Hop On the Bus, Gus
I have something to share, I think, from my time in the wilderness. (Or house arrest, as I termed it.)
I was sort of walking around my house this morning, feeling lost and not really knowing what to do. I really wanted to just do my craft project and forget about everything else, but I knew that I needed to get dressed. I had one committment for the day, and that was to teach art class (at 1:00 p.m.) to my 3 grandchildren who are home-schooled. And, I had envisioned myself going to town (25 mi. away) and turning in my registration to a fitness place, and then exercising. Well, I really didn't want to do that. The day was overcast, and I wanted to stay home. So, I did decide to get dressed, but I was still in my searching mode-meaning I try hard to hear the Lord everyday to know what He wants me to do for the day. Most of the time I end up feeling lost, and not really knowing if I have heard Him or not, but I assume that I have anyway.
As I was getting dressed, I began to sing, "Slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. Don't need to be coy, Roy. Just set yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus. Don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee. And set yourself free."
It occured to me that maybe it was the Lord singing through me to me. I said, "Is that you, Lord?" I felt affirmed in my spirit that it was Him!!! He was telling me in a way I could understand that I just needed to "set myself free." He had already done that for me, and now I needed to receive it. I said, "Free from what, Lord?" He said, "Free from doubts, fears, your perceptions, the doctrines you noose yourself with. Free from self-condemnation. Free from the future, free from your past. Free from having to know. Free from your self-protections. Free from fear of yourself if you receive the freedom." I knew the list could go on and on, but I was intrigued by Jesus singing this to me through me. It was as if it burst forth through me! Would he sing these things in this way? Does He talk to us through contemporary songs that humans have penned, so that we can understand what He wants us to know? I believe that He does. I believe that He will go to any means, using any words and methods to get what He feels we need to hear for our freedom.
Many years ago, He gave me a mental picture. I was sitting on a prison bench, and He was in the doorway which was opened with His arms outstretched towards me, as if to say, "Come, receive the Kingdom that I have procurred for you. It is yours, if you will get up and start walking." These were the same words, (in other words) He was telling me now. "Set yourself free. The only thing that is stopping you is within you." He was just using a different method to try and reach me now.
Needless to say, I am jubilant in my spirit, but there are still things in me that resist this freedom, but I am in full expectation that He has overcome them in me, and that He will not be satisfied until I defeat these things He has already defeated in me. Hallelujah!!!! Keep coming, Lord Jesus.
Know that the same is true for you, too. He has freed us. We are free from sin and death, and from all that entails. We are free from our limitations, our self-sabotaging ways, free from shame about who and what we are, (because that is not really us anyway) we are free from defeat, and free from apathy. free from our own selfishness (we are crucified with Christ) free from being critical, judgemental, and negative, we are free from depression, and free from disappointments, free from it all!!! We have to fight, though, to procur the freedom He has already won for us, as strange as that sounds.
I pray for us all, His precious Body, that we "attain to what He has attained for us," and that we fight against what is weighing on us to defeat us, as it is this weight that God, Himself uses to cause us to rise up and be strenghtened to take back the freedom that He has for us. My mom used to say, "When she (meaning me) gets enough of it, she'll do something about it." Aren't we all like that? The things that have had their way in us for soooooooooo long, we finally get tired of them, and let God's spirit rise up in us, and say, "Thus far, and no more." When we finally draw that line and hold that line, we walk in His victory and freedom.
So, excuse me, I am going to go catch a bus, because this place (the stuck place that I've been in) is getting me down. I've been singing this sad, country girl dirge tooooooooooo long now. Time to do a victory dance, even if I am captive to this world and an alien here. Afterall, HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD!! Ya wanta come with me?
I was sort of walking around my house this morning, feeling lost and not really knowing what to do. I really wanted to just do my craft project and forget about everything else, but I knew that I needed to get dressed. I had one committment for the day, and that was to teach art class (at 1:00 p.m.) to my 3 grandchildren who are home-schooled. And, I had envisioned myself going to town (25 mi. away) and turning in my registration to a fitness place, and then exercising. Well, I really didn't want to do that. The day was overcast, and I wanted to stay home. So, I did decide to get dressed, but I was still in my searching mode-meaning I try hard to hear the Lord everyday to know what He wants me to do for the day. Most of the time I end up feeling lost, and not really knowing if I have heard Him or not, but I assume that I have anyway.
As I was getting dressed, I began to sing, "Slip out the back, Jack. Make a new plan, Stan. Don't need to be coy, Roy. Just set yourself free. Hop on the bus, Gus. Don't need to discuss much. Just drop off the key, Lee. And set yourself free."
It occured to me that maybe it was the Lord singing through me to me. I said, "Is that you, Lord?" I felt affirmed in my spirit that it was Him!!! He was telling me in a way I could understand that I just needed to "set myself free." He had already done that for me, and now I needed to receive it. I said, "Free from what, Lord?" He said, "Free from doubts, fears, your perceptions, the doctrines you noose yourself with. Free from self-condemnation. Free from the future, free from your past. Free from having to know. Free from your self-protections. Free from fear of yourself if you receive the freedom." I knew the list could go on and on, but I was intrigued by Jesus singing this to me through me. It was as if it burst forth through me! Would he sing these things in this way? Does He talk to us through contemporary songs that humans have penned, so that we can understand what He wants us to know? I believe that He does. I believe that He will go to any means, using any words and methods to get what He feels we need to hear for our freedom.
Many years ago, He gave me a mental picture. I was sitting on a prison bench, and He was in the doorway which was opened with His arms outstretched towards me, as if to say, "Come, receive the Kingdom that I have procurred for you. It is yours, if you will get up and start walking." These were the same words, (in other words) He was telling me now. "Set yourself free. The only thing that is stopping you is within you." He was just using a different method to try and reach me now.
Needless to say, I am jubilant in my spirit, but there are still things in me that resist this freedom, but I am in full expectation that He has overcome them in me, and that He will not be satisfied until I defeat these things He has already defeated in me. Hallelujah!!!! Keep coming, Lord Jesus.
Know that the same is true for you, too. He has freed us. We are free from sin and death, and from all that entails. We are free from our limitations, our self-sabotaging ways, free from shame about who and what we are, (because that is not really us anyway) we are free from defeat, and free from apathy. free from our own selfishness (we are crucified with Christ) free from being critical, judgemental, and negative, we are free from depression, and free from disappointments, free from it all!!! We have to fight, though, to procur the freedom He has already won for us, as strange as that sounds.
I pray for us all, His precious Body, that we "attain to what He has attained for us," and that we fight against what is weighing on us to defeat us, as it is this weight that God, Himself uses to cause us to rise up and be strenghtened to take back the freedom that He has for us. My mom used to say, "When she (meaning me) gets enough of it, she'll do something about it." Aren't we all like that? The things that have had their way in us for soooooooooo long, we finally get tired of them, and let God's spirit rise up in us, and say, "Thus far, and no more." When we finally draw that line and hold that line, we walk in His victory and freedom.
So, excuse me, I am going to go catch a bus, because this place (the stuck place that I've been in) is getting me down. I've been singing this sad, country girl dirge tooooooooooo long now. Time to do a victory dance, even if I am captive to this world and an alien here. Afterall, HE HAS OVERCOME THE WORLD!! Ya wanta come with me?
Original, non other than Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel. In this case, the lover would be one's own fears.
posted by Patti Blount @ 9:42 AM
4 Comments:
At 2/05/2008 5:40 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Discouragement - the act of depriving of courage or confidence. The number 1 weapon used by the enemy, at often, used in the simplest forms. The enemy has come to rob, steal, and destroy using whatever means he has to, so that the body of Christ is not encouraged to go forth with even their simplest plans for the day. Yes we are FREE and free indeed. But, we're also held accountable when it comes to the righeousness of God. We're held accountable for the obedience and disobedience concerning with what the Holy Spirit has called us to do on that given day. Yet... through the tender mercies of God; that by GRACE... His grace, we are saved when we lack the courage to go through that calling. May God bless you while you hop on the bus and keep you at peace when the enemy is waiting at the bus stop. Love in Christ, Chris
At 2/05/2008 6:06 AM ,
Given55 said...
Wonderful post. Inspiring and true. God needs you and is fulfilling His purpose in you. Praise be the to Lord Almighty
At 2/05/2008 3:34 PM ,
Patti Blount said...
Chris-Thanks for checking on me, and for posting and for the message it contained. Your reminder of being righteous within the freedom, and that the enemy awaits at the bus stop were good cautions I needed to hear. I need the Body of Christ, every brother and sister.
Given-Thanks for the encouragement. With each affirmation, we all get closer to "busting out in the Spirit," letting His power and love restore oppressed, lost, and hurting souls.
At 2/11/2008 10:54 AM ,
Barbara said...
We are free of thos ethings Patti but that does not mean that we will never feel them. We are not depressed people anymore but there may be times when we feel depressed. The answer here is that we don't live from them, we live from the spirit of the Almighty God that is within us. We carry on IN SPITE of what we feel.
We don't fight either because what you fight, fights you back. We surrender, accept and tell God to dealwith it and above all we believe that He is doing that. What we take, takes us. If we believe what the enemy says about us then we will live in the reality of that. If we beleive what God says about us then we live in the reality of that.
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