What Season Are You In??? (part 1) by Marietjie

This is for the purpose of recognising what spiritual discipline is lacking in your OWN life. No one knows the heart of another, except God. That said, many of us have a call, a vision, a destiny burning inside of our heart and neglect to realise that there is a road, a path, a process to it. Like a young person in college, we have to prepare ourselves for our destiny. In spiritual matters the chronology, the elapse of time, time spend, matters little. The passing from one season to the next also has nothing to do with the passing of a specific test, or exam. We in our inner being, with outward manifestations, are changed from one degree of glory to another. Sad to say the price required is often "too high" and people get stuck in one season. Salvation, the born again reality that awakes our human spirit to God, is free. We are born again through faith by grace and we cannot work for it. It is a gift. The growing up, the process of sanctification, require some effort on our part. The New testament is loaded with action-commands: ... pursue love... lay aside... forgive... walk in the light... do not let... The core of all these are simply this: Love God with all your being - live to honor and please Him - and love every other person as you love yourself - in other words treat people as you would treat yourself.

If you have just recently been born again, or have been born again for a while but have no other history or experience with God or other Christians, you are a newborn. You will die if left to yourself. Christianity will not "work" for you, unless you find at least two other born again believers to meet with on a regular basis.. The purpose of these meets are to praise God ( with or without music) and reading the Bible together. Focus on how much God loves you. Enjoy His presence and one another's presence. This is the only things a newborn can and should do.

Ask yourself these questions: Am I absolutely convinced that God loves me? Am I secure in His love? Do I know, that I know that I know that He loves me? If your answer is "yes" then you are no longer a newborn.

If the answer is "no" then you are a newborn. (and it really does not matter if you have been saved for many years) Just keep doing what newborns do. Stay close to at least two other, preferably more mature, Christians. Gather often and regularly to praise God and read the Bible. Read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible and read the Bible. Infants that does not have a hunger, desire for milk have problems and may soon die. If you have NO desire for the Bible, you may not be born again at all.

To the "parents", ministers, leaders who assist these people in their born again experience:
Now that they are born again there is some responsibility on your side. You cannot leave them alone. If you are unable to spend time with them on a regular basis, get someone else to do it. Newborns are NEVER to be left alone. Praise God with them. Love on them. Read the Bible with them. ( do not bog them down with doctrine and teachings) Let them enjoy the Bible and God's love. Let them tag along and observe your walk with God.

Too many newborns are tossed aside like some "goal accomplished" and never thrive. They actually "die" and are spoiled from ever really entering into the things of God.

The Greek word is thelazo meaning a suckling infant or baby
Scripture references: Psalms 8:2, Matthew 21:16, Ephesians 3:17, 1 Peter 2:2


If you are convinced of God's love for you and if you regularly, habitually gather with other believers to praise God, and if you read the Bible daily, maybe even have read it from cover to cover - something most people can do in about six months by reading 6 to 10 chapters a day-,  if all this is part of your life and incorporated into you, then you are no longer a newborn. You are in the season of a baby/toddler Christan.

As a baby Christian, you do not speak yet. You had only the responsibility of reading the Bible and praising God so far. As a baby you will begin to love the word, the Bible. You will start to recognise some themes and patterns and as you keep reading it, it will begin to explain itself. Some understanding will come.

As the words of the Bible becomes your words and as your thinking changes to agree with the Bible you will learn the difference between good and evil. There will be an agreement from the inside of you or a disagreement that will make you very uncomfortable.

It is time for you to learn the simple lesson of obedience. There is a difference between hearing or listening and hearing and obeying. As you read the Bible and see something where your life does not agree with the Bible; change. This is a time to recognise those things in our thinking and actions that originates from the flesh, from our ungodly passions and desires.

During this season a baby Christian  must begin to learn the awesome magnitude of the wonderful God that we serve. It is a time to begin to understand what it means to be born again and what the "family relationships are.

So, are you a baby-Christian? You may have been a Christian for many, many years but if you are still mostly preferring to walk and act after the dictates of you flesh and impulses from unregenerate self, you are still a baby Christian. If you have NOT learn to obey the Bible at least most of the time and have an attitude of obedience, you are still a baby. How often do you read the Bible? Have you read all of it yet? If not, you are still a baby Christian.

To the ministers/leaders of baby Christians:

They still need to be supervised all the time. Teach them to pray by praying with them. Teach them to serve by serving with them. Have patience with their struggles with the flesh but help them to obey the Bible. Help them and teach them to start to discern good from evil. Encourage a love for the Word of God. Remember you would like this to be a lifelong love in their hearts. It is paramount to focus on hearing and obeying God during this season.

The Greek word is nepios from ne = not and epos = to speak.

Scripture references: Hebrews 5:13-14, Psalms 8;2, 1Corinthians 3:1 and 13:11, Galatians 4:1&3

What Season Are You in??? (part 2) by Marietjie 


When a person, a christian, starts to see a pattern of being able to obey God in His Word, the Bible, in their daily life; when you read and can honestly say: I used to do that, but not anymore; you are no longer a baby-Christian.When you have learned to walk in obedience, most of the time, - yes, you still make mistakes and disobey, but this is not habitual anymore-, you are no longer a baby.

As a child you will begin to speak and tell people about your faith in God. You will begin to find some place of service, of contributing to the body/family of Jesus Christ. You are NOT ready for leadership yet. You are NOT in charge yet. But you are bringing your side, contributing, and adding strength to strength and faith to faith. You will increase in your understanding  of the Bible. You will start to do things and learn by trial and error. You will learn how to discern, to tell good from evil, by making mistakes and embracing the discipline from God.

You will learn to relate to God as your Father. You will learn to go to Him in times of need and times of failure. You will learn to humble yourself before God and your fellow Christians. Pride, arrogance and self-will(rebellion) will be worked out of your character by many mistakes, fowl-ups and failures. You will need to learn from all of this or you will have to repeat the lesson over and over again. There is no"almost got it". If you miss it, you will have to do it again. It is a good idea to forgive yourself and others quickly and easily during this time. Failure to do so will hamper your spiritual growth and injure yourself.

Now is the season to be baptized  and to learn about and experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is time to learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. You will have to get very well acquainted with repentance from dead works. Sin should become less and less of an issue. The concern will become: how can I please God and do His will? Your faith towards God and your walk of faith will become stronger and solidify. You will learn the basic doctrines and  begin to understand your inheritance as a child of God.

The inner reality of a changed life will begin to manifest outwardly and your actions and deeds will change. You will become concerned with what your place in God's Kingdom is and what His will for your life is. You will keep studying the Bible, gather with other believers to worship God and to do the good works of the Kingdom of God. The childish, selfish behaviors of the flesh will fade as you set your goal and purpose to obey God in humility.

Most of us stay in the Child-season for a very, very long time.. We may get so used to it that we refuse to grow up. As a matter of fact very few Christians ever grow more than this because it requires that we love the opinion of God more than the accolades of men. This is the price-tag to growing from a child to a mature son of God. Has the humility of Jesus (phil2) grabbed your heart yet? Have you become so sold out to the will of God in your life that you really don't care what He does with you, or what people may think or say about it? This will tell if you are still a child or not.

To the Leader: To many children are handed the keys to the car, so to speak, and then we are full of criticism when they wreck it. Do NOT put people in leadership too soon. A willingness to serve does NOT automatically qualify one to be in charge. Children, still dealing with issues of the flesh and pride do NOT belong in a place of leadership. This creates a problem of a lack of viable candidates for leadership. Maybe God will give us a creative solution for this.  We are making a mess of God's church by letting children take the place of mature sons.

Secondly, leaders, please do not circumvent the discipline of God in people's lives. There is a ton of flesh-problems to deal with. Let God's discipline have it's full course, so that people can grow up and become sons, mature sons of God as they were meant to be. Anyone who have raised children in the natural, can relate to the struggles of  teenagers. They are in many ways quite capable of doing whatever it is they want to do, but lack the wisdom or experience and humility to come out of it un-injured and without doing harm to others. This is why leaders need to train them by letting them come alongside you in a mentor/intern/apprentice relationship.

The Greek word for child is "tekna or teknon and it means, child or offspring. Scripture references: Hebrews 6:1-2, John 8:39, Matt 9:2, Ephesians 5:1-2 &8, 3John1:4, Romans 8:17, Matthew 18:3-4 Romans 9:8, John 1:12, Col 3:20-21, I Thess 2:7 & 11 etc.

The mature sons (both male and female) of God have learned to embrace the discipline of the Father. They are no longer being tossed to and throw by every wind of doctrine. They sometimes seem old and stiff because of this. The sons of God, the mature sons, have learned to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and they do as He says. Obedience is their lifestyle. They have put away childish, fleshly pursuits and are contending for the faith on a different level. These are the ones that are about the Father's business as co-heirs of an eternal Kingdom. These are the ones who do not long for popularity but have separated themselves unto God and are vessels fit for the Master's use. They know God and are known by Him.

There is a mystery in the revelation of the mature sons of God. We are all growing into maturity because in the maturity of our sonship we are the temple of God, perfectly fitted together and each doing his part.

So few actually becomes mature sons of God because the price is the same price that Jesus paid in Gethsemane.

What would it look like on earth, to have mature sons of God, ruling and reigning as kings and priests?

The Greek word for a mature son is: hious. This is the word mostly used of Jesus. Matt 3:17

Scripture references: Romans 8:13 -15, Romans 9:7-8, I Cor 6:6-18, Gal 3:24-27, Gal 4:6-7, Hebrews 5:14 Hebrews 12:5-11 etc.

Absalom and David by Marietjie Chase
( 2 Samuel 13, 14:21-15:37 and 2 Samuel 16:15 - 18:18)

There is something about the spirit and attitude of Absalom that resides in us all. We get incensed, offended at injustice. We want to punish the guilty and comfort the victim. Yet, in this very appropriate sense of justice, we need to remember that we cannot judge 100% rightly. God is the only one who knows the heart.

Absalom waited for David to punish Amnon for the rape of his sister, Tamar, but David did nothing. He did not even as much as comforted the victim. He just continued with business as usual. Absalom's furry at this compilation of injustice burned, seethed inside of him until, he exacted the punishment  he deemed appropriate.

It could be that this incident and the resulting punishment that David heaped upon Absalom, for the murder of his brother, caused the son to rebel against his father. ( 2Samuel15) This could have been the grounds for Absalom's judgement of David. A judgement that resulted in the conclusion that he, himself, will make a better, more righteous and fair king than David.

We all can bring to mind times and cases when we did not feel like justice were served. There was no punishment to fit the crime. We spoke against the judges, the criminal justice system and even at times against God.

What does the Bible say that we need to do? When you see your brother sin , pray for him. 1 John 5:16 Do not judge, for with the same measure you judge, you will be judged also. Matthew7:1-6. Every one fall or stand to his own master, and in many instances this is God. Romans 14:4-12. When a brother sin against you, go and talk to him. Matthew 18:15-20. ( Also see: Galatians 6:1-5 and 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11)

God, sometimes, seem to take too long to punish the wicked. (2Peter 3:9) We want the wrong righted now and NOT in His time. Do we forget the mercy and grace of God? Do we forget that He desires all to come to repentance and in true relationship with Him? 2Peter 2:9, 1Cor 6:11

King David, a man after God's own heart, said of Absalom; even after the son's rebellion: " Be gentle with the boy". (2Samuel18:5) Could it be that the same God who loved us while we were still sinners and enemies of God, that same God loves these wicked sinners the same? (Ephesians 2:4-7) Could it be that His mercy and grace, His loving kindness is leading them to repentance as well? Romans 2:4

When we take offense at God's seeming inaction, we set ourselves up as judge even over God. ( 2 Peter 3:14-15. We step out of order, alignment and open ourselves up for the spirit of rebellion. This, the Bible calls witchcraft. 1 Samuel 15:23

Let us rather err on the side of mercy. Let us not become angry, hard hearted, crying out for vengeance, Rather, let us side with those who cry  out for mercy. As Abraham, Genesis 18:17-33, and Moses, Exodus 33, also interceded before God, for a city and a nation full of rebellion and evil. Romans 12:21

In the words of Jesus:" Love your enemies. Pray for those who dispitefully use you, mistreat you. Bless those who curse you and say evil things about you. Do good to those who hate you." Luke 6:27-28

(PS. This is another chapter in the " Inside Out, Upside Down Kingdom")