Carrying Or Being Carried?

God made a really good point in Jeremiah, regarding the idols that his people were inclined to worship: “They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go”(Jer. 10:5). And he said something similar in Isaiah that took it a bit further: “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle: your carriages were heavy loaden; they are a burden to the weary beast" (Isa. 46:1). Bel and Nebo were Babylonian idols, and the point here is that these supposed deities had to be carried around, and the ‘cattle’ that carried them were weary from doing so. Now friends, this was not written for cattle’s sake, but for the sake of God’s people, as is the case with all the scriptures. The truth is that most people who have God’s Spirit in their lives are subjected to ‘religious’ environments that are weighing them down, rather than lifting them up. The only rightful worship and service of God is by means of the holy Ghost, and in true holiness. The Spirit of God is the life of God, and it is the life that Jesus died for us to have (Rom. 8:2; Jn. 10:10). Any so called worship, or service, or living for God that is apart from the empowerment of his Spirit, is just plain dead. The scripture says, "By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body;” and the Spirit we are baptized with, if and when we are, is the only connection that we can possibly have with God (I Cor. 12:13; I Jn. 4:13). The only spiritual environment where God’s people can grow and thrive in his love, and holiness, and peace, is one where his Spirit is the whole 'program.’ This kind of environment is very close to non-existent today, and therefore God’s people have had religious environments dictated to them where they are made to carry a lot of dead religious weight around with them. God wants to put his people on his shoulders and carry them to glorious places of ‘rest and refreshing, but as long as they hold on to lifeless doctrines, ceremonies, commandments, and traditions of men; he is prevented from doing so through misplaced faith and reverence. So the sheep of God have been turned to ‘cattle’ which are made to bear the burden of religion that is not of his Spirit.

The truth is there simply is no rest or refreshing or renewing apart from the holy Ghost which is sent down from heaven (Isa. 28:11,12; Mt. 11:28; Acts 3:19; Tit. 3:5). The Spirit of God is the only thing that can impart the comfort and power that it takes to carry the burdens of those who depend on God fully (I Pet. 5:7). Anything apart from that which has the name of Christ attributed to it, is nothing more than an idol that has no life or breath in it, and as Jeremiah said, “cannot go" (Jer. 10:14). The truth that comes through God’s Spirit is the only thing that can build up God’s people in the same life that they have received from him, because it is in fact the Spirit that is the truth, as well as the life (Jn. 16:13; I Jn. 5:6; Rom. 8:10). So what am I actually saying? Just that everything we do, say, preach, sing, pray, prophesy, teach, etc.; must have the leading and empowerment of God’s Spirit if we expect to truly "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (II Pet. 3:18). Only when we put all of our spiritual confidence in the holy Ghost, and apply ourselves thereunto; will we be the ones who are being carried by the power of God, rather than us carrying the dead weight of man’s religion around and being worn out by it. God does not want to carry us part of the time, while we carry dead religion around the rest of the time. He wants us to really know the meaning of serving only him with "joy unspeakable, and full of glory" (I Pet. 1:8). Christianity has drained the life right out of God’s dear souls and they don’t realize what has done it, or even that it has been done. Jesus warned his followers about the leaders of God’s people when he was here, for the very same thing: "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" (Mat. 23:4). And Peter updated the same warning in his second epistle: "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption” (II Pet. 2:19). Anything that is ministered to or imposed upon God’s people that is not directly of his Spirit, is death, which produces corruption. And neither death or corruption has ever imparted life to anyone. Amen.