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Above and Beyond
Buzz Lightyear made famous the slogan, “To infinity and beyond!” Although I can assure you that Mr. Lightyear had nothing to do with Yahweh’s Word to me, the Word from Yahweh to me describing this particular season that we are presently navigating is “above and beyond”. Not many people have a problem with believing for “beyond”. Most folks that I encounter have enough faith and understanding of the Kingdom that ignites a hopeful expectation of futuristic advancement. However, like all Kingdom promises, there is a qualifier – a cause that creates the effect. The qualifier is first “above” and then one can expect “beyond”. The apostle Paul stated it thusly to the Colossians,
“If [supposing that] you were then raised with Christ, seek [earnestly strive to find] those things above [deeper dimension than the one you currently occupy] where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of Yahweh. Set your mind [thoughts and will] on things above, not on things on the earth.”
The implication is that one who only considers what they or what someone else already knows or has experienced will not proceed “beyond”. Just like an airplane, reaching altitude is a necessity to the success of its function, “above” is absolutely necessary and conditional to “beyond”. You can dream about “beyond”. Others can prophesy to you concerning “beyond”. But until you first occupy the rarified air of “above” – where Christ is, “beyond” is just a dream or unrealized expectation.
So, how does one rise to the occasion? The first order of business is to realize that if you have not been advancing in the Kingdom, you are erroneously identifying soulish activity as spiritual. There are many factors that determine whether we are “spiritual”. Two however stand out the most to me. One, you cannot believe you are spiritual if you do not hear the voice of Yahweh. Christ declared that He spoke to the world those things which He heard from the Father. Yahweh is speaking and has given every person the capacity to hear His voice. He has also given us the ability to interpret that Word and then mix it with faith by verbal declaration and willful obedience. Without the Word spoken by Yahweh (the owner), heard and declared by man (Yahweh’s steward), then the Spirit of Yahweh cannot engage and bring about the ultimate intention and predetermined will of the Father. Consequently, the original purpose for creating man has been aborted and man is left to his own devices which are expressed through the world or religion.
The other factor that is necessary in determining one’s spirituality is a willingness to submit to the authority of Christ, by submitting to those Yahweh has established in your life as such. It’s easy to justify your position when you don’t feel it necessary for anyone else to agree with you. Over and over, Yahweh states throughout the scriptures that every matter is established by two or three witnesses. If you want to join Christ and be seated in heavenly places, there must not only be a Word heard, but also agreed upon by others. This agreement implies accountability and responsibility to those that Yahweh has placed in your life to present His benevolent and rightly ordered authority. Without this humbling act and relationship of submission, one will not rise to the heights of “above” and when trying to move “beyond” will meet many obstacles and hindrances.
Once the spiritual thrusters of hearing Yahweh’s voice and humbling oneself under spiritual authority has moved you into the “above” position, the second order of business is to obliterate those old mindsets by taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Rehearse Yahweh’s Word to you everyday so that there are no long layovers in the flight to “beyond”. Renegade and tormenting thoughts of who you were before Christ have no place in who you are today in Christ. Judge those extraneous thoughts with what you know as the truth in your spirit man. Don’t take ownership of a thought that comes to your mind that is not confirmed by what exists in your heart – where truth abides. Saturate your mind with what Yahweh is saying and break those mental and spiritual strongholds that have been allowed to condition your belief system for generations.
As an apostle, I have no problems with Buzz Lightyear’s prophetic Word of moving into infinity, but to get there, we must move above our present level and then move beyond together as a spiritual family and incremental – one step at a time. Come on – let’s do this!
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Posted: 01/27/2010 14:04
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