What’s in your ruck?

Human Disposition and Divine Intervention

How are we brought into this world?

Through the womb naked with nothing

How do we leave this world?

In one outfit, that hopefully we picked ahead of time and with nothing

I am sorry for the mess - i hope you can forgive me

Throughout our short time here, we “oh ye who have little faith” become conditioned by man, conditioned to be of this world, and this is the Disposition of Man!

Disposition defined as the inherent qualities of mind and character

I am sorry for the mess - i hope you can forgive me

Let’s re visit human disposition

we are going to pack a ruck together!

I apologize for the mess and i hope you can forgive me but let’s get started!

First we need the Ruck! - Do you agree?

A sleeping bag for warmth and protection from the elements - so we can rest - do you agree ?

A poncho - to hang and keep us out of the elements

Do you agree?

A rain coat obviously right! Do you agree?

Extra Pants - Do you agree?

Extra shirts - do you agree?

socks - do you agree?

underwear - do you agree?

extra boots - do you agree?

shower bag with hygiene kit - Do you agree?

water source - do you agree?

MRE - do you agree?

flashlight - do you agree ?

map - do you agree?

charger for my phone - do you agree?

whatever other vices - pre made coffee - energy drinks - dip

lets get it on our backs - it is so heavy that most of us need help getting it on our back! thats crazy!

This is what it takes to meet our needs!

On our journey - we all agreed that we need everything we put in this bag!

Now we recently went on a 25 mile ruck with half of this stuff!

On the ruck we stopped every 6 miles for 30 mins to check our feet - hydrate - and snack!

Each time you take off the ruck because of how sweaty you are, you become freezing and want to put the bag back on.

Now you start to realize you would rather not stop but keep going because every time you stop you realize how much your body hurts and how miserable you are…..

so what are you going to do….lean on your training, on your conditioning on your disposition and not leave your gear behind because it is all your needs in one place!

We all agreed as we packed that bag that there is nothing in there we don’t need right!

because of our conditioning! we became conformed to this world!

ahhhh now i see the lights coming on!

what we didnt pay attaention to was over the course of our lives, right, our journey we put other stuff in our ruck as well…..

we put heart breaks -

abuse -

all of our trauma- mommy issues, daddy issues, spouse issues,

loss -

addictions -

abandonment-

petty arguments we dont want to let go of-

mean things people have said to us that we dont even know why it bothers us -

we filled our ruck with everything we think we need to start our journey and noticed the bag was heavy from the very begining -

but we didnt take anything out because we need it!

we without noticing filled our ruck with everything that affected us emotionally-

now the bag is heavier then most of us can carry!

Yet this is the bag handed to us by the adversary - the straps that go around our shoulder and across our chest is the chains that binds us not only to the human condition but everything of this world that we think we need!

this ruck was filled both willing and unwilling by conditioning the of this world - by what the world tells us about our lives and by what people tell us about our lives

this stage started out a mess - that mess was a mess I made! that mess is the mess that we made

but hey — I apologized for it!

that apology was me repenting but still proceeding to do what I wanted

I ended up with baggage I can not physically - emotionally - or spiritually carry!

The adversary helped me clean up my mess! I came to man to ask man what I needed to do with my mess and the adversary told me where to put it!

the adversary told me to keep it - that I need it! and put it in my ruck!

Jesus says—

Matthew 23:4 ESV

4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.

this is the works of man!

If I emptied the ruck - would you even be able to tell which issues your hanging on to!

Some of these issues we have held on to for so long that we think they are what makes us who we are!

Pauls says ….

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Come as you are —

with all your gear—

everything you think you need—

everything this world taught you to hang on to—

Jesus says—

Matthew 6:8 (ESV)

Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God knows all that you have in your ruck—

God knows your heart—

God knows you—

God will feed you Matthew 4:4, Jesus states that "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

God will quench your thirst John 4:13-14, Jesus says, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

come to me ALL who labor and are heavy laden….

not just some of you … ALL of you!

and I will give you rest!!!

straight from his mouth…

Jesus will release you from all that you carry and you will find rest for your soul——

not just your body , but your soul!

Not just in this life but the next as well!

Let us all bow our heads

God our heavenly father -

we humbly come to you with spiritual baggage

we pray that you first forgive us for conforming to this world, conforming intentionally and unintentionally

as you know it is not always easy to walk by faith when our sight is so easily distracted

God we are burdened by the weight of all that we carry

all of the conformities of this world

all of the needs we think we have

we pray that you Forgive us lord for we know not what we do

God you know our heart and understand that we are here Lord asking for you to release us from this heavy burden break every chain binding us to this world

so that as it is written our souls may rest!

God for it is written that you know our needs Lord

to ask and it shall be recieved

to knock and the door shall be opened

we are here lord knocking, and asking Lord

Hear our cry —

Lord we pray that as our heads our bowed and or burdens are heavy that you break the chains that weigh us down lord and that as we say amen and life our heads lord that every head bowed will be set free from burdens they are carrying lord

as always we pray that you bless our

hearts to receive and accept your truth

our eyes to see your truth

our ears to hear your truth

our tongues to speak your truth

our hands to build in your truth

and

our feet to walk in your truth

In the name of the father - the son - and the holy ghost

the whole church said …..AMEN