WHO ARE YOU? Part 1

(This is older teaching republished at this time. It is as important today as then. I pray this 4 Part Series Blesses You)
 
  The question, “Who are you?” plagues many a person, including many Christian. Who you are is at the very core of your existence. Most people go through life thinking what they do is who they are. They themselves as a mailman, doctor, mother, father, minister and the list goes on. Those who think of themselves as only what they do have a crisis every time what they do changes. The man or women who spend a lifetime building their career and identity is wrapped up in that career have a major problem when they have to retire or are no longer have that career path available to them. So where do we go to find out who we are? Where do we go to “find ourselves”?

  The best place to find out who we are is God and the Bible. Who does God said you are? Let’s look and find out.

The first thing we see is the servant according to Webster’s is one that serves others <a public servant>; especially: one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer. Abram uses the first reference of the servant in his relationship to God. This now Abram saw himself in relationship to God. In Genesis 18:3 (AMP) And said, My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant, I beg of you.

   A servant is one who goes and does what the master tells him to do. A servant does things whether they want to or not. They do what they are told. Their relationship with the master is to do or be punished. There may develop a love for their master (if he is a good person), but the relationship is overshadowed by having to please the master or be punished. If the servant wants something from the master, he must beg for it and may have to extras for the master, who may or may not grant their request.

This is true of many Christians, we see ourselves only as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. We go and do as the Holy Spirit tells us. Many believers never get beyond the servant level of relationship with God. We limit ourselves to the servant, as did Abram. We try to please God into granting us His blessings. The servant attitude prevails I have to pray more, fast more, read more, memorize more and do more to get God’s favor so He will bless us with finances, health, healing, deliverance and anything else we might ask.

   This leads us down the road of legalism, of having to do to get. Unfortunately, this attitude and relationship with God have been taught, by many church leaders as “The Relationship with God” and in order to serve God, we must serve them without question, as a good servant.
 
  I am not saying that a servant of the Lord does not love God because he or she does. But, the mentality of the servant position colors everything about our relationship with God. Notice that I said, “Servant position” for it is not who we are in Christ. It is what we do out of our love for God. God stated later in Genesis 18 that He saw Abram as more than a servant, and He sees us as much more than a servant, but more about that later.

                          ©COPYRIGHT 2012 RICHARD SPANGLER

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The Adam Relationship

Special Note: I feel it is important to  republish this article at this time. Relationship with is key to what is God doing this year and the years to come. Attached are several Prophetic Words for 2018.

As we know, God is restoring all things. When we say this, we are thinking of the restoration of the 5-fold ministry and gifts of the Spirit. Then, all members of the Body of Christ doing the work of the ministry.



 But, the Lord is restoring beyond those things. His will and purpose are to restore our relationship with Him. This relationship goes beyond the relationship that King David had, beyond what Joshua and Moses had, beyond what Enoch enjoyed. As wonderful as these relationships were, God wants to bring us back to the relationship that Adam had in the Garden of Eden.



  The Adam relationship a place of not only knowing the Will of God for our lives, not only knowing His Voice and seeing what He is doing and moving with Him but knowing Him intimately.  It is a place of knowing His footsteps and not only hearing His heartbeat but that we will know what it is to be in the center of His Heart.



The Call of Father God for each of us is to be in a relationship with Him. The purpose of sending His Son Jesus Christ and the giving us the Fullness of the Holy Spirit overflowing our lives is for us for us to have a relationship with Him.



  Sadly, many of us never even move beyond the basics of being saved and being filled with the Holy Spirit but there is a desire for more, but many never get to the more of God. The lack of relationship creates a sense of frustration in our spirits and eventually leads many to settle for what that have. There are others who attempt to do it in their strength. Often leading to a legalistic life of reading so much of Word of God and praying many hours a day. These things are good as tools and need to happen, but the Word without the Spirit and prayer without the Spirit lead only to an intellectual knowledge about the relationship with God.



 







So, how do we reach the relationship that God has purposed us and created us to be in with Him? This requires a shift in the way we do things for God. It requires a shift in our attitude about our relationship with God, our Father. We must realize that relationship is more than what we do for Him.  



   The relationship comes from spending time with one another not just in the doing of things.  The time factor is key. Sadly, many do what has been mentioned above, read the Bible, some study the Bible (there is a difference), and they pray. This is where most of us stumble; we make prayer a one-way litany of our needs with a little praise and thanksgiving to top it off. Then, we are out the door, expecting an answer, but never taking time to listen or spend time with the one we are praying.



   Listening is the beginning of a relationship. Psalm 46:10 the NRSV, NIV, ESV, KJV all translate this way, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The NASB says,” Cease striving and know that I am God” and the AMP version, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.” In all of these translations, God is saying to us to “stop” realize Who I Am.



How do we be still and start listening? I started, eight years ago, by stopping for 5 minutes at the start of each day, now this means turning off all distractions in our lives, TV, computers, tablets and yes cell phones, and inviting God to come. I would say this: “Father I want to be with you, come and be with me.” Then, I would wait, thinking on God, with the expectation that He would come. Takes some training to keep your mind from wandering off to other things, but you can do it as I did.



 Since then my time with the Father has grown and grown, it how goes well beyond the 5 minutes, it is developing into more and more intimate relationship with God.



  It has become a knowing that God is with me every day, all day and this fact makes my life exciting and an Adventure in the Spirit, daily.



   Salvation opens the way. Being filled with Holy Spirit gives us the power. Studying the Word of God gives us knowledge and prayer start the communication. Taking time to invite God to come and be with us, waiting and listening for Him are the first steps in the restoration of the Adam Relationship in our lives.



 There is much more to come. You can begin to experience this relationship with God. God wants you to have it, all you have to do is willing to spend time with Him.




                   ©COPYRIGHT 2016 RICHARD L SPANGLER
Kent Christmas Prophecy 2018
Bishop Bill Hamon: 2018 The Glorious New Negining

The Adam Relationship

As we know, God is restoring all things. When we say this we are thinking of the restoration of the 5-fold ministry and gifts of the Spirit. Then, all members of the Body of Christ doing the work of the ministry.

 But, the Lord is restoring beyond those things. His will and purpose is to restore our relationship with Him. This relationship goes beyond the relationship that King David had, beyond what Joshua and Moses had, beyond what Enoch enjoyed. As wonderful as these relationships were, God wants to bring us back to the relationship that Adam had in the Garden of Eden.

  This a place of not only knowing the Will of God for our lives, not only knowing His Voice and seeing what He is doing and moving with Him but knowing Him intimately.  It is a place of knowing His footsteps and not only hearing His heartbeat but that we will know what it is to be in the center of His Heart.

This is the Call of Father God for each of us. This is the purpose of sending His Son Jesus Christ and the giving us the Fullness of the Holy Spirit overflowing our lives.

  Sadly, many of us never even move beyond the basics of being saved and being filled with the Holy Spirit but there is a desire for more but many never get to the more of God. This creates a sense of frustration in our spirits and eventually leads many to settle for what that have. There are others who attempt to do it in their own strength. This often leads to a legalistic life of reading so much of Word of God, and praying many hours a day. These things are good as tools and need to happen but the Word without the Spirit and prayer without the Spirit lead only to an intellectual knowledge about the relationship with God.

 

So, how do we reach the relationship that God has purposed us and created us to be in with Him. This requires a shift in the way we do things for God. It requires a shift in our attitude about our relationship with God, our Father. We must realize that relationship is more than what we do for Him.  

   Relationship comes from spending time with one another not just in the doing of things.  The time factor is key. Sadly, many do what has been mentioned above, read the Bible, some study the Bible (there is a difference) and they pray. This is where most of us stumble, we make prayer a one-way litany of our needs with a little praise and thanksgiving to top it off. Then, we are out the door, expecting an answer, but never taking time to listen or spend time with the one we are praying to.

   Listening is the beginning of relationship. Psalm 46:10 the NRSV, NIV, ESV, KJV all translate this way, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The NASB says,” Cease striving and know that I am God” and the AMP version, “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God.” In all of these translations, God is saying to us to “stop” realize Who I Am.

How do we be still and start listening? I started, 8 years ago, by stopping for 5 minutes at the start of each day, now this means turning off all distractions in our lives, TV, computers, tablets and yes cell phones, and I inviting God come. I would say this: “Father I want to be with you, come and be with me.” Then, I would wait, thinking on God, with expectation that He would come. This takes some training to keep your mind from wandering off to other things but you can do it as I did.

 Since then my time with the Father has grown and grown, it how goes well beyond the 5 minutes, it is developing into more and more intimate relationship with God.

  It has become a knowing that God is with me every day, all day and this fact makes my life exciting and an Adventure in the Spirit, daily.

   Salvation opens the way. Being filled with Holy Spirit gives us the power. Studying the Word of God gives us knowledge and prayer starts the communication. Taking time to invite God to come and be with us, waiting and listening for Him are the first steps in the restoration of the Adam Relationship in our lives.

 There is much more to come. You can begin to experience this relationship with God. God wants you to have it, all you have to do is willing to spend time with Him.

©COPYRIGHT 2016 RICHARD L SPANGLER

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