There are two places most people expect to catch a glimpse of God: In church or in nature. The trouble with that is we are neither place often enough to then live as if God is omnipresent. God becomes an add-on rather than a constant companion.
“A primary but often shirked task of the Christian in our society and culture is to notice, to see in detail, the sacredness of creation. The marks of God’s creative works are all around and in us. We live surrounded by cherubim singing, Holy, Holy, Holy.” Eugene H. Peterson, Christ Plays in 10,000 Places.
In the above quote Peterson is not using the word creation as we often do, in the sense of wilderness and nature untouched by human hands. Peterson rather is using it holistically, meaning all that God has created: humans, and even the good things we have made.
The pictures below are from an evening with a friend on the deck of a trendy place called Tsunami. God was not only in the sunsets, but in our conversation about family, frogs, rootedness, what the future holds, and most of all how we two are simple men who are trying to live authentic lives of faith. Such things are hard to catch in photos. So, the glass of wine reflecting the Cajun sunset will have to also reflect seeing God in the spaces between two people.
The tug toiling in the golden water . . . well what metaphor is that?
Eugene C. Scott doesn’t usually look for God in cityscapes, but maybe he should. Join him in the year The Year of Living Spiritually. You can join the Living Spiritually community by following that blog and clicking here and liking the page. He is also co-pastor of The Neighborhood Church.
The Neighborhood Café 
Nice pictures!,… I “see” God, more because I “feel” God, than because I “see” God,… So even if I’m looking at a beautiful sky, but “feel” nothing, I don’t really “see” God in there either,… Under the influence of a spirit of depression, in a culture or in an individual, a sky might appear to be artistically beautiful, but meaningless,… maybe one can sometimes sense a tiny vestigial hint that “something” once has influenced this manifestation, or even set this sky drama in motion, but it now seems divided/separated from our regular consciousness,… untouchable,… unreachable,… so we say that’s how God is,… unless we’re really depressed and feeling nothing at all,… and then we say “God simply doesn’t exist” or that if He does, He isn’t concerned about/doesn’t love you or me,… We make our own definitions and explanations about God,… even the “cave men” did that,… we “know it all”,… we’re superstitious,… we’re lazy and self-centered and selfish,… we’re preoccupied with living in the sense realm,… we pass a lot of time and energy that way,… but we’re not happy or satisfied,… so we start blaming God again in fairy tales that we make up,… or we settle for blaming each other and fighting wars,… and so it goes,… our so-called “normal consciousness” is a flat-out frustrating prison,…
The “world” (in its early days) must have been pretty “lost” and stumbling around like this when God sent the flood, saving only Noah, his family and a whole lot of suddenly very endangered species,…
Eventually, as He could see that humans are naturally spiritually blinded, He knew that He would have to reveal Himself to humanity in some way,… Beginning with Jews, being pulled out of Babylonian culture, He began to teach with “the Law” and prophets,… Sending Jesus Christ “in the flesh” upped the ante to a new and better proposition for mankind,…
But, all the while, satan — who is reluctant to give up his kingdom, his usurped hold on the world — resists,… a staunch enemy with a vested interest in maintaining the “status quo”,… providing multitudinous misguiding substitutes for “the real thing”,… and man is in the middle,…
Our problem becomes “who (which one) do we believe?” and how do we “seek until we find?”,…
Without belaboring the point — (maybe!) — the biggest problem we have, is all the choices that are now set before us at any given moment, and how we evaluate them, and what we choose to follow and focus on, and what we deliberately eliminate,… (eliminating is very important!),…
I’ve made my own personal studies, determinations and selections,… I’ve considered/perused many things in order to understand more or less what’s involved in various traditions and teachings,… as a young adult, and then mother, college tutor, etc., I was trained in science, also focused avidly on art, music, languages, and was always drawn to spiritual things,…
I wasn’t a druggie or alch-y by any stretch of the imagination, though many around me were,… & their lives were tellingly much more frustrated, confusing, depressed and even compulsively frenetic than mine, or than anything that I was seeking,… so there was little, if any, temptation to consider that as a desirable route for myself,… actually, I wanted to “put distance” between myself and these types,… since decades have passed since those times, I can vouch for the fact that this was a VERY GOOD IDEA,… !!!
Since thunder has replaced a lovely sky (blue with white clouds), I’m going to send this much,… in case something electrical might get everything “lost”,… but I intend to add more,… (-:
OK,… blue skies returning,… So, for myself, I chose a simple, honorable path, where faithfully “doing good” would bring its own positive reward, no matter what, and inner satisfaction,… and continued to “seek”,… I don’t think “finding God” or “seeing” God is a short-cut to living out an everyday responsible life,… or an escape hatch into some kind of extra-glory realm, either,… although it usually does make us feel better!,… (-:
One good example for me (I might have told this before) is that back in the 80s, when my kids were still youngsters, and life was that kind of day-to-day stuff that you do, I clearly remember being downtown, near the library, walking on North St., and saying directly to God: “You know?,… I don’t feel cut-out for this kind of life, here in this town (actually we lived outside of town on an old, small dairy farm),… I’m content with very little, actually,… maybe I/(meaning we) should be a missionary!,… I could live in a more simple environment,… What do you think, God??” I really meant it,… I felt like I definitely “belonged” somewhere, but where I was, wasn’t it,… and I got a straight answer from God immediately,… He said (very matter-of-factly): “BE a missionary in your own hometown!”,… duh,… … … OK,… … … I just said something like, “… but NObody ever even listens to me here!”,… … and that discussion was over, and I didn’t apply to the mission fields,… but the day-to-day remained,…
So, that could have been almost 30 years ago, and here I still am,… (-:
I DO belong here, for now,… although I consider eventual moves to locations where children have settled and grandchildren are appearing,… but NOT just yet,… and, I AM a “missionary in my own hometown”,… just as God said,… where I was a head cheerleader and Valedictorian of my HS class,… but also returned after graduating college, having found God (or rather, God finding me), and having made a difficult marriage “unawares”,… survived here and raised children quietly, while tutoring at the local college, and doing church things and Bible studies and Charismatic prayer meetings,… I eventually suffered a nervous breakdown, of sorts, after many years of stress and “under the radar” abusive influences,… but never blamed or gave up on God,… kept on “seeking” more of God,… was slowly but dramatically healed, restored and raised up,… found many ways to serve a faithful God,… now, in church, mainly musical in focus,… and for the last 15 years or so, have been part of the Spanish language group of our local Catholic Church, facilitating/directing their choir (even though I don’t really speak Spanish! — where there’s heart and faith and goodwill, there’s a way!),… and God’s words to me were true: I am being a missionary in my own hometown,… and I “feel” God much more in my daily life, than I actually ever think about “seeing” Him,… “Seeing God” usually involves me going on a special search for a time of a “special treat” — (an exclusive personal retreat, even if somehow just for a few moments, with God),… I have my special times and places where I can be, and God DOES faithfully meet with me,… ‘s wonderful, as they say!,… it even seems like He waits for me/is glad to see me looking at/for Him,…
Since I’ve put so many details in this more personal depiction, I should go ahead to mention that one thing that I (unintentionally) learned A LOT about was “spiritual warfare”,… various (unavoidable) conditions were contributing to this, including familial influences and attitudes, as well as well-developed local satanically-intentioned deceivers-and-challengers of the believing/practicing Christians of the day (and that was us!),… I remember smiling on my 50th birthday, and announcing happily to my friends, that God must have told satan that if he hadn’t managed to kill me by the time I was 50, that he had “lost his chance!”,… and it does seem to be so!,… I kind of spend a lot of time laughing at the devil these days!,… and “he who laughs last, laughs best” is still true,… and, it WILL be Christians laughing, when “all is said and done,”…
God’s faithfulness and sensed presence, over the years, makes it easy to mentally see and imagine Him everywhere, in all His glorious forms, if/when we have fed on and saturated ourselves with the gifts He has already provided for us via “inspiration” to/of His various and faithful servants over the centuries,… Art/beauty in the tangible/visible forms of: music, sculpture, paintings, architecture, literature, etc., are infused with God’s heavenly essence,… this is why they are such great treasure for humankind,… and not easily simulated/imitated,… much more easily desecrated, mocked and besmirched by the rebellious and unbelieving,…
While arrogance might crave/strive to occupy the place of being the earthly co-creator of an undeniable heavenly masterpiece,… humility will simply enjoy being blessed by the talent of others and savoring the divine inspiration contained within,…
… & here comes the thunder again,… bbl, to finish,…
edit: “(even though I don’t really speak Spanish! — where there’s heart and faith and goodwill, there’s a way!,… and kind, bilingual Spanish people!)
I’m always fairly amazed by my own “‘Stay in your own hometown,’ said God” story,… (i.e., “Bloom where you are planted”),… (especially because from a young age, I was actually a southern transplant to here, and always felt like somewhat of a misfit),… from unpredictable situations of the “sublime to the ridiculous” and the many shades of hum drum in between, so much has transpired right here, over the years — while it might have appeared that nothing much was really going on, day to day, other than going around in the same types of mundane circles,… I certainly often wondered what I was doing here, looking expectantly for great transcendence “in God”, while dealing with so much ordinary external blah, and even a very determined style of frustrating under-the-radar style resistance,… But gradually, the words God very clearly had spoken to me, (only that once), seemed to prove themselves accurate and purposeful,… so who am I to question?,… God gives us life,… we can do nothing better than to give it back to him,… “He is the potter, and we are the clay,”… He also very well knows and understands the beginning from the end,… what He can use and how,… Had I been very determined to go chasing my own imagined rainbows instead, I have no idea where I would be now, or what I might be doing,… and it makes me sad to think that I could have missed all the blessings I now have,… God is so trustworthy, faithful and good,… He is “our very present help in times of trouble,”…
Isaiah 64:8 “But now, O LORD, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand.”
Psalm 9:1-11 (edited)
1 “I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
2 “I will be glad and rejoice in You;
I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. …
7 ” … the Lord shall endure forever; …
8 “He shall judge the world in righteousness, …
9 “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed,
A refuge in times of trouble.
10 “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
11 “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!
Declare His deeds among the people.”
Amen!
edit: … to/of and by His various and faithful servants …
edit: “such great treasures”
Humility has led me to savor the great depictive art of the Catholic Church from over the centuries,… it can be very nourishing and instructional to that part of ourselves that wishes to “see” God, or evidence of God,… (I’m speaking for myself here),… I naturally enjoy contemplating art, so “it works for me,”… for others Scripture is a perfect gateway into perceiving the essence of God and His divine/heavenly kingdom,… but even in the Old Testament, although God warns against worshiping false earthly idols, He gives very detailed directions for constructing His temple and the ark of the covenant, including the representations of cherubim and such great and inspiring celestial beings,…
Our background resources for studying about God and his heavenly kingdom, are still very rich and available,… the Catholic Church often provides and encourages daily Holy Communion, partaking in faith of the presence of the Lord in His Body and Blood,… ours has a 24-hour prayer chapel open as well,… these are precious opportunities, that little else can compare with, as found in the ordinary, quotidian conditions of our lives,… saturating ourselves with God can be a great opportunity,… and then the contrast with the false/imitative and outright demeaning influences of our lives becomes that much more clear,… I did these things for years,… and I am happy to be in a place where “seeing God in the spaces between two people” is heart-warming experience, even if just quietly felt,…
God feels/is Good,… He looks awesome, (whatever glimpse I manage to catch from time to time!),…
edit: “is a heart-warming experience”
Exodus 25:17-22
17 “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. 21 You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”
Exodus 26:1 [ The Tabernacle ] “Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine woven linen and blue, purple, and scarlet thread; with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them.”
1 Kings 6:29 “Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers.”
1 Kings 7:36 “On the plates of its flanges and on its panels he engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was a clear space on each, with wreaths all around.”
Dropping my car off for a little fixin’ early this morning, confronted with an unusually dramatic sky, my thoughts returned to “seeing God,”… God has already done and told us everything about HIS bottom line,… Who He is,… What He’s done,… and Why,… Who we are,… and What we need to do,… and Why,… the fundamentals are immutable,… “getting with the program” is our job,…
He tells us that since “all creation” gives us testimony/bears witness to/of Him, we will be without excuse if we do not believe,… So, under that awesome sky, I thought to myself, “What does this tell me about God?”,… I think the main thing nature/creation communicates to us/me is the majestic-ness of God, compared to us,… on the basis of scale (size) and ability, to mention two rather obvious comparisons,… But I went on to wonder: “How do I know that He is loving and personal?”,… Do I know this from a cloud or a mountain or a tree or a sunset or the seasons or the stars?,… well,… not so much, really,… so, how then?,…
Perhaps from relationship,… felt or observed,… say, especially when mothers are caring for their young,… people, or animals (when they do),… but relationships can become complicated over time, and demonstrate a lot of other things too,…
Ultimately, God, (the Father), had to reveal the fullness of His character through His Word,… a special instructive gift to us via His obedient Prophets,… and then His perfect gift of coming in the flesh, as Jesus Christ, (the Son), Who not only lived, and taught, and healed, while among us, but also died for us, carrying the burden and restitution-al punishment for our sin burden, which we could otherwise never escape,… and which was always “messing things up,”… no matter how hard we might try to “get it right,”… and especially if we would even quit bothering to try,… either by giving up, or by out and out blaspheming,… With this “breakthrough” in spiritual matters, (the Great Moment of the victorious-ness of Christ over satan/sin/death), the new season of the pervading influence and availability of the (“invisible” but often tangible nonetheless) Holy Spirit arrived,… and a new era of blessing for man,…
Though firmly resisted and opposed by satan and his manipulated co-operators, the choice of blessing and sanctified relationship remains as the “golden thread” to be discovered and followed by “whosoever will”,…
I guess that I can say that I’ve tested and tried this “golden thread”, and resisted the obstacles, and have found God’s Word to be true on all counts, both in outer circumstances, and within the hidden person of the heart,… and so I know God to be loving personally,…
But God is not a “pushover” or a sissy in His doings,… the righteously (not self-righteously!) proud and strong masculinity of His backbone establishes and defends His realm in beauty, truth, and purity,… From this vantage point, the care He is able to bestow on His Creation, is both loving and vigilant,… unifying and personal, while also being transpersonal,… it is a blessing to be included in the flow of God’s Love,… it would be sad indeed, after all that He has said, done, and offered, to remain as a stubborn outcast, or a weed in His garden,…
don’t let fear, or doubt, or unbelief, or bitterness, or even helplessness, guilt and shame, become such large barriers to sincerely asking for help, that you turn away from Him instead,…
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.”
Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.”
Romans 8:39 “Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Matthew 22:11-14
11 “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Revelation 22:17 “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let him that heareth say, ‘Come.’ And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”'”
John 1:18 “No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].”
Deuteronomy 5:24 “And you said: ‘Surely the LORD our God has shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. We have seen this day that God speaks with man; yet he still lives.'”
Revelation 4 [The Throne Room of Heaven]
1 “After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’
2 “Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. 3 And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. 4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 “Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:
“Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come!”
9 “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
11 “You are worthy, O Lord,
To receive glory and honor and power;
For You created all things,
And by Your will they exist and were created.””
Obviously, any comparative “glimpses of God” that we might perceive through the earth’s dimming and filtering conditions, are relative to our situation, and a blessing for us,… We are grateful for everything God provides, and the glimpses of His reflected Glory that do reach/touch us,… How blessed we are, when we can “see”/feel God in each other,… His Light, His Glory, and His Love,… even in a flower,… in the beautiful bright and freeing song of a bird,… in the incredible power of the sun,…
1 Corinthians 2:9 “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'”
Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God … ”
Ephesians 3:17 ” … that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, … ”
… to be able to focus our hearts and minds on God, His Glory, His Love, is an incredible blessing,… all gift to us,…
Georgie-ann: This topic really sparked something in you. I’m glad God speaks even through a blog. God bless. Eugene
Eugene,… I’m well aware that each and every one will have, or has, the potential to fully develop their own personal walk with God, maximizing their abilities to focus on and draw from His spiritual kingdom,… I also realize that very sadly many, if not most, do not trust, feel encouraged, have guidance, to make the most of their God created/given potentials,… In this carbon-copy-cat world we now live in, our blessed individuality is suppressed in favor of many “suggestions and examples put out there” that young people feel they should try to follow, imitate, accomplish, or rebel against,… but we are only truly safe with God when we find our own secure personal place with Him “inside”,… the ability to hear and know when He is truly leading us personally,… this takes not only “practice”, but growing knowledge and familiarity with how He reveals Himself to us (and to mankind over the centuries) through His acts and His instructive/illuminating and inspired Word,…
We will encounter, inevitably, and God will lead us through, many unexpected difficulties and challenges,… life is just simply “like that,”… having a pre-programmed overly-simplified kind of faith in too many “good sounding” formulas and projected goals-to-be-achieved, can rob us of the blessings of a deeper and more personalized “walk with Him”,… it also might be too weak to hold us spiritually steady through some of the greater possible challenges,…
When I have the opportunity, I like to take the chance of addressing situations and questions in ways that are not just “good sounding” pat answers that no one could ever disagree with, or scratch their heads over,… the only honest example I would usually ever have is my own personal experience, which will also never be just like someone else’s,… our lives don’t usually begin, continue, or end “perfectly”, (like “wow!,… what a GREAT performance!!! A+++”), and God completely “knows” this,… it’s not about trying to “beat life at its own game either”,… Surviving it all pretty well is a decent and understandable goal, but getting to know God and ourselves deeply in mutual relationship is the primary thing,… God may very well also have “His own issues” and things He is trying to confront and deal with through our continued obedient and faithful service to Him,… after all, it’s “all about” bringing His Light into the devil’s darkness and rescuing “whosoever will”,… breaking strongholds and setting captives free,…
If I have any personal goals in writing all of this stuff, it’s to be part of, (to play the part that I am personally able to play in), these heavenly/earthly dramas, to serve God by giving witness to what He has been and is and has shown to me,… I can only hope that it communicates something good to others,… (-:
and thanks for the continued opportunities,… (-:
This is really pretty amazing, Eugene: my oldest brother (I’m 1 year older) just now sent this link to us of a revealing story about Frank Shorter, famous runner and Olympic Gold Medalist. Frank now lives in Boulder, CO; was exactly my brother’s age; and the family lived one block away from us, for all of our growing up years in Middletown, NY,… his father was our doctor & my mother and her friends knew his mother,… after reading the article, I can understand a little bit more about why I “just knew” there was something “negative” about the area we were living in, that was very much not to my liking, always disappointing, and abusive “under the radar” as I was just mentioning,… for me, it was more in the pervasive ingrown spiritual negativity underlying the whole general pretentious but strange locale, and later showed up in problematic aspects of relationships with these damaged people,… being a transplant, I never could understand it,… way sad, but I can see that God has been working on it,… I think living/suffering/believing here “in faith” (with other local believers) has been part of some important general “faith work” that God has needed/wanted for this area,… There are always many things going on that God is quite well aware of, but we are not,… I’m honored to be a soldier in His Army,… & glad enough to be found faithful, if that will be the case,…
warning: this is a difficult real life story, published in Runner magazine (October 2011):
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/printer/1,7124,s6-243-297–14056-0,00.html
It’s interesting, the timing on my brother’s friend sending him that link,… and how surprisingly and unthinkably and characteristically sad the story is,… I don’t know anyone who would have suspected that this was even a remote possibility at the time, but intra-family meanness and abuse were definitely part of the profile in some families,… the very powerful unspoken shields of taboo and denial were extremely strong and very much “in place” in those days,… also pride and “appearances,”… some things were also considered “none of your business, if you please,”…
A lot has changed since then, confrontation-wise,… I was never too good at co-operating or “keeping the peace” with bullies, but even so, ran into enough pointed and extended negativity to give me my own personal survival “run for my money” (whatever that’s supposed to mean ~~ it’s an old saying),… you might easily find yourself thinking/saying, “With friends like these, who needs enemies???” (another old saying),…
So you see, “the old days” were not always so golden after all for some folks!,… and yet, many do survive, even with their faith intact, and optimism growing,… I see this as a very special testimony and witness of the many ways God can “keep” us safe and renew us in the midst of various trials,… some survival issues — (emotional/physical/spiritual) — definitely take more than human strength to bring us through on the “up” side,… but God can definitely “do” these kinds of things,…
Lamentations 3:22-24
22 “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 “They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 “’The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul,
‘Therefore I hope in Him!’”
Maybe it goes back to one of my personally favorite sayings: “The truth is always stronger than a lie.” A lie can evaporate, but the truth will remain.
I thought of one more thing this morning, that might be worth mentioning,… In an attempt to “be spiritual”, or “not too earthbound”, I’ve seen/known more than a few “Christians” who encourage themselves in what they will refer to as “sensitivity” to the Spirit of God,… in some instances, it might very well be so,… but if someone is always being carried away, this way and that, by “impressions” and “leadings”, and finding it difficult to get the regular basics together, I try to get them to focus/”go for” a little more practical stability and endurance in their everyday relationship to life,… being familiar with “spiritual warfare”, I know that a lot of these impressions that come by, just willy-nilly, may very well be “communications”, “suggestions” or distractions from an “enemy situation”/stronghold,… Personally, I prefer to challenge/rebuke most of that stuff, try to identify the source if it persists, and set something free if possible, or otherwise to take authority over it and shut it down completely,…
The telling factor to me, is often the overall stability of the person in their life experience,… we all have challenges and face ongoing difficulties to be overcome daily, but if a person’s “prized sensitivity” is also leading them into continual emotional and restless dissatisfaction, stresses and difficulties/turmoil that they can’t handle well, then there may be more to their situation than they are clearly understanding,… I’m very impressed with some of the more recent Christian psychology books, that are digging into areas of human misunderstanding, and that have very good “clues” and pointers about finding out more about aspects of our personal freedom in Christ,…
I guess a “rule of thumb” that I’ve come up with for myself is: if you can’t handle the dynamics of the stuff that’s presenting itself, in a way that resolves the issues for someone’s definite benefit, then don’t entertain it at all,… there are plenty of things going on, that we don’t have to know anything about, and that God is big enough to take care of, if we commit it in faith to Him,…
I’ve never written about that before, but it is relevant to some situations,…