BE THE LIFE THAT BRINGS LIGHT IN DARKNESS
September 14, 2022
GOD HEARS OUR HEARTS AND NOT OUR ACTIONS
September 14, 2022
In John 1 the Bible says; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. In Him was life and this life was the light of men.” We always say that we are the light of the world a city on a hill, but we do not become the light in the right way. So today I am going to show you how to become the light of the world.
[2 Corinthians 4:1-6]
We are hard-pressed on every side, we go through trials so that the light in us may shine. Why are we hard-pressed or go through things? It is so that the flesh may die. As long as the flesh is active, the life in you can never be visible so, the flesh must die.
[Galatians 5:19]
Today I want us to concentrate on the selfishness that makes us unclean. Most of the time we deal with sorcery, and murder which are things that are seen outside, but with selfishness, it is hidden inside, no one can see it. Jesus says anyone who wants to follow Him must take up their cross and follow Him, meaning you die to self. The moment you do not die to self, that’s when the flesh will be active in you. It takes a small thing for the flesh to be active and that causes life in you to suffocate.
The Bible teaches us to not look at ourselves (be selfish). Selfishness and self-ambition grieve the Holy Spirit in us. No one can cast out the Holy Spirit but He can be grieved in us. The fellowship with the Holy Spirit must be eternal, but what happens when there is selfishness or self-ambition?
[Colossians 3:22]
When you fear man you are not doing so with the right mind or wholeheartedly. Your heart is very important in everything you do, if it is with selfishness then it is not unto the Lord. Whose another man? It is yourself. The minute there is selfishness, you’ll be doing it to man and not to the Lord. The time you become selfish; you become a man. The steps of the righteous man are ordained by the Lord. There are things that we do based on the decisions we make, so it should be unto the Lord and not you.
Galatians says; these are the works of the flesh. When you walk according to the flesh, you become cut off from life. God does not look at your deeds but He looks at your motives. He searches all hearts and understands motives. When you obey your earthly masters (not your spiritual father), your masters according to the flesh (your boss), you should do it out of the sincerity of the heart. Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord. The motive is what God understands not your actions.
Why did you pray and didn’t get an answer? God didn’t hear what you were saying, the motive is what denied you that blessing. His ear listens to the motive – the heart. He searches hearts. What is your motive? Do you want to fit in, or only to take care of yourself? This doesn’t end in jobs, but it also comes to how you worship God. Fix your heart, have the right motive in your heart.
When you do something because you are scared of being cut off, then the motive is wrong. We are slaves because of the Gospel, but the relationship needs to mature so that it doesn’t feel like slavery. When you do something without love then you are making noise. It can never be love when you only look at yourself. Love the Lord with all your heart, whatever you do, do it worshipping God. Why do you want that job? What is your motive? Your heart can never lie, no matter how many times we can pray for you.
As a Pastor you must never beat yourself up when you see as though prayers are not answered; because the motive is not right. God is going to search for the motive. When we speak about Mary the virgin woman – God didn’t look for her virginity but the heart. You must read her song when she praises the Lord, her heart was the one located. Selfishness must die. When I said God is cleaning the church, most thought that it is people leaving but He is cleaning your heart. How is God cleaning you by removing someone next to you? God cleans you by touching your heart and mind.
The life in us is the light of man. Selfishness is the work of the flesh; meaning you give darkness to man. Some of you wanted cars, and marriage because you envy, you wanted to be like someone else. Envy is the work of the flesh. As much as the word bears fruits in us, also the flesh.
The heart is the one that speaks to God. Some of you prayed for hours but God is listening to the heart. When you pray in tongues, it is a spiritual language and you utter mysteries to God, but when your heart is full of envy, and selfishness, the sound comes from the heart. Tongues express what your heart is full off – the state of your heart.
[Psalms 51:10-17]
Create in me a clean heart. If God doesn’t create a clean heart for David he won’t have an altar – a secret place. (Verse 17), God will not despise such, not a heart that is full of self.
[Romans 8:22-28]
The weakness that is spoken about is a broken spirit. While your heart feels strong, it is the flesh speaking in your heart. Where do you get your courage? Some of your courage is from self-awareness. You need to break your heart and die to self. Your heart must not be strong because of you but it must be strong because you are weak. A heart that knows that it needs a job knows what to pray for – you know what you need.
Why are we still not immortal? Yes, we have done away with sexual immorality, homosexuality, etc but we still haven’t died to self. Immortality is not for people who are full of self. We need to change the way we think and our motive needs to change. Stop promising God heaven and earth. Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord.
God is cleaning His church – your heart. When the Bible says ask and it shall be given, it says keep asking and you will be given, keep knocking; the door will be opened. Most of the time we liken this verse to persistence, it is not persistence if you knock with the wrong motive. The woman with the issue of blood bled for many years, she went to physicians and doctors until she touched Jesus. She didn’t persevere, she was just knocking on the wrong doors until she knocked on the correct one which is Jesus.
The prayer that is inspired by the flesh is void. God answers the motive. For us to have light, we must live according to the Spirit and not the flesh. The Spirit interprets your heart to God. (Verse 27), He is searching the hearts of the saints. He who searches hearts knows the mind of the Spirit/ God. Thus, He makes intercession for the saints according to the Will of God. God delights in a broken heart because that is where the Will of the Father can be spoken.
When the heart doesn’t have self, the Spirit will be able to interpret your heart to God. I’ve come to understand that the opposite of love is not hatred but the works of the flesh. The opposite of love is selfishness because the bible says; you can pray in tongues of angels but if you have no love; you are making noise.
Angels are not expected to have love to speak to God but you are expected to have love in order to speak to God. Love is dying to self. If love and the works of the Spirit are the same, it means when you do not have the Spirit; you do not have love.
Material things do not determine that God walks with you, in you, there must be life beyond what you have achieved. We should pray that uncleanness leaves the heart. People fall when they resurrect self. Pain and loss must not resurrect the flesh. When the Spirit of God enters your heart, it must not find the works of the flesh. Do everything as unto the Lord.
[Romans 8:5-6]
You walk in the flesh by how you think and feel. What you do is the fruit of what is in your heart. (Verse 6), to be spiritually minded is life, when your heart and mind are full of life you are Spirit minded. You can be the light of man by just how you think. You need to be Spirit minded so that there may be life in you. Christians still die because the flesh is still active. You can do all the good deeds but find that the problem is in the heart.
Our prayers are useless if we do not crucify the flesh. The Bible says; resist the devil – this is the same way you must resist the flesh. Change your perspective and how you feel. Hannah’s prayers couldn’t be answered because her motive was the other woman who had children. When her prayer changed, that’s when God blessed her.
[1 Chronicles 28:9]
While we are praying the Spirit searches hearts, He is not listening to what we are saying. Selfishness must die. Jesus says it is good that I go because when I go you will do greater works. The greater works must be where you are. Your pulpit is where you are. When are you going to heal the sick when at work, school, etc? When will our hearts minister to other people? Jesus says you will do greater works when I go, why must He go? Jesus is the head of the church, where the head is, there the body will be. The body will automatically follow Jesus. The head had to leave the body so that it can draw the body to where it is.
Ascend and set your mind on things above. John was on the island of Patmos but he saw mysteries, it is not the island that had the 24 elders but it is the mind of John that had mysteries. When your mind is in your body, you won’t hear what God is saying. It is not the place that is Holy but it is where the mind goes. When God said to Moses; the place you are standing on is Holy take out your flesh(shoes) because you can’t go into the most Holy place with the flesh.
The veil must be torn, you might think that this farm is Holy but it is the place our minds enter in that is Holy. The Lord is sending you as Sheep among Wolves not so that your mind can be where Wolves are. He searches hearts not what you know or do. When the motive is fleshly, you have descended, but when the motive is love you have ascended. You have the throne that is waiting for you. Ascend and sit on the throne.
Why is your throne empty? Come where the scroll is, where the Master and the 24 elders are. The purity of your heart is determined by where you have set your mind. Some of you, your thrones up there are empty. Imagine your name written in the book of life but you are not there. Ascend to the throne of God. Pray that God may remove all the earthly thoughts and that He may lift you higher and higher. Remove all uncleanness and ascend to where God is.
Your father through the Gospel
Lutendo Abraham(Thee Unknown)
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YESHUA ; A CITY ON A HILL, THE LIGHT THAT CANNOT BE HIDDEN!
