Spiritual Whitewash

I am convinced that the only way to live spiritually is to learn from the Spirit.

Is this too simple, too obvious? Perhaps, but what would a child do if he saw a thug come on the scene and beat up his friend? What would a child do if he saw his friend drowning? The adult thing to do would be to intervene, to do something, but not to be a casual bystander. But what would the child do? Cry? Run to Dad for help? Ask another adult for help? Probably so, or something similar. In the moment of helplessness, there isn’t indifference, but the need to find help in someone who can do something, who knows what to do.

I’m sorry, but if you say to me that it’s time to do battle in the spirit realm and presume to know what it is you should do and jump right in with tenacious vigor and anger, I have a problem with that. Why? Because until I know what the Spirit is doing, how can I possibly know what to do? It’s not that I don’t see there’s a problem. I simply cannot presume to have a clue unless my spiritual Teacher clues me in.

The reasonable approach is not the spiritual approach. At least from where I stand. What good have we ever done by taking charge of the spiritual onslaught by using reason? “Let’s fight this with the Bible’s words.” Really? Are the dead being raised, the sick healed, or the maimed made whole? Are people’s lives being transformed by the Bible, by its truth, or by sermons? I say no, not truly.

It is the person of God who changes the heart of man. It is His work that transforms and restores and releases the heart from the prison. It is His reality that does all of this and it cannot be learned by a study or reading or listening to a sermon series. I’m sorry, but it is true. Without the person of God being encountered, it is more self help whitewash that merely masquerades transformation until the truth be known and the rot is apparent and once again, the formula, the theology, the precept has left us right where we started or worse. And we either blame God, or move on to the new whitewash brand.

Father, I am no longer choosing to put my meager portion of faith into this deceptive cycle. I choose to believe in Your person. You are good. You are kind. You are a lot of amazing things, but first of all: You …are…my…Father. You, my Father instruct me. You reveal Yourself in experience and revelation to me and to others, some of who have documented their encounter in a collection of writings put together in a book. These writings have stood the test of time because the encounter with God was real. It was You that has stood the test of time. Not merely the book.

So then, my experience counts as well. Why? Because You are my experience. I am experiencing You as the history of “me” is made. I can add to this book’s validation. I am experiencing what they experienced; at least in part, because, You, the same God they encountered I encounter to this day. And for that matter, my children and their children will as well. And when inspired as I am now, I too will write and document Your revelation to me. I too will be a part of a community of people who are on the same path to wholly encounter You, our Father. And to Your glory, we collectively and individually become Christ to people. Amazing.

So how do we do this spiritual thing, Lord?

And maybe that’s the problem. It isn’t the doing. We are to be: be Your children, be Your followers, be honest with You... be loved. You’re a good Father. We can trust in Your care. You will show us. You will grow us. You know what to do in a spiritual conflict. You’re not surprised at the news. It can be as simple as asking, then hearing Your voice or feeling Your prompting. It doesn’t necessarily seem to be or need to be complicated. And that’s good, because frankly we’re not so bright spiritually. But each of us can wait on Your response to us. We can trust in Your leadership, Your fatherhood.

You will show us the way. You know what to do.