In my post yesterday I wrote, "...we need expanded faith to live in the place beyond the door."
Someone asked me...what does that look like?
My talks and writings help a lot with this. My little book Creating A Shape For Life to Flow is useful too.
But let me say some other things...
The place beyond the door is what Paul talked about when he said, "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
So when you are tempted by something that you perceive is 'bad' do you feel condemnation about it? If you have a revelation like what Paul had (and what James Jordan talks about in The Third Law) you will not be condemned. You are free to let that temptation float away. When we judge ourselves and get condemned we actually stoke up the fires of temptation. That is one example of having expanded faith. Faith that there is NO condemnation. It is also called boldness and confidence before the Throne of God (Hebrews). The Throne of God is actually just another name for 'Abba's Bosom' - but only sons and daughters can enjoy a warm embrace rather than having to bow before a 'cold' marble or gold throne. It is all about how we perceive reality.
Another example of having expanded faith to live on the other side of the door is this:
In servant-hearted Christianity we are taught to hear the voice of God. That voice comes in our head, giving us commands and directions. We are taught that we have to learn to recognise it by a process of elimination, working out whether it is the Devil's voice or the voice of our own flesh. This is not how it works beyond the door.
When we are through the door and living in sonship, the voice of the Accuser is silenced, for there is no longer any condemnation. Our orphan voice is not a problem either because we know that we can listen to the voice of our heart.
Beyond the door we don't receive commands and directions any more. We discern the voice of God at the level of our heart desires or what repels our heart.
In some ways we are more 'self-determined' but it is not the old, fallen (orphan) self. It is a self that is in harmony with God who indwells us.
There is an interesting verse in Acts 19:21, which says “after these events, Paul resolved in the Spirit.”
What is ‘resolving in the Spirit’? Paul resolved. He used his own human will to resolve. The initiative came from Paul but it was not ‘in the flesh’ but ‘in the Spirit.”
Someone who has died to self will find that they come fully alive again on a new basis. That new reality is termed biblically as ‘in the Spirit’. I believe this is synonymous with sonship.
In the Sprit is the atmosphere and environment in which a son lives. Paul had decision making capability in this new environment. Many people think they will lose their initiative completely. You may do in servant-hearted Christianity, but you get it back in sonship.
The human personality is given back to you as an instrument of God inside you. What is surrendered in lordship is given back in sonship.
A man who jumps into the ocean is ‘in ocean’ so his decisions and movements are suited to that environment. He cannot possibly walk or run, he must float or swim. He can resolve to do some things which only make sense in that environment. Swimming doesn’t make sense on terra firma but it makes perfect sense ‘in ocean’. Things which seem foolish to the natural mind make perfect sense ‘in spirit’.
What do you think?