Agreement with Truth

06/20/10

I have noticed at times in my life there is a tendency to suppress my emotions or minimize them. I sometimes dismiss an emotion like sadness possibly as weakness. It is a good thing for me to be aware of my emotions and to know why I feel the way I do. If I don’t know or acknowledge why I feel the way I do then this could give room for vain imaginations, speculation and doubt. Just because I ignore or dismiss the feelings does not necessarily mean they will going away. We also are not led by our emotions, but by the Spirit of Truth as children of God. We have not received a spirit of fear or confusion. Truth is more real than emotions. We also are not called to be Vulcans¹ that are without emotion and base everything on logic. We are new creations in Christ and are growing more into wholeness by the sanctifying work of the Spirit of God.

Ephesians 4:21, “The truth is in Jesus..”

John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

If I am acknowledging or even confessing that I feel a certain way then I am agreeing with Truth. In this established agreement through acknowledgment I can receive grace from the throne of grace.

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The word “confess” above in 1 John 1:9 is ὁμολογέω homologeō¹. It means literally “to speak the same thing” or even “the same word as.” It is a combination of two words “homou” + “logos”.

Jesus is the Word (logos) made flesh, John 1:14. So, homologeō¹ could mean “the same fleshly word of Christ as”.

So, in the acknowledgment, understanding and agreement, I am agreeing with Truth, Word or really Him in me. In doing so, I am agreeing or acknowledging with who I really am by grace because our identity is hid in Christ Who is the Truth. How can I love myself if I do not allow myself to feel what I feel and then recognize what I am feeling? That sounds like emotional self-neglect. Not good or healthy. Perhaps that is being machismo². Machismo is definitely not godliness, but rather pride and self-strength. Ethics³ and culture cannot save me.

The Lord said in John 4:24, “God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth.”

So, in the situation mentioned earlier, once I acknowledged I was sad and how I felt I was then agreeing with, partaking of or even becoming truth. I believe it is the effect of the acknowledgment and not necessarily the emotion. The effect is of grace. Truth sets us free from what is not real. The thing that was not real was that my emotions are not as important as I think they are. That is definitely not true. Recognizing that they are shows worth and His love for me. I love me because He is love, has/is showing me love and has shed abroad His love in my heart by His Spirit. He is truth and dwells in me and He is my elder brother. In Him, I am righteousness and truth by grace through His faith in me.

06/21/10

There is another word I discovered this morning via the radio from the following verse,

James 5:16, “Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

This word is ἐξομολογέω exomologeō. It means “to profess, confess, acknowledge openly and joyfully.” In our acknowledging, we have boldness, assurance and plainness of speech before the Father because of Christ our High Priest Who is the Way to the Holy of Holies in our hearts where He dwells by grace and faith. Thank you so much Lord. When I exomologeō, I am openly speaking forth and out by faith, Rom. 10:8. This speaking out of faith has an effect. His word does not return void. I am speaking rhema⁴ into this creation. Rhema word raises the dead, John 11:43.

In us, at the altar of our hearts, He diffuses His grace, essence and virtue. We are established and being established in Him by His indescribable gift of grace to those who believe. He enables me to exomologeō or “profess, confess, acknowledge openly and joyfully” by His grace. No flesh shall glory in His presence. He is the Author and Finisher our the faith in us. He is the Life in us that we live, move and have our being.

Homologeō¹ could be internal and exomologeō could be external.