Making The Climb | JulieMeyer
Posted on Wed, 07/31/2013 – 3:31pm
Making The Climb
I (Julie Meyer) had a dream and it was as if I was ‘within’ Ps 24 walking up the mountain of the Lord.
Psalm 24:3-4
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His Holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.
I had to set my heart for the journey. It was a steep and narrow path though it was a path well-trodden and I pondered the patriarchs of old who had walked this same path.
In the dream I was carrying baggage with me, I realized I would never make it to the top of the mountain carrying it so I took it off and laid it aside.
There were many people on this path walking alongside me however I noticed that several on this same trek up the Mountain didn’t want to remove their baggage. The higher they began to climb, the heavier the baggage became; still they held on tight not wanting to set any of it down not even the smallest of bags. They became so pre-occupied with what they were carrying, they were unable to ascend. So, tightly clinging onto their baggage they simply stopped, turned around and started walking back down the mountain.
There was Only One Path to the top. I began to notice whispers and grumbling because the mountain was real, the path was narrow and it was steep. It required endurance and diligence to stay steady and to stay focused on the small narrow path.
I came upon an elderly man with a long wooden rod in his right hand. He had a long, white beard and long, wild, white hair that fell down over his shoulders. His face was set looking onward and upward. He was not looking to the left or the right. He was not turning around or even grumbling about the steepness of the path. He was not carrying any baggage, he was walking in one direction with a face that was set on arriving at the peak and nothing less. He looked as if he knew where he was going and how to get there, so I found my stride right with his. He had authority upon him yet a deep humble spirit.
Out of the corner of my eye, I began to see people looking for shortcuts or different possibly easier ways to reach the top. The elderly man would say to each one, “There are no shortcuts and there are no other paths. There is only one way, and it is this path. If you stay on it, it will lead you straight to the top and to make the climb, you have to lay down all your baggage.”
As he spoke, his words penetrated the very core of my heart, and I kept telling myself, “Stay on the path, lay down all the baggage and there are no shortcuts. Just keep walking, stay steady”
I happened to look up just in time to see a road sign: The Pathway of Humility. At that exact moment it was as if I was transported back in time and I realized the man in front of me was Moses—In an instant my eyes were open to see humility, diligence, steadiness and zeal. He continued up the mountain saying over and over, “There are no short cuts and there are no other paths. There is only one way and it is this path. If you stay on it, it will lead you straight to the top. It will also change you from the inside out. This journey will do a work of humility within. If you stay steady in the midst of the steep climb, it will produce diligence and endurance for your next season.
There Are No Shortcuts
Finally, as we ascended to the very top of the magnificent mountain. Very few men and women actually endured for the whole climb. But those who laid it all down were standing at the very top and crying out Psalm 24:7, “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.”I realized that I was standing in a place of great authority. This is the place where we have the authority to cry out, “Lift up your heads, O you gates!”
Many people get this invitation, but few make the whole journey. For many start the climb yet want to keep their baggage and are unable to continue up the mountain. Some people wandered off the trodden path for other adventures that looked better to the eyes but was worthless to the soul.
I saw clearly there are no shortcuts to the top of this mountain. It is easier to stay on the path. It is easier to keep walking. This Mountain, this climb is an invitation of the Lord to climb His Holy Mountain with clean hands and a pure heart and all the while embracing humility which produces great authority. Though some people start with baggage, or offenses or unforgiveness – we all have the opportunity to lay it down. In order to continue upward you have to lay everything down otherwise it is impossible to make the climb for the weight of these will the climb too burdensome.
The pathway called Humility is a steep climb but it produces an inward life, a steadiness that you can only get if you stay on the path. No pain, no gain, but this trek is a place of great gain, living from the inside out….
And if you can make it to the very peak, its a place of new authority. Where those who laid it all down and just did the journey, they began to proclaim in authority Psalm 24:7, “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.”
Where are you in this climb? Is the path too steep and hard because you need to lay down some baggage? Do you find yourself looking for easier paths, easier ways to reach the peak? Maybe you have become distracted with the pleasures of this age, they might have caught your eye…
For we are all invited. We all receive the invitation to lay down our baggage, to stay on the path. We all get to be a part of this great climb up the Mountain Of The Lord.
This is the season to lay it all down and to stay on the path, lay down offenses, lay down unforgiveness, lay it all down and stay steady for the journey. You can do it…
The Patriarchs of old walked this path. Jesus walked this path. Paul walked this path.Will you?
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.
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Likeness
The mission of Jesus was not to add to the mystery of the Diety but to bring absolute clarity regarding the person of God as the Father of the human race. Jesus said “if you’ve seen me you have seen the Father.” Any idea that we could have had of God thst is unlike Jesus would not be true about God! Through Jesus, God re-introduces Himself as our true and original Father.
Not what we believe about God but what God believes about us! My beliefs cannot define God or force him into a box. However, what he says about me is what really defines me.
Eph 1:4
Young’s Literal Translation
according as He did choose us in him before the foundation of the world, for our being holy and unblemished before Him, in love,
Gen 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
He formed us, he defined me in his mind prior to man walking the earth. You and I existed before the world. He liked us before conception, birth, and salvation. His words spoke man into existence. We are created by his voice. We were made in his image and his likeness.
We are not goats or guinea pigs. We are his likeness.
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Quote: In response to the trend of tolerance of sin
Taken from Marklhen wjo rook it from (see below)
“When you get rid of the Creator, you get rid of design.
When you get rid of design, you get rid of purpose.
When you get rid of purpose, you get rid of the need to answer to God for your choices in life.
When there is no need to answer to God for your life choices, you dismantle the fear of the Lord.
And for perspective: “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov 1:7)
“The implication that you were born a certain way which leads you to sin, is a mockery and an absolute rebuttal to the blood of Jesus.”“Grace does not overlook sin, it empowers righteous living!”
by Bill Johnson (from Sunday AM sermon – 7/21/13)
For free weekly downloadable podcasts from Bethel Church: www.ibethel.org
“If you’re not free from sin until you die, then Jesus isn’t your savior; death is.” – Georgian Banov
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Kainos! Aka SuPeR-NeW
Kainos is new but not just new its super-new. If yoi have an old pair of Nikes that get a Kainos upgrade they have not just been replaced but the new shoes now let you levitate, travel at light speed, supply enough power to light up the whole earth, and supply sustenance for all of mankind.
Andrew Farley, in his book The Naked Gospel, talks about how when Jesus came in and stepped into that roll of priesthood he did not follow the lineage that one would expect. The priesthood had to be transformed. A new beginning, a level (but kainos) playing field. Jesus came out a tribe that should not have been considered for priesthood. There had to be a breaking a transformation for the new. The Levitical system was based on the law. The law was a curse to man. Jesus came as kainos Adam, the final Adam.
Hebrews 6:18-20
18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us:
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters into that within the veil;
20 Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Hebrews 7:3 says that Melchizedek is without father or mothervor genealogy. Our origin was prior to Genesis 1. We were created not on our physical conception. We were defined in the mind of God before the earths creation. Mans origin is not reflected in Adam but in the mind of God.
Jesus came to earth and took that priestly Melchizedek mantle (kainos). He came as a man (incarnation). We were co-crucified, co-buried, co-resurrected, and co-ascended with him. We are complete in him. His death wiped out the Adamic/Levitical system of the law. That system was dependent on works. The devil wants you to believe that that system is still in effect.
Guess what,
KAINOS!
It is all new, his act at calvary on the cross reconciled mankind to its pre Genesis identity. We are now closer to God then Adam. Adam walked with God, God is now found in man! Guys! This is better than Adam had it! KAINOS! This bring a whole new meaning to 2nd Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
My identity is found IN CHRIST. I can’t define God but he defines me, he is not an example for me but of me! Don’t be that guy who sees his face in the mirror and walks away and forgets what he saw.
What’s true of Him is true of you.
“The only difference between Christ and us was his understanding of who he was.”
John G Lake
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Religion makes me go hmmmm
Religion: compelling yourself to do what only Jesus can do for you
The flavor of religion is forcing one to do something, religion is forced
I Samuel 13:12
Saul didn’t wait for Samuel. Samuel was a type or representation of Christ, Saul represent man, Saul stepped in without waiting for Saul, he paid a steep price, his kingdom was passed on to a shepherd (David).
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This Weekends Highlights
So I have been at a conference this weekend with John Crowder. He has been very controversial in Christian circles. With topics like BBQ’ing Your Sacred Cows and Demons Under Every Rock…. yeah kind of expected it.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, maybe a cross between Toronto and I don’t even know. I was very happy to say the least. If you know anything about Christianity you will realize that the majority of Christians have their pet theologies. Many are sound and many are sketchy. Also, its a given that 99% need a corn cob-ectemy (let the reader understand). If you have been following my blog, you’ll know I’ve been on a journey and I have been letting God de-construct my foundations so that he can re-construct it right this time
I believe John is very in tune with what God is birthing, working, etc (use whatever terminology you want. ) In my opinion he is sound, he backs up everything with a plethora of biblical verses. Also he’s not afraid to say “I just don’t know. ”
Q&A with John Crowder
The Question you all wonder about
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Who dat?
Colosians 2:9-11
It is in Christ God finds an accurate and complete expression of himself, in a human body (100% God in human form). Jesus mirrors our completeness and endorses our true identity. He is ” I am” in us. You were in Christ when he died which means that his death represents your true circumcision. Sin’s authority in the human body was stripped off you in dying your death. (GLORY) In the same parallel (your co-circumcision in his death) yiur co-burial and joint resurrection is now demonstrated in baptism; your co-inclusion in Christ is what God’s faith knew when he powerfully raised him from the dead.
I am identified in him by him and he is the I am in me.
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My Sunday Song (7-14-2013)
Altar Boys
Life Begins at the Cross
G.L.M.
Almost forgot My Sunday Song and with my earlier post I thought I would put together my current train of thinking with my roots (The finished work of the cross and my roots).
Take a look at the world how the people run around
Time marches on and the world keeps running down
They’re living in a fantasy, Of what they think life should be
There’s a deadness in this world and I know why
People look for life from things that make them die
They just can’t understand, How my life is in God’s hands
And I won’t fade away
(Chorus)
Life begins at the cross
It’s not easy to take,
But it’s the price you pay
Life begins at the cross
No other way
And if you want to live eternally
God said pick up you cross and follow me
And then He was crucified
Put on a cross crucified
So I can live again
(Chorus)
Authors note:It’s not a piece of wood that hangs on your wall It’s not a piece of steel (that means nothing at all)
It’s right here in our hearts, can’t take it away Hang on to it ok?!
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Death-dentity
Philippians 1:21 has always been one of my favorite verses. I learned I like this….
“For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. ”
In college I went through my punk stage, seriously punk! Believe it or not I shaved the back of my head and my bangs were long (think revers mullet). I had the Doc Martin boots and dressed in thrift store clothes. If I wasn’t wearing boots I had Chuck Taylor’s that were totally graffiti’d up and that verse was very prominently scrawled on them. I saw this verse as the Christians answer to the anarchy symbol. Walking through life as a 19 year old Christian punk, I thought I had it all figured out. Little did I know, I didn’t. I was looking for my identity. I was looking to the punk scene, I was looking to the people around me, I was trying to stand out and be noticed…. My identity was important to me but I was looking in all the wrong places.
I love this translation of Philipians 1:20 – 21 from the Mirror Bible;
My thoughts are not trapped in my head! They roam free in expectation that I will not be ashamed by any contradiction! My immediately circumstances do not distract from my message! I am convinced that our conversation now and always will continue to give accurate account of the magnificence of Christ. The message is incarnate in me; whether I live or die, it makes no difference.
Christ defines my life; death cannot threaten or diminish that.
Paul wrote this at what was probably one of the lowest possible points of his life. He was in chains in a prison, yet his image and his identity was not defined by his suroundings or circumstances. He took his definition from who he was in Christ. “Christ defines my life” Was what he wrote, was what he believed.
What do you believe?
I am defined by the words of his mouth.
Any lessor source leads to insecurity. If you seek out your identity from your job, spouse, friends, popularity, wealth, etc you will always end up empty. Believing the lie is living the lie. Being found in Him leads to rest, leads wholeness, and completeness.
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The Answer is a Person
Over the past months I have been reading and contemplating the New Testament like I never have before. I now understand that the answer is not about me or what I can do. I have previously been or had a mindset that it was about ministry, about making a difference, and changing the world. It’s not about me or anything I can do. The answer is a man. His name is Jesus. He was and is I AM. Prior to the creation of the world he knew me/you and he liked what he saw.
Growing up as a kid I had some pretty odd thoughts. I saw God as a creator and I saw us as guinea pigs. Something he created for fun, but I now know that he created us to be sons and daughters. We were created in his image. He spoke identity into me prior to the the world, prior to Genesis 1. Adam’s sin was not a mistake. Adam was a part of a plan outside of time and space. Jesus was the ultimate prototype the template for us. We are his image. A mom and dad have kids not to have servants or someone to sing their praises. They have kids to be their sons and daughters. You know, to have mini-me’s. I hope my kids are like me (well at least the good parts). I love looking at my kids and seeing their moms eyes or my smirk. I love my kids! No matter what the four of them do that is not important. I like them for them.
God is like that. He loves us, he likes us. I used to see religion as man running after God, but the truth is He is running after us, He is pursuing us and has been prior to creation.
Jesus was the redeeming character in the plan. He was and is the key. We were co crucified, co buried, co resurrected, co descended, and co ascended with him. He died once for all mankind. He bore our sins atoning for all and broke the curse of sin. He did it to reconcile us to him. God wants his children to be his children. Jesus is the answer. This desire was poured out through extreme sacrifice and became the ultimate free gift. Salvation, hope, fullness, and grace are now yours for the taking. A FREE gift poured out that we can do nothing to attain/acquire on our own merit. All that God offers is free. My personal effort or any ministry I do mean nothing as far as receiving from my father.
He is the I AM, in me, calling to me. He is and will continue to pursue me/you.
The amazing news of announcing this life which is unveiled in Christ Jesus is what my ministry is all about! The promise is a person! I, Paul, am a man on a mission; God’s delightful desire sponsors me!
2 Timothy1:1 The Mirror Word Translation
Now, the sum total of his conversation with man has finally culminated in a son. He is the official heir of all things. He is, after all, the author of the ages. Jesus has been on the tip of the Father’s tongue all along! We have our beginning and our being in him. He is the force of the universe, sustaining everything that exists by his eternal utterance! Jesus is the radiant and flawless expression of the person of God. He makes the glory of God visible and exemplifies the character and every attribute of God in human form.
Hebrews 1:2-3 The Mirror Word Translation
The total answer is a person, Jesus Christ! Its part of Gods plan to make us dissatisfied with temporal things, so that we seek life in Him
Kilen's Spot 