A Deeper Christian Life

Suggested exercise: Play the song linked below and listen to the Father sing to the Son; play it again and listen to your Lord sing to you; play it again and listen to the Bridegroom sing to His Bride. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVij6j5do2A (Pardon the ads, as always.) “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39, King James Version. May the Lord touch you with a new level of intimacy through this exercise. 

1) It’s the perfect paradigm through which a modern believer can transcend this corrupt and perverse generation and its decadent Prosperity Gospel. 2) It’s a wonderful conceptualization that enables the believer to take up his cross daily, deny himself, and follow his Lord. No need to struggle over what these ideas mean: you ditch you : you may have your own thoughts, opinions, preferences, etc., but none of them matter. The only things that matter are 1) the will the Master; 2) diligently, scrupulously, punctiliously fulfilling that will joyfully and without resistance, vacillation, or resentment; and 3) at the end of the day, bringing pleasure to the Master. Put another way, being a slave of Christ frees you from the tyranny of being you! 3) When you are thus free from yourself, you are enjoying the ultimate in liberation, and are completely free to be absorbed in everything about your Master, in discerning His will, and in figuring out the best, most profitable way to fulfill it and...

Here’s another essential component of a deeper walk with your Lord, at the risk of stating the obvious: If/when you sin, trespass, fail or otherwise fall short, be quick to repent and confess to the Lord, plead the blood of Christ against any accusations from the enemy if you need to, and ask the Lord to create a clean heart inside you and renew a right spirit within you. Do this as quickly as possible (immediately is preferable) and as frequently as necessary. Do not succumb to any sort of “repentance fatigue.”  Open communication between you and the Lord is absolutely critical to a close walk with Him, and the enemy loves to disrupt your communication with the Lord as much as possible by making you feel guilty, telling you you’re too needy, you’re not important enough to the Lord, the Lord’s too busy, it’s no use, you might as well wait until later, etc.  Don’t fall for any of this. Repent and confess and seek renewal the instant you go astray. And if you need to do this 100...

As I’m finishing up my first read of John MacArthur’s powerful book, Slave: The Hidden Truth About Your Identity In Christ , my Lord revealed to me one very large component of what He wants me to understand as being His slave (beyond what might seem obvious). Just as the apostle Paul acknowledged his Master’s sovereign authority over all by declaring himself a prisoner of Christ (and not Caesar) as he neared the end of his life, so I am to recognize myself as a slave of Christ by humbly (for the joy He has set before me) submitting to, enduring, and ultimately transcending the unjust sufferings and humiliations inflicted on me by my political overlords and slave-traders that rule America’s increasingly corrupt and rapidly decaying political system. “Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are crooked. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience towards God a person bears up under sorrows when suff...

As marvelous and as glorious as this song is, as written, allow me to suggest another, perhaps even deeper, take. Play this song, featured below via the active hyperlink, and sing it, AS the Lord Jesus, unto His Heavenly Father, both as a prayer of His to God the Father, and as a song being sung by the Lord Jesus to the twelve disciples (or you can alternate between these views, as the lyrics suggest). And replace God the Son’s name, Jesus, with God the Father’s personal name, Yahweh. So instead of you singing the glorious original version of this song, “Jesus Is Love,” sing as the Lord Jesus singing “Yahweh Is Love,” perhaps as the Lord Jesus’s invitation to the twelve to explore an aspect of God the Father they had yet to contemplate or fully grasp. This exercise (if anointed to your ears and heart for this purpose by the Holy Spirit of God) will enable you to enter right into the eternal, ongoing fellowship that God the Son and God the Father have with one another through the power ...

Suggested exercises: Play the song featured at the link below (multiple times, if you feel so led or inclined), and in each successive turn, listen to the Lord singing to you, behold the Bride of Christ singing to her Bridegroom, sing this song looking for those portions where the Father is singing to the Son, and those portions where the Son is singing to the Father. And if the Lord reveals something else to you in this exercise, run with it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRHTXFIKfFs (as always, apologies for the ads)

Here’s another spiritual exercise for you. Take what you have gleaned from the deeper Christian life that you have experienced with the Lord thus far, and revisit The Lord’s Prayer per Matthew 6:9-13. Specifically, take these verses and pray them in the name of the Lord Jesus – which is to say, pray AS the Lord Jesus – unto the Heavenly Father. Here’s an example:  “My glorious Father, Who lives and rules and reigns in the heavens, in the heavenly dimension on the other side of that door of spirit, “When I need You and when I need access to You and Your kingdom beyond that door within, I turn to You in my spirit and I breathe Your sacred Name: Yahweh! “Your Name is holy, for You are holy, and Your Name gives me life – and it renews my access to Your heavenly kingdom – our home. “Father, one day Your kingdom will be fully established and You will be fully glorified here on the earth, just as You are right now and just as it is right now in the heavenly dimension. “Your will is done i...

Allow me to state what should be obvious: If you want to have a deeper, closer walk with the Lord Jesus Christ, you must not permit sin to have dominion over you. The Lord doesn’t expect you to be perfect (as only God is perfect, and we are to abide in Him as our perfection before Him). But you must be actively purifying yourself, through His life and power, and not endlessly absorbed in the distractions of this world, if you truly desire to know Him deeply, to walk and talk with Him throughout your day, and if you desire to live by the indwelling life of Christ inhabiting your regenerated human spirit. An immense help in this regard is finding and experiencing the Lord Jesus as your overcoming life. There are plenty of wonderful books on this subject, and certainly, if you seek the Lord’s guidance on this issue, He will lead you in the direction you should go. Some folks suggest going on a fast to break the grip the flesh might have on a believer's daily life. For me, the Lord rev...

Check out the link to this inspiring rendition: https://youtu.be/2Aq9KISzaAo  (As always, pardon the ads)

Suggested exercise: Choose a version of the song featured below (or go back and forth between them) and sing this as an individual believer to your Lord; play it again and hear Him sing it to you; play it again and hear the Bride of Christ sing to her Bridegroom; play it again and hear the Bridegroom sing to His Bride; play it again and hear the Father sing it to the Son; play it again and hear the Son sing to the Father. The Norah Jones version .  The Nat King Cole version . (As always, pardon the ads.) Believer, just LET GO and love your Lord with the same abandonment with which He has always loved you, and always will. 

If you have already spent a week or two softly, warmly, lovingly calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as I detailed in my earlier post dated February 21, 2021, ( https://adeeperchristianlife.blogspot.com/2021/02/my-go-to-way-to-experience-jesus-christ.html ), here's another way to engage the Lord that can augment the way(s) you approach Him now: Experiment with how softly and quietly you can call, “Lord Jesus.” Can you call His name with your head on your pillow without waking your spouse? Can you call His name in the grocery store check out line, or while riding in the elevator, or in a conversation without someone else hearing you? See how quietly you can call Him and still hear your voice. Do that throughout the day, every day for a week or two, and notice how much closer you and your Lord are to one another. Then after that, spend another week or two continuing this practice, but making sure you wait upon Him and discern His presence. If it pleases our Lord to draw yo...

Ephesians 3: 14-21, KJV, emphasis added: “ For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,  to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,  according to the power that worketh in us , Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. ” The following commentary is from The School of Christ by T. Austin-Sparks, as provided by The Online Library of T. Austin-Sparks via austin-sparks.net. “The mark of...

In case you’re unaware, John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, CA, has assembled a team of experts to produce an updated translation of the Holy Bible, a Legacy Standard Bible that is essentially a revision of the New American Standard Bible. A version consisting of the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs was released last week, and my pre-ordered copy should arrive any day. Woo! I’m excited about the high-profile changes they have announced so far, such as the use of the word SLAVE in the New Testament (because that is what we are in Christ), and the use of the personal name of God, Yahweh, in the Old Testament (because that’s His personal name, and that’s what He instructed His people to call Him). I’ll elaborate in the future about the use of God’s personal name and why I’m excited about it. In the meantime, here’s a link to a conversation on YouTube between Brother MacArthur and Brother Abner Chou, associate professor of Bible at The Master’s University, who is hea...

There's a form of prayer beyond words, beyond thoughts. It's simply silently sitting in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. No Bible reading. No prayer list. Just gathering the depths of your innermost being, occasionally calling the Lord's name softly, but earnestly, and waiting for Him to well up within you, within your regenerated spirit, where His Divine Life, His Holy Spirit, resides. Words and thoughts are intellectual activities. Spirit-to-spirit transmission is what imparts Life. If you are to know Christ Jesus more intimately in your deeper parts, the Lord is calling you to wade into the deeper waters of the River of Life that your spirit can access, simply by calling on His name and then quietly, patiently, reverently, lovingly waiting for Him.

Saints, today I’m going to take what should be an obvious turn and encourage you to engage the time-honored practice and tradition of  fasting  to augment, foster, and facilitate a deeper walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. I’ll try to be brief. Why fasting? First, three conceptual points. Jesus fasted and advised His disciples re: the practice. The apostles, early church fathers, and great saints throughout the history of the church fasted. The practice of fasting is mentioned throughout the Scriptures as a primary way to humble one’s soul and flesh before God. If you have a concordance, break it out and dig into the Word yourself for first-hand illustration. Next, four practical points. The time you spend thinking about, preparing, consuming, and cleaning up after a meal is all time you could spend with your Lord. Every hunger pang or signal of physical discomfort can prompt you to return to the Lord in your spirit to sustain you with His life and Spirit within you. Fasting hel...

Here’s what you get when you cross Bill Withers and Jeanne Guyon: Ain’t No Sunshine When He’s Gone Suggested practice: Open the attached link in a new window (by right clicking) and then modify the lyrics as you sing along. Also note, you can sing this as yourself, as an individual believer seeking the Lord in your spirit but struggling to find him. And you can sing this as the Bride of Christ, longing for the Bridegroom. You can sing this as the church awaiting the Lord’s second coming. And you can sing this as the Lord’s earliest disciples, after the crucifixion but before the resurrection. Feel free to share your experience in the comment box below, if you feel so inclined. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPOYc4a2RPY (apologies for the ads) May the Lord Jesus reveal Himself to your spirit through this exercise.

A few minutes ago, I picked up a delivery from the USPS of my latest New Testament: The Modernized Geneva Bible! The textual basis is that of the original Geneva Bible, as well as the King James Version, which is to say, the Textus Receptus. This new version, just produced late last year, is presented in a Reader’s Edition format, in 13 books, much like the journaling Bibles that are popular these days. Now, it does not have the famous/infamous margin notes that so antagonized King James and other monarchs (prompting the production of the King James, or Authorized, Version). But it does feature updated wording and modern spelling, and based on my initial, cursory skimming, it reads quite well. Canon Press, the publisher, expects the Old Testament to be available by the end of 2021. If you’re interested, I’ve pasted in some links below. May the Lord add His blessing to this latest iteration of His Holy Written Word. https://canonpress.com/products/modernized-geneva-bible-new-testament-b...

One way that the Holy Spirit may open your mind and heart to the deeper things of God is for you to consider the nature and origin of that innermost part of you: your human spirit. This has profound implications for your sense of identity, and for where you place your attention and affection and allegiance. Your spirit, once regenerated and quickened by exercising saving faith in Jesus Christ, is, subjectively and theoretically speaking, the purest part of you. If you have believed into Jesus Christ and have received His Spirit, you have received His eternal life, which wells up within your spirit to quicken you and your mortal body and to quench your thirst. Your body was made to interact with the physical dimension; that is, the visible, physical world all around you. But not so your spirit. This innermost part of you was created to live in the spiritual, invisible world, otherwise known throughout the Scriptures as the heavens, the heavenlies, the heavenly realm, the Kingdom of Heav...