Dear Friends & Family,
“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. Let’s focus on this truth- as He is, so are we in this world ”. I John 4:17
“As He is”. God is! He is, not was. He is, not will be. He is present now. He always has been present and always will be present. He is I am. “The great I am”. “The I am that I am”. You and I are created in His image as eternal beings. We are born again of His Spirit, which certainly makes eternity very positive. So because He is, you and I too are “I am (s)”. So, you are not a was, and you are not a will be, but you is! This is bad English but nonetheless a transforming reality. He is the great I am, but you are from Him and of Him. You have His divine nature. Because He is, you are.
The source of our mental pain and suffering is from living out of a shallow mental consciousness. Preoccupied with the past and our negative memories. Past mental constructs produce toxic guilt, shame, and regret. Very painful indeed. Then on the other hand, we are preoccupied with the future, worrying and fearing about it. This is torment and drains us of vital energy, creativity, and real solutions.
Both mental states rob us of our connections with Jesus, with our true self, and those we love. Also with those we need to love and reach out to. We literally shut ourself out of, and cut ourselves away from, the overabundant life that Jesus came and died to give us. This is so crazy that yesterday and all yesterdays are gone. They do not exist. We are not promised a tomorrow here on earth, but rather eternal tomorrows which may be here or in heaven. What we do have is the powerful and present now. I will waste all the value of today if I exchange it for yesterday or tomorrow. The exchange rate is terrible. One is gold, the other two are not worth the paper they are printed on. God places such value on the present that He only describes Himself in present tense terms as, I am. So let’s not sell ourselves out. He is, so we is. He is, so I am.
The Lord wants us to thrive in this deeper level of consciousness. The I am that you are, is not the I, that you and others have constructed for you. That I is the ego or false self. The I am, is the true you, the one God created in His image. I am is the born again spirit man. I, is the old soul man. One time my friend heard Holy Spirit say “The I can never be part of the I am”. My understanding at the time was that my prideful selfish ego could not be part of God. That is very much true. It is equally true that the I (ego or false self) can never be part of the I am (the real me). That is good news!
Have you ever stepped back on the inside and listened to the thinker? You can. I did and realized that the one thinking, worrying, fearing, and regretting was not the real me. This gave me a great peace and caused me to realize that I am a spirit. I am not my mind. It is my mind. I am the me that owns that mind.
When I was a child, the scariest ride at Six Flags over Texas was called the Runaway Mine Train. As an adult, I found out that the scariest ride is the Runaway Mind Train. After I rode and thus conquered the Six Flags train, I was no longer scared of it. The truth is that it was totally under control of the rails and systems it ran upon. They controlled it and it did not control them. My mind is not to run me but I am to run it. My favorite part is when I choose to close the amusement park down and shut the ride off. Then I hear things, see things, and know things that I never do when that noisy, clanky, thing is running. This is how and when I connect with God. This is where the new inventions, creative ideas, and real solutions come to us.
When I was practicing law, the solution or winning strategy to a case would inevitably come when I was not thinking about the case. Or maybe even thinking at all. Many times just as I was awaking and before my mind was thinking, an answer would come. Also answers come in dreams and after praying in the Spirit. When the mind is at rest or not even active. So the key is being present. It is being in the now. It is, not was. Not will be. “God is a very present help in the time of trouble “ Psalms 46:1. However, you don’t have to be in trouble to receive His help. Learning to just be. That is, just be present, is key to receiving His help. Sometimes just to be, is the help itself. We must be present to receive a present help from the One who is always present.
My prayer is that these words will be a blessing and a help. I hope they will help you connect with your true self, with Jesus, and with those you love. Also to those who love you and others who need your love.
All is well with the ministry and with our family. Thank you for praying and for helping Soul Harvest. Holy Spirit is leading and I hope to share with you next month some new direction for Asia. Colombia did not open up air travel as previously promised. However, I was able to preach virtually in Bogota for a recent Sunday message as well as in Llano Grande. So even though we can’t travel by plane, we can still share the gospel and the great love of Jesus. Folks were even watching from Venezuela, Miami, and other regions of Colombia. We are at peace and have glistening hope for the months to come.
Your generosity is helping rural pastors, new churches, missionaries, single moms, and the poor in Asia, Colombia, and other places. You are a tremendous blessing! You have an equal part in everyone that is being blessed and helped. Thank you! Please do let us know how we can stand together with you in prayer and agreement.
With Much Love,
Charley & Julie
