that there is a difference between being happy verses, being joyful. Our joy can be constant in some of the worst situations that we can find ourselves in. Joy is a Holy Spirit characteristic that always lives in a secure state of being within us. Scripture tells us that, the joy of the Lord is our strength. It can be for us constant and un-movable no matter whatever behavioral attitude or dilemma we find ourselves in.

Now if we recognize these two opposing forces or ways of thinking and decide to go God’s way, what is the commitment from us that we need to make? We said that Adam before he disobeyed God had a relationship where God would weave His very presents in and out of his very being. It was always God’s plan for us to have this type of relationship with Him. However, the born again church hasn’t arrived there yet. God is leading us that way.

We said that Jesus was coming back for a church without spot and wrinkle. Do we all understand that, we are already without spot and wrinkle? I don’t think so. Therefore, Jesus can return at any time. These newsletters are being written so that we can finally come to understand that our understanding of God’s love for us is not functioning to its maximum capacity.

For this to happen we are going to have to be obedient to James the Apostles admonition in James 3:8-10 He writes, “Come close to God and He will come close to you. Recognize that you are erring and falling back from receiving your total allotment from God your Father. Get rid of things in your life that are not God’s priorities. These excesses that are not God’s perfect will for you have made you double minded in walking in obedience to His will. God is not first in your life. As you draw near to God, be deeply sorry and even weep over your disloyalty. Let your laughter be turned to sorrow over your failure to walk in obedience to God’s ways. Put away your showy outward appearance by

allow the Holy Spirit and His passion to expose those things that have held you back from living for the Lord.

Humble yourselves by allowing the Holy Spirit to show you the great need you have for Him and

God will elevate you in you understanding to the position that you ought to be by, living as His sons and daughters.”

We talked earlier about these dormant emotions that are deep seated within our souls that cause us to live in fear and the uncertainty in our decision making in our daily travels of life.

What happens is as the root of love grows into our being it encounters rocks that stop it from growing deeper. This is why it is so vital that we come to have a trusting relationship with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to search our hearts and remove these hindrances that stunt our security in life. We need to give God permission to do this.

I know that at times the revelation of these things can be very painful. Christian fellowship and loving people around you who really care come into play here. Let’s become sensitive to the Holy Spirit and each other. I have found just sharing myself with others really helps me to focus on the areas God is working on in my own life. Ask God to make you become more real and in touch with the issues of life that may be holding, you down and then, abandon yourself to God’s mercy and grace. Its God’s desire that, we become more aware of the fact that it’s His holding power working in us that secures and anchors our lives from doubt and a second guessing mentality.