Only Believe

Only Believe

Every now and then, we need to return to simple understanding of what has taken place when we received Christ Jesus, our Lord.  Not only were we born of God’s Spirit, joined to Him as one Spirit, but we were placed in the highest position in the heavens.  The Scriptures tell us:  “we are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.”

We have been given a high calling.  There is a future glory coming for the saints of God – all those who have believed in God’s Son, placing their trust in Him.  He is Eternal Life.  We have been forgiven of all our sins and are continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  Our place in Him is secure.

On earth there is calamity, friction, chaos, the world system, Satan’s havoc.  It was here when Jesus walked on the earth – He even said, “How long must I put up with this perverse generation?”  Anything changed?  Well, only as the Scriptures say: “Waxing worse.”

What does God want us to rejoice over?  If we won the lottery today there would be a lot of squeals.  But it’s still only short term, temporary.  It may “fix” financial woes of many, but we still age and will meet the Savior in the end of this mortal time. 

So, what does God want us to rejoice over?

We’ve won!  We are people who have escaped the wrath of God coming for those who have not received His grace through Christ.  People need to know that they are welcome to come into this marvelous grace of God – they can win too!

Think about the depths of His kindness right now.  We all have conflicts living here on this earth – but there is NO conflict with God regarding us.  He loves us, He is keeping us, He is faithful and He will see us through this walk on earth!  We must believe Him!

Then, when we all meet Him, we will share eternal riches and glory which He says He has prepared for us for all ages to come.  This is better than winning the lottery!  For it is eternal, not temporary.  We have much to rejoice over.

Here is something else:  the sufferings of this present world are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed.  There is groaning right now, sufferings do take place.  Our hearts groan and mourn not only for ourselves, but for others.  None of us like walking through trials and temptations.  But we trust that God’s power will show us His way through it, above it, beyond it.  We always have His hope abiding in us about all things. 

Our goal is Christ in the heavens – to know Him, to live by His Spirit’s mind in all matters.  It’s not always easy – for me, some days I press through the “cobwebs” of the noise I hear; what I see and smell.  However, He is teaching that I am to rest and believe, because His passion is to reveal Himself day by day.

Lastly, God loves to fellowship with us.   The fellowship and communion of His Holy Spirit lives in us.  There is a table of  life inside you – set by the Lord.  He waits to feed us daily with words of life and glory.  He daily will strengthen us with the reality of who we are in Him, the mind of Christ, and the security we have in Him. 

Simple childlike faith sits at His table and partakes.  He will make it clear.

Only believe.

In His Love,

Sue Gaither

Resurrection Hope

Resurrection Hope

Lord, lead me to apply what You are telling me.   We have been in prayer for friends who do not yet know you. We know they are seekers and their families desire them to join them in Christ. You have placed them in our hearts.

They need a revelation of the gospel. Yes, I shared that with them. What I have not yet shared is the beauty of death…then resurrection.  “For the joy before Him he endured…”  For the hope before us we may endure death of the old self. The hope will greatly overshadow the fear of sacrifice. We know in our spirit that the imposing loss of self-god, being the center of our personal universe, is fearful. And the cost of discipleship is great.

Yet the hope of life in Christ is so much greater. Guide us in casting that vision; expressing that hope; proclaiming the resurrection of Christ in our hearts. Abundant overcoming life, satisfying purpose and knowing our true identity are the results.

“He who loses his life shall find it.”

 “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”- (Jesus in John 12). After death, burial, and resurrection comes abundant overcoming life.

We who know You must also die, that Your life may be expressed as our life. We are not independent selves looking for You to help us. We are vessels, temples, the vine abiding to express the life of our contents, our root- Christ Himself.  Paul said “I die daily.”  So must we also in order to express the life of Christ in great joy and fruitfulness!

“He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep for that which he cannot lose” was first spoken here in Ecuador fifty five years ago.   Lord, speak it again today.       Amen

                                                                        Rejoicing,

Gary

The Friend of God

His mouth is most sweet: yea, he [is] altogether lovely. This [is] my beloved and this [is] my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.  Song of Solomon 5:16

Art not thou our God , [who] didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before  thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed  of Abraham  thy friend for ever ?  II Chronicles 20:7

And  the scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham  believed  God, and it was imputed unto him for  righteousness: and  he was called the Friend of God.      James 2:23

Thou [art] the LORD the God, who did choose  Abram, and brought him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gave him the name of Abraham; 

And found his heart  faithful  before  thee, and made a covenant  with him to give  the land  of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give  [it, I say], to his seed, and has performed  thy words; for thou [art] righteous: Nehemiah 9:7, 8

I remember the Scriptures concerning Abraham in the New Testament in Romans 4, Galatians, and in James.  Also, we know of his account in Genesis 12 where he was called by God to go to another country.  He was also given a promise by God that he would be the father of many nations as the father of faith.

But I either did not know or had forgotten I read it, that he is referred to in II Chronicles and in Nehemiah.  In Chronicles and in James it is written of Abraham, that he is called “The Friend of God.”

Nehemiah goes on further to explain that his heart was found faithful by God because he believed the words of God.  Romans 4 tells us Abraham was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able to perform – and would perform!

How are we God’s Friends?  Exactly how Abraham was.  He believed God.  Everything God said.

We are found faithful when we continue to believe God.

Believe Him about what?

Let’s not make it too hard.  I John writes that we simply believe the testimony God has given us (in record form) of His Son, Jesus Christ.

But we also have a living faith.  Yes, we believe facts that happened two thousand years ago concerning Jesus Christ coming in the flesh, the Cross, His death and resurrection.  BUT we also believe the present facts – that His Spirit lives in us, His sheep hear His voice, God grants spiritual wisdom and understanding regarding all spiritual realities.

And how about this?  We believe God provides all our needs – that we walk by faith, not by sight.  Circumstances can look WAY UPSIDE DOWN before we see God’s resolve.  He says He gives perfect peace.  We can KNOW this peace.

It is God’s Spirit living in us that shows us HOW to live by faith all the time.

In the meantime, we are not only God’s Friends because of believing God’s Truth, we are sons and daughters of the Living God.

This is why I added the Scripture, Song of Solomon 5:16.  Our beloved is also our Friend.

If you ask me, this is unfathomable.

In Living Hope,

Sue Gaither

P.S.  How did those who wrote of Abraham know he was called God’s Friend except that God’s Spirit told them!

Christ Living in these Mortal Jars of Clay

Christ, Living in These Mortal Jars of Clay

Yesterday I was journaling and simply penned something by God’s inspiration that for me, made perfect sense.  If one is striving, they are always deprived of something!  Think about it.

Flesh and blood trying to produce always experiences dissatisfaction, because it’s NEVER enough.  It either wasn’t good enough to others or themselves, OR left a craving for more.

It is the same way with eating something of dense nutrition versus empty calories, as they call it.  Eat a bag of potato chips and like the guy says, “you can’t eat just one!”  But eat whole grain piece of bread with protein, and there’s no craving – there’s tranquility - SATISFACTION.

This is why God teaches us to know Christ.  He is the Bread of Life.  He is also the Tree of Life.  Teach a seminar on flesh and blood producing righteousness, achieving spiritual success by their effort, and by the time you end the seminar, you’ve been sold another seat for the next seminar!

But teach faith in the Son of God inside the person’s heart – teach them the meaning of feasting on Him as Life abundantly – HOW HE’s going to produce through them each and every day and the spirit is at rest, experiencing NO DEPRIVATION!  Only ANTICIPATION and HOPE in Him and His life!

The Bread of Life, who is Christ, is satisfying.  He does not leave us in despair.  Our efforts though really are bankrupt.  Well… not necessarily in cooking a good meal, having all kinds of outward successes, playing tennis, etc. People are pretty successful with talents and these natural abilities.

BUT truly when it comes to a real fruit of righteousness in our lives, have we not all experienced failure, frustration and despair?  This is because life and righteousness can only come from one Person:  Jesus Christ in you.

I see more and more it is this Living One, Jesus who wants to be my all.  He wants me to know Him and His life in all things, inwardly and outwardly.   There is no greater joy.  I love the song, “Learning to Lean.”  It goes like this:  “Learning to Lean, Learning to Lean, Learning to Lean on Jesus – finding more power than I’ve ever dreamed – I’m learning to lean on Jesus!”

In closing, imagine going to the grocery store one day, walking down the aisle – ALL the jars burst out in song:  “My jar’s better than your jar….”  

When you go shopping, do you shop for jars?  Or do you shop for the contents contained in the jar?  Have you checked out the ingredients in those jars to see if you want to purchase it?  We all have.  I’ve never known anyone who purchased all their items by simply how the jar looked.  Yes, it’s nice to have wonderful contents in a pretty jar, BUT it’s not so nice to have a pretty jar with AWFUL CONTENTS!

The point is this:  we are not to compare our jars and hold one another in esteem simply because of our hair color, personality, talents, etc.  We can enjoy them, yes, but our real connection is that we are partakers together of the SAME CONTENTS, the Lord Jesus Christ within our hearts. 

We all fellowship with Him, trusting in Him to produce a life worthy of His kingdom.  Our hearts can truly know when we are enjoying Him and have ceased to strive.  His precious Holy Spirit teaches us.  More and more I am coming to realize as I know Christ as my Life, my all – even my human abilities take on different meaning and richness.  Why?  Because I am knowing Him as life, my all in ALL things.

 “Thank you Father, for you dwell in these mortal jars of clay, through your One Holy Spirit.  It is indeed all because of your Son’s death on the cross, His burial and resurrection, of which you have made us a part.  Now we are part of Him, Father, joined together by one Spirit.  It is all your work in us, from start to finish!  Amen.”  Phil 1:6

Sharing Christ with you,

Sue Gaither

He Kissed My Ear

He Kissed My Ear

I was the runt of the litter—the last of four children.  At birth, my left ear was deformed.  It had no shape or form, and there was no opening.  Inside was a thick mass in the middle ear, but again, no opening to the outside.

As a small child I had several operations. About the only thing they could do for me was to give that “blob” a little bit of shape to resemble an ear.  However, I didn’t hear from that side, nor could that ever be possible—even with medical science. My facial nerves were buried in this thick mass.

Growing up was a challenge. When you have a deformity, you instinctively hide things you feel ashamed of.  I hid my ear. I could do this, because I was a girl and had hair to cover it.  In addition to the cosmetic challenge, I also struggled with hearing.

There was no evidence that I had any emotions about my ear, until I began to mature. I just don’t even remember having any particular thoughts about it as a young child—either positively or negatively. I was supposed to be a kid, seemingly without care.

Yet as I matured, life in this world naturally dished out the old school of the need for acceptance, love, and approval.  Somehow I learned you obtain that more easily, when you perform.  When you are flawed—as I was according to my definition— those strategies become high priority. 

I sincerely believed that I was supposed to only “do” for God, and it was up to me to erect change in myself, as I received revelations of my deep, inner struggles of the soul.

But as those “revelations” came, they only created deeper disgust. I discovered that I was powerless in my own efforts to really change.  So the question came: Why should God love me? I am disgusting, so I thought and believed. I was identifying with my behaviors, as if they were the true me.

Not.

As I know now, my behaviors were only a symptom of my deepest problem – I did not know God as the Living One; someone who loved me more than I could ever possibly comprehend. 

So while on this course I thought, “Perhaps a new look outwardly would help.”   Hairdresser or beauticians were not on my radar growing up.   I was afraid of them cutting my hair.

Yet I decided to go to a professional hairdresser and have my hair cut, then get a perm.  Through referrals, I finally picked the man who was to perform this deed.

Obviously, he saw my special need and I explained “how” I needed my hair to be cut.  “Oh, please be careful not to cut it too short, since the perm would make it shorter,” I stressed.

He cut my hair too short! My hair went up like a venetian blind, after the perm. 

I ran out of the salon in complete desperation.

Sobbing, I walked to my apartment. Thoughts swirled in my head that my life was over; I was going to hibernate for six months until my hair grew.

“I wish I had never been born,” I thought.

In front of the mirror, struggling to make my hair lay down and with intense frustration, I threw the brush. I yelled to myself in the mirror, “You are so ugly. I hate you…I hate you, Sue!” My head went down on the vanity in despair, weeping bitterly.

And then, I heard Someone whispering my name, “Sue!” 

It was the Lord, living in my heart.  He was not an audible voice, but like one.  And then I recognized His voice. 

“Sue, look in the mirror. Look in the mirror and say, ‘I love you, Sue.’” This was scary to me.  I heard this directive, yet was a smidge uncertain it was God speaking.  I was afraid not to obey though, just in case it really was Him.

Reluctantly, I brought my head up and looked in the mirror, sheepishly saying, “I love you, Sue…I love you, Sue.” 

With all honesty, I sensed all of heaven joining the chorus of those words. To love myself is God’s way.

I found myself weeping again—not in desperation—but discovering in that moment a glimpse of God’s deep, intimate love.  He used me to speak His words to my heart, and He filled those words with power! 

This is nothing short of what God has already said in His Word; I just hadn’t believed it.  It was obvious I needed some assistance in faith, since I had “bought into the lies for so long!”

God had another lesson of His incredible, intimate love for me. It came years later, when He brought into my life, Gary.

During our courtship, I shared my life with him, the things I had to sort through, including my birth defect.  By this time, I could more easily share the struggles I had experienced.

It is one thing, however, to share openly with others, then another to truly let them “see” or “touch” the very root of your emotional pain.

As our courtship grew, we both knew we were on the road towards marriage. God impressed upon my heart on a specific day, to “show” Gary my ear.  After all, shouldn’t he know what he was getting, before he was committed?

We went to church one Sunday morning and afterwards had lunch together at my home.  Yet the time did not seem right.  Or I was fearful. Nonetheless, that evening we planned to meet back at his house, before going to the evening service.

We sat on the sofa and began sharing.  I knew then, it was time for me to show Gary my ear.  I simply asked him if I could close my eyes, then he could push back my hair to see my deformity.

I was nervous.  All in a moment, I could either be received or rejected—true love would be made known.

My hair was gently pushed back and I felt his lips on my ear. With such loving tenderness, he kissed my ear.

When I opened my eyes, Gary was on his knees. Little did I know he had been planning a marriage proposal for days.

With tears in his eyes and an emotional voice, he extended me the most beautiful invitation to be his wife. Wow, what a reward for vulnerability! 

Then, Gary gave me a lovely pair of ivory-carved earrings.  Years prior to meeting me, he bought them in China.  He had asked God to show him what to buy for his future mate.

I’ve learned God had always wanted to push back “my hair.” For me to go ahead and let Him see my imperfections, flaws, weaknesses; He already saw them anyway! He only wanted to kiss them. 

Through this precious memory I found that two thousand years ago, God did indeed, “drop to His knees” for each one, demonstrating His great love. Christ’s sacrificial death has forever removed my truest deformities.

Years later I heard the Lord say:

“Sue, Gary kissed your ear the day he asked you to marry him, but I kissed your ear the day you were born.”

Sue Gaither

Two Princes

^{Two Princes}

There are two princes.  Two kingdoms.  One kingdom is the kingdom of darkness.  The other kingdom is the Kingdom of God.  They are NOT equal powers. 

The prince of the power of air is Satan.  He is called by God Himself “liar, thief, robber, and destroyer, accuser, DOOMED!”

The Prince of Peace is God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is His name: PEACE.  He is Light, Love, Grace, Glory, and Eternal Life.

The prince of this world again is the kingdom of darkness.  Since we are in Christ, we are no longer sons of darkness and disobedience, but sons of Light and of God.

Satan “shoots from the shadows” (as the Psalmist puts it) to lodge his pellets into the minds of men.  He operates from lies, deception and every evil thought, because this is who he is.  However, he disguises his thoughts too “as light,” yet underneath are the morsels of death and deception.  God says He will cause us to be able to discern his lies – by His Spirit and Word.

The Lord Jesus Christ is life and peace.  His thoughts are peace.  They are NOT thoughts of the world, because He is of the kingdom NOT of this world.  His kingdom is not seen with physical eyes, but with spirit eyes.  God grants us to “see” the Kingdom of his dear Son, if we come to Him.

The fruit of Satanic thoughts are depression, despair, hopelessness, oppression, flesh and blood striving, dissensions, destruction to self and others.  And also pride, self, “puffy” ideas, man wanting to be the center of attention.

The fruit of the Spirit’s thoughts are relief, release, life, peace, hope, grace, glory, and to be able to “see” Jesus.   Now here is the true MAN now glorified and worthy always to be the center of attention!  We are always humbled, when we receive God’s thoughts.  They are the gift of God.

Those who come to the Prince of Peace are not cast out, nor are they cast down.  Even if we have “footsied” in the wrong kingdom.

The Prince of Peace is ALL authority over ALL flesh.  He is Ruler.  He welcomes all who will come to Him now and always.

The Kingdom of God is operated through faith in Him.  Faith that works by love.  God is wisdom as well.  Wisdom is given by Him – it does not come from human origin.

The Kingdom of Satan is operated by managing things and others, by human striving, effort, and human wisdom which God calls devilish, demonic and to no avail.  But they all start with his ideas – we’re simply objects/subjects of one kingdom or the other.

The point today is to realize whose kingdom we are in, dwell in, and live from.  We cannot walk in both.  God’s kingdom has His ways and we have to learn them.  We must learn Christ – the Prince and King of God’s Kingdom.

They cannot be mixed.  God can have NO part with Satan and this world’s ways.

And lastly, this Prince of Peace has such affection for each one of his subjects.  He knows where we are, what we need, what we lack in our understanding of Him.  He knows we need to understand more, if we are going to walk worthy of His kingdom – that is, who He has made us to be in Spirit through His work.

A subject always is under the guidance, rule and authority of the kingdom they are in, walking in OR receiving thoughts from – no exception.  To think otherwise is to be deceived.

“Lord, we are so glad to be in your Kingdom and to learn your ways.  You delight to teach us!  Amen!”

Sue Gaither

¹And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

 ²in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Ephesians 2; 1-3

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6