Charlie Lewis

The Battle of Kingdoms is, has been and will always be the most dominant challenge for each of us. The entirety of humanity on planet Earth and in-time is faced with this dilemma continually. We are bombarded without end, ad nauseum. If we do not know the truth, we can incorrectly believe that this is how it is and that we have no choice, no say so in the matter. At the beginning of humanity, the first couple was faced with the choice of which Kingdom they would believe, and which Kingdom they would follow. Would it be the relationship and the fellowship with their Friend with whom they spent time in the Garden? Or, would their being exposed to the knowledge of good and evil constrain them to form a religious system of regulation and compliance to govern, to monitor and to manage their lives?

That same battle continues today for everyone, all of humanity. This war rages in the battlefield of our mind, and our choices are played out in public view for everyone to see. The outcomes and the results of our Kingdom choices are clearly observed, and they are readily understood by all of humanity. History records and provides evidence of the results and the outcomes of humanity’s choices of conduct and of behavior for thousands of years.

Because of religious influences it is common for humanity to believe that our Creator God is religious, and that His Word, the scriptures, are also religious.

Both assumptions are incorrect.

Our God and His Word are not religious in anyway. They are completely relational. The scriptures and our Creator are both experiential. They are real and not just conceptual. They are to be a real and active part of our lives and who that we are. They are described as a lamp to our feet and a light unto our path, providing guidance and direction for our lives. The scriptures provide a record of history and they show the outcomes of the choices that were made by humanity that came before us.

The scriptures are more than that to us and for us. A Constitution is defined as a body of fundamental values and principles and the established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed by.

The scriptures are our Constitution. They provide the fundamental values and foundational principles and the established precedents by which we agree to govern ourselves. From cover to cover the scriptures are a book about two Kingdoms, one King, one who wants to be King, and they provide a record of the epic battle between these Kingdoms and their Leaders for control of humanity.

When we make the scriptures religious, we miss their practical, living application and the impact they are designed to deliver to us for the successful and for the meaningful living of our lives.

This is a huge miss that we cannot afford to experience.

It is easy to mistake what is “legal” in the Kingdom of Darkness and in the systems of the world, and what is “right” in the Kingdom of our God and His Kingdom System.

There is a huge difference between what is legal in the Kingdom of Darkness and what is right in the Kingdom of our God.

Legal in the systems of this world does not mean right in the Kingdom of our God. One is temporary while the other is eternal, or forever. Our world is saturated with thoughts from the Kingdom of Darkness. If we do not know there is a difference and if we do not know how to distinguish between the two, we can be deceived into believing what the Kingdom of Darkness is saying is correct. It is not!

Our standard and our guide is and must always be to follow and to be in agreement with the Living, Breathing, Word of our God, which is the Kingdom perspective. Man has no universal laws that are enforceable against lying, stealing, cheating, adultery, abortion, homosexuality and many other activities that all violate our Constitutional Agreement with our Creator God. Their laws are selectively enforced, depending on who you are. If you happen to be a member of government and those who pass the laws, you are often exempt yourself from the laws that you pass for the citizenry. The results for citizens are injustice and tyranny. While these violations are not terminable and they are not unforgivable acts, they are declared wrong and there are consequences. While the consequences may not be eternal separation from our God, there are serious consequences that are not good, to us or for us. Our God has a better plan for each of us and for all of humanity. His plans for us are for good and they are full of hope.

8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: 1) to do what is right, 2) to love mercy, and 3) to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit God tells us through the Prophet Micah how to deal with this battle that we will face continually in this life.

Our charge and the guiding lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path is that first we are to do what is right, according to our governing Agreement, our Constitution that is provided to us by our God, and the guidelines that we have agreed to be our standard. We cannot do wrong and justify our action by what is legal in the Kingdom of Darkness. On that day when we stand before our God and address all of our thoughts, our actions and our desires while we are on the Earth and in-time, it will not be an acceptable excuse or defense for disobeying the values, the principles and the precedents in our Constitution to say we did so because it was legal in the systems of the world. Our standard is the living, breathing, powerful Word of our God.

We live our lives daily at the nexus where the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light meet. We must choose to “do what is right” according to our Agreement with Him. This is always clearly defined and spelled out in our Agreement. We do not have to guess. We cannot follow the incorrect standards that man has defined as “legal” in their system.

Secondly, we must always love mercy and not take advantage of others, just because we can, in business and in any area of life. A “hostile takeover” is wrong. A hostile take over is when someone takes (steals) what they did not build and what does not belong to them. The Kingdom of Darkness has made this legal. It is not acceptable in the Kingdom System of our God.

Thirdly, we must recognize that our success and our favor come as the result of our being in a living relationship with our Creator God, and because we are thankful. We must always recognize that He is our complete source and our complete supply. We bless Him and we bless humanity because of Him and what He has done for us.

All of Humanity is in a constant battle. The Battle of Kingdoms is a continual challenge that we are engaged in with every choice and with every decision that we make. This is not optional. We cannot opt‑out. As long as we are on this planet and in-time, our dilemma and our challenge will remain. No one is  exempt. Not even Jesus, God Himself, when He was on the earth and clothed in humanity. He had to choose which Kingdom He would honor and which Kingdom He would serve. He had a choice to make. Understand this, When God Himself as Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, was on the earth, He faced the same Kingdom challenges that we encounter continuously today and everyday. We also must choose. It is not optional.

5 Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [ [a] in the twinkling of an eye]. 6 And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. 7 Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [ [b] just once], it shall all be Yours.

Luke 4:5-7, Amplified Bible Classic Edition

Here we are presented with what we would consider to be an amazing example of the Battle of Kingdoms at the highest level. This battle is as real as real can be. It is not just imagined or just supposed. We are in a battle for our lives. We are at war. Sadly, many, no most do not know that they are in a battle and the results of their lives speaks loudly of their void of understanding.

In fact, some incorrectly believe there is no God – no propensity for good, and there is no Satan – no propensity for evil. Que sera’ sera’, whatever will be, will be.

The propaganda machine of the Kingdom of Darkness paints a hopeless picture. I apologize that my examples are from older songs. I am not current with the music of the Kingdom of Darkness. While these examples may be older, their message remains the same – Hopelessness and despair without remedy! Take a listen:

Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)

Song as sung by Doris Day

Lyrics

When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, “What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?” Here’s what she said to me “Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be The future’s not ours to see Que sera, sera
What will be, will be”
When I grew up and fell in love

I asked my sweetheart, “What lies ahead? Will we have rainbows day after day?”
Here’s what my sweetheart said “Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be The future’s not ours to see Que sera, sera
What will be, will be”

Now I have children of my own
They ask their mother, “What will I be?” Will I be handsome? Will I be rich?”
I tell them tenderly “Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be The future’s not ours to see Que sera, sera
What will be, will be Que Sera, Sera!”

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What a sad existence! It is all futile! We have no hope, because whatever will be, will be. Our choices and our behavior have no consequences nor effect.

Is That All There Is?

as sung by Peggy Lee

Lyrics

I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire
I’ll never forget the look on my father’s face as he gathered me
up in his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames
And when it was all over I said to myself, is that all there is to a fire
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is
And when I was twelve years old, my father took me to a circus, the greatest show on earth
There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads
And so I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle I had the feeling that something was missing
I don’t know what, but when it was over
I said to myself, “is that all there is to a circus?

Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing Let’s break out the booze and have a ball
If that’s all there is
Then I fell in love, head over heels in love, with the most wonderful boy in the world
We would take long walks by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other’s eyes
We were so very much in love
Then one day he went away and I thought I’d die, but I didn’t and when I didn’t I said to myself, is that all there is to love?
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing I know what you must be saying to yourselves
if that’s the way she feels about it why doesn’t she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me I’m in no hurry for that final disappointment for I know just as well as I’m standing here talking to you when that final moment comes and I’m breathing my first breath,
I’ll be saying to myself
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that’s all there is my friends, then let’s keep dancing Let’s break out the booze and have a ball

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The Battle of Kingdoms is, has been and will always be the most dominant challenge for each of us. The entirety of humanity on planet Earth and in-time is faced with this dilemma continually. We are bombarded without end, ad nauseum. If we do not know the truth, we can incorrectly believe that this is how it is and that we have no choice, no say so in the matter. At the beginning of humanity, the first couple was faced with the choice of which Kingdom they would believe, and which Kingdom they would follow. Would it be the relationship and the fellowship with their Friend with whom they spent time in the Garden? Or, would their being exposed to the knowledge of good and evil constrain them to form a religious system of regulation and compliance to govern, to monitor and to manage their lives?

We will pick up on this Battle of Kingdoms in our blog next week, How Am I to Live, Part 2.

There are people who carry a special anointing that will stir your spirit to greater heights than you can imagine. Charles Carrin is such a person. He is a Giant in the Kingdom of our God.  I am always very blessed to spend time with him. His energy and his depth of spirit are off the chart. His insight and his experience are uniquely displayed through his humble power. While his body is approaching ninety years in time, and gives him challenge at times, his spirit in forever young and he is a very young man in power and in demonstration.
 
The article below is from his newsletter, Gentle Conquest. I encourage you to read it in detail and let the Spirit of God that is in Charles encourage you. His discourse on creationism is top shelf. We all have questions at times, and this is a good reference to keep close.
 
If you would like to contribute to Charles’ ministry, the information is included at the end of the article.
 
We are overcomers. We are not afraid of a virus. Greater is He who is Living in and Working through us than he that is in this world.  We take our shield of faith and we put out every fiery dart of the defeated Satan. No weapon formed against us will prosper. A thousand may fall at our side and ten thousand at our right hand, but it will not come near us. When our enemy comes at us from one direction, our God will send him scattering/running in seven directions. If he persists, our God will destroy him before our very eyes, we will not be running from him. We will live and not die, and we will declare the glory of our God.
 
In His Name, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

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GOD’S WONDER IN THE “WORLD AND IN THE WOMB”  by Charles Carrin   Looking at a map of New York City, you will see thousands of roads, tunnels, bridges, and be astounded at the engineering skill that designed and keeps it functioning.  Using a microscope, do the same with a piece of fingernail, hair, skin, and draw back in astonishment. What you are seeing defies human explanation. Each square inch of skin contains approximately 35 miles of nerves. Blood vessels and other tissues are equally astounding. David tried to express this when he wrote:   “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.” Psalm 139:13-16   An adult body contains 75,000 miles of blood vessels, serving more than 60 billion body cells. Some vessels are so microscopically small that only one blood cell at the time can squeeze through. If all of your blood vessels could be cut open and laid side by side they would cover an area the size of a football field. During its 120 day life-span, each blood cell makes about 75,000 round trips from the heart to other parts of the body. That is a total distance of approximately 5 billion, 635 million miles traveled in its lifetime. Each cell simultaneously brings nutrients and oxygen to the body while removing toxins. In a quiet room, cup your hands tightly over your ears–like you have done with a sea shell at the beach–and listen to the thunder of blood rushing through your body. That is literally the ocean-roar of life racing through you. Friction would instantly burn through your veins and arteries were it not for the protective coating of cholesterol lining their inner walls.   At the moment of conception, the invisible male sperm invades the almost-invisible female ovum and development of the billions of components listed above are perfectly–and explosively–initiated. We have nothing else in Creation with which to compare such massive and flawless organization of functioning parts. For example, in that miraculous event, millions of optic nerves connecting eyes to brain and brain to eyes begin their journey toward each other. At the moment of birth 280 days later all systems climax simultaneously.  Oh, fools! Had we eyes to see, Into the realm of microscopic things; To step inside the spider’s egg, With its own suns and galaxies, Here we’d behold Creation in full display And the flawless pearl of system find, That touches every insect, leaf, or stone, With the same brush-stroke of design.   Astonishment would seize our breath, Silence us as quiet as death, To behold Creation’s chartless realm, Compressed inside the tiniest cell. But more than that, to understand God’s whole in intent in nature Is inscribed in every cell of man.   CC   If for a split-second’s time you could peak into the cell-formation and organizing of body parts in a human baby in the womb, you would see lightening-speed explosions blasting simultaneously inwardly and outwardly in the development of bones, brain, blood, organs, skin, personality, intellect, talents, etc., and all other components. Ecclesiastes 11:5. I Corinthians 12:18.   Imagine a dynamite fuse reaching all the way from Boston to Miami–exploding every building in its non-stop path. What occurs in the development of a single human being involves a thousand times more separate parts than there are buildings between New England and Florida. If that baby is male, within four weeks after conception, all the quadrillions of sperm his body will ever produce will already be formed in his tiny being. Think of it! From a single ovum and a single sperm 280 days later emerges a functioning human being possessing an intellect capable of sending rocket ships into outer space.   Each of those minuscule sperm–containing that embryonic baby boy’s DNA–holds more than 3 billion genetic codes. If you were to spend 8 hours a day looking at each code for one second, it would take two years. If the DNA in that baby’s human cells could be unraveled and strung end to end, it would reach from earth to the sun, round trip, 400 times. Accidental evolution? Hardly. His entire body could be reconstructed from information stored in just one of his brain-stem cells; these are part of sixty billion more cells that compose his total being. The sound of his laughter, the curve of his eyelash, talents and attitudes he inherited from his grandparents are all perfectly recorded. At conception, the genetic code from mother and father merged into an ideal arrangement for the creation of his totally new, unique being. Billions and billions of components perfectly joined.   Be aware that there are more than 100 million different animal and plant specie on planet earth. Of some specie, there may be hundreds of billions of individuals. Each has its own distinctive genetic code. In the presence of overwhelming evidence of man’s miraculous design, the claim of evolution becomes totally absurd.    Look at yourself for a moment: Your brain contains as many synapsis as there are stars in existence. The synapse is the point of contact between neurons, by which nerve impulses are successfully transmitted through the brain. After birth, a baby’s brain continues to expand at the rate of 10,000 new synapses per second. Inside your head, you have a composite of total creation. If all five and one-half billion people on earth were talking on eighteen telephone at the same time, it would almost correspond to the electrical traffic handled by the brain. The corpus callosum tissue separating the two hemispheres of the brain contain as many connections as every telephone line in America. To cut through the corpus callosum of one human being would be equivalent to cutting every telephone line in the U.S. Next time you are outside looking at the stars realize that Creation’s vastness goes just that far inside of you. One much-disputed theory of science claims that the most basic particle of the sub-atomic world, beyond which nothing can be reduced, is “sound.” True or not, we know that Creation came into being when God spoke and sound was released. In the early 1990’s one of Germany’s most influential scientific magazines, GEO, published an article which publicly challenged the validity of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The announcement which startled scientific minds around the world, made the following statement: “Gradual evolution by natural selection, the key element of Darwin’s theory, no longer stands up to the latest scientific results…” In referring to the origin of the Universe, the article also included this statement: “The idea of a preconceived plan instead of a succession of coincidences suggests itself.”  Victor Hugo said, “Where the telescope ends the microscope begins. Which of the two has the grander view?” Nearly 60 years ago I came across a poem by Atlanta author, Ernest Hartsock, whose insight grabbed me and never turned loose. He said:  Ages of earth are in me; I am made Of time’s immortal matter, which is dust; I am old atoms in a new parade, I am iron, miracled from rust. This that is I, has not been I forever; Once it was pearl or spider, flame or fly. Nature’s destination is endeavor, There is no dust beauty will let die.”   The most shocking scientific discovery about the Universe came in 1912 at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, when Vesto Melvin Slipher, an American astronomer, discovered that approximately a dozen galaxies were moving away from the earth at speeds of a million miles an hour. It wasn’t until years later that Edwin Hubble, another astronomer, analyzed the implication and formulated a new theory about the earth’s origin. According to Hubble, Creation had suddenly exploded from a central point from which the galaxies were still outwardly expanding. That point of beginning, they explained, was no larger than the period at the end of a sentence (.) This was distressing news to scientists. Hubble’s discovery was quickly dubbed the “Big Bang” theory.   One of the last minds to accept the “Big Bang” and by far the most influential, was Albert Einstein.   He rejected the theory because “it implied that Creation had a beginning.” As a Jew, he believed in God, accepted Jesus as Messiah, but strangely rejected the idea of God as Creator. In 1930, however, Einstein visited the Mount Wilson Observatory in Pasadena, California, looked at the evidence through the giant, 100 inch telescope and admitted the proof was there: The Universe had indeed originated in a single moment and everything was still flying outwardly from that incredible blast.   The “Big Bang” was not an accidental, uncontrolled, cosmological firecracker. As the physicist Freeman Dyson put it, the universe seemed to be acting in anticipation for the appearance of mankind. In fact, leading evolutionists, such as Dobzhansky and others have agreed that there has not been enough time for mankind to have assembled spontaneously within the time span of our universe.” (Both Italics mine) Dr. David Block, a Messianic Jewish believer, is Professor of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. Besides two Bachelor degrees, Dr. Block holds a Master of Science in relativistic astrophysics and a Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy. He is a world-renowned scientist, a consultant at the European Southern Observatory near Munich, West Germany, and the Institute of Astronomy, University of Hawaii. Relative to the reconciliation of Bible and science, he said “To the person who is seriously seeking, I would say, read the gospels from an objective pont of view, as Albert Einstein did. As Isaac Newton did.”   The next question with which the scientists had to grapple was, “What came before the beginning?” “Who was the Prime Mover?” To this, a British Scientist, Edward Milne, gave the reply, “The first cause of the Universe is left for the reader to insert. But our picture is incomplete without Him.” Fifty years ago, in the middle 1970’s, leading astronomers in England reinforced the theory when they announced they had discovered the galaxies farthest removed from the center point of that “explosion.” These galaxies were actually the “edge” of the Universe. The British scientists went on to make a mind-boggling statement: “Beyond these galaxies, nothing exists; not even space.” At that point, human intelligence proceeds no farther. As one scientist put it, “We are waiting for someone to step out of the crowd and tell us what it all means.” As to the time and place of that “Big Bang” we find both in the opening verse of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” When God said, “Light be!,” light was!   In qualifying its position against Darwin’s long-accepted claim the GEO article went on to explain That the “chief witness” in support of evolution, a fossil of the Archaeopteryx, or a bird-like animal claimed to be the missing link, has “lost its authenticity.” In referring to the origin of the Universe, the article also included this statement: “The idea of a preconceived plan instead of a succession of coincidences suggests itself.”   What the scientists are saying is that the mathematical perfection in creation excludes the idea of accidental evolution; rather, they are forced to admit that the Universe resulted from a “preconceived plan.” Whether we are theologians or scientists, we can prove by unwavering mathematical law that our universe was designed by engineering Intelligence. For example, take ten pennies and number them one to ten. Put them in your pocket and shuffle them. Mathematically, your chance of drawing out number one on the first draw is one in ten. Drawing out one and two in succession becomes one in 100. To draw out one, two, and three, in perfect order, your chance is one in one thousand. By fixed, mathematical law, your chance of drawing out all ten pennies in uninterrupted order is one in ten billion. These are the odds of chance. Simply stated, it can’t be done. Now apply that law of chance to the multiplied billions of related complexities that are necessary for life to exist on our planet.   In recent years, the Hubble Telescope, named for Edwin and stationed in space was given a unique assignment. It was told to select a spot with the least density of stars and photograph it. The site chosen was equivalent in size to a grain of sand held between a man’s finger tips at arm’s length. What the telescope photographed through that tiny, minuscule window was breath-taking: In distances beyond comprehension, it showed stratum after stratum of uncountable galaxies disappearing into the distance. If such a panorama lies behind a pin-prick sized view, how great is the power that exploded the rest of it into being? More wonderfully, how great is the Creator who designed it!   Robert Jastrow, in the New York Times Magazine, years ago revealed more of the scientists quandary when he wrote, “Consider the immensity of the problem. Science has proved that the Universe exploded into being at a certain moment. It then asks, “What cause produced this effect? Who or what put the matter and energy into the Universe? Was the Universe created out of nothing, or was it gathered together out of pre-existing materials?” And science cannot answer these questions. Jastrow continues, “Now we would like to pursue that inquiry further back in time, but the barrier seems insurmountable. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as be pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”   When Einstein was asked by a reporter if he accepted the historical existence of Jesus, he replied, “Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.       I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”   Anthony Flew, an 81 year old British atheist-philosopher who for more than 50 years avidly denounced God, creationism, and Christianity–in defense of Darwin’s theory of evolution–has declared he is now a believer in God. His acknowledgment has staggered the scientific community. Flew is the author of scores of books and academic articles opposing God’s existence, including “Atheistic Humanism” and “Darwinian Evolution.” Renouncing his own writings, he now endorses science’s Intelligent Design Principle, “IDP,” more technically is known as the Anthropic Cosmological Principle, as the explanation for the origin of the Universe. That intelligent designer is God. This is now Flew’s position.* Flew explained, “Darwin himself, in the fourteenth chapter of The Origin of Species, pointed out that his whole argument began with a Being which already possessed reproductive powers.” This is the kind of evidence that converted Antony Flew.   But what is the Christian view of the “Big-Bang”? Good Christians disagree and while I will not argue the point with anyone, I personally believe it is the most profound penetration which science has yet made into the creative-works of God. Even though the Bible gives us no more clue than “God said ’Light be! … Let the dry land appear,’” it is easy to believe that He Himself is the center point of that explosion. Probably, His Throne occupies the “O” degree from which everything shot outward. He is the “Original Light” from whom all other light sprang. But where does this idea of a preconceived plan” take us? We are back at Genesis I: Even so, we must remember that “the world by wisdom, knows not God.” Saving faith will never come through scientific discovery. Science can open the door of inquiry; but only when that inquiry leads to the person of Jesus by whom the Father “made the worlds” can saving faith result. The verse quoted above goes on to say that “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believed.” Believe!        Chas

If you would like to help underwrite the newsletter and support the ministry of Charles Carrin, you may send checks to P.O. Box 800, Boynton Beach, FL 33425 or donate on Charles’ website at https://www.charlescarrin.com/.

Knowing why we are here is extremely important for the successful and meaningful life that we are designed to enjoy. It has been said that one of humanity’s greatest tragedies is to be what the world, the Kingdom of Darkness, calls successful and that is not being what our Creator and our Designer has equipped, designed, and qualified us to do for ourselves and for humanity. Not only do we miss the intimacy, the fellowship, and the results of the anointed relationship we are designed to experience, but all of humanity, present and future, those who come after us, posterity, do not receive the benefits that are to be the results that come from the unrestricted flow of that kind of fellowship and communication with our Creator and our Designer that we are programmed and designed to enjoy, and to deliver the benefits given to us for all of humanity. This is each of our design. We are designed for a living, breathing relationship with our Creator and our Designer through continual fellowship with Him, Spirit to spirit forever. In all of the components of our eternity – our before here, our here, and our hereafter.

Listen to what our “relational” God said to us about relationship with Him.

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Matthew 11; 28-30 The Message (MSG)

Have we approached our God, who is completely relational and not religious at all, through religious methods? His longing and His desire are for relationship with us. Here He tells us how we can know Him, intimately and personally through a relationship that is vibrant and alive. We began our study and review of the “Why am I here?” question with the reference where our Creator says that His people are being destroyed because they do not know Him. The inference here could be that we know a great deal about Him, but we do not know Him personally and intimately through an active, living relationship. Here He clearly describes in detail that we are to know Him through our relationship with Him. He describes the process for relationship as follows. Relationship requires fellowship. Fellowship requires our spending time together with Him. Spending time together requires that we give Him the time. There is no other way to be in relationship.

He begins with the questions that exposes our present experience. “Are you tired? Are you frustrated? Are you worn out with the trying? Has religion disappointed you? Have you given up?” He then tells us how to know Him intimately and personally. “Leave religion and all the other things that you have tried behind and spend time with me. I will show you how to gain real life, and to know and to understand why you are here, your purpose, your reason for being, and how to live without all of the stress of trying so hard. I will teach you how to rest, how to relax and how to be comfortable in your relationship with me. Spend time with me and I will show you how to do life my way.”

Here our Creator uses an amazingly descriptive phrase that describes perfectly the results that we experience when we grasp and when we embrace His methods for living our lives in relationship with Him, when we understand how He has life planned for us, and when we engage life His way. The way He has planned for our life experiences to be with Him in-time and forever. Knowing Him personally and intimately changes forever our life experiences. He so beautifully says, “I will teach you the unforced rhythms of grace.” Here He is describing a life that flows easily and naturally. He clearly states that this will be the result of our observing Him, determining how He does life and partnering with Him for our life.

His declaration to us ends with the promise that He will not put anything on us, no requirement that is “heavy or does not fit us.” How do we get to this place? How do we make this our experience? He closes this amazing insight for us with the way we can make this our experience. “spend time with me, and I will teach you to live freely and lightly!” Isn’t that the relationship that we are searching for?