The Invitation...to Come Up Higher
30 x 40 acrylic on stretched canvas
I painted this at The Missionary Church International in Columbia SC Sept 21-23, 2011.
Several of the speakers used the same scriptures God gave me to go with the painting.
Seemed that God was giving an invitation to come up higher where we receive the mind of Christ and heavenly revelation that comes by the Spirit.
1Cor 2:9-12
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him--
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”[d]
But we have the mind of Christ.
Several of the speakers used the same scriptures God gave me to go with the painting.
Seemed that God was giving an invitation to come up higher where we receive the mind of Christ and heavenly revelation that comes by the Spirit.
1Cor 2:9-12
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—
the things God has prepared for those who love him--
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”[d]
But we have the mind of Christ.
The garden is an intimate place where it all began with Adam and Eve, and where Jesus bled before He got on the cross, as He laid down His will for us. The most important part of receiving revelation by His Spirit is INTIMACY!
This painting represents taking the steps to get "higher" in Him. It requires effort and faith on our part…but not self effort. We must take the steps, prayer, fasting, worship and time spent seeking Him...resting in His presence.
1 Chron 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God;
We must have faith to take each step. That is why the steps are curved, we cannot see where we are going, because we walk by faith and not by sight. We must know that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.
Heb 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Each step brings us closer to Him...the steps get smaller as we go higher... because it requires less of us and more of Him to be able to trust Him to take us where we receive Heavenly Revelation. The stairs are blue representing that heavenly revelation, and the flowers blooming at the top of the steps. represents the Life and Passion that comes in and by His Presence...
The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. John 6:61-62
This painting represents taking the steps to get "higher" in Him. It requires effort and faith on our part…but not self effort. We must take the steps, prayer, fasting, worship and time spent seeking Him...resting in His presence.
1 Chron 22:19 Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God;
We must have faith to take each step. That is why the steps are curved, we cannot see where we are going, because we walk by faith and not by sight. We must know that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him.
Heb 11:6 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.
Each step brings us closer to Him...the steps get smaller as we go higher... because it requires less of us and more of Him to be able to trust Him to take us where we receive Heavenly Revelation. The stairs are blue representing that heavenly revelation, and the flowers blooming at the top of the steps. represents the Life and Passion that comes in and by His Presence...
The Spirit can make life. Sheer muscle and willpower don't make anything happen. Every word I've spoken to you is a Spirit-word, and so it is life-making. John 6:61-62
Got to paint with Stephen Roach recently and just fell in love with his sound...fresh! And the words simple profound truth. This song goes along with my painting so I wanted to share it!
