Whispers of Expressing

His Life ⁽¹⁾

by Ray and Doris Prinzing

Chapter 8

 THE LORD, ALWAYS BEFORE ME

"I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." [Psalm 16:8].

             Moffatt: "I keep the Eternal at all times before me; with Him so close, I cannot fail."
            Rotherham: "I shall not be shaken."
            Before He ascended again to the Father, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send them the Comforter, even the spirit of truth, and said, "For He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." [John 14:17]. WITHIN and WITHOUT! Within we have the "earnest of our inheritance," and without we have the vast resources of our God. We truly would POSSESS Him within us, and then we would be POSSESSED BY HIM. It is far more than a matter of words and trite phrases ―it becomes a sphere of living, so that we express His life before all men. Therefore it is essential that we, as the Psalmist, maintain that priority of vision, to have the Lord always before us, that we might live victoriously both now, and in the times to come.
            The result is marvellous ― "I shall not be moved, I shall not be shaken, I cannot fail." For, while it is promised that there would be tremendous shakings, purposed for the removal of those things that can be shaken, yet the Word declares, "That those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace..." [Hebrews 12:27-28]. In the measure that THE KING is now ruling in our lives, then His Kingdom has come. The shaking was but to remove all other "kings" which usurped control, that we might be free from the spirit of this world, and be filled with His Spirit. With the Lord always before us, center in our vision, ruling supreme in us, and all our circumstances, then every expression of our life will be to His glory and praise, total victory!
            At least in part, Paul experienced this, and holding before him that goal, and being fully obedient unto that heavenly vision, he was able to say, "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy." [Acts 20:24]. What a blessed stability! To remain calm, cool, collected, when everything about us is wavering, falling, being removed. To walk on in the royal dignity of the Spirit, unshaken, unmoved by the conditions that surround. It is an inner STATE OF BEING that results from having a single eye unto the Lord, holding Him ever before us.
            "I have set the Lord always before me..." The word "SET" is from the Hebrew "shaveh," meaning: to level, to equalize. It has been translated as: to profit, or to make plain. By implication it means: to adjust, that is, a counter-balance to all else. Therefore, when we have placed the Lord always before us ―HE is the Equalizer: the Counter-balance to every situation. Thus He holds us steady, stable, upright, so that we cannot be moved. This would certainly bring an end to the yo-yo experience of some, who are "on a high" one day, and "in a deep depression" the next day. The expression of HIS joy and peace would remain constant.
            When Moses sent the twelve spies into the land of Canaan, that they might bring back a report to the people concerning the land, they came back with some of the fruit of the land which was exceptional, but they also told of the people they saw, saying, "And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." [Numbers 13:33].
            It is amazing yet today how many people maintain this grasshopper-giant ratio in their vision, their consciousness. Every circumstance is a giant, and they are always the grasshopper, about to be stepped on, to be crushed by the situation.
            We know, "I can of mine own self do nothing," [John 5:30], but that is why, "I have set the Lord always before me." For MY LACK and HIS FULNESS constitutes FULNESS! He immediately equalizes the giant-grasshopper ratio and brings us into that high plateau of His OVERCOMING victory. "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." [Luke 3:5-6].
            Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, "And said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." [Matthew 14:28-30].
            How often we are admonished by the Spirit not to look to the right hand, nor to the left, but to keep our eyes upon Him. If we look at the wind and waves, we'll become conscious of wind and waves, and this makes a place for fear to come in. Anything that takes our eyes off the Lord, opens us up for negative forces that wait without to devour us. "The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light." [Luke 11:34]. Therefore many of the processings which we go through are for the purpose of bringing us to that place of having "a single eye." We must be purged of all duality ―observing the wind and waves with one eye, and trying to keep the other on our Lord. Both eyes need to be centralized on Him ―"the Lord, ALWAYS BEFORE ME." ― "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith." [Hebrews 12:2].
            Ephesians 4:27 instructs us, "Neither give place to the devil." The Greek word for "place" is "topos," meaning: any portion of space marked off from the surrounding territory. Thus it is used in this verse in the sense of "opportunity, power, occasion for acting." Make no room for him whatsoever! Not even in our minds! Not even to have thoughts of him! For of a certainty, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." [John 10:10]. But when Jesus Christ fills all of our consciousness, then there is no room for negativity, or devil-consciousness in any form.
            Seems we need to be constantly reminded that, "The Lord hath made all things for Himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." [Proverbs 16:4]. He sovereignly controls the interplay of good and evil, retains the end result in the power of His hand, working all things together into our good, and for His praise. With positive assurance the prophet declares, "Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy." Yet because of His positive inworkings of grace, as we keep our eyes single to Him, it reads on, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the Lord." [Isaiah 54:16-17].
            Marvellous, indeed, is the insight afforded us in this scripture. God creates the smith that forges the weapon of war to be used against us, but at the same time assures us that such a weapon will not prosper, i.e. will not gain the final mastery over us, because HE IS THE FINAL VICTORY! All of the warfare is but purposed for our processing, while HE imparts of His grace and strength so that we might overcome every obstacle which he arranged to be placed in our pathway. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted (tested, tried) above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." [1 Corinthians10:13].
            The temptation, the testing, the trial is appointed by God, as well as the way through until we have gained the victory, and stand before Him fully developed and mature. Therefore so long as we "SET THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE US," and keep our eyes firmly upon Him, we can walk out every trial with the assurance of ultimate victory. Every test become an arena for the manifestation of His grace, and ultimate triumph!
            It is the "LORD" that must always be set before us. We know that this word "LORD" is all in capitalized letters in the King James Version, which signifies that in the Hebrew text it is the tetragram YHWH, (Yahweh), meaning: I am pleased to become what I will become. In his writings, Rotherham brings out, "The Name itself signifies, 'He who becometh,' and, it should be noted that the verb runs forward into a reduplication of itself." Thus we have a literal rendering, "I will become what I will become," or, "I will become whatsoever I please to become."
            The very name is A PROMISE, and prophetic of His plan and purpose being wrought out through the ages, namely, that there would be in HIS BECOMING a reduplication of Himself, in HIS becoming a multiplied people. For He is in a covenant relationship with a people, bringing them into oneness with Himself, to where they, in Him, LIVE AND BREATHE AS ONE. It is an expansion of Himself in those who become His sons. For, "Of His own will begat He us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures." [James 1:18]. Literally, a certain kind of the Himself creatures, or, creations of Himself.
            This is the One who must ever be before us ―having the pre-eminence in all things in our life. For we would become an EXPRESSION OF HIM. And we would that He fulfills in us all of His purpose and plan. To be the Leveler, the Equalizer, the Counter-balance of all the negatives in our life, so that it is all worked into good, for HIS glory and praise.
            "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." [1 Timothy 4:1].
            Paul makes a very strong statement here ―signifying that one must first DEPART FROM THE FAITH if they would give heed to seducing spirits, and to doctrines of devils. For this latter phrase, the Greek text more literally reads, "doctrines concerning devils." There is much teaching these days on demonology. Far beyond the limits of the Scripture on the subject, ideas are set forth concerning the devil which are utterly blasphemous against the sovereignty and omnipotence of our God. It is clear that they have DEPARTED FROM THE FAITH, in order to promote such teachings. If you depart from the faith that GOD ALONE IS GOD, then you can take up a belief that there are other gods ―good gods, bad gods, big gods, little gods, all kinds of them arranged for every situation. But you will also have gone contrary to the commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." [Exodus 20:3].
            Peter was well acquainted with the sifting, shakings caused by satan in his life, and out of his experiences was able to write, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of GOD, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith..." [1 Peter 5:6-9].
            Recognizing that there is an adversary, we give diligence ―to what? To look and see if the devil is in every happening that comes our way? NO! But we are diligent to cast all of our care upon the Lord, to hold fast to THE FAITH, for in "the faith" there is no room for the devil to work. We have no confidence in the devil, we place no faith in him, but our resistance to him is to maintain a strong GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS, and a vibrant faith in Him. We see the enemy as but a "dog on a leash" with GOD'S HAND HOLDING THE LEASH. Therefore nothing can happen outside of God's will, and only what HE plans to use in our processing is allowed, controlled, and worked into our good.
            It is very significant that history has recorded repeated cycles, that whenever doctrines concerning devils increases in its teaching, so also there is a corresponding counterpart, the worship of angels, with emphasis on some doctrines concerning angels. Uniquely in our day we are seeing an increase of teaching concerning both devils and angels ―with the result that such teachings eventually turn ones eyes away from the Lord, to seeing these realms, and leading into a worship of angels, or of devils, rather than the worshipping of the Lord our God alone.
            "I have set the LORD always before me..." If HE chooses to use the negative realm in our processing, so be it, we will still keep our eyes on Him. If HE chooses to use the angelic realm in our spiritual development, so be it, again we will continue looking only unto Him who is the Author and the Finisher of our faith.
            Yes, we believe in the ministry of angels, and we praise God for those "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." [Hebrews 1:14]. But we will not focus our attention upon them to the point that it takes our gaze away from the Lord Himself. Rather, we see all other realms and forces, dominions and powers, under HIS authority, used for the ultimate outworking of His plan of the ages. HE IS LORD! Give exaltation only to Him.
            Marvellous is that inworking of God in our lives which brings an end to all duality in our consciousness, to see both good and evil. Rather, we would SEE HIM as the Source of all our life and victory. HE will cause all our mountains and hills to be brought low, and every valley to be filled up. Indeed, "Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills." [Song of Solomon 2:8].He knows exactly how much pressure to use to bring down the high mountains, and so HE LEAPS UPON THEM. He knows just how much pressure to use to subdue the hills, and HE SKIPS UPON THEM, but in the POWER OF HIS STEP He levels it all out, makes a plain way, until all flesh shall see the salvation of God. From the least to the greatest, all shall KNOW HIM. Blessed be His name!
            When HE is BEFORE US, the Hebrew is "neged" meaning: out front; and specifically over against all else, then before anything can touch us, it has to come THROUGH HIM. What a Guardian, what a Keeper. "The Lord is thy Keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul." [Psalm 121:5- 7].
            HE shall bring an end to all internal strife in us, till there are no more competing drives, no inner fightings, but all is harmonized in HIS ONENESS. He will not lower the standard to make things equal, but all the lesser must be raised up to the greater, gathered into Him. Nor will He ever sacrifice quality for quantity. "The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal." [Revelation 21:16]. So it is written of the new Jerusalem, and so it shall be said of all the new creation in Christ. Why is there total equality in His kingdom ? Because they are all brought into ONENESS IN HIM. Every valley filled, every mountain brought low, and when all flesh has been dealt with, purged and purified, it is raised up into the heavenlies ―for that blessed union of His perfections, to become that expression of Him which redounds to His glory and praise.
            While it is with joy we hold this hope and vision of ultimate victory, we also realize we have to have it experientially worked out in us right here in the nitty-gritty of every day living. Or, as one expressed it, "right where the rubber meets the road." Right down there on the pavement, where it is the hottest, heaviest, and most stressful. Right in the individual makeup of our own nature, where He can deal with us One on one. And it is here that it is highly essential that we maintain a God-consciousness at all times. "The Lord, always before me."
            The word "conscious" is made up with the prefix, con ― meaning: with, or, together; and scious ―meaning: to know. Thus it bespeaks of a KNOWING TOGETHER, a shared knowledge with God, aware of an inward state, or an outward fact. Conscious applies primarily to that which is felt within, while "aware" applies to that which is perceived as without. When we are maintaining a GOD-CONSCIOUSNESS, then we shall also be aware of things as He is aware of them, and in particular, our internal state of being, knowing that which is right and proper for us, and that which we should shun. There is an INNER KNOWING, and as His Spirit bears witness with our spirit, we know the way wherein we should go, the action we should take, or refrain from taking. "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit." [1 Corinthians 6:17]. And with the LORD ALWAYS BEFORE US, we share with Him the knowledge for our way. Then the expressions will always be those which glorify Him, and are in harmony with His will and purpose.
            When our inner knowledge of a situation is knowledge shared with God, we will not rail against the darkness, nor curse it; we will not fight the pressures and happenings of our time, but will be able to say with Joseph, "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; BUT GOD MEANT IT UNTO GOOD..." [Genesis 50:20]. To be able to see it from GOD'S VIEW will certainly bring forth a different reaction in us, than if we only saw it from the flesh's viewpoint, Oh, to share GOD'S KNOWLEDGE WITHIN! This is a working in our spirit, not just an intellectual reasoning of the mind. In fact, oftentimes our mind will have to be renewed and conformed to the inner spirit truth. But the more we learn to live out of the SPIRIT REALM, with our spirit in union with the Spirit of God, the more we shall truly walk a triumphant way.
            The man Christ Jesus had a relationship that was a dominate factor in His life. He said, "I and My Father are ONE." [John 10:30]. Always He knew He was highly dependent upon His Father, as He said, "I can of Mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me." [John 5:30]. You talk about SHARED KNOWLEDGE, this was His daily experience. He made no rash moves motivated by earthy impulses, but He listened for the Father's voice within, and as He heard, so He did. Yet so secure was He in this relationship with His Father, He was also able to say, "Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me. And I know that Thou hearest Me always." [John 11:41-42].
            The secret was equally clear, "Because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me." This indicates that He had a "will" which He could have set in contradistinction to the will of the Father, but He didn't. From every atom of His being came the response, "I delight to do Thy will, O God," And always that challenging prayer for us to follow, "Not My will, but Thine, be done." He set the Father's will as frontlets before His eyes. Always conscious of Father's will, and having but one desire, to please the Father and do His will. Hence every expression from Him caused the Father to declare, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased," Oh, may this also be fulfilled in us!
            The world does not need to see any more manifestation of the flesh, they have seen enough. But all creation waits on tiptoe to see the wonderful sight of the sons of God, for these will express His nature to the world.
            Fear is a negative emotion, likewise worry, doubt, and unbelief. If these are in us, they become a fertile field for a devil-consciousness to develop, as we become more aware of that realm than we are of HIM who is to be continually before us. Then filled with disquietedness, we are prone to lash out at every situation, rebuking devils right and left, for it all seems to us to be satan-controlled, and we forget that GOD IS IN CONTROL. However, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear..." [1 John 4:18], and when we have SET HIM who is LOVE ever before us, HE will certainly remove all our doubts and fears, and we will know that "Greater is HE that is in you, than he that is in the world." [1 John 4:4]. Filled with His love, filled with His joy and peace, it is easy to resist the devil, for "what communion hath light with darkness?" [2 Corinthians 6:14].
            Out of its state of being the Light simply shines, and the darkness flees. Maintaining a God-consciousness gives no place for darkness or any other negative realm to operate. Light dispels all the darkness! Yet we know also that God, who is LIGHT, is able to wrap Himself in thick darkness as with a garment, and retain total control over it all. "Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to Thee." [Psalm 139:12]. Thus, when we have set the Lord always before us, then we need not fear the night, for HE can use it all to His advantage, work out His purposes for us, and bring us into that realm of victory when "both are alike" to us also. That is, our peace and stability are not affected by any thing without, because of HIM who abides within.
            There were some dark nights in Job's experience. "There came a messenger unto Job, and said...while he was yet speaking, there came another, and said...while he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said..." So the reports of disaster piled up. What was Job's first reaction? He "fell down upon the ground, AND WORSHIPPED, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." [Job 1:20-22].
            Then "Satan...smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. ―Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips." [Job 2:7,9-10.
            He would not sin, nor err, not miss the mark, because he was keeping the Lord always before him. Retaining his integrity, he would not exalt any other power, but he received both good and evil from the hand of God, knowing that GOD WAS IN CONTROL― God is sovereign! He was not out fighting devils, he was worshipping his God! It was not a path of dualism, fearing God, and fearing satan. He kept his eyes upon his God, to the point that he could say, 'Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him." [Job 13:15]. And while at the time, he could not understand what was taking place, nor even have an experience of God' s conscious presence, yet he could say, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." [Job 23:10]. What a marvellous commitment to the Almighty!
            That we might also be fully processed, Jesus prayed, "I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou wouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." [John 17:15-16]. To be IN the world, but NOT OF it! And because we are not of it, we do not have to render allegiance to it, nor salute it, talk about it, or follow its customs. We follow in the steps of Him who is ever before us!
            "I keep the Eternal at all times before me; with Him so close, I cannot fail." [Psalm 16:8, Moffatt].
            "Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." The right hand bespeaks the place of power and authority, and we ascribe to Him that place. We acknowledge that HE has total control, absolute authority, and HE is our LORD. Thus it is by His grace that we shall become an expression of His victory in all things, living out of the abundance of His grace, clothed with His righteousness; and rejoicing in His more abundant life.
 
 

My heart's desire is to express
His love, His joy, His peace,
To manifest His righteousness,
That things of self would cease.
 
But there are mountains in my will,
Strong holds of 'me' and 'mine,'
It takes His cross to bring these down,
No more my will, but Thine.
 
And there are hills of foolish pride,
Where self would take its stroll,
These must be dealt with if at last
I'd clearly see the goal.
 
But every mountain shall come down,
And every hill made low,
The crooked paths shall all be straight,
My Lord has promised so.
 
When He is set before our face,
He'll equalize it all,
He'll bring an end to carnal self,
Expression of the fall.
 
And He will raise us to His plane,
In heavenlies to dwell,
A oneness ―in His life to live,
Far more than words can tell.
 
When He's the Leader of our way,
How oft' this has been proved,
No matter how the storms may blow,
The righteous are not moved.
 
When in His nature we are found,
There'll be no more chagrin,
For this heredity is such
It shall not, cannot sin.
 
Whatever circumstance may bring,
Like Job, we'll worship Him.
For when He's set before our face,
The Light shall never dim.
 
And by His grace we shall express
His love, His joy, His peace,
Our transformation He'll complete,
And righteousness increase.