Weblog Entry - 02/26/2003: "Volume 24 - Realization/Awareness by Pat Henshaw, Stephanie Bennett"

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02/26/2003 Entry: "Volume 24 - Realization/Awareness by Pat Henshaw, Stephanie Bennett"

REALIZATION

By Pat Henshaw

I have been contemplating lately what is truly needful among the saints. As we all prepare for the future, I ask, "what is truly necessary?" The thing that immediately comes to mind is the word "realization." It speaks of something that is true, but not immediately apparent. Sometimes it comes slowly like the dawn. Sometimes it is like lightning. The companions on the road to Emmaeus did not realize who He was as they walked and talked with him on the road. They recognized Him in the "breaking of bread." The New Testament word for "fellowship" is the same word we use for communion (koinonia) or breaking bread. Real fellowship facilitates realization.

Paul asks the question, "Are you not recognizing yourselves that Christ Jesus is in you?" This is the needful thing. No one recognizes the Father, except the Son and he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Proverbs 5 recently came alive to me. It is about spiritual adultery. If we are honest, we would have to agree that we have all been guilty of this in some way. Spiritual adultery is a substitution of something that is a natural and necessary part of procreation or fruitfulness. Spiritual adultery is
a contaminant that will destroy the sanctity of the holy union we have with our beloved. He tells us He is jealous over us and speaks of this in connection with an attribute of His nature, consuming fire. The writer of this proverb says he was almost in all ruin in the midst of the assembly. He did not
have to leave the congregation because it was taking place right in their midst.

He contrasts the false with the true in verses 15 and 16: "Drink waters out of your own cistern, and running waters out of your own well. Let your fountains be dispersed abroad, as rivers of waters in the streets."

This well IS Christ in you. Christ's name means "anointed" and we are each individually given full measure of this true anointing. It is ours to realize. We have fallen into error by not recognizing it, but instead substituting it with special people, special so-called "anointings," and even special real estate, termed holy. We are then fashioning things with our own hands. We have all been guilty and we all thought it was the Lord's will. That is why it is spiritual adultery. It does not produce fruit but death.

The good news though is that we are not dead but truly "alive." Dead things just rot away and smell bad. Living things are born and mature and become fruitful. We are meant to grow in the realization of His will. Let this be our occupation.
AWARENESS

By Stephanie Bennett

As realization of our union with Christ unfolds, a wonderfully inexplicable by-product emerges, spilling over into the practical mundanity of everyday life. This overflow is not complicated, nor is it shrouded in deep mystical etherealism. In fact, it is nothing more than the sweet and noticeable
awareness of God's Presence in all circumstances.

Awareness is a strange sort of word, often misunderstood and likely to be misused. Perhaps this is because the word is so often used to describe that nebulous notion of inner utopia promulgated by many of the eastern philosophers. However, this misinterpretation of the word does not negate
its importance as a genuine part of the Christian experience.

In the generic sense, awareness is cognizance or alertness to a given fact. While it is often seen as that mysterious 'something,' sought by all the world's religions, in actually, true awareness can only be experienced by a prior 'realization' of who Jesus Christ is, in us. However, due to the
intangible nature of our relationship with the King of Kings, walking in the awareness of Christ is easy to miss. Many believers go a lifetime believing in Jesus Christ in a strictly intellectual way, utilizing only the
mental capacity to understand and experience faith in God.

So how may awareness best be explained? Probably, it is best described as a 'state of being' rather than a singular experience. Often it begins as a tiny inkling of the reality of the life of God within us, progressing to a more continual state of alertness to this same reality over time.

Paul of Tarsus walked in this awareness of God's Presence, and longed for the young believers to experience this relationship with the Lord as well. While awareness of Christ's presence within each believer is seen clearly throughout many of the apostle's letters, there is a particular passage in which
his words to the Colossian believers describes this union with the Lord most clearly. In the midst of explaining why he cared so much about their welfare, Paul wrote:

". . . . according to God's commission that was given to me for you, that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. " (Colossians 1: 25-28)

Awareness is intangible but entirely practical. In fact, it is the key to living a life of victory, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Walking in the awareness that Jesus Christ IS our peace, our joy, and our victory, AND that these things are ours because HE is in us, is the only way to the life of an overcomer. This quiet, inward turning of our attention to our Lord is the same practice Brother Lawrence wrote about and called, 'practicing the presence of God.' It is not a formula, but a consistent dwelling and considering the Lord in all things.

You may ask, 'What does this mean to consider the Lord, in ALL things?' Simply, it means to pause and reflect upon the Lord's presence in everyday life. It is in the common activities -- those that make up our daily lives --- that we have the opportunity to turn again and again toward the Lord.
It is NOT just going to Him about direction for the 'big' decisions, or running to Him for comfort and help when there's a problem. Often, it is simply a quiet but distinctive remembering of the Lord, or thinking of Him.

This 'remembering' and continual turning creates a renewed and invigorating awareness of our Beloved. At times it will involve the senses, other times it will not. However, awareness of the Lord in everyday circumstances does not rest on what we sense or feel in the least. It is a matter of faith, and we must begin by engaging our faith, not our feelings, to progress in this wonderful awareness of Him.

As we become increasingly aware of our Lord, we will find we can experience Jesus Christ just as readily and significantly while waiting for a traffic light to turn green, as we can while kneeling in focused adoration. Increased awareness gives standing in line at the supermarket new meaning. A
refreshing autumn breeze gives cause to stop for a moment and smile. In fact, all of life takes on a new radiance simply because of the ever increasing awareness of the SON who is shining so brightly within our hearts.

Sometimes, awareness of the Lord can become so acute that it can make one weep. This weeping is not sadness, nor is it particularly related to joy. Rather, the simple, consistent sense of His 'withness' is overwhelming. It is this very awareness of 'withness' that is more than enough to carry us through the most disappointing trials and suffering.

As the reality of Jesus Christ becomes more and more of a daily experience, our awareness intensifies, and we are empowered to live free from the bondage of sin and distractions of this world. As the life of Jesus Christ within us comes more into focus, the trials and suffering encountered become more distractions than perils, for the focus is off 'self,' and on 'Christ.'
His life looms larger and larger, and our problems begin to look and feel smaller as He is magnified. This is how the life of the Son of God within us becomes the grounding, the anchor, and the all-encompassing sufficiency that God intended from the beginning.
Written by Pat Henshaw