”And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)
”The spirit of a person is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.” (Proverbs 20:27 NASB)
“Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Kings 19:11-13 NKJV)
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16 BSB).
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:14-17 NIV)
Let’s jump right back in.
Every human born since Adam has been born into a condition in which the human race found itself due to Adam’s transgression and treason. From the time of the first Adam’s fall until the finished work of the Last Adam (Jesus Christ), Adam’s descendants were living under the rulership of the evil one (Satan – god of the world) who was given dominion by Adam. I need to pause for a moment…
…Even during this evil time in man’s “His-story” we are given glimpses of how things were intended to be. David, the king of Israel living during the “Old Covenant”, lived prophetically with “New Covenant” thinking and living in many ways. This can be seen most clearly through his writings pertaining to worship. He was a “New Covenant Worshiper” focusing on praise, worship, and life through expressive acts (music, dance, lifting of hands, clapping, etc.) during a time in which “Old Covenant Worship” focused on sacrifices and death.
…Enoch was the clearest example of this glimpse of how the Father intended his children to live. During this dark time, when most were living under the domination of the enemy separating themselves from God, Enoch “walked with God.” He was living inside – out during an outside – in age. He freely flowed between the “spiritual realm” of his Father and the “material/physical realm” of humanity as he walked and talked with God just like Adam prior to his treacherous act. He actually chose to walk live from his inner righteousness to such a degree that he simply bypassed death altogether and stayed with his Father…
…”And Enoch habitually walks with God, and he is not, for God has taken him>” (Genesis 5:24 LSV)
…”By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.” (Hebrews 11:5 NKJV)
Now back where we left off.
When Jesus (the Last Adam) rose from the dead and ascended to the Tabernacle in Heaven he placed his blood on the mercy seat. This completed his redemptive mission. At that point the human race was reconciled to the Father and placed back into the garden of Eden in the Edenic condition that he intended. While Satan still roams this earth, the Last Adam stripped him of all power and authority that had been delivered to him by the first Adam. Jesus took back the “keys to Hades and Death.” He reclaimed for mankind the mission given by the Father to Adam. He clarified that mission just before he returned to his heavenly dwelling place when he gave all of his disciples (God’s children) what we now call the “Great Commission”…
…”And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)
“And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.” (Mark 16:15-20 NKJV)
Since the first Adam, the human race has been born under sin. Since the finished work of the Last Adam (Jesus Christ), the human race has also been born into an Edenic condition that comes through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Last Adam). Jesus, the Son of God and equally the Son of Man, has reconciled me to the Father. He is the only way to the Father. Jesus made it possible for me to see the Father as he is.
Jesus opened my eyes to the reality that the Creator of the Universe desires to be my Daddy (my Abba Father – Daddy Papa). He has been pursuing me since the moment I was conceived in my mother’s womb. As I have received the Father’s revelation of himself to me as my Creator (as seen clearly through the revelation of his creation) all the way to revealing himself as my redeemer (through his Son Jesus Christ) I have been confronted with a choice. Will I accept or reject his revelation? I will never reject the One who created and saved me.
So here we are today in 2025. We live in a time when most people are body driven and soul (mind) focused. We live as though there is no “spiritual realm.” So much of our culture rejects the very existence of a Creator, and even more that this “Higher Power” is a Person who longs to be active in our lives.
We also live as if the spirit within us does not even exist. Even among those who believe in God (and even many with a relationship with Jesus Christ), most have been trained and programmed to think that during this current age God primarily deals with us in an outward fashion. We minimize, or even eliminate, things that are “supernatural” and go beyond our intellectual understanding, or physical experience. Like those who live apart from God, we live as two part beings – mind and body – while we are created in the image and likeness of God as three part beings…
…”Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV)
Once we accept that our heavenly Father is involved in our lives and choose to submit to him, we open up to the idea that as our Father he disciplines us for our good. The problem is that we then interpret sufferings in our mind and body as being God’s tools to discipline (disciple) us. From this “worldly” outlook, we go to Old Testament (Old Covenant) examples that are “veiled” to us because we are not filtering them through the life and teaching of Jesus (perfect theology) to convince ourselves (like Job) that we must endure this suffering. That is once again outside – in thinking that is not our Father’s desire or design (will) for us.
My Daddy is Love. He only does things that express his love for me.
My Daddy is Good. He only brings good into my life.
My Daddy is Spirit. He primarily communes and communicates with me directly through my spirit by way of the Holy Spirit and his Word.
My Daddy disciplines me. He does that through his Word applied to my spirit by his Spirit (the Holy Spirit). He does that from love and goodness and does not use suffering in my body and soul (from things that Jesus took to the cross to free me from) in order to accomplish his desire to discipline (disciple) me.
During a conversation with my “iron sharpens iron” brother the Holy Spirit revealed to me what the primary “pain of discipline” is…Spoiler Alert…
…Godly sorrow.
Ask the Holy Spirit about that before we wrap this up tomorrow. As you are pondering that, also ask him to give you a clear understanding about what you have read in…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 407: Discerned Suffering: Sufferings FROM Christ: The Pain of Discipline Continued