The Stars
October 3, 2019
Faith
October 23, 2019
Our joy is not in what we gain but in what we lose. We need to lose our lives to be perfected. Let us hold on to the life of Jesus Christ and not to ourselves. He has given us a better life; therefore we should have confidence in His life. Let there be excitement when there is progress in your Spirit. You need to give up and let God be the one ruling your life. Give it all to God even when you do not see progress, however, do not get troubled because you gave up. We consider it all joy when you give it all to the Lord even when things do not happen. We should ask God not to treat us like babies. God grants us some things because He sees and treats like babies. Let us become like Paul who never got a chance to become a baby, he was hit by lightning and after three days he began to preach Christ. He was forced to mature.
Some people pray and fast and still do not mature because they are still chasing the world. Do we truly trust God? When we trust Him we forget about everything. Trusting in God is not all about you having confidence in your future but having confidence wherever God is taking you. It is sufficient as long as He is with us. We need to lay down our lives and trust in Him; it begins in you. When God has chosen you, you need to embrace the chains you have and become a prisoner. Let the chains be the ones taking you to the Father.
Jesus was a prisoner; He would not lead the captive to captivity whereas He is not a prisoner Himself. We pray all the time that He might strengthen us yet He increases the chains. He does not give you energy but more chains. How many have prayed saying God help me? Yet God answered with chains? The problem with us is that we are looking for happiness. Delight in your chains; let the excitement come when you are supposed to die. Let us have the same attitude Jesus had which is to lay down our lives. Although He was God, He laid down His life and it pleased the Father that He [Father] gave Him [Jesus] the name above all names. God asked who shall go down? And Jesus said here I am. Becoming a man was a sign that Jesus was a prisoner.
Although He died and resurrected, He abandoned the position of being God and became a bondservant forever. He is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding day and night. An intercessor is a position of a servant – so He is still a servant even in perfection. It is something else to have money and live as if you have nothing, yet it is something more when you are God and become a servant. He did not stand as God but as a servant; He is in chains even today, though He is God. He did not take advantage of the throne, why then are we taking advantage of His grace? We need to be bound to His will. Our freedom is in chains, therefore, embrace the chains.
Matthew 26:41, And he came to his disciples…watch and pray. There is temptation in you being free from chains. How are we saved and delivered from evil? By chains, being in the house of the Lord keeps us away from the world. When you serve Him you become unaware of the things of the world. People do not stop serving because of the spirit but because of the flesh. The spirit is willing and hungry to be subjected to God but the flesh is weak. Verse (42), if this cannot pass by unless I drink it, Your will be done. Jesus pushed to be in the position even though His flesh was weak.
The ministry of Jesus began when He bore the cross because that is what was prophesied about Him. This means it was just a preparation when He was healing people. His flesh had energy when He healed people but when His [real] ministry (the ministry of the cross) began He became tired. Your ministry begins when you are challenged. In your negative, that is when God appears. Let the weak say I am strong – He is looking for the weak. When God now begins to operate, many move from their position because of challenges. God uses those who are empty. Perfection is found in God worshipping Himself in you. Verse (45), and again He came and found them sleeping…behold the hour is at hand and the Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners, they could not touch Him all this time but when He was weak they were able to arrest Him. God needs you when you are weak. It was not by the strength of Jesus that He went to the cross but it was the Father wounding the Son.
The bible says an angel came and strengthened Him. The law was brought by angels, so they brought the law upon Him and it became heavy. The cross (wood) was nothing because He bore the law on Him. Everyone who has beaten Him was beating the law. You find yourself failing or in being lack Instead of God giving you strength. He has to cause you to fail so that you can continue serving Him. When you do not have a plan that is when you remain in Him. You go for honey and milk and the first thing you come across is bitter water. The Israelites had food in Egypt, then God took them out promising them honey but they went through the worst as they complained. God takes you to the desert and you might die there because of complaints. Do not lose what God is giving you because of what you are going through. God wants you weak so that He might be strong in you.
They came looking for Jesus of Nazareth (meaning nothing), they fell down the moment He said here I am and this is because they had encountered God. He gave Himself to the soldiers when He was arrested; He went like a silent sheep. He knew what was before Him, so it was not a surprise to Him. When you serve God you will lose your family – let it not be a surprise to you when this happens. Serving and being a prisoner comes with a cost. Those who knew us, do not know us anymore; today we are an aroma of death to them. Peter was busy fishing with his brother and they caught nothing – he was a businessman. Then Jesus came and they caught more fish – his business now began to flourish. Then God said I will make you fishers of men, Jesus wanted to show him that his business can flourish but he needed to leave everything behind for the sake of the Gospel. God had to multiply two fishes, this was a sign that Peter was left with nothing.
He says I can cause you to make money but leave everything and follow me. God knew that Peter loved fishing but He sent him to fetch money inside a fish. He wanted to deal with what he loved. Both your flesh and Spirit need to be prisoners; most people are prisoners in the Spirit and not in the flesh. The chains are in the Spirit and not the flesh meaning the flesh can still make decisions that suit itself. When you are a prisoner you have no decision. Never take advantage of borrowed time. You are working because God borrowed you time, you belong to Him. When He borrows you time, do not take more but use what is given to you and still serve Him. Before you got a job you could pray but now that you are working you cannot pray – this is taking advantage of the borrowed time. God borrowed you time for that job but when you become tired you take time that does not belong to you in the name of resting.
Do not rest in God’s time but rest in your own time. What belongs to God is of God. Do not take advantage of the borrowed time – you are a prisoner. Stop chowing what belongs to God. Some of you will get jobs far from home, serve God and become a prisoner when you find a Spirit-filled church. Your engine is for serving God. Let the character you have be in excellency. People go home in festive seasons and stop fellowshipping as they stay home. Be a true prisoner. Jesus traveled many places and He preached everywhere. 2 Corinthians 2:14, but thanks be to God who always leads us as captives…and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere, you are not a pleasing aroma of yourself but Christ. This can only happen when you are a prisoner. God strengthens those who are weak. When you are a prisoner, you become life to those who believe. You cannot serve God and everyone becomes happy. You are an aroma of death to those who are perishing.
He is leading us as captives. You become a sacrifice to God by becoming a prisoner. No man can do this with their zeal. Let it be God working in you in whatever you do. The Gospel does not stop because someone stopped preaching, God continues working. Be careful lest you become replaced. Let the chains be a reminder. Ephesians 6:20, for which I am an ambassador in chains… Do not compromise the gospel in your career. Philippians 1:12, but I want you to know brethren that the things that happened to me have turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, some of you lose your jobs for the sake of the Gospel. God puts the Gospel before you. He makes sure the Gospel is the first thing that advances before you. The Gospel in you must not be compromised because of what you want. If what you want causes the Gospel to fade away it is not worth it.
It is an honor to have an opportunity to serve God, let it be in reverence. Acts 9, Arise and go into the city and you will be told what to do…I will show him how must suffer, there is a cost in serving, things that happen in your life are not because of you but for His name’s sake. There are times we will suffer for the Gospel but it is all worth it. Put on your chains and take heed as He calls you. Follow Him with the chains and allow Him to lead you.
Your Father through the Gospel
Abraham Unknown
