Intensity

I am talking about the life-long intensity of character Jesus Christ had. "Multiply and increase, and fill the earth and its environments" (Genesis 1:28 Alexander). This was, as I understand it, the first commandment of God to man. It is at least a good explanation for our sex drive. This drive almost overwhelms us and drives us nuts, but we are to have God-like integrity and control in our exercise of this drive: no one but our spouse. "The marriage bed is undefiled" (Hebrews 13:4) . . . or it is not a marriage bed at all. God-like sexual and emotional fidelity is hardly dreamed of in this world. To not even LOOK at another--any other--with lust seems an impossibility. Yet Christ was sinless His whole life. Behold the Great Man, the man of great intensity to do right, to be right—a man like no other. Yet, God is saying, the man we are to be.

As I noted in my most recent post, Neville Goddard realized that God's speech to us seemingly from without is really His whispering to us from deep within, because God is not out there, but is in here. I suppose a scriptural example of this might be God's announcement to Jesus at His baptism: "You are my beloved Son, in you I am fulfilled" (Mark 1:11; Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22). The voice was heard by Jesus as without, but was spoken from God the Father WITHIN. Jesus' intensity of character, his obedience, was paying off. WE ARE CALLED TO SUCH INTENSITY OF OBEDIENCE: "BE YE PERFECT." The New Testament, though, is an enormous announcement heard as being from without, while actually telling us from within that it is not like that--not like the Mosaic Law, but higher--a Law of God-likeness. You know: those things that are true, modest, righteous, pure, merciful, praiseworthy, acts of glorification and virtue, faith, hope, love--God is telling us those things we are to think on, to advocate, and are to do with God-like intensity.

So, what are we to think? Every loving thing. Think as God intensely. Believe it in, as Neville would say. Thinking as God--imagining as Him--is DOING as God. For what else does God do? What else CAN He do? God can and does imagine. He imagines assuming existence, and it becomes. Do you want to get closer to God? Imagine Jesus who is God, and there He is, right in you!

I remember my Church History professor at Melodyland School of Theology, Rev. Bob Whitaker, saying that he was once leading a young man in prayer (I don't remember if it was for salvation or for the baptism of the Holy Ghost), and had led the young man in imagination to the foot of the cross, where the man could look up and see Jesus on the cross. Whitaker was about to continue when the man shushed him, saying, "Shh. He's talking." The young man had gone to Him, and Jesus was doing His thing WITHIN.