The Journey

 A new year begins again. Over the past few years, God has opened my mind and expanded my thinking about him and this spiritual journey he has called me to. Like Jabez prayed, I feel God has expanded my mental and spiritual tent stakes. The reality with God is that there are no tent stakes. He is opening my eyes to that. 

As we open our minds and release the things we hold so tightly to, the Spirit will show us new things outside our own definitions and perceptions. It can be difficult to approach life being open to anything and questioning everything. Many believers may not agree with this approach but believe me when I say all things in Christ will not be available to us unless we are open to anything. Don't live in a spiritual box of your own making. Venture out and explore new things.

So here is the super important key to this. All I need to do is bring those thought to the Holy Spirit. I don't need to decide on my own what thoughts, philosophies, world views, or theological theories to consider and what not to consider. He is my guide, my teacher, and my helper. Some things I know right away that they are not true or do not please the Lord. But even those things, I need to wait for the Spirit to give me confirmation. It can be unwise to get ahead of the Spirit and make assumptions about what is beneficial and true or not. I've found there are lessons to be learned in considering many things whether those thoughts line up with my belief definitions or not. The Holy Spirit uses those thoughts to help me see where I am wrong or how I can help others or to see how the deceiver has laid traps for me. He can use the shadow to help me know the light, to appreciate and desire the light more than ever. 

When we don't open our minds and question things, we remain unchanged, like the seed in John 12:24 that does not fall into the ground to die. God's Spirit delights is revealing truth to his people over and over again. He will never grow weary telling us of the love of Jesus Christ that made a way for us. Like a little child asking questions about everything, the father delights in our curiosity and wonder. He longs to see in us a hunger to learn and a desire to know him. This is the journey I'm on and I pray the Holy Spirit will continue to expand my understanding and lead me forward into new things in 2024.

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