“Guard your heart – do not be offended”
September 5, 2019
Where can you go when you have tested and tried all options but realized that there is no other God than our God? He is the only true God. He is a great God, a hiding place. We are not strong because we are strong, but because we are hiding somewhere. Hence we are not exposed to what the world faces. This Rock has never forsaken us. Our confidence and boldness is in Him nothing else. I cannot give credit to anything but Him. We would have lost it the day we think that is us. Hence people start well and end not so well. There is a time where one might think that it is by their own strength. We ought to acknowledge Him at all times for there is no greater God than Him.
Exodus 15:22-25 The people (Israelites) forgot that God saved them from Egypt when they complained about water. This is what we people do; we forget about the strength that it is in us. The Israelites focused on water and the giant and not focused on God. The people complained to Moses about the water, people do this before God, they ask about their jobs and cars. Some people do not want to receive the bitter water but want God to answer according to what they think and according to His Will. We sometimes think we know better than God. Do you think God did not know that the water was bitter when God answered them with bitter water? The very same [bitter] water was the answer.
Sons walk with the strength of the Lord; hence we are not destroyed or dismayed because it is not our own strength but of the Lord. Do not walk with your own strength; the joy of the Lord is your strength. Thus, please the Lord and be strengthened. No one can please God without faith. The Israelites complained and when God answered them, it was not what God planned for them but it was a cover up for their prayers. Do you think that the manna and the cloud that was over them was perfection? God can answer complains, causing you not to enter His rest. We need the strength of the Lord and not our own.
A gift needs you to work on it, you need to polish it and labor, but when it is God in control, it is Him who strengthens you. Moses cried unto the Lord about the complains of the Israelites, hence God showed Moses the answers and not the Israelites because Moses did not complain but cried. Moses did not have the same language of the Israelites and as a result, God showed him the tree. How many of your prayers were out of complain when you prayed in your mind (complain)? Paul encouraged us to pray in the Spirit at all times. Complain doesn’t mean that you shout at the Lord, but it can be a simple plea to the Lord which He hears as a complain. Hence, the bible says that a person without love makes noise. Praying in Love and Spirit, it is praying in God and not speaking who you are. If Moses complained like the Israelites, he wouldn’t make it to the promise just like the Israelites.
Hebrews 4:1 Whenever you have faith, you cause joy in the Lord thus obtain strength that is found in Christ. People who operate in gifts do not use faith. When He ascended, Jesus gave them gifts [on earth] hence people are looking for fathers who will mentor and nurture their gifts and not search for what is from above. The minute you have faith, God rejoices and then strengthens you. You can never have strength unless you have faith.
How do you enter the rest of God? When you stop toiling, you have not reached the perfect stature of the Son when you are toiling. It should be the strength of the Lord that is guiding you to do specific things. When Jesus ascended on high, he bestowed gifts; it is time to take back the very same gifts to the Master. People focus on their gifts and not in Christ. Thus, they get weary and tired. A gift limits the one who has it because it tells you what you can do whilst you are created to do all things. The gift will tell you that you can only sing but through Christ you can do all things.
Many begin ministries to have people to hold their bibles because they do not know how to serve but only know how to preach. People speak of the devil as if he hasn’t been defeated. The Israelites could not enter the rest because of toiling. Everything that you do must be mixed with faith. Most prophets need to prepare before they can prophesy because they do not have faith that God will help them right on the pulpit. When it is the Word without faith it ends up becoming tiring. We read about Mary Magdalene and other women who were kingdom financers. When she anointed Jesus, she used the best perfume. When they wanted to stop Mary, Jesus stopped them because she was Fathered unlike them.
People fulfill their own dreams by telling people, and not waiting for the Father to intervene. Why are you trying so hard for people to like you? Do not become like Queen Vashti who revealed her beauty before time. Allow God to expose you and reveal you. Jesus did not introduce Himself but a sign spoke – His deeds spoke. Most of us want to introduce ourselves. People are failing to enter the rest because they have no faith. After seeing that dream, relax! We know that you can hear but relax. Wait until God speaks, then go with the strength of God.
You have entered into business without God. God sees you as a cleaner and blesses you as a cleaner but people be like “I am in business.” People are controlled by their gifts and not God. Do not serve God with your own thoughts but with His mind. People end up becoming tired and choosing when to serve and when not to serve. Do not let anything to become an obstacle in serving. Do not let even your academics be a barrier to serve. How many people bunk church because they are studying? Having a car or being blessed does not mean that you walk with God – Israelites could speak for themselves, they were not one with God. Enter the rest of God and do not do it on your own. Even when you are fasting, do not neglect what you have at the moment. Do not fast to see but let it be God who leads you. Jesus did not just decide to go fasting, but He was led by the Spirit. Go with the strength of God.
Isaiah 40:28-31 When God operates, He does not get weary. Even the youth get tired; when you are serving on your own you become tired. But when it is God, you receive strength. How many people would tell their family members to bow down to them when they found out that they are prime ministers like Joseph? Do not miss what God wants to do, let it be God who takes the first step not you. When God sends us we tend to look at what we are going to do, not what God is going to do. Even though the young see visions, they do get weary but not God. Are you working with your strength or gift?
2 Timothy 2:1-11 You go through hardships but because you are strengthened, you conquer. What the people in the bible faced is not entirely what we are going to face. The hardships we face today are like having to come and serve whilst writing a test the following day; not being nailed on the cross. You cannot come and say that you have marks of Christ but you do not want to serve. Timothy cannot go to jail like Paul but still have things that will challenge him. If a criminal is in jail and then his mother passes on, do they release the prisoner to go bury his mother? Definitely not! So since you say you are a prisoner of Christ why are going up and down to bury people or paying visits neglecting the work of God? If they want you, let them come and find you in the house of the Lord.
Think and understand the chains that are on you. Stop comparing yourself with others and be found in God. Some of you are still controlled by your schoolwork, which causes you to let go of the chains. Therefore, which marks do you bear? Are you really a prisoner? Some of you were better when you were single, before marriage you served with diligently but after marriage things changed. What are the hardships of Timothy? It was being separated from others, where he did not do what others did. When you serve God, you cannot be an ordinary person. Sometimes we meet with people and bury others whilst it is not our life. It is not sin to bury them but make sure it does not interfere with the work of the Lord; it should not stop you from serving God.
Verse 4, the strength of the Lord allows you to survive. When it is a gift, you will find yourself worshipping at wrong places. Acknowledge the chains around you and allow them to speak. There is nothing wrong with going to a funeral but there is something wrong when it interferes with the Day of the Lord – and this is not Sunday. God is looking for a place where He will lay His head forever, not exchange Him with other matters. Jesus told the man to follow him and let the dead bury the dead. If you check this, the dead man was not even an extended family members but Jesus told him to leave him (his father) and follow Him (Jesus). You need such stripes that will enable you to serve God despite what is happening around you. You are not going to jail, you will not be killed or be beaten but you still need to become a partaker in the hardships of the Lord.
To the captivity kept captive, they did not receive gifts but gifts were given to men. There are men who remained on earth when He ascended and received gifts but there are those whom they were caught up with Him. Those who are caught up are the eagles that have surrendered. Therefore those who still desire to prophesy let them be but there is the most excellent way which is Love! You should be led by God, when you still feel like today you are going to sing and the next day you won’t then you are still a baby. When a gift was still operating in Peter, he loved men more than God. Gifts need to be thrown to God and He uses you and them. Do not allow gifts to cause you to lose sight of God. Many are lost because of their gifts, because it brings fear. Yet, when it is the Lord, you can do everything through Christ who strengthens you. The Israelites were afraid of the water because they did not have faith. The elders casted their crowns down, throwing off their positions, become a prisoner of Christ not a carrier of a gift. The bible says that your gift will cause you to sit with Kings, but it is good when it is the Lord who leads you before them and not your gift. When you operate with a gift, you will be unable to judge everything. Thus, you accept all invitations because there is no discernment.
Those with gifts cannot take care, it is mentors who facilitate gifts but a Father installs His character in you. Hence, Paul sent Timothy and instructed him to imitate him as he imitates Christ. The gifted cannot oversee your soul, they lead you astray. God says, you are now found; you have met the bishop of your soul. Therefore, you are not lost. 1 Peter 5:25, if you desire to be a bishop, you need to have a specific conduct but those who were called to be Bishop are shepherds. This bishop cares about our soul not his gift. Peter do you love me, feed my sheep, this was Jesus asking Peter to feed the sheep the food that will not perish and harm the souls of the sheep e.g. the fish he caught. Peter had to now feed the sheep the Word, Peter was going to feed people with fish and not the Word. He could take care of the body and not the Spirit. Therefore, God strengthened him to have boldness and be able to feed the soul. I am not talking about a bishop of the church but of souls.
1 Corinthians 5:1 When you do the work of the Father, it is a direct pattern of the Father and not a gift. Hence Jesus said that His Father is a Gardener who cuts every unfruitful tree. People like Solomon gathered without wisdom, he needed the Spirit of wisdom and not wisdom, hence he was cut off. The Spirit of wisdom was upon Jesus but Solomon had the gift of wisdom. Solomon was supposed to give back the gift of wisdom to God but he failed and as a result, he did not know when to cut and keep. He kept everything but the Spirit of wisdom separates you from the world, you cannot flock with everyone. Even the young get weary but those who wait on the Lord get renewed because the Lord does not get weary. Paul already passed judgement; he was a seer of their souls. Who is your Father? Gifts or the Spirit of God? Where there is sin there is an acceleration of gifts, gifts allow you to operate even though you are not in the right-standing. Have you noticed that gifts love applause and praises? With God, unnecessary characters are cut off. They gave Him their gifts and He came to dwell among them. Is your Father pleased with your work? Let the bishop of your soul take care of your soul. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul? In a nutshell, do not serve with a gift but use the Spirit of God.
YESHUA; A CITY ON A HILL, THE LIGHT THAT CANNOT BE HIDDEN!!!
