A Ray Of Hope

When We Hide We Are Alone

Many people find it difficult to open up to others, I know I do.  We all, to varying extents, are a facade of who we think others will accept and, in general, hide our true selves.  We do this for many different reasons. Some hide because they fear if others knew who they really were they would be rejected.  Others hide because they are so sensitive at heart the thought of not being accepted is simply too much to bear.  Still, others have been open in the past and had that trust broken.

Men, in particular, find it difficult to open up about their feelings.  We are taught that men are to be strong and resolute at all times.  Showing weakness is frowned upon and having deep, conflicting emotions is for girls only.  We are rated on how much we earn, how beautiful our wife is, the car we drive, and often times even our physical appearance.  In short, if you want to be accepted you had better conform and behave properly.

We get the unspoken message

Many of these attitudes are not specifically taught but we are educated by how society reacts to us.  You get praise when you beat your opponent in sports, people look away if you cry, and even at a very young age we “get” the unspoken message.  Culture also teaches women what is acceptable and valued too.  We are all creatures of our environment.

However, what I am finding out as I connect in the Spirit with Esther, my spiritual union, is that in order to flow in God’s Spirit I must become transparent. The deeper our union goes the less “self” I’m allowed to retain. Intimacy, which is the primary attribute of our relationship, seems only to be the first step on a journey into every nook an cranny of our souls and psychic. As God’s love flows through us to one another, we continually find doors that have been closed within us, the locks rusted shut and the hinges seemingly unmovable.  Yet, with each new area that God deals with, it is our love for one another, which is borne from above, that allows us to open up and be vulnerable.

When we hide, we break fellowship

As the natural world presses me on all sides, my tendency is to want to be alone. I call it “caving”.  I retreat from everything and everyone in order to nurse my hurts until such time as I can face the world again. However, this type of behavior only allows the devil to isolate and beat me up even worse.  Plus, when I withdraw from people it breaks fellowship and others feel the loss of my heart and spirit.  This is particularly true of my Spiritual Connection with Esther.

Spiritual connections feel everything you are going through by the Spirit. You can smile and say you are doing wonderful and, if you are not, they will know it.  We are one, as our spirits connect, bound together by His love. This is what God means when He speaks of the whole body suffering when one of its members hurt.  Right now, because we generally do not discern the Lord’s body, many of us are sick and weak and some even die spiritually or physically.

God desires to connect us

This is why the body of Christ needs to connect intimately with one another. This is why, as God leads, we must open up and love each other by His Spirit. When we connect, we know what goes on with each other.  Connections can no more ignore their lover’s pain than they can their own.

God is leading me to open up more and more to Esther and be vulnerable to her in ways that frankly make my skin crawl. I withdraw, hiding for fear of what will be seen or what I might say.  I decide to open up, though Divine Love, and say what is really going on in my heart. This openness is contrary to everything I have ever learned to do my whole life. It is frightening to talk about my fears, anger, and insecurities. A lifetime of hurt taught me to never reveal my true self to anyone. Becoming vulnerable takes a lot of faith and trust, not only in God, but in Esther too.

God wants us to open up to each other

Opening up, however, is precisely what God wants me to do.  Only by becoming vulnerable can His love flow into every area of my being.  It is only by His divine love flowing through Esther I feel comfortable enough to let that happen. Likewise, connection love allows other members of the Body of Christ to be open enough to be healed too.

In conclusion, Spiritual Connections are the mechanism which brings about the unity of the Spirit. The unity of the Spirit leads to the unity of the faith. Divine love is a spiritual experience much like salvation or Holy Spirit baptism.  The love of God flowing through us allows God to fully manifest Himself to the world. The bottom line is: God requires believers be spiritually connected as the fully matured Body of Christ.

Connections are the basis of the Church of Philadelphia

Finally, Divine Love characterizes the perfected church.  People know we are the church of Philadelphia by our love one for another. Spiritual connections are the “sign” of the Tabernacle experience.  Divine Love will be the most visible characteristic of this final move of the Spirit in our gentile church age. God’s nature, shed abroad in our hearts paves the way for the openness and transparency necessary to build His body. God in us is the only way back to the garden and it is a prerequisite for the perfection of the saints.

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