He must increase and I must decrease

One day I saw a book in a table top sale called 'By bread alone'.  The write up on it said it was about a woman who 'took charge of her own life'.  For some reason it did not appeal to me and yet I could not pinpoint why.  The next day the UCB reading was about not living by bread alone, but living by every word that comes from the mouth of God.  I thought of the book and felt the Spirit of God was speaking to me.

The following morning I was listening to a recording of an American preacher talking about the Lord being inside us in the form of the Holy Spirit, and how to overcome trials.  As I was listening to him encouraging the listeners to allow the voice of the Holy Spirit to become the dominant voice in their lives, and learn to act on its instruction, I heard a noise in the room.  On investigation I found that a little plaque that stood on my windowsill had fallen over onto the floor.   When I picked it up I realized it was the one with the scripture 'He must increase and I must decrease' printed on it.  The wind coming through the open window had caused it to fall over and this emphasized to me the Holy Spirit bringing something to my attention.  Now I was even more convinced that the Spirit of God was speaking to me.  

                                                  

Later that morning my husband was quite irritable and began criticizing little things that I was doing for no apparent reason.  Although I felt like telling him off and asking him what I had done to deserve his snappiness, on this occasion I spent quite some time trying to alter his mood by saying, in betwen my chores, 'cheer up' and 'what would make you happy?'   'I don't know' he said grumpilly.  My mind continued to advise me to retaliate.  Then some scripture I had been reading earlier 'Bless those who curse you, love those who hate you' came into my mind and I went over to him and gave him a big hug.  He immediately responded and hugged me back and smiled, and I realized just how powerful God's word is when acted upon.  The carnal mind is at enmity with God and unless it agrees with what God is saying to us at the time we must not listen to it.  The Spirit knows the mind of God and will reveal His will to us in every situation as we seek Him, equipping us for what is coming into our lives.  Then the choice is ours.

I was visiting the local psychiatric hospital one day and one of my granddaughters, Hayley, was with me.   Our two granddaughters were on holiday with us at the time.  A lady there had some material that she was making something out of and it had writing printed on it saying something about 'your own destiny'.  There was also a bag on the table in the room which  was made of the same material, with the same writing on it.  However neither of the articles had the whole sentence written on it.  I asked the lady if she knew what the missing words were, but she did not. 

A few days later Hayley came into my kitchen and said 'Look nan'.  She had borrowed her sister's T-shirt and, amazingly, the same writing that had been on the material in the hospital was written sideways across the front of it, only this time it was complete.  It read 'Make your own destiny'.

I had been reading a book in which someone is quoted as saying 'One's will is his chooser, with it he makes the choices which determine his eternal destiny'.  God's message became very clear.  As a Christian I can choose to listen either to the Holy Spirit or my caral mind, but I am told in Romans ch.8 v.13 that if by the Spirit I put to death the deeds of the body I shall live, that all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.  As Timothy was told by Paul, the scriptures are able to instruct for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, that they are inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correctionand for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, eqipped for every good work.

The Lord had been bringing my attention, firstly through the book and the scripture written on the little plaque and then through the quote in the other book and the material, to the fact that the Spiritual in me must increase and the carnal that opposes it  must decrease, bringing complete renewal.

Some years ago the Lord spoke a large message to me through two small poems.     Occasionally He reminds me of this message, as I believe He did through this particular experience.


Renewal
Do not be tainted by a love that is not God's. 
don't let innocence be spoiled by a wisdom that is earthly 
Always remain as a child in your own wisdom
so that the greatness of God's words
can be allowed to enter into the ears of your heart
so that you may grow up into Him
and remember no more the foolishness of this present world
For there is a part of you which cannot understand His words
and it would seek to rob you of His truth
It is the mind of your first father Adam, a fleshly mind
The Lord speaks and your heart receives
but your mind tries to intervene and to reason with logic
Oppose that which is at enmity with God
and receive into your heart only that which is pleasing to Him
His words ........which are Spirit and life

Put away the mirror child

Put away the mirror child  lay it on a shelf

it won't reflect perfection it only shows you self

Look into the well of life and see another face

the face of God the Father -  full of truth and grace

This water it will cleanse you from the filthiness of sin

throw off your rags of this world

Come son of Adam....... step in

Yes put away the mirror child and lay it on a shelf

Lest you forget what God's making you

........... and become your former self

I bought a clock for a pound at the weekly table top sale that is held at the psychiatric hospital.  It was a nice wooden clock which had a very similar grain in it to the mantle piece in the back room of the house that we were living in at the time, and that is where I placed it.   However, it would not keep the correct time.  There was a lever at the back of the clock which I could either move to the plus sign if the clock was running slow or to the minus sign if it was running fast.  Getting it just right was a matter of small adjustments to the left or right, and this was what I started doing, and kept doing until the clock kept perfect time.  Sometimes my husband did the adjustments and sometimes he, as are other people, is used in my life to do the spiritual adjustment.  We can all be built up by one another.

There is a lovely prayer in Psalm 40.  It is verse ten which reads 'Teach me to do Thy will.  For Thou art my God.  Let Thy good Spirit lead me on a level path.'

I finish with  my own prayer regarding increase and decrease.

You and me

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

increase the solid rock

increase the strength the Father sent

to protect from every knock

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

when I try to stand alone

remind me that I'm still a child

that in You I'm not yet grown

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

take all my foolish pride

take the 'me' that still remains in me

and place the 'You' inside

Increase the 'You' in me Lord

that when all is 'said' and 'done'

if people say 'Thankyou, thankyou'

I'll say 'Not me ........God's Son'