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Good things happen between people and God when there is a mesh of knowledge and pain. This pretty much sucks, but the more things are observed the more it appears to be God's way.

This is why Jesus says that entrance into the Kingdom is difficult. It takes place via something that is totally contrary to human nature. Human nature is to run from pain. Avoid it at all costs. Detour around it if at all possible. We do not by design embrace or welcome pain in our lives. We fucking hate it.

God scripts it, though, regardless of how we feel about it.

Yet this is what is so contrary in today's Body. Pulpits today do not speak of pain as God's way. There is only speak today of blessing, victory and success.

Yet that is what is amazing. If it were possible (but it's honestly not) to get someone in today's church to remove the praise dildo from their orifice for a minute and have a sober conversation, they would admit that it is the times of hardship in their life when they have been closest to God.

Have you ever noticed that when searing circumstances arise in your life that your ears suddenly get larger and more attentive to God? Not in a blessing or praise sense, but rather in a "God, I'm listening" sense.

But this so often falls to the wayside. People leave this temporary moment of sobriety with God and run right back into the Bless Me Room.

Utter shit gets our attention. We come down off our high horse (be it a praise/blessing high horse or a sin high horse) and are willing to be with God--listen to Him, not just blab a one way monologue to Him.

But this is not what takes place in today's Body. The expected orientation of anyone who is a "Believer" is to be continually drunk with the praise Kool Aid.

And so here's what happens today. Anytime God wishes to get someone's attention or have them spiritually grow up (He grows us by trial and hardship, it is ALL throughout the new testament that this is what He does) there is a kneejerk, spasmodic reaction. It's partially based on human nature yet is amplified many, many magnitudes by the praise/blessing gunk.

People have come to wholeheartedly expect (demand) blessing around the clock, and so what goes on both inside them and other Kool Aid Drinkers is a HUGE disconnect.

I see this time and time and time again in people, this disconnect. They are totally befuddled as to why a serious, hazardous situation has cropped up in life when "God" is (allegedly) all about their perpetual bliss.

When shit goes down the reaction is commonly not "yes, God, I'm listening". Rather it is "satan you have no place here, go back to hell", "devil, you have no authority over Suzy's life". People begin flailing at the devil, when the truth is it is God trying to get them to come down off the high of their praise/blessing injections and actually (*gasp*) grow for a change.

Is it really that hard to see that today's Body is overflowing with whiny, bratty, immature babies? When anything goes even slightly awry they just begin to cry. Wah wah wah. God restore my comfort. God readjust my fleece blanket, it got moved one millimeter and I can't handle it if it's not perfectly positioned. You'll do this because You LOVE me. Because You love me You want me happy. I'm not happy. Wah wah wah. Don't You love me? Wah wah wah.

Worse than this, these people destroy what God is wishing to do in other people. God tries to get Joe Christian's attention, speak to Joe, grow him, and the people around Joe begin rebuking satan and spend every ounce of their prayer, energy and "ministry" pleading, begging and commanding that a state of blessing be restored to Joe's life.

People are intervening in the name of Jesus and preventing God from doing things in and with people. You think God is all-powerful? Ha ha. His work is stopped ALL the time by people who go around doing their own thing in His name. This is why Jesus says what He says to us in Matthew 7:

"Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And then I will say to them openly (publicly), I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]"

It is not of God to have a Body full of diaper wearers. He wants people to grow up, and He's excruciatingly clear that He does this by way of pain. And yet there is a sea, a hugely large majority of those who claim His name who are doing all they can to prevent growth in both themselves and others by alleviating and circumventing pain.

And think they are of God by doing so.

Got news for ya. God has had it with diapers. He is absolutely fucking sick of changing diapers. Ask Him yourself if you want.

Quit doing all that can be done to prevent growth by trying to keep things dainty, positive and blessed. This is resisting God and operating in the Christian Flesh (doing one's own thing in Jesus' name), just like Jesus talks about.

God does some really cool stuff when there is a mesh of knowledge and pain. This is why He authors pain. Take away the pain and all people have is knowledge.

This is why knowledge by itself is just knowledge.

So all this talk about being a more mature Follower just by knowing more bible and/or having a better/longer prayer life (which, let's be honest, is just spending more time asking God to do things on our or others' behalf)? These will give us more knowledge, but they aren't going to grow us jack shit.

Pulpits and churches everywhere today say growth comes via more bible reading and more praying. God says growth takes place via hardship.

None of us will mature squat as long as life is a matter of conceptually nodding our head in philosophical agreement with the idea that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

Hear what is said to anyone who would wish to grow up in God, and/or be in Paradise:

"Grant that we may sit...in Your glory. But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? And they replied to Him, We are able. And Jesus told them, The cup that I drink you will drink, and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized"

Further, "that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] That if possible I may attain to the resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead" (Philippians 3)

And, "we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8)

The pulpits today don't talk of these things. They only talk about eating ice cream.

Salvation is NOT a "free gift", I don't care what everyone is telling you. Jesus says the opposite. He tells us following Him is going to cost us everything we've got.

If we are truly God's sons, if we are to mature beyond diapers, following Jesus is going to rip us asunder. From stem to stern.

I'm sorry they didn't tell you this when you signed up. If you want to reconsider and turn back and follow Him no more, go ahead. Jesus doesn't chase people, and we are free to leave. They don't mention these fine-print verses above when they tell us about following Jesus.

So the question is, are we going to tell Jesus we wish to drink from His cup? Do we have the guts to invite His baptism? Invite His sufferings? And by His sufferings this is not talking about having allergies or some other physical trifle.

This is not a pretty thing. This is Jesus' invitation to be bludgeoned as He is bludgeoned. When He says "follow Me", it is an invitation to follow in the footsteps of His sufferings.

It's really interesting that so many people consider those who are living in and pursuing the blessing bubble to be "men of God" and "women of God".

Not according to the bible.

Maybe we're satisfied simply having knowledge.

S'ok. Retract to the precious little worlds of knowledge and blessing lived in at the moment. There's going to come a fork in the road where it's either renounce Jesus totally or embrace His way of suffering.

This current "God wants things cushy for us" stuff will shrivel and be vanquished. It is not of God and He's beginning to shred it for the nonsense that it is. The prayer here is that He'll bring that fork swiftly to anyone who's read this.

Venture beyond knowledge. Ask for His cup, if you dare. It is NOT pretty, so we should weigh this before asking frivolously. This is a weighty thing to ponder. But then again, the Way is not for everyone.