Aspire
Aspire: To direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something. Literary meaning: rise high; tower.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
When I look at the photo of this towering building, I see a warrior angel towering over the city with one wing down on its left side and another raised up on its right side and yet another covering the back of the body. It looks like a guardian over the city. I also notice that the right wing is covering its face. This reminds me of the scene that Isaiah saw when he had visions of God. Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
I often wonder what angels see in heaven in the presence of God. It must be awesome to say the least. They must aspire to see God in all His glory even though they see much more than us. Aspiring to reach new heights in God should always end up in a person seeking to know more of God Himself rather than what He can do, though, what God can do is also glorious. The Creator is infinitely greater than what He creates and therefore more desirable. Apostle Paul talks about leaving behind his achievements in life to pursue a high calling in God. He aspires for the utmost that he can reach. He must have come to the same conclusions as the angels in heaven; to see God in His glory over and above his ministry and its achievements. This was the cry of Moses and many men of God in the Bible.
It is my personal belief that a person can reach the highest pinnacle of life and ministry, only to fail. Ministry is not the sustaining aspect of a relationship with God. Ministries are aspects of a relationship of servitude with God that glorifies God and is necessary for all creation to perform. However, if one comes to a realisation like Apostle Paul, then; one could reach into the heavens and discover another realm of the Spirit which pertains to what angels see. Apostle Paul wrote that he reached into the third heaven one time only to discover that what he had heard and saw, he could not repeat, as it was not lawful. Many of us do not understand such heights of knowledge because we do not aspire for such things. That is so because we often become content with what we receive on earth in this life time. One can become so heavenly minded that they are earthly useless and so earthly minded that they are heavenly useless. We should be neither but very aware of how we could aspire for a realm in God that would allow us the pleasure of reaching our full potential in God both on earth and in heaven. I do not believe we will exhaust the knowledge of God and so we must aspire for it. Many people do not like to grow in the Spirit as it leaves them vulnerable; they feel inadequate and out of depth. This is not such a bad place to be if we accept new ground upon which one can plant themselves firmly and build upon revelation knowledge. If we therefore reach for it, like something to possess, we would be spiralling like a tower toward the heavens. If we don’t, we are doomed to remain unfruitful and without vision.
The people who went about building the tower of Babel in the Old Testament failed because their intentions were wrong. Today’s space programs, fancy buildings that go up in the name of man’s engineering achievements on earth, along with the technology of today is about the same endeavour as those who tried to build the tower of Babel. They are trying to reach heights of knowledge to eliminate God from their thinking. This will bring them crashing down and bring them to nought. With each success in technological discovery, man is pushing for faster and higher everything. All this is coming down for ever in the near future according to the word of God. Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
The greed for power and money has blinded many in this world to aspire for worldly things. King Nebuchadenezzar was one such person. Dan 2:31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. Dan 2:32 This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, Dan 2:33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.Dan 2:34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Dan 2:35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. The King had aspired for great heights in his rule to conquer and was a forerunner of all such kingdoms. He fell from grace and suffered seven years of madness which caused him to declare that God was God. Others who have followed after him had no such chance. They too were brought down and the final kingdom which is the kingdom of anti-christ will also be smashed by Jesus just as prophesied. It has already been decreed by God for this to happen.
The events of heaven that transpired with the devil’s rebellion against God is now being perpetrated on earth as the spirit of anti-christ. What he could not achieve in heaven, he is now perpetrating on earth; foolishly I might add.
Isa 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isa 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. Isa 14:19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet.
Here is a picture of satan totally deceived and destroyed by God because of his pride. He is still trying to reach the heights (aspired for) from which he fell. Unfortunately for him, there is no way back. For us however, there is a way back from our fallen state through confession and repentance. Let us not take the grace of God in vain. Men have followed the ways of satan having been deceived by him. They too will come to a similar end. Babylon will fall. Babylon is the world system. Nothing of it will be left on earth. Jesus will set up a new regime with new things that no one can imagine. The reason He can do this is; He paid the price to walk into the inner most sanctum of God. He reached heights no one else could. He aspired for His previous glory and attained it legitimately. This is the key to aspiring for the things of God. One must aspire for all things legitimately. 2Ti 2:5 And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. Now, it is given to us to do the same through Jesus; to walk into that throne room boldly for God’s interaction with us. I can’t wait for more.
I believe, if we aspire for spiritual gifts and the like, we must also aspire for God’s character of love. This is the more excellent way that is being shown to us by the Spirit. Love has been the mainstay of the gospel from day one. Sometimes, we just do not know how to aspire for it and so have gone into all manners of things in God that do not edify (build). This has resulted in us building wrong towers that reach to the heavens to say; “Look at me”. Friends, it is time to realise that we are in error when our pride arises to seek wrong things from God. Instead, let us emulate Jesus and settle with Him in heavenly places according to what He has put in us. Once we make Him Lord of all in our lives, we will not aspire for worldly things or for that matter spiritual things that promote us. Instead, we will be looking for the magnificence of His being to be the tower in our lives. 2Sa_22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Today, man’s pride of achievements is in warmongering. The world is in war constantly and is heading toward nuclear annihilation. This too is predicted for mankind because of his pride and greed. Once we come to know Christ, our aspirations should only be of God and getting to Him. However, man has rejected his Creator and so will end up destroyed just like satan. This is a reality that is being outplayed daily. The only visible change that is coming is, it will happen en-mass, as prophesied, that two thirds of the world’s population will be wiped out before the return of Jesus. After the return of Jesus and His millennium reign, the entirety of unsaved mankind along with the earth will be destroyed. As hard as it is to imagine, it is already happening. I believe, many are just closing their eyes to it. Those who are suffering right now from the ravages of war (man’s greed for power influenced by satan) understand this reality as it has hit home to them.
Let us aspire to God’s reign on earth as it will be glorious. Being about the Father’s business is just that. The glory comes to those who seek it and are willing to pay a price for it. Many are aspiring for gifts and talents and miracles, signs and wonders as an affirmation of God living among us. However, God in us is the affirmation of God with us. He is waiting for us to come to Him in the inner most recesses of our hearts and yield all our pride and yearnings of the flesh so that God be all in all. 1Co 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
Worldly ambition will kill you but Godly aspiration will promote you to glory
Lots of love
Pastor Noble
15/04/18