Finding tRUE NORTH - THE INTERNAL COMPASS
Has our view of God been distorted by so many religions, churches and even well-meaning Christians, leaving us with a very jaded perspective of who God truly is?
Contrary to man-made religion, we were created for freedom and diversity. Each of us carries within an instinctive thirst——a deep, inbuilt longing for something more.
We can be very skilled at finding ways to numb, deny, or busy ourselves in an attempt to suppress the truth of where we’re really at. Many of us build our lives on fleeting things trying to fill the vacuum of unfulfillment——whether through pleasures, possessions and accomplishments, or sadly, even social media.
Navigating through life can feel precarious for any of us——especially when we’ve built our lives on what we’ve ‘fashioned or created’ as our personal truth. Yet we’ve been offered the opportunity of a lifetime——literally! Not through religion but through a real relationship with God, our Maker——the only ‘true north’.
I J Fletcher (2024)
IN THE BEGINNING - WERE THE TREES
VOLUME I
With the fall of man came a dramatic change, we were thrown out of alignment from our intended order of function. We were made dead to God’s Spirit and our soul became the ruling force.
The fruit of ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ became the new reality——‘soul-life’ in dominion——man’s autonomy of self-rule.
These open and transparent reflections help explain why, as Christians, so many of us don’t really hear God’s voice.
We may fill our souls with good teachings and principles. We may get our ‘fix’ by gathering with others, satisfying our soul’s cravings with our worship culture. We might even stay busy with self-affirming programs at the coalface of ministry. But if we were to strip away all this scaffolding, where would we be? We may find that God is still asking us, as He did in the beginning:
‘Adam, where are you?’
Many of us, as ‘well-meaning’ Christians, are being misled into thinking we are operating in a spiritual capacity, or even an anointing, yet it is confronting to consider, that more often than not, we are functioning out of the unrealised potential that is within our soul.
I J Fletcher (2025)
in the beginning - were the trees
VOLUME II
Could we be living out an ‘alternative lifestyle’ called Christianity?
One where we embrace the ideals of Jesus and His ‘historical Word’, yet attach all the truths of His Word to a soul still in dominion?
A lifestyle that is very much Christian, where we take the principles revealed in His Word only to download them into the ‘god of self’——a soul still in control. Sadly, this would be nothing more than a ‘soul-man’ in dominion, attempting to move God for Him. Thereby growing in us a culture of a ‘super-soul’, dislocated from Him.
If we, as individuals, are willing to accept where we are, God will accept us as we are. We must not let our history rob us of our future.
I J Fletcher (2025)
IN THE BEGINNING - WERE THE TREES
VOLUME Iii
Do we find ourselves compromising our calling to be transparent, vulnerable, and openly involved with others?
If so, could it be because we’ve developed a hidden determination to avoid things that are inconvenient, unscripted, or potentially cost us more than we’d like? This hidden determination may lead us to steer clear of anything that might suggest pain, discomfort, or conflict.
Our perception——how we see ourselves and how we view others——is our only true reality. To some, this may seem like an overstatement, but it is true: our perceptions always shape our reality. Yet, are we willing to recognise and embrace the agents of change——pain, discomfort, and conflict——often orchestrated by God to renew and transform our perceptions, ultimately aligning our reality with His?
When we come to a place of conforming to His purpose——no matter how insignificant or daunting it may seem——God will activate His Kingdom over us and provide everything we need to fulfil His will. However, we must recognise that it will likely cost us something before God’s provision is activated over us.
I J Fletcher (2025)
in the beginning - were the trees
VOLUME IV
Much like the ‘elephant in the room’, we are coming to a point in time where each of us must take personal responsibility for the ‘addiction-driven lifestyle’ of church culture——one that builds up the soul while leaving us adrift from the Spirit.
Whether it’s the altars we build with the time we dedicate to our online image, posts, social media, entertainment, the Hollywood world, or even within our church brands, arts, music, and worship culture, we must be willing to take an honest look at ourselves.
Church culture, particularly in the Western World, has evolved into what are essentially institutionalised church brands. These brands prioritise and serve——at all costs——whatever they deem, in any given moment, to be the most important or primary cause and purpose. This focus, however, does not always align with the big picture of His will, which includes the unseen economy within the mind of God.
Let’s be clear: we are not saying that vision and programs are not good in themselves. Rather, we must recognise that there is a shift happening in the unseen——in the economy of God—and we need to make ourselves aware of it. This is serious. We must lay down anything that hinders the Spirit or props up the ‘cardboard cutout’ of our soul-driven ways.
I J Fletcher (2025)
IN THE BEGINNING - WERE THE TREES
VOLUME V
It is imperative that we allow His Word to penetrate and divide within us——
the separation of soul and spirit. Only this can reveal within us that which should be the true seat of power.
At the very core of humanity lies our spirit within——the part of us designed to be central to our whole being. Our spirit must be restored to its principal place as the seat of power——where we are then able to define and discern clearly——speaking the truth into that which is our own soul within us.
Whenever our soul is not brought into submission to the Spirit, we may unknowingly grant a ‘rite of passage’, giving access to demonic oppression and deeply rooted bondages over our lives. The kingdom of darkness employs clear strategies to exert influence over us: first to gain influence over us, then to oppress us, and ultimately to hold us captive to do its work, just as it does with those who are disobedient.
For those of us who are His Church, we must see beyond the ‘smoke and mirrors’ of the enemy’s lies and illusions.
I J Fletcher (2025)