RELATIONSHIP_part3_D by Nikos Outreach

The Staff and The Sword Ministry Relationship Reports

RELATIONSHIP REPORTS February 1984 to January 1985 @ 2008

By Chuck-JOHNEL Younybrandt

RELATIONSHIP

PART 7 FIRES OF ACCUSATION: THE DYNAMICS OF SELF

DEFINITIONS The one who accuses is really justifying themselves and their weaknesses by blaming someone else for what they are guilty of. So, this report is a double-header: two reports at once! Accusation at its purest definition is "devilish" activity. It has a powerful negative effect on not only the accused but those around them to say nothing of the accuser.

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Accusation by one person against another often triggers self-accusation in the accused as well. A mature Christian can be badly hurt by it, and the baby Christian is utterly destroyed by it. There is nothing more deadly and destructive in the Body of Christ than ACCUSATION because at its center is a void of love, which is terribly infectious. When Christians stop loving, then we are in effect "dead".

EVIDENT TRUTHS vs. ACCUSATIONS There is a very fine line between EVIDENT TRUTHS and ACCUSATIONS,it is so fine a line that except we abide in Jesus' Love and ever look to Him we will hardly realize when we cross over from a pure observation of an evident truth to accusation. How do I see that "accnsers" are the ones gouty of what they accnse others of? Let's take a look as some Scriptures and some Biblical events: King David was guilty of adultery and then murder to cover it up, and so God sent a prophet to him with a story-a disguised version of what he had done. King David leveled a harsh judgment, he was really accusing himself by judging what he thought to be someone else.

When Jesus tells us in the Bible so clearly, so often, "JUDGE NOT LEST YE BE JUDGED," we are seeing the ultimate end of accusation-self

judgment.

Bnt let ns look into the natnre of accnsation

more than its consequence.

That is the very reason that I stress having a living relationship with Jesus, with a focus ever on Jesus. This is so important. It is VITALLY IMPORTANT! All of us in a thousand different ways, both small and large, have been taught to accuse and we do it without even realizing we are doing it.

AN EXPERIENCE: THE NATURE OF ACCUSATION A time back, Jesus led me to minister to a man in a mental institution who was so severely dogged by demons he could hardly think or speak rationally. After a time of deliverance (he was delivered), his problem with re-infestation by demons was constant. Jesus would show me he had need of fellowship with loving Christians and needed time to slowly grow in Him. Then, Jesus would have me work with him for some weeks. By this time (2

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years later), it had become evident he was not possessed but obsessed with demons, he hated them and blamed them for all his troubles and his intense fixation of them gave them power to harm him in many ways.

In a day-by-day togetherness with him for three weeks, each day I would require him to pray for an hour in the morning, reading Scriptures then put his whole focus on Jesus. It was a daily battle to get his eyes off himself and his problems and onto Jesus; but when he did-He came to hear Jesus' Voiceeasily, even to seeing the Lord and Angels. I knew it was real because I saw what he did, but did not say so, until he told me what he saw and heard. Yet,left to himself, he would again slowlyredirect his focus more and more on his problems and get his eyes off Jesus, and returned in measure to his former state. While he was vastly better off than 2 years ago, the problem persisted primarily because too much of his attention was on himself, not on Jesus.

OLD SELF vs. TRUE SELF IN CHRIST When we accuse ourselves or when we are are accused (or both!), our focus is on our SELF. Not our TRUE SELF in Christ, but on our OLD SELF (that is, our soul and that darkness therein). Any of us, that are honest, and face accusations may often see a grain of truth in the accusation. Accusations when they come, come in a torrent, and by hit and miss, some weakness we have that is evident to us is sure to be touched on. Accusations bring us first to look at ourselves, and when we do that we will surely be depressed, and then begin to self-accusing, and then we are in a whirlpool of darkness to deeper darkness. If enough damage is done to a person accused, and the harm is in the soul, we then strongly tend to self-fulfill what we are accused of. Thus, the accusation not only drives one away from Jesus and into the darkness of self, but also compels one to do the thing accused of, and in sinning, the self accusation is strengthened the more driving the accused deeper into sin. The Christian who has not learned to go to Jesus with everything, to keep their eyes on Jesus always, will be spiritually murdered by accusation. By my experience, accusation seems to come primarily from the question-direction and NOT from the question-direction of ARE YOU?

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of DID YOU?

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Again, when we are accused of anything, it seems we immediately (even me) look at "our SELF" first, and Jesus lastly or not at all. Accusation is not something we "receive" it's something thrust into us like a poison-tipped knife. We are better able to withstand accusation from outsiders, but when it comes from those near us, its terribly harmful.

When you make holy habit out of looking to Jesus, and form a relationship with Him. You may at first look at SELF,but out of that holy habit you will lastly look to Jesus, and Jesus is NO accuser or ever will be. He will Loveyou no less, He will give loving counsel, help, and Grace to come through and though you be hurt, you will be healed and more in a time.

MORE? More? As you draw near Jesus, coming to know Him, the Loving Fire of His Presence will begin to bubble out those impurities in you, thus accusers will always have some basis on which to accuse you. What they will accuse you of is "backsliding", but why they accuse you is because, in effect, the bonds of sin are being burned off you, but not them. Once we can understand why they act so, hurt and anger changes to compassion and sorrow for them, we can love them and forgive them and bless them and pray for them and really mean it within. If we ever look to Jesus and earnestly desire His Love abide in us, then Romans 8:28, "AND WE KNOW THAT ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THEM THAT LOVE GOD . . ."-EVENACCUSATION!

DOERS vs. HEARERS At first we are HEARERS of God's Word, then need to be DOERS going to our limit; but only in knowing Jesus personally and seeing this world out of His Love can we experience the Spirit of DOING His Word in Truth, which is Love, which is Jesus! God Bless, Chuck-JOHNEL

@ 2008

The Staff and The Sword Ministry Relationship Reports

RELATIONSHIP REPORTS February 1984 to January 1985 @ 2008

By Chuck-JOHNEL Younybrandt

RELATIONSHIP

PART 8 GRACE WHO? INTRODUCTION As you draw closer and closer to Jesus, you will need to know and understand the function of GRACE. But, Where does GRACE come from? GRACE comes by JESUS CHRIST. Who is GRACE? JESUS CHRIST.

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What is GRACE? Ah, to quote a phrase :"THAT IS THE QUESTION!" In fact, THAT IS EXACTLY THE QUESTION!

RAIN CONSEOuENCEOFSIN

!!f

,,'II

/// "f

DEFINITIONS

OF GRACE

OK let's look at some DEFINITIONS. The Sunday School version of GRACE is: (G) God's (R) Riches (A) At (C) Christ's (E) Expense. Nothing wrong with that definition, except it that is does not tell us much that we can understand or why it's needed or how it is obtained. I can come up with one, just as true-GRACE is: (G) God's (R) Righteousness (A) Accorded (C) Christ's (E) Elect. That's a little closer to the mark-it tells us GRACE had a distinct function. So, what is the function of GRACE? Read on

FUNCTION OF GRACE Now it's true that those who trust in Jesus have GRACE,but Christians slip out from under GRACE quicker than anything else, because they do not understand its function. What is the function of GRACE? When a believer first believes in Jesus Christ, something the Church calls born again' and Jesus calls CONCEPTION-they have GRACE. In the sketch above, top left side we see two newly CONCEIVED babes, now the GRACE of Jesus covers them from the

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rain-shown Jesus.

as "consequences of sin". They are free of the Law, and under GRACE through Christ

Have you ever noticed how baby Christians get such quick answers to prayer, how they can do everything wrong and be blessed anyhow? Then, how after time, this changes? What happens is that as they mature in knowledge of God, they grow out of their diapers, and what was cute and overlooked by God because they were just babes, is no longer overlooked because God is now teaching them disciplines. The Bible calls it "chastisement", which is God's loving correction, and it more often comes when we stray from Jesus, thus out from under the umbrella of Grace and into the rain of "consequences" (AS YOU SOW, SO SHALL YOU REAP). Well, we learn not to stray because God will allow consequences to come, to correct us. So, walking out from under GRACE is one way to lose it, but its not the only one. Another common way of losing GRACE, one seen from coast to coast in this nation, is to not answer God's call. The sketch above, top right, shows the two babes as having grown to the pre-teen state, and Jesus' Call is "COME FOLLOW ME". Thus, one Christian answers the call and follows after Jesus (taking up the cross, which is the self-sin nature); and the other does not (more common) and ends up in the rains of consequence and is out from under GRACE. Thus GRACE is seen as being both STATIC and MOVING. It is STATIC when a Christian is a babe, thus is stays with you, covers you. It is MOVING when the Christian reaches the point where they can take up their cross (self nature) and follow after Jesus. Only the Christian that follows after Jesus stays under GRACE at this point-all the rest are in the rain.

"MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT" When Jesus asked me to go out and warn the nation of coming Judgment I felt unworthy and ill equipped to do that, Jesus would say, "MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT." In other words, as we follow Him to the best of our ability, weaknesses, shortcomings, sin nature and all, He covers us with His Grace. When my own self-sin nature would emerge, and at times it has, it would only affirm my view of being unsuitable and unworthy of serving God; but each time Jesus would tell me, "FINISH, MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT." I, like others, would often think, "I have to stop and get my act together," but Jesus would have none of that in me, showing me to come through trusting Him.'

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GO-AND-GROW or STOP-AND-SINK GRACEwhen it moves before us (like the cloud by day, fire by night in Exodus), requires we keep up. The pace of movement is not such that one cannot keep up, it's that we constantly think we cannot go on a step further, but we can. The question is more, "are we willing to yield to God's Will, Purpose, and Plan?" It's either a YES or a NO. The Christian who stops to get their act together will sink, and backsliding is another word for sink. The fundamental view of "stop-get act together" is in the view that we ourselves can do a better job than Jesus, that we really do not need Him but can do it our all by our self alone. And, if a Christian that does stop following Jesus because of sin nature is acting up, and it seems control is being lost-they may indeed regain control over the sin nature.

APPEARANCE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS But some Christians tend to fall trap to the APPEARANCEOF RIGHTEOUSNESS,because man can only REFORM, it's only God through Jesus that can TRANSFORM, and that takes FOLLOWING JESUS. Take a look at the following Scriptures [emphasis added to all four Scriptures]: ' ". . . FOR AS YE HAVE YEILDED . . . TO UNCLEANNESS AND TO INIQUITY . NOW YIELD .TO RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO HOLINESS." (Romans 6:19). ' "BE NOT OVERCOME OF EVIL, BUT OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD." (Romans 12:21). ' "LIKEWISE THE SPIRIT ALSO HELPETH OUR INFIRMITIES . . ." (Romans 8:26). ' And He said unto me (Jesus to Paul), MY GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR THEE; FOR MY STRENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS.' Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (II Corinthians 12:9). When we STOP following Jesus to REFORM ourselves, and often it takes the form of an "Appearance of Righteousness", we cease being YIELDED to the Holy Spirit of our choice. We will not be yielded to the uncleanness and iniquity that stirs up in our members and though we gain a visible control over it, it simply takes another form in our actions.

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AN EXAMPLE Here's an EXAMPLE: A brother once told me how he had a problem with "lust" but got control over it, and was free of it. I asked his definition of "lust" and "sexual" was his reply. I pointed out that this was only just one dimension of "lust" and told him he had not overcome the problem but simply changed its form. What was evident to me was that this brother now had gone from the red horse of" sexual lust" to the blue horse of a "lust for food and sleep". "Lust" still had control over him, only it was not evident to him. Now he ate food with a compulsion and slept long hours well in excess of the physical need. I do not ridicule "REFORM" in that lacking anything better. But, it is better than nothing. There is, however, a better something, and it's found in Following Jesus and being yielded, submitted and surrendered to Jesus Christ.

TRANSFORMATION When we seek to follow after Jesus, we are in a respect yielded, yet I have found that through prayer, praying to be yielded, we do far better. In following Jesus, being yielded, I have found that when what's "evil within us"bubbles to the surface in the Fire of His Love and Presence is not so much overcoming us as it is coming out of us and leaving. GRACE covers us in this time and we learn overcoming evil with Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit most certainly helps us in ways both obvious and subtle. The process of TRANSFORMATION is gradual, and I doubt if many could take "instant change"-it would be like being hit by a bolt of lightning. Jesus has in this way over the years transformed me in many ways, but there were and are areas that I'd not yielded to Him (unknowingly) and these had to do with the desires of my self nature, in and out of my free will. Therefore, even if it's our desire consciously to be wholly submitted and yielded to Jesus Christ, it's almost certain that in some areas where we have strong desires (long standing ones) that we are not yielded here because a free will desire is active. Nowin all of this (the FUNCTION OF GRACE) is to spare us, as we Follow Jesus, of the consequences of that active sin nature. And if it breaks loose in one way or another, the worse that happens to us is that we are humbled in seeing something in us that we hardly realized was there. So long as we cling to Jesus and Trust Him, and keep following Him, He not only by GRACE spares us the consequences of sin, but more, frees us of the compulsion to sin that more and more we do put on His Righteousness.

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KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD & EVIL But, we need define EVIL and SIN in light of this consideration. The ultimate definition is when Adam and Eve desired to be like God (being tempted) and the forbidden fruit was "KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL." In so partaking, they made value judgments (naked for one) calling what God called good-evil. Naked essentially means "uncovered" and while they were COVERED BY GOD they needed no fig leaves. When they came out from under His cover, they saw they were naked, they no longer looked to God but to themselves as "a god". From this time on, what God called wisdom, men call folly and visa-versa. The point being this, Adam and Eve had a RELATIONSHIP with God and were covered-GRACE. When they looked to themselves as being "like god" they were not covered and APPEARANCE was their concern. Thus evil' or sin' and looking to SELF or MEN are virtually identical. SIN is a rebellion against God, but it takes very many forms and again essentially its being SELF-CENTERED.

GRACE

= RELATIONSHIP

So I see that GRACE = RELATIONSHIP, coming to know Jesus Christ and believing in Him, we are conceived, a Holy Seed is within us, our true self in Christ is growing. At a certain point, we as babes being under GRACE, grow to where we can Follow Jesus, taking up our cross (old self nature), if we do, we now follow GRACE and by Him see the sin nature overcome. However by APPEARANCE, men may say we are NAKED, judging God's work in our life as evil, tempting us to run back and put on the "fig leaf". If we do, we judge God, and this Paul the Apostle talked much about in Scriptures. One cannot be "faint-hearted" in following Jesus. Yet, as we do HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT.

THE GRACE OF FATHERS & THE GRACE OF THE BODY Abraham believed God, and was counted righteous for this. Abraham is called "father Abraham", even Paul referred to himself as a "father" and it would not be incorrect to call Martin Luther of the Reformation a "father" as well. Some years back Jesus would tell me I'd be like Abraham and "father many children". At the time, I did not grasp the meaning very well, thinking in the natural and spiritual both, wondering which (either/or). But to put it into perspective, I came to realize that I had God's GRACE long before I knew what GRACE was, and by that GRACE had FAITH before I had HOPE, which is Scripturally reverse order. So Jesus would tell me I was sent and called to a specific work, that I would learn, then teach this to a few and the few would teach the many.

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So it was I'd see that I had this GRACE (Individual Grace) to the end that all might have the opportunity of entering into a Corporate Grace (GRACE OF THE BODY OF CHRIST).

The rampant legalism in the Church today tells me its largely under LAW not GRACE. What the Church should be is a place where the bond of Love for one another be of prime importance, and except in and out of a living relationship with Jesus, and a life of prayer, such a bond of Love is virtually impossible. The difficult and painful learning process I have gone through and am going through is not the most excellent way. Except for GODS GRACE that covered me, I would not have endured, and that unique GRACE, the Grace of a father type, is not made available to everyone as God's Plan is really to have the GRACE OF THE BODY become functional. Jesus does not want a bunch of independent mavericks apart from each other running around serving Him. Why? Each of us are differently made by God, some are strong in this area, weak in that, none are alike. We function best together in Christ in a strong bond of mutual Love in prayer. When an individual follows Jesus, the sin nature is a problem-but in a loving Body of believers that look to Jesus and pray-that same sin nature would not manifest in the same way it does with an individual. Some are very weak, and in a BODY UNDER GRACE, others that have a stronger relationship with Jesus, can in a bond of love and prayer, bear some of a brother's burden of sin. Thereby all grow in Christ shoulder to shoulder. Each Christian is co-equal in Christ, and though some have an anointing to teach or whatever, they are not above brethren except in having a greater responsibility before God.

DIMENSIONS OF GRACE Thus GRACEis seen to have many dimensions, it covers the babe until they can follow after Jesus, and covers those that do FollowJesus. By God's anointing and call on some, it's unique, but designed to bring all Christians under a GRACEFOR THE BODYthat all might grow in Christ in and out of a unity of love and prayer.

UNDER GRACE vs. IN GRACE But lastly, being UNDER GRACEis a temporary thing, not permanent. For as our relationship with Jesus deepens (the more you look to Jesus, the more you look like Him), we come to the place where union with Jesus becomes possible, and then we are IN GRACE.So being UNDER GRACE is only designed by God to cover us until we can be "IN GRACE." @ 2 008

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IT'S STILL ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP But, what does this have to do with the HOW OF RELATIONSHIP? Again, the closer you draw to Jesus the more you will see that this sin nature in you is very active and more so than you thought. As we yield the more to Jesus' help in overcoming these weaknesses, we need understand that the function of GRACE is to cover us in this time of TRANSFORMATION. This does not mean that we do not have to repent of sin in any form, for the basic definition of repentance is a turning away from sin (SELF) and a turning to God through Jesus Christ (RELATIONSHIP). Thus, we can now see that REPENTANCE is a progressive turning away from SELF and a turning more and more to JESUS, and in this transition, we are to know GRACE covers us. God bless, Chuck-JOHNEL

@ 2008

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RELATIONSHIP REPORTS February 1984 to January 1985 @ 2008

By Chuck-JOHNEL Younybrandt

PART 9 JESUS OUR FRIEND: BEING SAFE LETTER OF THE LAW vs. SPIRIT OF THE LAW "FOR THEY BIND HEAVY BURDENS AND GRIEVOUS TO BE BORNE, AND LAY THEM ON MEN'S SHOULDERS; BUT THEY THEMSELVES WILL NOT MOVE THEM WITH ONE OF THEIR FINGERS . . ." (Jesus in Matthew 23.'4).

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Our relationship with Jesus is all important here: it is all the difference between the LETTER OF THE LAW and the SPIRIT OF THE LAW. In the Scriputre reference above (Matthew 23:4), Jesus is speaking of what we DO and what we DO NOT DO-speaking of legalism as less weighty (important) than the greaterweight (more important) of "JUDGMENT, MERCYAND FAITH" (verse 23). What is important to note is that Jesus qualifies tithing (which I call legalism) and "Judgment, Mercy and Faith" all as "THE LAW." In the U.S. legal system the parallel is seen in two versions of the law, version OF THE LAW and version #2 is THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW.

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is THE LETTER

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LETTER vs. SPIRIT: A SIMPLE VIEW There is a simple view: if a four-year old child started a fire by playing with matches and a house burned down. By the letter of the law, the child should go to prison for arson, but by the SPIRIT OF THE LAW(Judgment in this case) no legal action would be taken. In present day Iran, under strict Moslem law children are being executed for breaking the law and here was see THE LETTER OF THE LAWand being weightier than THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW. The present day church system too perfectly fits within the definition Jesus made in Matthew 23 and the effect it has had on each of us becomes a factor in our relationship with others, ourselves, and Jesus. What I speak of is HEAVY BURDENS: we are taught "heavy burdens" and we in turn do the same thing to ourselves and others. But more on HEAVY BURDENS later . . .

BEING FREED BY LOVE We are too hard on ourselves and if we have had any kind of normal upbringing, we practice self abuse as if it were a virtue. We know we are not perfect, yet we are deeply disappointed when it is an evident fact by our mistakes and we tend without conscious awareness to "punish" ourselves for that lack of perfection-as if that action would make us more perfect. But is does not accomplish that, rather we assume greater burdens on ourselves. Excessive fasting can be a self assumed burden, excessive prayer can be a burden, and all of it comes under the heading TRYING TOO HARD or STRIVING or GOING PAST OUR LIMITS. What HEAVY BURDENS create in us is a personality out of balance, we lose sight fo our true self. When we are not sacrificing (the burdens part) then we are self-seeking and both in excess. What do I mean?

It is not what we do that counts, though we need go our limit, we need also see we have a limit. It is truly who Jesus IS that counts and all the self-purging exercises we can dream up to not enhance or make better our relationship with Jesus. In fact, they become stumbling blocks.

HEAVY BURDENS Here's a little more on HEAVYBURDENS . . . Years back, I would purge myself at regular intervals with severe fastings, destroying everything that was a hindrance (in my eyes) to a walk with God, forcing myself to pray endless hours, and keeping my nose in the Bible hour after hour. And then, when I eased up, I was so self-seeking and driven by suppressed desires that what followed virtually undid any holiness I gained in the HEAVY

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I ended-up with an exaggerated view of myself, very holy (self righteous) at intervals followed by compulsions that left me with a reverse self image (very unholy). But, it wasn't Jesus laying these heavy burdens on me, it was me laying heavy burdens on me.

THE EXPERIENCE LEVEL When any of us hear about Jesus for the first time, when we read the Bible, listen to a sermon or whatever-what we do is that we understand what we hear and read out of our own personal experience frame of reference. We have no real way of grasping the essence of what JESUS' LOVE means because we are bound by our human love experience which as good as it gets is limited and too often CONDITIONAL.Jesus' love is unlimited and unconditional. Yet, locked as we are to within the confines or our own experience, we cannot really comprehend the true meaning of Jesus' unconditional love UNTIL we experience it.

MY EXPERIENCE Out of the rigors of my self imposed heavy burdens I did gain a side benefit, which was a discipline of daily prayer. The Lord led me to "ease up on myself" and as I did, prayer became more and more a conversation and less a toil and heavy burden-that's when I could be in prayer six hours and it felt like a few minutes, for it became a joy. That joy was a conversation with Jesus. An artist might depict a walk with Jesus-an excellent example in many ways. Jesus' Love is unconditional to the extent all fear of anything and everything fades away instantly, and He can talk to us about our deepest darkest sins in such a way (lovingly) that one is not ashamed or convicted or condemned. And, it is that loving truth that does not offend in the slightest degree that actually sets us free of the very sin inclination in us. There is nothing hidden from Jesus and when we are with Him in prayer-meditation we KNOW this, and there is NO FEAR. Because He does not judge us, I began to learn how NOT to judge others. Because He accepted and loved me the way I was, and loves me the way I am, I learned to accept myself and to accept others all at the same time. But none of this was forced on me, by me, Jesus or anyone else-in talking to and being with Jesus, the more I KNEW Him, the more Iwanted to be like Him and He did all the rest and is doing more.

My experience was that as I eased up, became myself in balance and accepted myself as He did, and yielded to Him as the One who transforms (not myself or man's system) that then and only then, @ 2008

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changes happened in me. Of course, He works slowly and transforms at a rate we consider too slow and often we can hardly perceive the change in us. I know today that sin-areas in me were so totally removed from me that today I can no longer remember what they were. And, this is an interesting experience: in the areas Jesus transformed me over the years, there is today absolutely no recall of what I was like in those areas when sin was prevailing. What this means is that as we change into His likeness by Him, coming into what we are in Him, what we were ceases to exist even in memory and it not longer can be feared. If a man were a homosexual and was reformed out of that sin nature, the memory of the past would always present itself with the FEAR falling back into it. That FEAR alone would always present itself in such a person as a latent or hidden tendency. Yet,when Jesus transforms a person, His Love removes not only the fear but the memory with it. As a result, the person is restored to innocence. Where we need remember one thing: ONLY JESUS CAN DO THIS!

WE WALKED & TALKED One time, I was taken into the heavens and Jesus and I WALKEDhand-in-hand down a beautiful path in Heaven and TALKED.A Christian will never rightly understand the meaning of the concept "Trust in Jesus" until they have experienced His Love in this way.You feel His Love, you feel totally safe with Him, no subject is forbidden, no question is forbidden. There is no earthly experience to remotely parallel it. So, it is repeatedly said that each of us need seek a personal relationship with Him but this is only the beginning. When we speak of Jesus' Second Coming, we usually realize that a preparation for His Coming is called for yet how many know what it is? Each of us are members of the Body of Christ and we should be with each other the way we are with Jesus, as He is with us. So long as we lay heavy burdens on ourselves, we will never be able to do anything less to others around us. It is as true for the Church system of man as it is for the individuals out of that system.

BUT HOW CAN I?? Ican't-you

can't-we can't!

But, JESUS CAN!

So, how can you talk to Jesus as I do? It really is easy, so easy it will stun you!

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The Staff and The Sword Ministry Relationship Reports Here's how: you pray, you look to Jesus in your heart, you talk to Him, and IMAGINE a conversation.

GOD'S GIFT OF IMAGINATION IMAGE is the key word in IMAGINE, meaning picture in your mind literally WALKINGAND TALKINGWITH JESUS. We tend to forget that God speaks to us in pictures, in dreams and visions and words themselves are only symbols that depict images of things we know or have seen. We forget that we are made in God's LIKENESS AND IMAGE, thus we have on a small scale His make-up within each of us and talking to Him is so easy we get hung up on man's teachings that block what is in fact our second nature (first actually). A time back, I realized that Christians always see Jesus but do not have the sight in their conscious minds because they have been taught to believe it impossible, therefore block themselves off from seeing what they see. If they have their awareness raised to the point to where they KNOW its possible they usually feel themselves unworthy (blocking again) and go the wrong direction, trying to be worthy by the HEAVY BURDENS route. The greatest hindrance is actually FEAR-we fear to see Him fearing He will be angry with us over our wrong doings (He will not), fearing He will scold us over something, fearing He will tell us something we do not want to hear. It is all unreasonable FEAR and it is this that lastly blocks us from the closer relationship. Using the God given gift of IMAGINATION, being child-like, and simply imagining in our mind out of prayer, out of a view of His Love as given here, both seeing and talking to Jesus we can cut through all the fear barriers at once.

At first we will think (automatically) that it is only our imagination (we are in control) and be comfortable with imagining Jesus with us. To do this requires a child-likeness and innocence which we can by our choice exercise in a free will choice. But, after a time of imagining we will begin to realize that it is not our imagination, we will begin to realize that in fact we ARE seeing and talking to Jesus Christ.

FEARING FEAR FEAR is the major hold-back in all of us and it is an institution in the Church system of man; but IN CHRIST THERE IS NO FEAR. A person might fear to imagine seeing and talking to Jesus for fear of deception. Yet most deception

The Staff and The Sword Ministry Relationship Reports is in us: it is self-deception. It is possible that at first by imagining seeing and talking to Jesus that our own spirit-soul will speak to us, as well as Jesus. Thus, we may hear 50% from Jesus and 50% from ourselves. Consider it, before we began to hear 50% from Jesus we were likely hearing 100% from ourselves. There is nothing in Scripture that tells me that growth in Christ in not a trialsome and painful process because it is, dying to self involves pain but also joy in great measure at the same time which more than compensates for the pain.

There are no fool proof systems in the Church today except an abiding ultimate and absolute Trust in Jesus Christ to keep us, one and all. Anything more or less than this is fail certain. A secular writer (Sydney Harris) made an observation worth quoting here [I regret to note that I no longer have the publication reference for this quote, but the quote is especially important to this discussion]: "Even religion has failed to liberate and unify man, because it's adherents have never

tried to do what it's founders hoped for; from the bloodthirstiness of the Crusades down to the madness of the mullahs, the love of power has triumphed over the power of love. Chesteron said, Christianit y has not failed,' it has never been tried." Not long ago, a young prophet traveled with me a period of weeks, but he FEARED the power of demons (obsession) and was very subject to deceptions and could not discern Jesus. In a matter of days, by leading him in prayer, by instructing him to know how to discern, he was hearing Jesus' Word clearly and with ease and seeing Jesus as well. How was this done? I loved him as a brother and there was no subject or view he could make that was not heard in Jesus' Love. In an environment of unconditional love, with the modest prayer discipline, he was set free in a matter of hours and moved by the Spirit of God with ease. Where Jesus is the focus, where Love of Him is primary, where there is no condemnations and an abundance of encouragement to simply move by the Spirit of God Christians readily blossom in Christ. The Love of Jesus removes fear, and when we begin to experience His Love personally from and in Jesus Himself, we are set free.

FREEDOM IN CHRIST But, freedom in Christ is something so totally new to us that when we move from the narrow confines of heavy burdens', of the DOs and DON'Ts system to the broad open fields of Jesus' Love and openness we feel uncomfortable and tend to run back to the confines to feel safe. But, we will never be safe in the confines only prevented from ever reaching the potential Christ Jesus has given us. @ 2 008