Dale Cresap's blog

You live in a real world you see every day, and you know there is a transcendent world of my Kingdom which is just as real although it is unseen. Modern electronics have given you another alternative which is the virtual world in which you can communicate with people who are not present with you. Do you understand that it is safer to talk to a person in your car than to talk on your cell phone when you drive? If you are in the same vehicle there is a sense of embodied presence that is missing in the virtual world. There is greater safety for you with a sense of your current situation and surroundings and this applies to more than just driving. 

Have you ever redeemed a coupon? Whatever you got with the coupon then belonged to you. The concept of redemption is a general one but this idea of obtaining ownership is an essential part of it. The redemption concept applies in the world of commerce, but also in spiritual matters for you know that my word presents me as the redeemer. What do you conclude about your status once you respond to my plan of redemption? You are bought with a price and you are not your own. Do you view this as a loss of liberty and find it to be discouraging? What could be better than to belong to me? This is the basis for true liberty. 

Do you think that your prayers would be more effective if you spoke some special combination of words, and you don’t know what those words are? This is commonly taught. My word does tell you to pray in my name, but this is an open invitation and not a particular text. How do you interact with your friends? Aren’t you able to speak in an unstructured manner, using words appropriate to the occasion? Don’t you find these to be more spontaneous and full of life? A certain sequence of words assumed to have special spiritual power is called an incantation, and this is not a practice of your faith. The special words you need to speak to me are your own. 

Are you familiar with the concepts of inheritance involving wills and testaments? These go into effect upon the death of someone with an estate, to divide the property between the designated heirs. This is a legal matter and there are precedents and strict rules for the dividing of estates and conducting probate or contesting wills. These are necessary because the prospect of wealth is so appealing. Perhaps you have seen such a dispute bring out the worst in people. Do you recall my story about the prodigal son? He asked for his share of the inheritance while his father was still living. What sort of a son would make such a request? But perhaps a better question is what sort of Father would honor it? 

My word opens the door for you to present your requests to me in prayer. More than this it promises that you shall have what you ask for. Have you prayed and waited and prayed and waited without seeing an answer? From this do you assume that I have departed from you? This is incorrect. For I have also promised to be with you always. I am still with you even while you wait for your prayer to be answered. I know what you need at every moment and provide it whether you realize it or not. I hear your prayers and answer them when the time is right, but I do not abandon you while you wait.

Do you divide the world between the saved and the lost? This is an important distinction to make, and ultimately the one that matters, but it is my distinction to make, not yours. Do not say, even in your heart, who shall ascend into heaven, and who shall descend into hell. How then shall you relate to other people? Everyone you meet is created in my image, believer and unbeliever alike. You share essential humanity even with those who do not share your faith and belief and doctrine. Do you want them to come to a saving knowledge of the truth? So do I. This is most likely to happen if you can receive them as fellow creatures made in my image. 

Have you noticed how many of the simple illustrations from the Bible relate to capacity? I told of a big harvest and new wineskins that wouldn’t burst. There was a large catch of fish in a net that didn’t break. I also told of a king who wanted his banquet hall to be filled, so he had his servants go far and wide to compel anyone to come in. Fullness is a simple visual image, but it illustrates an important spiritual principle. I still have other sheep who are not of this fold. Are you prepared to be a laborer in the harvest? Are you prepared to go wherever necessary and compel them to come to me to fill my house? 

Have you ever heard of someone ‘coming to their senses’? This phrase describes someone who comes to realize that they are in a bad situation that needs a solution. When the prodigal son ran out of money and realized his fathers servants were better off is a good example. Wouldn’t it be better to say that he came to his conscience or to an awareness of transcendent reality? Yet you live in a real world, and if your awareness is engaged in unreality, then coming to see your true current situation is a first step to recovery. I can give you spiritual guidance from what you see with your own eyes. 

Do you ever suffer from boredom? Yet you have more connections and opportunities available to you than ever before. Has the world grown dull and commonplace to you in spite of the intense competition for your attention? The problem lies with you rather than the world around you. I promised to be with you always. Are you aware that I am present with you? How do you see the world? Is it mundane, or do you see it full of divine connections, filled with mystery and wonder? This is available to you and I want it to be your normal experience. Ask me for this vision and you will not be bored in any situation. 

Do you make an effort to put on a good appearance, not speaking every thought that comes into your mind, and not volunteering information about your flaws, shortcomings, and sins? Do you suppose that everyone else does the same thing? From this do you conclude that the world is worse than it appears, even when it appears bad enough, and that there really is evil hiding in the darkness? It is possible to underestimate the evil in this world, but don’t underestimate my redeeming power. Though things may be worse than they appear, I am better than you can imagine. The contest between good and evil is greater than you know, but I will still win.