A New Season

Driving home from another refreshing night at The Arts Expressed, I received a fresh revelation.  Well, fresh for me, anyway.  Let me first give you a little of my backstory.  Around the age of 20 is when the Lord recaptured my heart and I made a decision to live my life for Him.  Growing up I had a strong faith in Jesus, but fell away from Him in Junior High and High School.  My mom raised me in a very "charismatic" understanding of Jesus...which is basically believing and living out the Spiritual gifts as talked about in 1 Corinthians.  So as my faith was rekindled...these are the ways I understood God...a very Spirit, faith driven understanding.  As I dove deeper into my study of the Bible I struggled with some of the teachings I had been receiving...and was determined to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  There begins my journey of knowing the Lord through his Word.  And now...12 years later...the Lord is stretching me and showing me that to fully know Him...I mustn't turn my back on one or the other.  Spirit or truth.  In fact, His word tells us to worship in both Spirit and Truth.  I have for the past 12 years spent so much time and energy criticizing and judging churches, pastors, teachers of the Word, etc., out of a passion and zeal to know the Lord, and know the truth.  What is so cool, and hence the revelation tonight, is that God doesn't call us to a negative, critical, judgmental heart in pursuit of Him.  He calls us to worship Him in Spirit and truth.  In the leading of His Spirit, and the knowledge of His word.  It isn't one or the other...in fact they work together!  The jist of it, for me, is that I can't base my understanding of who God is solely on the teaching of those in the church.  Rather, by His Spirit, I can glean the truth and discern what is true by using the Word and His Spirit as my guides.  The fact of the matter is that while we are still in a fallen, broken world, there will be false teaching, intended or not, and it is not my job nor is it in my best interest to put my focus and energy into revealing these false teachings.  Quite the contrary, I shall be led to uphold, seek, and hold fast to the truth by the Holy Spirit.  Wow, God is so good!  And I am so thankful that the Lord has led me to the ministry at The Arts Expressed.  For those of you who are unfamiliar, look up their website.  It is an equipping ministry to learn our God given gifts and learn to glorify Him by using and operating in those gifts.  I have been taking a Parenting a Child's Heart class, which has been a-mazing.  I have been learning God's perspective on raising up my children...and it is sooooo good!  I also have been inspired to tap back into the artistic gifts that I have been given.  It's been so awesome to get that I have these gifts for a reason.  I hadn't picked up a sketch pad in YEARS, I guess I didn't see the point...and now the Lord is teaching me to use art to bless and speak to others.  So, I have entered a new and exciting season in my journey...can't wait to continue to share what He is doing!  Blessings!!!