There are many motivational forces which govern mankind. The first is perhaps need, then desire, others are obligation and passion, then there is compulsion; by far the most powerful. A river flows by compulsion, nothing can stop it. The motivation for the river is to arrive at its destination, no other alternative will due. We as Christians may use this metaphor and apply it to help recover our divine instinct: which is so easily lost to the natural flesh. The Church cannot be recovered until we are individually recovered, for we are the Church. We have been given a gift, the very nature of God, by Christ in us. And for a good reason: that we should not any longer live for ourselves, but for the Resurrected God-Man, Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 5:15. A bold statement, but true, if The Spirit of God indeed does live in us for that purpose, as the bible declares. I Like the idea of applying the use of the word compulsion, in a positive way, to seeking out and living in that divine Spirit. Not as mere servants driven by the natural sense of duty and obligation, but by a deep driving desire that He live His life through us, in every way. Not in a loyalty as to belief or performance of works way, but as an expression of Him in us, both to the world and ourselves; by our recognition of Him as dispensed in us being the primary focus of our mind. We could even say we have a obligation to seek this concept in faith as the only way in which we may please The Father. It should therefore be our life's passion to follow the narrow path which leads us in the power of The Spirit, a life in The Son, who is love.
We cannot recover what we should be until we know what that is. For us to even approach that possibility we must have deep need and a clear desire. The man or woman who lives in the flesh using the natural instinct, Christian or otherwise, will never have the motivation to recover something he does not know he needs. The word recovery means to find something which is lost. In the big picture it is the Church, which has been invaded by the world: but in the micro it is the individuals Spirit derived instinct to become a partaker of the divine nature. The believer must receive and maintain a presence in Christ given by The Holy Spirit, as the defining reality of his life. He must constantly be carrying the identity of Jesus Christ. The key here is to find a view from which we may observe who we truly are as Christians, permitting a exit from the blindness of the natural Adamic old man in whom we are so deeply and irrevocably encased within. For that we need to trek up the mountain, to see the revelation in God's Word of the New Adam Man, in whom we now may choose to become aliened with all purpose, providing there is a overwhelming need within us to do so.. The bible describes in much detail that obligation placed before all men to enter in to understanding of their place in The Son or perish. By perish I do not mean the outer darkness facing those of unbelief only: but also the loss of a life in Christ in the here and now. This new life must be perceived actively in our present circumstance. A new renewed mind of understanding is available to those who believe. If their instinctively driven compulsion, made available by a faith empowered exit from the natural mind has the commanding presence.
Instinct is defined as: a natural innate impulse, inclination, or tendency, a intuitive power in us. This power within is the fruit of the cultivation of the divine garden of our soul by The Spirit in seeking Him with all our being. By Setting all else aside as valueless we will grow in a intuitive strengthening and contain a innate impulse of His very presence in us! As Christians we should desire nothing more. If there is any self centered motivation, any old Adam internal or exterior road block to Christ as life, as the all consuming goal of our life, then we have simply missed the call. This my friends is a lofty pursuit, not for the faint of heart, or the partially committed. It is a path all Christians are on at some level granted, as we all will be conformed to His image no doubt! No my friends Christianity is not simply something to be expected, a moral code, a contemporary habit formed or life style, or even the wish to recover the new testament worship and way, good as that may be. My deep prayer and desire is that the words I write might sear the heart, even of one of the brothers or sisters reading this, in such a way so the inevitable process of divine recovery will be instituted, a bell will be rung, need will penetrate the soul and a compulsion to become what we are in Christ will be recovered as the natural spiritual instinct of our life's motivation. This must all take place before we may rightfully and functionally enter the calling of spiritual maturity of our Christian nature. The recovery will then begin of ourselves as the Body of Christ on earth, as our divine instinct!
Now the question: how is all this accomplished? Sorry to say there is no formula, try as we might to find the seven steps to the all consuming godly life. It is accomplished by The Spirit, a often very gradual formation. Yes perhaps the ocean of ink helps penetrate the firm barrier of the natural flesh. But most often it is simply deep and profound need. A sense of the overwhelming inadequacy of the natural man. Then we may awake from our slumber and become a worthy canvas for the Master Artist of the formation of our spirit and soul, into the likeness and beauty of His Son for all to see. Situational dynamics: the depending upon certain surrounding circumstance, such as the power of the group in calling upon the name of The Lord brings a true sense of joy and belonging, and even may touch the Spirit, but this and all other potentially feeling based formats will not be the catalyst to reveal the presence of His nature within, even done with the most godly intention. It is the complete loss of ourselves, counted as dead to all that we are in the flesh "not I but Christ" that opens the floodgate of The Spirit! "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves[normal natural man] to think anything of our selves, but our sufficiency is of God" 2 Cor. 3:5. For this to take place we must realize the death of the old nature, then we may enter into the New.
Now a new compulsion will begin to form. We will study the Word in a new light, and begin to know the purpose of God in saving us was to conform us to the image of His Son during our time on earth in a new way Rom. 8:28, 29. Then we will learn to count it as true [reckon] upon the finished work of the Cross as His provision for that purpose was the final death of our old nature, seen in Christ's death, held by us in faith. Rom. 6:11. Finally we yield [rest in this truth] to The Holy Spirit as He carries out the daily formation of Jesus Christ in us 2 Cor. 4:11. When Jesus was upon the earth He showed the way. His presence in heaven gives us the power. Any one who does not set his mind upon the Redemption of the Christian by Jesus in His person as representation of all we might ever be; and seek conformity to the purpose of our Redemption; making clear our fellowship with The Father, cannot hold its power in conscious understanding. We were after all Redeemed to be in God's economy, which is only found in Jesus Christ and Him glorified in heaven. To be Redeemed means to be taken from one state of being into another. Therefore our nature is now heavenly [the new state of being] by faith and that is where the power is. There can be no divine instinct without our being in the divine presence. By faith then we are in heaven, made there by The Holy Spirit in us. "Christ lived on the earth that He might show forth the image of God in His life; He lives in heaven that by faith in our presence there by His representation we may show forth the image of God in our lives". By knowing this as a true heart condition in faith as to life we will carry in our daily moment by moment walk the recovered divine instinct and all else will follow.
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