It is amazing how much we love boxes! The box I used to love the most was my theological box, as I am a theologian and I believed that my doctrinal box of rules of right and wrong kept me safe from deception and error.
Yes, a set of rules and beliefs does help simplify our lives, however often we miss much of what God wants to show us because it is outside of our box. My first box was the church I was saved in. It was a very small box as they believed they were the only denomination going to heaven. Wow! Really? Other boxes I (and others) have built and live in include:
- Believing that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer active today.
- Believing only Protestants are Christians or only Catholics are Christians.
- Believing there is only one biblical view of eschatology.
- Believing it is impossible to hear God’s voice today.
- Believing health care is the responsibility of the government.
- Believing Old Testament dietary laws have no value for a New Testament Christian.
- Believing the Western worldview is the right worldview.
- Believing we can’t disciple all nations because the Antichrist is going to do it.
- Believing money is secular rather than that God has given me the power to create wealth.
- Believing I don’t have enough smarts to succeed.
I have written a book on 49 such theological lies I used to believe before the Lord began speaking truth to me concerning those issues. Wow! Forty-nine theological boxes destroyed in 100 pages of two-way journaling, and new platforms created which I can now stand on providing me a new foundation for living in the Spirit. How precious and valuable is that? How I hunger to pass these 49 revelation-based truths on to you.
Today, the Lord Spoke to Me
“Mark, security is not found by living in a box. Security is found in Me, in a living dynamic relationship with Me. I never created you to live in a box of rules. I created you to walk and talk with Me in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8).
“Man chose boxes. The Israelites chose laws over My voice when I offered a relationship to them at Mount Sinai (Deut. 5:22-31). I said, ‘Fine,’ even though I knew it wouldn’t work. Eventually everyone discovers that a purpose of the Law is to prove that it cannot be kept, and therefore, one needs to come to Me, the living Christ (Gal. 3:19-24).
“You can trust Me. You can trust My Spirit. You can trust in submission to the wise counsel of spiritual advisers who are living by My Spirit. This is where true safety lies. This allows you to continue to grow and explore and discover more about Me, for I am the God who hides Himself (Isa. 45:15). If I intended for mankind to live in a box, I would have created robots who would obey My every whim. Instead, I made humans who could interact with Me, create with Me and release My Spirit and My creativity into My world (Gal. 5:22-25; 1 Cor. 12:7-11).
“Seek not to live in a box. For the box will never contain the growing Christian. Seek My voice, My Spirit and My anointing, which provides wisdom, counsel and power. This is how you are created to live. This is My plan for your life. This is life itself. All else is a dead work (Heb. 12:1-2). Repent from dead works.”
So Now, I Live Outside the Box
I no longer hold tightly to my theological boxes. They are not my security blanket. My theology is free to change. Instead I hold tightly to the Bible (Ps. 1), the Spirit (John 6:63) and the counsel of my spiritual advisers (Prov. 11:14).
Now my normal approach is to look up every verse in the Bible on a topic, with an open heart and mind, asking God to reveal to me His truth. I meditate on these verses (Josh. 1:8), journaling about them to see what God wants to speak to me concerning them and submitting my insights to my spiritual advisers. This process continuously takes me new places, where I gain insights concerning how to live in the fullness of health, vitality, creativity, peace and thankfulness. What a joy! What a wonderful path to be on!
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day” (Prov. 4:18, NASB).
“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).
Will you choose intimacy with the Holy Spirit over a theological box? {eoa}
Mark Virkler, Ph.D., has authored more than 50 books in the areas of hearing God’s voice and spiritual growth. He is the founder of Communion With God Ministries and Christian Leadership University (cluonline.com), where the voice of God is at the center of every learning experience. Mark has taught on developing intimacy with God and spiritual healing for 30-plus years on six continents. The message has been translated into over 40 languages, and he has helped to establish more than 250 church-centered Bible schools around the world.
This article originally appeared at cwgministries.org.
