This morning, during my quiet time with the Lord, I had a revelation of God's Word that could possibly change me for all eternity. I realized through reading 1 Samuel 8 that the Israelites had God for a leader, He had provided for them, loved them, brought them safely through the desert, wilderness, and across the Jordan River. He had driven out enemies in the land He promised to them, and he had promised them that they would be His chosen people forever. And what they did they do? The rejected His leadership, acting as though God as a leader would be inadequate for their needs. They forgot Who delivered them, kept them, and promised them an inheritance that could never be destroyed. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
1 Samuel 8 (New King James Version)
New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
1 Samuel 8
Israel Demands a King 1 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men,[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
The Israelites rejected God's leadership over their lives simply by asking for a human, fleshly leader to guide them. God revealed to me this morning that I am acting in the same way as the Israelites. I have a fear of man, and a need for human leadership that is hindering me from my walk with Christ. I hear the voice of the Lord, I have seen his signs and miracles, and He has provided for me supernaturally, and delivered me from all my troubles. Yet, I am constantly looking for a human to relay to me what God wants for me and my life. The Lord has used prophecy in my life to guide me, but now that I am more confident about hearing His voice, He wants to be my leader. He ALONE wants to guide my life.
Does this mean I will no longer attend church? No. Does this mean that I am not in submission to the spiritual authority or pastor over me? No. What it does mean is that I take my orders from God alone. The ministry gifts listed in the Bible of apostle, prophet, healer, miracle worker, speaker of tongues, etc. are for the equipping of the saints and edification of the body of Christ. They are never meant to replace, or become more valuable than the gift giver, the Lord God Almighty! In my confession today, I am realizing that in an effort to please others, and follow the leadership of others, I have put the voice of the Lord in a secondary position at times. I need to switch the roles of man and God in my life. I have felt so much pressure lately to "rebel" against the system of religion that I have encountered because of its legalism, which was warned against in Bible (Galatians 5).
Psalm 27:1 (TNIV) says:
"The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?
Far too often (myself included) in Christianity and churches where we are involved, with put all of our faith and expectation into the pastor, or the teacher, or the leader. Even in our own homes, we look to our husband's and put great pressure (whether intentionally or not) on them to "lead the home." God is the one leading our homes, as He is the One leading our churches, and leading us into our eternal destinations. He is the One we should fear, not man. I have been knowing that God is speaking about this, but my lack of understanding God's Word kept me bound. God wants us to be freely walking in His Spirit, without legalism.
I have heard some say that a little bit of legalism is OK because it provides structure and order. I believe that God is able to provide adequate structure through the words he has given us in His Word! Do not take me wrong, do not use this as an excuse to NOT ATTEND CHURCH! The Church has been set in place by God Himself, and it is His will that we attend church and impart our spiritual gifts and His love to one another. We are exhorted not to give up the meeting of ourselves together, as some have been in the habit of doing.
Hebrews 10:24-25
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching."
If anyone is interested in learning more about freedom from legalism, read Galatians (Chapter 5). The followers of Christ are being exhorted not to return to the bondage brought on by legalism, and the burden of following the law. Does this mean we are not to obey the commandments of God? Absolutely not. We obey because we love God, and we should do what is right. However, if we believe that legalism is going to bring salvation, we have gone back to a life of slavery, and are required again to keep the whole law!
I am blessed beyond measure to be in a part of the body of Christ that allows the Spirit to minister and move freely among us. We embrace the gifts of the Spirit. We test the spirits, and when they align with God's Word, we accept God to be speaking to us directly. We have organization and order in our church, but we do not put ourselves as being in control of the service, but rather allow the Holy Spirit to have that position. Our worship services are powerful, and many leave being saved, transformed, healed, and baptized in the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues. Then God brings them back and we minister to one another, bringing exhortation, words of knowledge, words of wisdom, and prophecy. In one short year, I have been transformed into a completely different woman by God's Spirit, his Word, and the obedience of my fellow sisters and brothers to be obedient and minister unto me.
Let us pray...
Lord,
You are a wonderful and beautiful Savior! Thank you for bringing me into a right relationship with you through the blood of Christ, and allowing me to experience and know your presence in my life. Although I am in this waiting place, I know that you are with me. I thank you for all the ways that you have spoken to me and personally touched my life. I thank you for the healing that you provided in the atonement, and the daily grace and mercy you bestow upon me and those I love. I thank you for giving me a place in your body where I can minister, and be ministered unto by those you have chosen and called out of darkness. I pray that your Spirit would continue to pursue those who do not yet know You. I pray that you would bring them to a revelation that they have fallen short of Your glory, and they need to be saved from their sin through Your sacrifice on the cross. I pray that you would bless them with a peace that surpasses all understanding. I pray that you would bring healing to those who are suffering, and show them that there is a more excellent way....through You. I pray for unity among believers, and I pray that legalism within your body would be bound and cast away. I pray that Your Body would begin to function as you intended and you would raise us up as a standard for your glory! I pray for your continued Presence, and for the coming elections of this country, that Your will alone would be done. I pray that you would speak to those who know You, and convince them to vote righteously above all else! I praise you, giving You all honor and glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.
In fear of Him alone,
Sarah
ps...a quick note: "fear of the Lord" in the Bible refers to being in a state of reverence or awe. It does not necessarily mean a FEAR as in being afraid, except if one has not yet received His salvation, as they would have fear of the judgment of God....not God Himself. So, in peace, FEAR THE LORD!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Spirit Willing....Weak Flesh!
I have to open this blog with a simple, but fitting scripture...
Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Ahhhh....where do I start? I know I have once again been absent from my blog for a couple of weeks now. I want to say that it will never happen again, and Lord willing, it will not...but I need Jesus to help me to be strong in this work of His. As I have said in prior blog posts, according to the Word of God, being a Christ following disciple does not mean that there will be rosy paths ahead of us. It actually means quite the opposite. There is a great cost for being a disciple of Christ...one must die to the flesh and live in the Spirit. What does that mean? Well, a perfect example is the weakness of the flesh to want to SLEEP. That has been my struggle, along with disobedience to God, these past couple of weeks. As expected, when God asked me to be Christ-like and rise early before light to pray (in the morning)...I suddenly became extremely fatigued and wanted to sleep not only at night, but in the day as well. I have been struggling with apathy, laziness, and ultimately disobedience in letting my flesh win the battle to stay in bed past 5 am. You see, the Lord asked me to do something that requires me to deny my flesh and submit to His Spirit's will for my life. Those that know me well KNOW that I am not a "morning person." I have had trouble waking up early my entire life, so this is not a new battle for me, but it is one that the Lord is wanting to help me overcome. The Lord wants to mold me into the woman that he created me to be, not the woman I currently am. He has plans for my life that exceed my wildest dreams and aspirations, but I cannot get there without total dependence on His care and grace in my life. I NEED JESUS!
It took these past couple weeks to truly see how useless and weak I am without God's Spirit working through me to overcome the struggle with my flesh. Left to my own devices, I quickly surrender and fall, but by abiding in Him, I can overcome. I have not given up yet. I am going to set the alarm for 5 am tomorrow morning, and God willing, I am going to rise! My husband said he is willing to help me, since he has to get up anyway for work. I finally admitted I needed His help, and the help of others.
My encouragement comes from 1 John 5:3-5 (NIV):
"This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
You might be saying...what does it really matter if you wake up at 5 am, or 6 am, or 10 am? Why would the Lord care what time you wake up? The answer is OBEDIENCE, and becoming more like Christ in everything I say, do, feel, or act. If Christ had to rise before the sun to pray to the Father and ask for help each morning, who am I to think I do not? Talk about pride...I pray the Lord forgives me for my hardness of heart, and my complete stubborness and disobedience. Lord have mercy upon my soul!
Mark 1:35 (NASB)
"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."
I never thought of my sleeping until 6:30am, or even 9:30am as a sin. The Lord was exposing the sin of sloth, or laziness in my heart. It has been an ugly exposition of the ungodliness still lurking in me. I am thankful that God is refining me, purifying my heart, and sanctifying me through the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though I have been through many tests, and many experiences which have tested my faith this past year, I am still amazed each time a new test comes along. God promises in His Word:
Romans 8:28 (NASB):
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Although I cannot always SEE what God is doing in my life, or how it works for good, I am learning to trust the promise of God. He says ALL things work together for good, and I believe Him.
Psalm 9:10 (NIV):
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in keeping His promises!
Lord,
Today I pray that you would shine the light of your Word into the hearts of everyone who is reading this blog. I pray that you would show each of them how much you care for those who love you, and how you will never leave them alone. Despite any circumstances in which they find themselves, addictions, failing marriages, lies, unemployment, deception, etc....you are there to pull them out! All they need to do is confess their sin to you, and you are just to forgive them! Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit would fall upon them as they read this blog, and they would receive your free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. I thank you for your costly sacrifice, which was anything but free...but I thank you that you give your salvation to us without us ever earning it. We do not have to do anything to receive eternal life except admit our sin, turn from it (repent) and ask for your forgiveness. I thank you that you made such a complex process in the heavenly realms so simple for us to grasp. You know our weakness of understanding, and our lack of knowledge. Please, Lord, increase the knowledge and understanding of you for all who seek you! I pray for myself, Lord, that I would come to a greater understanding of who You are, and have the strength and courage to apply your Word to my everyday life. Give me a greater portion of your Holy Spirit, and use me for your honor and glory! I pray peace that surpasses all understsanding into the lives of those who believe, and that you would show them through your Word that they can trust you with their lives! I thank you and praise you, giving you all honor and glory, especially for your finished work of salvation on the cross! Bless the Lord, O' my soul! In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Loved by Him,
Sarah
Matthew 26:41 (NKJV)
"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Ahhhh....where do I start? I know I have once again been absent from my blog for a couple of weeks now. I want to say that it will never happen again, and Lord willing, it will not...but I need Jesus to help me to be strong in this work of His. As I have said in prior blog posts, according to the Word of God, being a Christ following disciple does not mean that there will be rosy paths ahead of us. It actually means quite the opposite. There is a great cost for being a disciple of Christ...one must die to the flesh and live in the Spirit. What does that mean? Well, a perfect example is the weakness of the flesh to want to SLEEP. That has been my struggle, along with disobedience to God, these past couple of weeks. As expected, when God asked me to be Christ-like and rise early before light to pray (in the morning)...I suddenly became extremely fatigued and wanted to sleep not only at night, but in the day as well. I have been struggling with apathy, laziness, and ultimately disobedience in letting my flesh win the battle to stay in bed past 5 am. You see, the Lord asked me to do something that requires me to deny my flesh and submit to His Spirit's will for my life. Those that know me well KNOW that I am not a "morning person." I have had trouble waking up early my entire life, so this is not a new battle for me, but it is one that the Lord is wanting to help me overcome. The Lord wants to mold me into the woman that he created me to be, not the woman I currently am. He has plans for my life that exceed my wildest dreams and aspirations, but I cannot get there without total dependence on His care and grace in my life. I NEED JESUS!
It took these past couple weeks to truly see how useless and weak I am without God's Spirit working through me to overcome the struggle with my flesh. Left to my own devices, I quickly surrender and fall, but by abiding in Him, I can overcome. I have not given up yet. I am going to set the alarm for 5 am tomorrow morning, and God willing, I am going to rise! My husband said he is willing to help me, since he has to get up anyway for work. I finally admitted I needed His help, and the help of others.
My encouragement comes from 1 John 5:3-5 (NIV):
"This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."
You might be saying...what does it really matter if you wake up at 5 am, or 6 am, or 10 am? Why would the Lord care what time you wake up? The answer is OBEDIENCE, and becoming more like Christ in everything I say, do, feel, or act. If Christ had to rise before the sun to pray to the Father and ask for help each morning, who am I to think I do not? Talk about pride...I pray the Lord forgives me for my hardness of heart, and my complete stubborness and disobedience. Lord have mercy upon my soul!
Mark 1:35 (NASB)
"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there."
I never thought of my sleeping until 6:30am, or even 9:30am as a sin. The Lord was exposing the sin of sloth, or laziness in my heart. It has been an ugly exposition of the ungodliness still lurking in me. I am thankful that God is refining me, purifying my heart, and sanctifying me through the power of the Holy Spirit. Even though I have been through many tests, and many experiences which have tested my faith this past year, I am still amazed each time a new test comes along. God promises in His Word:
Romans 8:28 (NASB):
"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."
Although I cannot always SEE what God is doing in my life, or how it works for good, I am learning to trust the promise of God. He says ALL things work together for good, and I believe Him.
Psalm 9:10 (NIV):
"Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."
Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in keeping His promises!
Lord,
Today I pray that you would shine the light of your Word into the hearts of everyone who is reading this blog. I pray that you would show each of them how much you care for those who love you, and how you will never leave them alone. Despite any circumstances in which they find themselves, addictions, failing marriages, lies, unemployment, deception, etc....you are there to pull them out! All they need to do is confess their sin to you, and you are just to forgive them! Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit would fall upon them as they read this blog, and they would receive your free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. I thank you for your costly sacrifice, which was anything but free...but I thank you that you give your salvation to us without us ever earning it. We do not have to do anything to receive eternal life except admit our sin, turn from it (repent) and ask for your forgiveness. I thank you that you made such a complex process in the heavenly realms so simple for us to grasp. You know our weakness of understanding, and our lack of knowledge. Please, Lord, increase the knowledge and understanding of you for all who seek you! I pray for myself, Lord, that I would come to a greater understanding of who You are, and have the strength and courage to apply your Word to my everyday life. Give me a greater portion of your Holy Spirit, and use me for your honor and glory! I pray peace that surpasses all understsanding into the lives of those who believe, and that you would show them through your Word that they can trust you with their lives! I thank you and praise you, giving you all honor and glory, especially for your finished work of salvation on the cross! Bless the Lord, O' my soul! In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
Loved by Him,
Sarah
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