The Surrendered Life

  Imputation is the process of replacing missing mental data with moral values that develop our true character. We are born without the knowledge of spiritual wisdom. It is imputed to us through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through daily Bible study, meditation, and prayer. Our true character is revealed to us by the process or transformation of God’s thoughts divulged to us by the Holy Spirit. The knowledge is available to us because we are a spirit being able to reach the power of God through our mind. We go through the process of regeneration where we are transformed from self-consciousness to cosmic or infinite consciousness. We are only limited by the brain power we have available to us. Upon our death or resurrection, whichever comes first, we receive the full revelation of God, enabling us to be in continuous communion with our Creator.
We should take advantage of such a great opportunity while there is still light of day, while we still have life. Nighttime comes to all people eventually, some sooner, others later, but death is truly certain for all. Why should we waste our years on the foolish things of this life when eternity is at our choosing. We do not grieve now, but when night comes the fear of damnation will be upon us. As long as we neglect such a great salvation, our inner wounds will fester with the gangrene of sin. So what then does it mean to turn to God, but to turn away from the world? Repentance is the change of direction where we stop doing what we know is wrong and start doing what we know is right.
  We stand at a place where one road branches off to another. Where turning toward God, using the keenness of our mind, we draw near to Him contemplating His counsels and commands so they may be fulfilled in us. We cannot deny the voice of God as He calls to us through the door of our mind. He is there waiting on our invitation not with dread or pain, but with open arms of love to come and sit in His presence, to exchange the essence of our beings, ungodly for godly, death for life, and hate for love. So we put away all ideal occupations, and suffer not the bitterness of this life for the love of God. Those of us who are given over to these heavenly desires shall experience the glory of God through the eyes of our soul. Happy is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:1-3)
Once we have tasted that the Lord is good we keep our inner eye upon the counsels of God so we can overcome temptation. Profusion of wealth, sexual promiscuity, beauty, and fame are a four-fold noose that is about your neck. This is the rope of spiritual poverty, and the hangman’s trapdoor to eternal hell. Those of us who truly desire the love of Christ with unmeasurable joy, without the heaviness of regret, cast aside all things that hinder us. Sparing not father, or mother, or family, we take comfort in the will of no man, but seek only the will of Christ. We cast our personal ambitions to the wind, placing all our trust in the rock, the cornerstone that was built without hands.
Immorality and worldly comfort will be cast into the trash bin of our past. Inwardly we will look to Christ, lifted up, so sickness, or humiliation from the sight of mankind, or tribulation will only give way to the encouragement that God is our keeper. Many walk in the chambers of the church, claiming to be on the side of God, yet are held back by worldly occupation, and their heart has turned cold to the scriptures. Without a doubt, if they were touched at the least by the love of God they would busy themselves with service to others. Those of us who have freshly turned toward God should make haste to escape the occasions of sin in fear that we will become like those who live a double standard of life, those whose heart has hardened, whose inner eyes have grown dull, and whose freedom in Christ has been compromised. In all these temptations the remorseful should place spiritual armor over their soul to withstand the devil and all his suggestive behavior.
  Everything we love we worship in some form or another. If someone has the desire for wealth, they worship money. Then there is fleshly love…what form or shape pleases you? Is it the color of skin, or the fairness of flesh? Others have the desire for status or fame, and they tend to worship themselves. Those of us who are consumed with the lust for temporal things are hypnotized by the things of this world. We do not realize that these appetites are only a covering for death and destruction, and will often cause the damnation of the soul. These things should move us to despise the world and look forward to the truth of joys to come. Choose what you will, but if you love the world you will perish by the world, and if you love Jesus Christ you will reign in glory with Him throughout eternity.
There is confusion with a Bible verse that we wish to clarify. Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21) The young man, thinking that God was speaking only of wealth, walked away in disappointment. Christians as a group are some of the most well-off people I know. They live a standard of life where they place their finances in God’s hands, and through their faith He blesses them profusely. I had nothing when I surrendered my life to Christ. I sat in church one day, the plate came around, I looked in my wallet, and it was empty. I took $1.43 of change out of my pocket, set it in the plate, and told God this is it, He has it all. Since that time He has blessed me beyond my wildest belief.
When Christ says go and sell all, He is proclaiming that we should change our thoughts and desires. Those who envy the possessions of others are to be charitable, those who are greedy are to be generous with others, and those who are angry toward others are to become meek. We are to abstain from the appearance of evil and become disciplined in all things. Those of us who loved the world and now see the snares that entrapped us into evil will all the more love Christ in everything we do so holy power will be fruitful in our lives. So all the tribulations we suffer because of our faith in Christ will bring us closer in tune with His thinking. This submission of the mind to the spirit enables a man to clearly see his own weaknesses. Seeing this, we can come to an understanding with the Lord so we can forsake all the things of the world that might be a hindrance to our communion with God. From our one root of faith there can spring forth many branches, enabling others to see Christ in us. We obtain this power of faith by the changing of habits in our mind and by coming to Christ who says, “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) When we come into temptation we learn from Christ, thereby gaining a state of blessedness to avoid the desires of sin. But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?” So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones… (Matthew 19:26-28) Those of us who glow in the love of meekness and lowliness of heart will have great riches, and shall sit at the right hand of God.
We as pilgrims of the light, as we embark on our journey, we should keep our eyes fixed on God. Whatever we do, consider it time lost if we are not in meditation with our Maker. Conviction of thought destroys all desires that are not prayer and worship. Openly confessing our sins, exposing our desires, will stop them in mid-thought and prevent Satan from taking hold of our mind. Fasting should be combined with meditation and prayer to strengthen our desire to serve God. We are thinking of our relationship with God, always keeping our thoughts pure from evil, and guarding our senses from the outward exposure to sin. To keep our mouth pure we must be careful with our speech, avoiding too much conversation, and avoid entertaining evil company. To be able to live in such a way is like a flower planted close to a spring-fed mountain brook where we will always be green with respectability and we will never suffer drought, yielding fruit at all times, and being an example to others.
Godliness, discipline, and knowledge are the three branches that spring forth from the root of faith given to all of us who believe on His name. The greater we are, the more we should humble ourselves to God. The more there are who look to us in scriptural need, the more our knee should bow to the meekness of the Lord. When the occasion comes to fellowship with others, let not the thought of God pass away from your mind. Likening Him to a Guardian standing beside us at all times, never parting from our thoughts even for a minute.
Holiness is not the abstinence of things because abstinence in itself is not holy. Wariness helps toward holiness, but if it is careless it hinders it. If we are going to take on individual forms of sobriety we should do this in private so not to indulge our suffering to men so our diligence will be rewarded by God. Therefore, we should be steadfast in our ways and try to remain strong in the presence of man. Through patience and practice perfection will grow in our hearts, and we will come closer to our goal. We suffer life now, but the joys of everlasting will be upon us soon. We will struggle with tribulation, persecution, and be slandered for false sins. It is said that 97 percent of all pastors are betrayed by a friend in the church so don’t be discouraged. Rest in confidence: even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” (1 Peter 3:14)
What is patience but the willingness to suffer affliction. When adversity comes it is time to put on our spiritual armor that we may withstand the evil of the day. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:14:18)
Tribulations are sent to us to draw us from the love of the world so in the life to come we will not be punished for our inequities, but rewarded in our service to Christ. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (James 1:11-13) So you see even the hatred of Satan toward us is a blessing because no man knows whether he is weak or strong until he is tempted. We depose temptation by righteousness so we should not marvel at the fact that we can overcome all temptation so with our mind we will draw closer to God.
  When trouble comes upon the Christian we should run to prayer. There are times when our heart will waver, and thoughts will call us out in the night, but suffer not to stand firm praising God for the opportunity to be tested. So we think of pleasant times where we walked with Christ through the dew of the morning with the heart of a stable mind. We abide in Christ with holy meditation and prayer in rest and endless peace. We have great comfort when we stabilize our heart, singing praises to the Lord and overcoming a wavering mind. When the sweetness of the fire of the Holy Spirit creates a fervent heat within our soul we suffer not our thoughts to waver from God so we rise to prayer and put down the corruption of the flesh.
When we pray, all our thoughts are absorbed with heaven—the incense, the atmosphere of the throne room, and the brilliance of almighty God. We inflame our soul with the fire of the Holy Spirit so the innermost marrow of our soul is revealed. All the worries of this life pass behind us, and perfect silence drowns out the thoughts of our mind so no words can overrun the bliss of quiet solitude with our Lord. Our prayer goes from thoughts, to longings, to thankfulness, and then to song, inflamed with the love of God so our mind is stabilized with the knowledge of Christ, and the wavering ceases to exist. Bow down Your ear, O Lord, hear me; For I am poor and needy. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Think not of ourselves but the suffering our Lord endures for the cleansing of our soul. Imagine in the mind’s eye the cursings, the hunger, the cold, the heat, the disgrace, and the pains of endurance it must have taken upon the cross for One as lofty as the King of all creation. With this in mind, meditate upon the Lord. Other things we can associate in our thoughts are all the souls who are with Christ at this present time. Contemplation of all the joys yet to be discovered and all the love we can show as a service to others.
There is but one righteousness, but many paths one may follow to get there. God loves the diversity of mankind so some may take the high road while others may struggle on the low road. Do not judge your brother in the path he may take because in doing so we are condemning our own. Be helpful to all regardless of their current place with God, always encouraging the brethren. Do not be misguided by what we consider a higher path—it may well be lower to another. We do not know where a man has walked so we are in no position to judge another soul because our paths may cross, but not follow the same road. No one can tell by outward works whether a man is closer or farther from God. Clothes do not reveal the inner man so be careful how you place one man above another.
  God gives counsel to all His creatures, and through meditation good thoughts are of His choice. He sends down contemplations that are best for us according to our state of mind and our condition. We may meditate on one thing while someone else may meditate on something else. None of this is wrong in God’s eye so it shouldn’t be wrong in ours. We should test everyone’s words with scripture to see if they hold up to the guidance of God. We should concentrate on our own teachings rather than interfere with someone else. Leading others to Christ is following the path that God has set out for us. One may minister to ten thousand while another may minister to just one. Both ministries are the same in God’s eye and they are equal to each other.
The Holy Scriptures are important to all of us, and time should be spent daily in our studies. There may come a time in your life when understanding the complicated truth laid out in the Bible becomes difficult. It is with great joy I share with you the Bibliography found in the back of this book. These are the greatest men and women who have ever lived. Here in their works you will find the knowledge of God that will help you with every conceivable question you may have. In my heart I hide Your words that I may become closer to You, oh Lord. So I will always have praises for You on my lips, my knowledge of You will grow daily, and my understanding will be rooted in the Kingdom of God.
Through meditation, prayer, Bible study, and the study of other works we cleanse our mind. Our flesh makes us as a spirit being unclean, because its sensuality is weak and ready to get involved in the lusts of this world. Sin cannot be completely eliminated in this world, but it can be controlled by cleansing our mind as we stay addressed to God, always having Him in all our thoughts. By this means, man will recognize the true meaning of love; by placing Christ first we stay busy with service to others. We give thoughts of God over to joy, and joy over to the singing of hymns.
Our hearts yearn to be released from mortality in order to unshackle the chains of sin and to be freed from the prison of flesh. We want once again to bask in the light of the spirit world, liberated from the plight of mankind. Perfect love is found here, nothing hidden from the mind. There is a true understanding of everyone because all secrets are revealed. My dear soul, release yourself from the troubles of this world, escape into the heavens, and melt into the love of Christ. Overcoming the thoughts of evil, Your love does not fail a heart that burns for freedom with a life trapped behind the veil.
This degree of love chases after the holy things of Christ, where nothing is outward-seeking, there is only the inner mind in which we delight. And while the mind is filled with the love of God, and warmed by its Maker’s light, our meditation is accepted as an offering and the fire consumes it with the King’s consent. The worries of this world cease behind us, the voices of our accusers fade into the past. We share our story as we strive to overcome the world in which we have found no joy. We ascend the stairs to heaven until our time here is done.
  Our prayer is a freedom from all outward worries, and its meek desire is to have the face of the Lord turn to us acknowledging His pleasure of our meditation. As we focus on godly things our supplications are as incense climbing to the heavens. Through quiet contemplation comes wisdom, knowledge, and understanding—a revelation of the hidden things that free us through the darkened glass of wisdom. Observation of the greater things will transcend through the pale light of our dimly lit mind, where we put to death the diseases of the flesh, and we uplift a melody of song in our heart praising God all the day long. Happy is the person who sings in jubilation of the Lord, who through humble patience waits on the Father to turn His listening ear to the prayers and praises of the contemplating soul. Clothed with spiritual deliberation, we can receive healing from the wretchedness of the sins of this life and look to a future life free from the pain of our transgressions.
All these things begin when we exercise voluntary abstinence so we desire nothing but to live free from the profusion of wealth, the adoration of sexual promiscuity, and the snare of fame and popularity. Through our sobriety we may have nothing, but the desire not to have anything is a great virtue. The closer we get to the everlasting light, the meeker we will be toward our accusers. All hatred and fight leave us when our only desire is to counsel the way of the Lord to our adversaries. We who have gained the blessing of meekness despise our own behavior, and will not let ourselves be provoked to anger.
Our meditation leads us deeper into a trance of our inner mind. We are caught up to behold the shadows of heavenly things just like a mirror reflects back light, but more dimly. So will we walk through the shadows of spiritual things by faith as we struggle to behold the light in the theater of our mind. We feel the touch of God as He warms our face from the heat that is within our soul. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. (Psalm 97:11-12)
Holiness cannot be found in crying, or in outward works, but by the perfect love of heavenly contemplation. Many are melted to tears through the experience of the observation of the Holy because they turn back to their evil doings, occupying themselves with the events of the world. Those of us who have truly enjoyed the everlasting love of Christ can never go back. This thought never enters our mind because contemplation is only obtained by great spiritual labor, and the reward is untold joy for all eternity. We, the body of Christ, strive to completely abandon the lies of this world and give our minds and bodies rest as we seek the inflammation of the Holy Spirit. Those who are of this world never find rest from their unrewarding thoughts and are trapped by its vanities. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 5:6)
  Nothing is more profitable than the grace of contemplation. I beseech you therefore to seek out the Lord in spirit and in truth, to examine the phrase “Christ within you,” and to seek out the inner self. Physical things abound around us and turn us to and fro, only leading us farther down the path of self-destruction. Stop, quiet please, listen to your inner mind calling to comfort you. Awaken to the poverty of spiritual riches, and let the world go by on its own. In all things I wish you happiness, joy, and understanding in the Lord. Amen