2 - How to get revelation?



Recap!

First, a recap on some points from last post. Revelation isn't a point-in-time event, it is a continuous communion. And you gotta work hard at it. I'm not saying stay in the temple every day, but I am saying that Samuel did that in the Bible. If you want the reward, you gotta pay the price. Stay thinking on this, because it is a recurring theme. My super secret agenda is to inspire you past your possible discouragement to really seek out this gift and make your life more fantabulous.

How to get Revelation?

This is the kicker, the real cahuna, the question of questions. This is what this blog is made for! 
Well, this is going to be a bit tricky. To help me out I've brought in a couple experts.

May I present C.S. Lewis scripting Eustace Scrubb from Narnia!
C.S Lewis said a lot of intelligent things about christianity. In The Silver Chair (part of his most awesome Chronicles of Narnia series), a boy named Eustace gives the down low on how to access a higher power. There is another character talking to him, hoping that there is a process or diagram they can use to get access. Eustace replies that all the circles and chants (spoiler alert) don't actually work that great and that you can't really force it. You need to ask instead. It is up to God to determine how He answers.

Hopefully that isn't too much of a downer. I got another great guy to help us out. His name is Eno.

Eno is the sixth patriarch in Zen Buddhism. For our purposes today, that means he is really cool and smart about revelation (he calls it enlightenment). There is this great story in The Gateless Gate (Koan 23) where Eno is teaching a younger monk about enlightenment. the monk is chasing him to learn. Eno sees him approach, and he puts his robe and bowl on a rock and then tells the monk "This robe represents the faith. Is it to be fought for by force? You may take them now." The monk tries to lift them up but they are too heavy. the monk realizes he made a pretty big mistake because he wanted the trappings of a knowledgeable master instead of the true knowledge itself. So he turns back to Eno and says "I come for the teaching, not for the robe, please enlighten me!". Eno tells the monk (in my interpretation of it) that he has to look beyond all the layers of his personality down all the way to the true self, who you really are. The monk understands the meaning and gains enlightenment. Part of what Eno is saying is that you shouldn't be seeking revelation to feel good about yourself, or to prop up your self image, or any of those things. Another part he is saying is that you can't hide from God. You can't even hide from yourself in the long run. You need to be completely honest and truthful to yourself and your higher power.

My last guest is a guy named James, but we usually call him James the Apostle of Jesus Christ. He is a heavy hitter.

This is what he has to say in the book of James in the Bible (James 1:5-6, NIV, for you over-achievers)

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
So what he is saying is that God wants to answer your questions, but you need to ask, and you need Faith if you want it to work.

Summary up to this Point 

Okay, this is what we have got so far:
  • Getting revelation is consistent communion
  • Getting revelation is something God gives, not something you take
  • Getting revelation is not all the looks of the thing
  • Getting revelation is you being honest with yourself, and realizing who you really are.
  • God wants to give you revelation, if you can walk the path of faith.

Walking the Path of Faith

Please pay attention to that last point. that is the great secret of it all. Unfortunately, this blog is not designed to delve deep into what faith truly is, so a simple definition I would like you to think about is that walking by faith is doing what you know to be right according to your best knowledge every single day. Also, walking the path of faith toward revelation means that you are continually seeking and asking for God to play a part in your path.

This means that there are some things you can do that everyone should be doing, and there are things that you can do that apply only to your circumstances.

Here are some things you can do that everyone should be doing:

  • Take time alone. Especially if you are from a first-world nation.
  • Pray. Take time to directly address God and directly tell him your situation (remember, be honest), and directly ask him for help.
  • Read holy scripture. Understand who it is you are asking revelation from. Consider studying with others if the text is difficult to understand.
  • Find communities that are doing the same and spend time together. For Christians this is your Sunday church service.
  • find purpose to your life (more on this later).
  • Listen to any feelings that you have that tell you should do something, act, then listen again, and think about what the experience means.
Here are some ideas of what you might do individually. Generally, you start doing these after you have done the above list of things consistently over time.
  • Attend a meeting with people who are in tune with revelation
  • learn personal meditation techniques
  • help your neighbors
  • give up things in your life (habits, objects)
  • Talk with mentors you trust
  • Tell God things you are inspired to say to Him
This last list is where finding revelation gets really fun so we'll talk about that later for sure! Remember that what we've talked about today is the meat and potatoes of revelation. It's the heart and soul, the foundational understanding of it all. It may seem a little basic, or maybe it feels like a little much to take in, so just think about it and practice these things. Take it one step at a time, then come back and reread this post after you have practiced a bit and things will turn out just peachy!

Just Peachy Encouragement!














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