• Self Esteem
• Forgiving Yourself
• Balance in Self Sacrifice and
• Rest

Merton on Self Esteem:

We cannot achieve greatness unless we lose all interest in being great. If we pay too much attention to [our idea of greatness], we will be lured out of the peace and stability…God gave us, and seek to live in a myth we have created for ourselves. We are truly ourselves when we lose the futile self consciousness that keep us constantly comparing ourselves with others in order to see how big we are.

We all seek to imitate one another’s imagined greatness….If I do not know who I am, it is because I think I am the sort of person everyone around me wants me to be. Perhaps I have never asked myself whether I wanted to become what everybody else seems to want to become. Perhaps if I only realized that I do not admire what everyone seem to admire, I would really begin to live after all.

Every man has a vocation to be someone: but he must understand clearly that, in order to fulfill his vocation, he can only be one person: himself…What does this mean? In order to be what we are meant to be, we must know Christ, and love him, and do what he did. Our destiny is in our own hands since God has placed it there, and has given us the grace to do the impossible. It remains for us to take up courageously and without hesitation the work he has given us, which is the task of living our own life as Christ would live it is us.

We can either Love God because we hope for something from Him, or we can hope in Him knowing that he loves us. Sometimes we begin with the first kind of hope and grow into the second.

Merton of Forgiving Yourself

It is true that we make many mistakes. But the biggest of them all is to be surprised at them: as if we had any hope of never making any. Mistakes are part of our life, and not the least important part. It is by making mistakes that we gain experience, not only for ourselves but for others.

My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others. The fruits of my labors are not my own: for I am preparing the way for the achievements of another. Nor are my failures my own. They may spring from the failure of another, but they are also compensated for by another’s achievement. There for the meaning of my life is…only seen in the complete integration of my achievements and failures with the achievements and failures of my own generation.

Merton on Rest

We do not live merely in order to “do something” no matter what…We do not live more fully merely by doing more…On the contrary, some of us need to discover that we will not begin to live more fully until we have the courage to do and see and taste and experience much less…There are times, then, when, in order to keep ourselves in existence at all we simply have to sit back for a while and do nothing. And for a man who has let himself be drawn completely out of himself by his activity, nothing is more difficult than to sit still and rest.

Balance in Self Sacrifice

The saint, therefore, is sanctified not only by fasting when he should fast but also by eating when he should eat. He is not only sanctified by his prayers in the darkness of the night, but by the sleep he takes in obedience to God, who made us what we are. Not only his solitude contributes to his union with God, but also his supernatural love for his friends and his relatives and those with whom he lives and works.

All Quotes are Excerpts from Thomas Merton’s book, No Man Is an Island.

Table of contents for Divine Revelation

1. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 1
2. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 2

Why does divine revelation appear not to happen for you or others you know?

There are enough hoaxes and error in society to make a person question as to whether or not God really speaks to mankind.  Usually, it does not appear to happen to people we know.  (This is Part 2 of a 2 part post.  If you missed Part 1, please use the series link above to read Part 1 which covers why people not expect divine revelation and how Scripture says divine revelation comes. )  First, there is the point mentioned in Part 1 of this post, that if you did not realize that God speaks or reveals truths to mankind, you may have unintentionally “tuned out” the thoughts, not realizing that they were from God, thinking they were just random thoughts of your own.

Second, there is the aspect of expectation. In the very first quote of this post from Ps. 146:5, it says that the God of special revelation is the help of those whose hope or expectation is in God; in other words, a special revelation of help  comes to the person who is expecting it. This is in agreement with a main concept Jesus taught, that “According to your faith it will be done to you (Mt. 9:29).” As in the philosophy of the Law of Attraction, if you are not expecting something good, you will not be aware of the opportunities when they become available. In this case, if you are not expecting God to speak, you would not hear direction from God because your lack of expectation keeps you from listening for it.

How do people get off track with divine revelations?

Your mind can have many “voices” which sometimes can be distracting to the voice of God’s Spirit. It is similar to the term of when one’s “mind is racing.” All kinds of thoughts can run through your mind at once, some being your thoughts, others being the thoughts of family and friends, the voice of God’s Spirit, and even voices of evil.

First, remember that discernment is learned. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice (Jn.10:4). Just as an animal learns the voice of its master through the experience of communication, you learn God’s voice through the experience of communication during prayer and study of the scriptures, God’s written words.

Second, realize that, as God is perfect, He will not and cannot contradict Himself. What He speaks now will not contradict what He has already been spoken. Obviously, there has to be a standard greater than yourself as a guide. Scriptures say in 2 Cor. 10:12, “When they compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” That is why knowledge of the scriptures is key, so you compare what you hear in your spirit to what God has revealed about His character in the written Word. If thoughts in your mind contradict the character of God or His instructions for life, those thoughts are not the result of divine revelation.

Third, divine revelation will have positive, healing, restorative results. Let’s look a little more specifically at this point.

What are the results of divine revelation?

If the thought is not a divine revelation but off track, the results of acting on it will not be positive. These quotes are samples of what God says are the results of acting on divine revelation of God’s will and purposes for you:

Acquaint now yourself with Him, agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will, and be at peace; by that you shall prosper and great good shall come to you. Job 22:21

And all your spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. Is.54:13

And know and understand His will and discerningly approve the better things and have a sense of what is vital.. Romans 2:18

I could put many more similar quotes here, but the point is clear that the results of divine revelation will bring peace, prosperity, great good, undisturbed composure, and a discernment of what is best and vital in life. These are results that are in line with the character of God as well as with His written Word.

Does divine revelation take place? Yes, it does. It is for the purpose of the Spirit of God communicating with your spirit. If you have never expected it, now is a good time to begin!  God desires for you to receive special revelations that bring you a happy, peaceful, blessed, fortunate, and enviable life!

Table of contents for Divine Revelation

1. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 1
2. Divine Revelation: Reality, Necessity, or Hoax? Part 2

The amount of error and/or hoaxes seen in society by all of us are enough to make one question whether or not God speaks to mankind.

Still, the complexity of life makes a person desire someone more powerful, more knowledgeable than himself to look to, interact with, and rely on. I came across a great quote last week regarding this:

Happy, blessed, fortunate, enviable is he who has the God of special revelation for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. (Ps.146:5, Amp)

It is quite fitting, as a person would be truly happy, blessed, fortunate, and to be envied if he or she has God Almighty providing special revelations of wisdom, insight, and direction to help him/her through life. The Hebrew word here for “hope” means expectation. Not many of us can say that we live in that state, whose “expectation is in the Lord his God of special revelation.”

Why do most people not expect divine revelation?

Other than the apparent faux pas or hoaxes that bring discredit to the concept of divine revelation, the idea I heard most quoted while growing up in religious circles was this one:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him… (1 Cor.2:9)

People use this quote as a form of religious tradition to say that God does not speak. This is one of those instances that prove how important it is to study the written Words of God for yourself and not go by what you hear. Notice the  three periods “…” at the end of the above quote. It is because this is a partial quote – only a part of the original sentence. People relying solely on religious “tradition” are unaware of the full sentence which goes on to say-

…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10)

The concept of us never knowing the plans of God or “will of God” for our lives sounds logical if one only know the first part of that sentence. It is helpful to refer here to another quote from Jn.10:27, which says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Why would Jesus say that those who seek God listen to His voice if God does not speak to mankind? Clearly, God Himself does say that He speaks to mankind of His plans and purposes for our lives.

How does divine revelation come?

We are not solely physical beings; we are physical beings in which live an eternal spirit created by God. The communication takes place between your spirit and God’s Spirit. God says,

The Spirit will announce and declare to you the things that are to come — that will happen in the future. He will honor and glorify Me; He will take, receive, draw upon what is Mine and will reveal, declare, disclose, transmit it to you. (Jn. 16:13,14 Amp) (*1)

The Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth. (Jn.16:13)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jn. 14:26)

So, yes, God’s Spirit does communicate with your spirit. If you have never thought it possible before, you may have either tuned it out or not recognized it, thinking the ideas were just your own thoughts.

God’s Spirit does speak guidance and wisdom to mankind so that one can live an effective, fulfilling life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Again, scriptures emphasize that the Spirit of God does teach you the will of God, i.e. His plans and purposes, for your life. God does also reveal spiritual truths or insights-

We pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, and clear knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things. (Col. 1:9)

(This is Part 1 of a 2 Part Post.  In Part 2 we will continue with, “Why does divine revelation not appear to come to most people?” and “Where do people get off track?” )
(*1.  A note about the Amplified translation, one of my personal favorite translation to study.  In John 16:14, you see the phrase ” reveal, declare, disclose, transmit.”  These are 4 meanings of the original Greek word used in that quote.  The Amplified translation expands out main words from the original Hebrew and Greek texts to include all the meanings of the original word. Hence, “amplified.” )

The amount of error and/or hoaxes seen in society by all of us are enough to make one question whether or not God speaks to mankind.

Yet, the level of difficulty in various seasons of life make a person desire someone more powerful, more knowledgeable than himself to look to, interact with, and rely on. I came across a great quote last week regarding this:

Happy, blessed, fortunate, enviable is he who has the God of special revelation for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God. (Ps.146:5, Amp)

It is quite fitting, as a person is absolutely happy, blessed, fortunate, and to be envied who has God Almighty providing special revelations of wisdom, insight, and direction to help him through life. The Hebrew word here for “hope” means expectation. Not many of us can say that we live in that state, whose “expectation is in the Lord his God of special revelation.”

Why do most people not expect divine revelation?

Other than the apparent faux pas or hoaxes that bring discredit to the concept of divine revelation, the idea I heard most quoted while growing up in religious circles was this one:

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him… (1 Cor.2:9)

People use this quote to say that God does not speak. This is one of those instances that prove how important it is to study the written Words of God for yourself and not go by what you hear. Notice the “…” at the end of the above quote. It is because it is only part of a sentence. People in religious circles usually never quote the full sentence which goes on to say-

…but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10)

The concept of us not knowing the plans of God or “will of God” for our lives sounds logical if one only know the first part of that sentence. It is helpful to refer here to another quote from Jn.10:27, which says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Why would Jesus say that those who seek God listen to His voice if God does not speak to mankind? Obviously, God Himself does say that He speaks to mankind of His plans and purposes for our lives.

How does divine revelation come?

We are not solely physical beings; we are physical beings in which lives an eternal spirit created by God. The communication takes place between your spirit and God’s Spirit. God says,

The Spirit will announce and declare to you the things that are to come-that will happen in the future. He will honor and glorify Me; He will take, receive, draw upon what is Mine and will reveal, declare, disclose, transmit it to you. (Jn. 16:13,14 Amp)

The Spirit of Truth will guide you into all truth. (Jn.16:13)

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (Jn. 14:26)

So, yes, God’s Spirit does communicate with your spirit. If you have never thought it possible before, you may have either tuned it out or not recognized it, thinking the ideas were just your own thoughts.

God’s Spirit does speak guidance and wisdom to mankind so that one can live an effective, fulfilling life. Psalm 143:10 says, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” Again, scriptures emphasize that the Spirit of God does teach you the will of God, i.e. His plans and purposes, for your life. God does also reveal spiritual truths or insights-

We pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the full, deep, and clear knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom, in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God, and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things. (Col. 1:9)

Why does divine revelation appear not to happen for you or others you know?

First, there is the above mentioned point, that if you did not realize that God speaks or reveals truths to mankind, you may have “tuned out” or unintentionally ignored the thoughts, not realizing that they were from God–thinking they were just random thoughts of your own.

Second, there is the aspect of expectation. In the very first quote of this post from Ps. 146:5, it says that the God of special revelation is the help of those whose hope or expectation is in God; in other words, special revelation of the help a person needs comes to those who are expecting it. This is in agreement with a main concept Jesus taught, that “According to your faith it will be done to you (Mt. 9:29).” As in the philosophy of the Law of Attraction, if you are not expecting something good, you will not be aware of the opportunities when they become available. In this case, if you are not expecting God to speak, you would not hear direction from God because your lack of expectation keeps you from listening for it.

How do people get off track with divine revelations?

Your mind can have many “voices” which sometimes can be distracting to the voice of God’s Spirit. It is similar to the term of when one’s “mind is racing.” All kinds of thoughts can run through your mind at once, some being your thoughts, others being the thoughts of family and friends, the voice of God’s Spirit, and even voices of evil.

First, remember that discernment is learned. Jesus said that His sheep know His voice (Jn.10:4). Just as an animal learns the voice of its master through the experience of communication, you learn God’s voice through the experience of communication during prayer and study of the scriptures, God’s written words.

Second, realize that, as God is perfect, He will not and cannot contradict Himself. What He speaks now will not contradict what He has already been spoken. Obviously, there has to be a standard greater than yourself as a guide. Scriptures say in 2 Cor. 10:12, “When they compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise.” That is why knowledge of the scriptures is key, so you compare what you hear in your spirit to what God has revealed about His character in the written Word. If thoughts in your mind contradict the character of God or His instructions for living, those thoughts are not the result of divine revelation.

Third, divine revelation will have positive, healing, restorative results. Let’s look a little more specifically at this point.

What are the results of divine revelation?

If the thought is not a divine revelation but off track, the results of acting on it will not be positive. These quotes are samples of what God says are the results of acting on divine revelation of God’s will and purposes for you:

Acquaint now yourself with Him, agree with God and show yourself to be conformed to His will, and be at peace; by that you shall prosper and great good shall come to you. Job 22:21

And all your spiritual children shall be disciples taught by the Lord and obedient to His will, and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children. Is.54:13

And know and understand His will and discerningly approve the better things and have a sense of what is vital.. Romans 2:18

I could put many more similar quotes here, but the point is clear that the results of divine revelation will bring peace, prosperity, great good, undisturbed composure, and a discernment of what is best and vital in life. These are results that are in line with the character of God as well as with His written Word.

Does divine revelation take place? Yes, it does. It is for the purpose of the Spirit of God communicating with your spirit. If you have never expected it, now is a good time to begin!  God desires for you to receive special revelations that bring you a happy, peaceful, blessed, fortunate, and enviable life!