~ Clamoring Voices.... ~

Clamoring Voices...

This is to the many, whom the Lord God has placed in the wilderness. Not the wilderness of natural forests, mountains and deserts. No, the wilderness God has thrust many out into is the spiritual wilderness of this world and all the systems men have built. We all experience many of the same things once we arrive. There is a heaviness of spirit, brought on by the falsehoods being presented as truths. There is a sorrow of heart suffered because of the refusal of the people who call themselves by the name of the Lord, to believe and walk in all of His commandments. For many today, following Christ is like picking one's way across a mine field. There are voices on every side, crying out "this is the way, come join your self to our side... come into agreement with our way of thinking."

For the man or woman of God, trying to find their way through this confusing din of clamoring voices, it is often very hard to hear the voice of the Spirit in our inner man. There is nothing about being in this mine-field wilderness that is pleasant, or attractive, or would cause us to want to remain here. It is lonely... it is miserable... it is frightening... we are not here by our own choice. At one time, we dwelt comfortably, among other like-minded believers. We gathered together, we prayed and sang, fellowshiping with one another, never imagining that the day would come when we would be required, compelled even, to leave our comfort zone, to become alienated from the familiar and go into a strange and frightening place not of our choosing.

We had never envisioned that our closest, most trusted friends would abandon and reject us. We had no idea that all that we had been taught would be tried and tested, that we would personally experience the purging, cleansing fires of the Almighty God. We are acquainted with the scriptures, we know that God's ways are not man's ways... yet we never imagined that we would be subjected to any real suffering... not in this modern day and age. Basically, if your entire known world has been turned upside down, and all that you once thought you knew has been brought into question and placed under intense scrutiny, then yes, you have been chosen to walk through the fire. Not everyone is chosen, my friend.

This whole wilderness concept is ridiculous and unfathomable to all who have not been selected to experience it. We cannot explain to the satisfaction of others that we didn't choose this of ourselves. Because it is not universal, as in not every one goes through this, those who do find themselves in this proving place, this wasteland of misunderstanding, are much maligned and rejected simply because they are out of the conventional mainstream. We don't hear a lot of (any) teaching today concerning the selection of God. Our ears are much more accustomed to hearing sweeping, generic statements like "For God so loved the world..." With the emphasis placed on the opening segment of the verse... along with the gratifying end of the verse "should not perish but have everlasting life..." while the conditional stipulation connecting the beginning and end..."whosoever believeth on His name" is allowed to slide by garnering little of our attention. "What is this 'selection' thing you're talking about," you ask?

Well, contrary to popular opinion, God does exercise His right to pick and choose. He always has and always will. It's one of the perks of being GOD.

Acts 15:7 And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it).

Romans 9:11 And the children were yet unborn and had so far done nothing either good or evil. Even so, in order further to carry out God's purpose of selection (election, choice), which depends not on works or what men can do, but on Him Who calls [them],

Romans 11:28 From the point of view of the Gospel (good news), they [the Jews, at present] are enemies [of God], which is for your advantage and benefit. But from the point of view of God's choice (of election, of divine selection), they are still the beloved (dear to Him) for the sake of their forefathers.

This divine selection is, in itself, enough to be a divider and separator among peoples, a cause for outright rejection and outrage, deemed as being 'unloving.' Well, that's something you'll have to take up with God. It is not the issue at hand, but simply a part of the overall way God works with His people.

What is at issue in this writing is the purpose of God in this act of pressing some into the wilderness. Our generation is the last to share in this experience. If we look into the Holy Scriptures, we find record after record of what other men and women underwent when they were thrust into the same situation. We would do well to glean all that we can toward understanding God's will and purpose, that we might come out the other side in the manner that He desires. The wilderness can be a place of growth and maturity... a place where we willingly come into conformity to God's plan for our lives, or it can be the place where we stagnate and die, never attaining the promise. It all depends on what we do while we are here. What we learn; what we accept and what we reject, the choices we make as we find our way through. And all the while, there are those clamoring voices. At times they are faint and distant murmurs, at other times they are so loud we can barely hear ourselves think.

These voices, who are they?

They are our reasoning mind; the culmination of all of our accumulated knowledge and understanding; they come from our conscience, our desires, our wants and our fears. They are the judgments, opinions and comments of our peers, our family, our dearest friends and most hateful enemies. They are the accumulated teachings, doctrines, interpretations and imaginations of all the men and women who have lived and died before this generation, stored and preserved and passed down through the generations. These voices come to us through our traditions and practices; through our social, cultural, educational, economic, political and religious training and environments. All of these things have bearing on what we experience in the wilderness.

But the paramount factor is our ability or inability to hear and respond to the voice of God to us. God deals with each one of His children individually. Religions lump people together, as it is too great an undertaking to be able to administer attention personally on a one-on-one basis. There is much confusion, difference of opinion, and lack of tolerance among the religions of the world, or at least there has been down through the centuries. We are coming into a new dawn, according to some, a new age of enlightenment is dawning, where tolerance and unity will be the call signs, bringing in a new era of peace to the whole world. We are already seeing the beginnings of this taking shape on our daily newscasts. Compromise is the new standard that all will soon be required to bow before. The Religions of the world, are man's attempt to mold a god to suit themselves. Their laws and ordinates are pliable and bend at the whim's of their desires, needs and perceptions. They are a powerful force for motivating and controlling the masses, as history bears witness. God is not going to conform to us... we must conform to God...or face His wrath. This is a very unpopular truth.

All these things combined, make being in the midst of a wilderness experience just that much more difficult to bear. What we need to come to an understanding of is this:

The wilderness is part of God's plan for those whom He chooses. Jesus went into the wilderness, where He was tempted of the devil. He came out from the wilderness in the Power of the Holy Spirit... and He began His ministry. (Luke 4:14) Then Jesus went back full of and under the power of the [Holy] Spirit into Galilee, and the fame of Him spread through the whole region round about. Moses went into the wilderness for 40 years, before God called him to be His chosen servant to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. John the Baptist went into the wilderness, preaching under the power of God, preparing the way of the Lord. Abraham wandered around the wilderness, (Gal 3:6-7) Thus Abraham believed in and adhered to and trusted in and relied on God, and it was reckoned and placed to his account and credited as righteousness (as conformity to the divine will in purpose, thought, and action). [Gen. 15:6.] Know and understand that it is [really] the people [who live] by faith who are [the true] sons of Abraham.

This is the purpose of the wilderness experience. That we might be changed, that we might come through this difficult time... a different person than we were when we went in. That we might grow ... 1Peter 2:2-8 Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk, that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto [completed] salvation, Since you have [already] tasted the goodness and kindness of the Lord. [Ps. 34:8.] Come to Him [then, to that] Living Stone which men tried and threw away, but which is chosen [and] precious in God's sight. [Ps. 118:22; Isa. 28:16.] [Come] and, like living stones, be yourselves built [into] a spiritual house, for a holy (dedicated, consecrated) priesthood, to offer up [those] spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. For thus it stands in Scripture: Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen (honored), precious chief Cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] shall never be disappointed or put to shame. [Isa. 28:16.] To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone, [Ps. 118:22.] And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God's] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do.

We have been given an awesome challenge. Will we accept and rise up to this challenge, or will we shrink back in fear, considering the cost too high? We have to make choices here in this wilderness of the world and all its religions, amidst all the clamoring voices vying for our attention and our loyalty. We have to choose, whose voice will we follow? What will we believe? This is the first battleground where victory must be won or lost, if we would ever come forth from this wilderness, as God has purposed. We determine the outcome of this test.

1 Corinthians 3:19 For this world's wisdom is foolishness (absurdity and stupidity) with God, for it is written, He lays hold of the wise in their [own] craftiness; [Job 5:13.]

Luke 16:15 But He said to them, You are the ones who declare yourselves just and upright before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted and highly thought of among men is detestable and abhorrent (an abomination) in the sight of God. [I Sam. 16:7; Prov. 21:2.]

Our non-conformity will widen the gulf between us and those we once were very close to. They will not understand what is wrong with us... why are we behaving this way. We may face accusations, innuendo, and outright hostility and assault. Our names may be dragged through the mud, our reputation besmirched. And for what? All this because God placed within our hearts a burning desire to know Him, above all else? Is this our great crime against humanity? The fact that we began asking questions that no one else would voice? The fact that we no longer were willing to settle for the form without the substance? We were no longer cooperative, we stopped taking suggestions, or following constructive criticism, or making our fair contribution to the cause? When those in control issued their verdicts, we asked why? On what grounds? Show me in the Word of God? Such sins are more than enough to get a body excommunicated from the most open fellowships. Never question anything that comes down from the top, just accept like a good little sheep. So before you know it, we find ourselves on the outside... in the cold, abandoned and alone.

This is not that uncommon folks. So now what? We search our hearts. We devour the Word. We do that which has to be done to survive in this world, but all the while we are seeking God. Our heart is crying out to God for understanding of what is going on, what is happening in our lives? There are many clamoring voices now, most of them from within. Once we are separated and on the outside, the voices within are the demons we battle against. Doubts arise, fears assail, regrets and self-recriminations pile up. The more alone we are, the smaller we feel. We may go through the whole gamut of emotions, sorrow, joy, weeping, anger, fear, jubilation, all of the feelings known to the human experience we may easily run through on a daily basis. Time passes, and we find a daily routine to get us through. We may hole up every free moment with our head in a book, seeking answers to all of our questions. We may just give up and put our focus on making our way in this world, getting by to the best of our ability. One thing for sure, it's not going to be exactly the same from one person to another. The duration of this wilderness walk will vary as well. Some have been traveling this road for years... some will not have that luxury, strange thing to call it I know, but those who have been through it will understand that statement. With time, we actually do get a chance to make progress, to grow, and after a while we have the benefit of hindsight. We can look back at things that have happened, and how much has changed between then and now. We can look back, and recognize that those darkest hours, when we felt so abandoned, God was there, keeping us safe from harm. We can finally see that what appeared to be bad, God actually used to bring forth good for and in us. For many who are being called out today, the time factor is running out. They will have to run where we were able to walk. But that too, is part of God's masterplan, and appropriate to each one of us is where we are and how we come into the Knowledge of Christ.

What can one anticipate?

Complete overhaul is one description.

Stripped down to the bare frame and rebuilt is another.

Everything you thought you knew will be placed under a microscope.

You will find yourself being brought down to the very basics, till you willingly acknowledge that you don't know anything anymore.

Faith becomes the rudder you steer your way through with... sometimes desperately clinging with only the barest glimmer of hope that you will ever find solid land again. You may feel deserted, forgotten, invisible, rejected and castoff. You certainly aren't the first, nor will you be the last. But in it all, there will be times when the Spirit of God will come to you, and assure you that this is the way, walk ye in it. The Lord will always give you just enough to keep you coming. He will open doors and close doors, to the point where you recognize that it is God, not you...that you have very little to do with it. All that is left up to you, the only thing you have control of... is whether or not you will come into agreement with Him.

What are the objectives?

That we come to the understanding that God is indeed in control of absolutely everything.

Willingly coming to the place of acceptance and approval of all that God does.

Desiring God's will over & above our own desires.

Learning by experience that God's ways are far different than our ways.

Being conformed to the image and after the likeness of Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dying to our flesh... By carrying our own cross. No longer living according to our feelings, our emotions, our carnal way of thinking.

Growing in our faith and trust in God.

Witnessing His watchcare over us, as He leads us through this wasteland by His Holy Spirit.

Weaning us from the religious mindsets and understandings we once walked in.

What can hinder this growth?

We are not robots. We can choose another way... Trying to escape before the work within is complete.

Refusal to go on; we always have the option to quit, to turn aside, to rebel against the way God is dealing with us.

Listening to other voices.

When we entertain other voices, we are rejecting God's voice to us. It's that simple. The other voices may be very convincing; they may sound much more reasonable. Yet we have not been called to follow 'reason' ...we have been called to follow Christ... to live by the power of the Spirit of God within. This in itself is what makes us a pariah to the world.

Today, we are challenged at the highest level to finish the course set before us. The enemy of our soul has a vast arsenal of tools built up over centuries. With the technology in today's world, we can access more information than we can even begin to take in. There are experts in every venue, offering answers to all the questions. People are desperately seeking for answers, seeking for understanding. And the enemy is more than ready and willing to try and steer us in the wrong direction. With all deceivableness of unrighteousness, to take us back into religion and away from the truth found in obedience and surrender. We must come to a place of brokenness... Before we can be raised up.

Nothing that has been built by man will stand. All of our presumed knowledge is vanity.

Exodus 20:25 And if you will make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone, for if you lift up a tool upon it you have polluted it.

We need to recognize that any and everything we do in our own strength and understanding, though it may have come from the best of intentions and honest desire to do right, is still from the flesh and is polluted in God's eyes. That leaves us to wonder, "then what else is there, what can we offer?"

The answer is simply this:

Psalms 51:17 My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Because of the lateness of the hour, and the depth of the darkness over the whole world and its people, the voices clamoring for our attention are reaching a fever pitch. Due to worldwide terrorism, increased natural disasters, and unimagined depravity of man against man, we know that we are entering the time of the end foretold by the prophets of old. The Lord is going to do a strange and marvelous work...a work that the world will not understand.

But we can come to understanding...

We can be conformed to the image of Christ...

In the process, we may have those times when we can identify with Joseph, with Job, with Moses, with Peter, with Abraham... all of the lives recorded in God's Word become recognizable, because we are being called to live and suffer many of the same things.

Be encouraged!

God is with you!

Give Him all that you possess, all that you are, and He will give you knew life, beyond your wildest dreams... "joy unspeakable and full of glory!" That we might join the throngs that sing His praises....

Rev 15:3 And they sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, saying, Mighty and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God the Omnipotent! Righteous (just) and true are Your ways, O Sovereign of the ages (King of the nations)! [Exod. 15:1; Ps. 145:17.]

Amen & Amen

Cathy Morris

6/10/2007

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