Finding Lasting Peace
I have been learning that the Father reveals himself to us long before we have it together.
The revelation of sonship only comes in the aftermath of the revelation of the Father’s heart. It is easy to remain a servant or a slave, it takes a lifetime to become a son. There is often an undercurrent to our life that says, “Once I get myself cleaned up a bit, God will finally reveal himself to me in the way I have been longing for.”
Jesus had disciples until he had made them sons and servants until they became friends. His goal was not to lead a disciplined people, but (as John the Baptist foresaw) to raise up sons.
Discipline is for the servant who sees himself as a servant. It might be a place to start, but it is not a place to end up.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
The endgame of Christianity is likeness.
When the love of the Father has gripped us and settled down deep in our bones, the language of discipline feels foreign to us. Psalm 32 calls the lack of revelation and the need for outer constraint the “bit and bridle”. Bit and bridle Christianity finds solace in rules and cultural norms that keep us safe and protected. But Paul prayed that our inner man would be made strong, not merely safe. And safe can be the enemy of strong.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.”
The outer man (the mule or horse) must be bridled when the revelation of the Father (understanding) has not sunk deep into his bones. When there is no inner witness of the tender nature of the Father, we look to structures and system to lead and guide us, to keep us safe. Safe keeps Strong at bay when this is the case.
Revelation will move the heart of man to re-produce the heart of God.
In the absence of revelation, the temptation is to build what will provide control and comfort. We look for a bit and bridle and to lead us when we have lost sight of the Father.
According to Hebrew tradition, Moses wrote Psalm 91 when he completed building the tabernacle. Maybe he was sitting in the dimly lit tabernacle when he penned the phrase, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Perhaps being in the tabernacle reminded him of the darkness of God on the mountain. Maybe what Moses built reminded him of his time with the Father. Perhaps Moses was inexplicably drawn to build the tabernacle because the Father had moved upon him. What he was driven to build was not because he had a plan or a vision, it is because his life was to remind others what he had seen of the Father.
Basil the Great compared progress in the spiritual life to that of a slave, a hireling, and a son. The slave serves out of fear of punishment, the hireling out of hope of gain, and the son for the pleasure of the father.
When John the Baptist caught a vision of Jesus, he said he must decrease so that Christ might increase.
In today's day of ruthless hurry, it is not easy to learn to slow down and do less. We are not comfortable with decrease. Everything must scale down to grow.
If the Father's heart is the foundation, how would you rework everything you do? Your ministry? Your family? Your church? Your job? Your friends? How do you build structure that reflects the Father’s heart? How, as a leader, do you go about helping others see how to remove the bit and bridle they have so easily put on themselves?
The goal is not to teach people how to live. The goal is not to preach a good sermon. The goal is not to have a good ministry or church. The goal is to free people to become something the world longs to see:
““Hearts that are “fit to break” with love for the Godhead are those who have been in the Presence and have looked with opened eye upon the majesty of Deity. Men of the breaking hearts had a quality about them not known to or understood by common men. They habitually spoke with spiritual authority. They had been in the Presence of God and they reported what they saw there. They were prophets, not scribes, for the scribe tells us what he has read, and the prophet tells what he has seen.””
This is our heart, to see leaders who were convinced that they had become geldings become stallions. And to see stallions run wild and free bringing the kingdom everywhere they go.
An update on the move
We are knee deep in making preparations to move across the country. Our major update is we have a place! We have secured a rental for our family in Chilliwack, BC and we will be arriving in early January.
In the meantime, if you would like to make a year end donation to Wind Ministries in support of Erin and I, you can do so at the link below. All donation to Wind Ministries are processed by our partner ICMS and are tax deductible in Canada and the US.
If you would specifically like to donate towards our move west, you can do so by donating at this link through CMA, an organization both Erin and I belong to and work with.
Points for Prayer
There is so much on our heart to accomplish in the new year after our move, please keep us in prayer as we launch new initiatives, meet with leadership teams, and look to see the Father make a difference in the lives of leaders.
Please keep our children in prayer as we navigate the move. Over the next few months, Erin will be intently focused on helping our kids adjust to new schools, new rhythms, and a new location.
We hold each of you dear and it is an honor to journey with you.
