"Finish your task." Is what was spoken to me. This, as I desperately prayed for guidance and strength to finish what you are about to read.
Earlier today I was told a story of an Evangelist. He had become successful in his evangelism. One day while praying, the Holy Spirit spoke unto him to travel to a distant country. The Evangelist, excited by the opportunity, told himself, 'I will make a plan to do a crusade, I will make a plan to visit many.' Before he even began to plan, the Holy Spirit again spoke to him. "I want you to go to the country, pray, and then return."
You see, in many parts of the world, the issues are the same. Believers want to serve the needs of the helpless. And because believers know that all things are possible to those who please God, they pray for God. They want God to do what they desire, which is to do what they consider is good. Then, some go as far as wanting God to do what they desire in Jesus name. But this is the servant's desire, as it would please them, to end suffering for those in need.
Our desire to treat others as we would have ourselves be treated, or, help those who cannot help themselves is honorable, yes. But when we pray to have these desires met on our terms, we are not doing the will of God, no.
As believers, we desire to serve others. We do this because Jesus commanded it. But what is missing?
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Matthew 22:37-40
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Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
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This is the first and greatest commandment.
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And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
40
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
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The two commandments of Jesus that fulfill the Law and the Prophets, are perfect. They are complete, and we can rely upon them to keep ourselves from sin. Yes. But to be loving means to have love come through us, not by terms we set. The difference is important.
One is self righteous, the other, shows that God is the righteousness.
We are servants. And a good servant does what he is told, listening to the authority of his master. He is aware he is unworthy and not under his own authority. We listen to what we are told, and not rely upon our strength or our desire to do what we consider good. Spiritually, as servants, we can not supply the unseen power needed to do the Father's will, No.
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Luke 17:7-10
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“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’
Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’?
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Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do?
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So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’ ”
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We are unworthy, because we are acting on the authority of our master, not acting on our own terms. So our acts of service glorify His authority.
We are fighting our human pride, we desire recognition. When a child of the world completes a task, they expect their efforts to be awarded. The service to the will of God is selfless, and it is humbling, because we have put ourselves aside; to act on the authority that we have placed our faith in. We are unworthy, but in the back of our minds we know that we will be awarded eternally for our sincere service. We will be at the banquet.
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Matthew 7:7,8
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“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
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For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
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To ask,
is to ask what the Father's will is.
To seek,
is to seek to listen to what the Holy Spirit sets upon you.
To knock,
is to act on faith that you can serve His will.
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John 14:13,14
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And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
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You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
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'In my name'.
Jesus was under the Father's authority, having the Father in him. His work, was to do the Father's will. As we are under Christ's authority, our work is to believe in Christ's authority, and ask for anything that glorifies the Father through His son. 'In my name', is ministered in error to fulfill the servants desires on their terms. 'In my name' serves to glorify God, not the desires of the servant on their terms.
'In Jesus name, Heal!'..'Father help me feed these children, in Jesus name'...'Father guide me to a better life, in Jesus name'...'Return this person to good health, in Jesus name!'...'I need bibles for these people, so they may understand you and be saved, in Jesus name'.
All those prayers are on your terms. You are not asking what God's will is, you are reacting to what is in front of you, and asking Jesus to act on your terms. When Jesus did the Father's will, he speaks what the Father spoke through him. For us, when we serve the authority of God, we speak what the Holy Spirit guides us to say. To share it with others, or have those words guide us in prayer. What is missing in our teachings is listening to what the Holy Spirit places on us to say.
Believers have been taught, in error, to celebrate God on their terms. So many believers have become the spiritual poverty, and lose faith when nothing happens.
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Gospel of Thomas, Saying 3:4
4
When you know yourselves, then you will be
known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father.
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But, if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."
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Spiritual poverty, is when your faith is in your personal strength to do God's will. Spiritual richness is when you realize, you are an empty vessel that needs to be filled with strength greater than you own. It does not glorify God rely on your knowledge or your passion, or your worldly means, it glorifies God for you to have Him as your strength, and knowledge, and bear fruit according to His will. Amen.
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2 Corinthians 4:7
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But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
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Know we are empty vessels, 'jars of clay'. Spiritual richness is when we realize, we are empty vessels that need to be filled with strength greater than our own. Amen.
Mankind is nothing but desires and requirements! God is not glorified when we rely on ourselves! Even if we say, it is in Jesus name! Christ's authority is to do the will of God, not to petition the Father to act on our terms! So a great revelation is here in this understanding! Hallelujah!
We have to consider that; we are reacting to the requirements of others and praying for their needs. INSTEAD, we should be seeing the needs of others as an opportunity to glorify God through His son. There is a difference. One is reacting then doing what we desire on our own terms. The other, is acting on faith that; all things are possible for those who desire to please God. AMEN.
It is pleasing God, that moves mountains. He knows what people require. He wants to see if we can put Him first so He can supply what we cannot. We can't put him first if we do not believe in His son's authority. We cannot say we believe in His son, if we do not do what he asked. He commanded us to love the Father, which means putting the Father first. We cannot say we are putting the Father first if we are approaching Him on our own terms. To please God, is to do His work:
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John 6:28,29
28Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
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Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
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There is great strife in the world, and the survival instinct of man is opportunistic. You are human, and you will be tempted to react to seeing others in suffering. As a believer, you must realize that beyond compassionate giving and acts of mercy, is an ocean of power that remains under the authority of Christ. That unseen power is greater than any strength we can supply on our own.
The power is available, but we must be led in unseen ways for the right prayer. The right prayer, seeks to do the will of God. And the right prayer is given by believing in the authority of Christ. God knows your thoughts. He wants to see if you will in faith, listen to what His Holy Spirit guides you to pray. That prayer serves the will of God.
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