When the fire becomes a flame.
Why are there times when
your walk with Christ, that relationship is so on fire and other times it’s
more like a flame just barely burning. Is it because life gets to full and too busy.
Is it because you’re not truly happy, in your marriage, kids, family,
job,friends,finances,maybe you feel your church is just skipping along and not
doing God’s work or your growth has stagnated. Maybe you’re not in God’s Word
daily or your prayer life is non-excitant,maybe you need a vacation . All these
could be a possible reason for a flame instead of a fire. But are they real
reasons or just excuses? God desires for a strong relationship with him, he
even provides the means for that to happen, through his son and his Word and he
even dwells with us that is in us Rom 8:9. Christianity is the only religion
were God comes to us for a relationship, instead of us trying to earn his favor
.
People are a lot of times self-reliant,
self-sufficient, self-supporting, autonomous. They don't want to admit to
needing help from God or anyone else. People look at needing help as a sign of
weakness, or as a form of insufficiency, and incompetence, I think you get the
point. The good news is GOD is there to help us.
I'm looking at this because my flame isn't
very bright. As a Christian I know what Gods Word say's. I know what I need to do.
Let’s take a look at a few verses.
1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV
6 humble yourselves, therefore, under the
mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all
your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
So, what does this verse say: “cast all your
anxieties on him. " The word anxieties in the greek is merimna can also be
translated care or cares. It’s the things that distract you, to draw you in
different directions it’s the stuff that clouds your mind with so much clutter
that you can’t think straight.
When your mind is in that mode of operation
that is cluttered with world events and life in general, when you’re not sober
minded or clear thought, congested in the head what happens verse 8
8 a Be sober-minded; be
watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour
SATAN or at least those
that work for him commonly called demon's they are always on the prowl for
those whom are fluttering in their walk, their relationship with Christ in
order to destroy them and devour them. May I also not leave out those whose
relationship with Christ is strong. Satan is looking for a weak spot.
So how do we combat this feeling of a lacking flame.
Let’s start with this. What do you desire? What motivate you? Who do you want
to please.? Where are your priorities.?
These are all questions
that only you can answer.
If the answer to the above
is God or Jesus, or your relationship with Christ, that walk in him. Then let’s
see if I can help you and myself get back to a fire instead of a flame.
Back to scripture. 1 Peter
5 :6a Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God
As we can see in this
scripture it starts with HUMBLE YOURSELVES. What does that mean to humble
yourselves.? You need to come to the realization that you can't do a
relationship alone, your relationship with God is not just a one-way street
were God reaches down to us, but also us taking his hand and letting him lead
us. God knew we would need help. He knew that at creation. Gen 2 when God made
woman to be a helper to man, to walk along side of him. And man, was to cleave
to the woman, to hold fast to her this is the institution of marriage. Man, and
woman are one in life to support one another and console one another.
Yet God in his eternity
knew that this wouldn't be enough. Mankind falls from a relationship with Gods
and sins while in the garden. So, God had another plan in place because he knew
this would happen.
Christ death on the cross
and his resurrection. 1 Peter 2: 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the
tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you
have been healed.
Christ the second person of
the trinity God himself came to earth in the form of sinful flesh Rom 8:3 and
BORE OUR PENALTY FOR SIN. That was a death on the cross. Why did he do this /1
John4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and
sent his Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins.
He Loves us in an act of
humility he came down to humanity instead of saying you come to me, earn your
right to have a relationship with me. He provided the way for our relationship
with him. It starts with HUMILITY, coming to the realization that we need GOD
so if you’re in a current relationship and have excepted Christ as your
personnel Savior and are floundering in that relationship, then humble yourself
and call upon the Lord to strengthen you and direct you. You can’t do this
alone. If you haven't excepted Christ, then it’s time to do so. If your flame
is low if it’s because of any of the things I mentioned earlier , well then it’s
time to get back to the Word and pray on a regular basis. It can be a hard
habit to make and an easier one to break.
2 Chor 7: 14 if my people who are called by my
name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their
land.
Seek his face, humble
yourselves and pray. Your land can be your life.
Back to 1Peter5:6a Humble
yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God
Under the mighty hand of GOD?
Humbling yourself under God
Bing subject to his authority and his discipline ,his guidance, in his mighty
power ,the hand of God is upholding and persevering God is present protecting
and abiding.. When we come under the authority of God we can see things for
what they are and can determine if what is happening is a growth thing or
something that is destructive. Under Gods authority we can see what is useful
and what is not. Under Gods authority we can see what has a here and now
benefits and what has an eternal benefit. Under Gods authority we can have the
guidance needed to move forward in life and not get bogged down by life's
everyday issues.
If your flame is low are
you submitting to the authority of God and allowing his mighty power to work in
and through you. Are you trying to carry your burdens by yourself.
There is an aspect of Gods
power that I haven't looked at yet. The church or body of Christ
Gal 6: 2 Bear one another's
burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The church is supposed to
be the body of Christ bearing each other’s burdens. For encouragement and
strength. I think it’s unfortunate that I don't think the church practices the
sharing of burdens with one another. Probably has to do with trust issues or
maybe you see what someone is like outside of the body of Christ and it makes
you wonder if they truly have a relationship with God
I myself don't really
practice the sharing of my issues. Why? Maybe I think I can handle this myself,
or I don't want to trouble them with this, or they have their own issues to
deal with. How about this I don't want
them to think I'm weak? One thing
Christians may do, I know I'm guilty of this is over annualizing the burden.
The scripture doesn't say in Gal 6:2 "share only the burdens that don't
make you look weak nor does it say annualize to see if it’s worth sharing. Its
say's Bear one another's burdens. " kind of straight forward. If you have
people praying for you during rough time sharing in your burden and encouraging,
you during this time of trouble then just maybe just may be your flame will
burn bright during this time. On the reverse is having people praying during
the not so troubled some times.
Christ said in Mat 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Do you want to have that rest,
from any of the issues mentioned at the beginning of this paper, give it over
to Christ ,share with the body of believers. Ask God for someone in your life
that you can share with. If you desire a flame that is bright and burning then,
you NEED to turn to God, You NEED to humble yourselves, you NEED to pray, you
NEED to study, you NEED to share you burdens with other believers, you NEED to
come to Jesus.
Let me finish with this I'm
not trying to say you must do all these things to have a viable flame but it
sure doesn't hurt to follow the Word of God and share your life with other
believers and instead of trying to be the pilot, step back and let God fly.
I pray that you will humble
yourselves and pray seeking Gods mighty hand of protection and peace laying
your burdens before Christ and receiving his rest , I pray God will show you
someone in your life that you can share your burdens with , to help you have a
Flame of fire and not one that's barley flickering.
May your flame burn bright
as you seek out the God of the Bible.
The Five Needs
By Russ Kujawski
I came across these 5 needs as I was
writing a paper called " When a fire becomes a flame" So I thought I
would try and expand on these 5 needs. Or essentials for a Biblical
relationship with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There could be more needs.
These needs are one's I think we as Christians need to practice and learn to
rely on to have a success full walk in our relationship with God
So, before I start let’s see what
the difference is between a Need and a Want. A need is something that we must
have to survive or be successful and a Want is something we think we must have.
Need # 1 Turn Too God and Take Him
Seriously
As a Christian how much do you rely
on God? How seriously do you take God? How much you rely on God shows how
seriously you take him. The basic Christian answer is yes, I do trust and take
God seriously., but is that true.?
OK so I'm just thinking out loud here,
if we really took God seriously Would the church be this screwed up, would your
relationship with God be lacking almost non-existent. I grew up in a time when
Church was on Sundays morning and night and on Wednesday. Of course, taking God
seriously doesn't mean you must go to church every time the doors are open. Or
does it?
Hebrews10:24 And let us consider
how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The Body of Christ is the Church, we
need each other.
1Cor 12: 26 If one member
suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice
together.27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of
it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping,
administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all
prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of
healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire
the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.
In 12:31
the greater gifts Refers to gifts that benefit the entire church community
Church attendance is indeed important,
we are instructed to not forsake the gathering with other believers. Why?
So, we can encourage each other and to be encouraged, to share in each other’s
suffering and praises, and of course to break bread together to be taught. God’s
word, to confess, to bear each other’s burdens. So, should we go to
church when the doors are open? You decide. Of course, I need to be careful I'm
not say you must do "A" to get "B" A s in a legalistic
works based faith. When you turn to God you need to be serious about it.
We have times of failure, we have times we
take our eyes off God and on to something else. There will be times when were
not serious about God. Why is that? The
answer is relatively simple We live in a sinful world and at times life just sucks.
At times, we are walking in the desert.
Call of
Abraham God reached out to him and he responded, he listened, he did as God commanded.
He took the relationship between him and God seriously. Yet Abraham still had
failures. God had to call him a second time out of Haran because his journey to
Canaan was incomplete. He had stopped and settled in Haran. Abraham had other
failures also. He took God seriously so much so that he was considered a friend
of God
Isaiah 41:8 But you, Israel, my
servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
God promised Abraham's offspring would bless
ALL nations because he OBEYED Gods voice. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus
the Christ (Messiah) Gal 3:16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his
offspring. It does not say, “And to offspring’s,”
referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
God called Abraham out of the land of UR. I
suspect Abraham worshiped false idols if my understanding of Joshua 24:2 is
correct, And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of
Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Tarah, the father
of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.
James 2:23and the Scripture was fulfilled that
says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. Belief =
Obedience
There is another well-known person in the
Bible that took God seriously and yet had many failures. he was considered a
man after Gods heart. That was David. The son of Jesse: Acts 13:22 And when he
had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and
said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who
will do all my will.’
Even with their failures they took
Gods call of them serious, you also must take Gods call serious even with the
failures your likely to have. Maybe there not failures as much as you think and
are trials to strengthen your growth. Failures do not equal how serious you
take God, but can shine light on it, by the way that you respond to the
failures. Reach out to God ask for forgiveness.
As it says in Isaiah 43: “I, I am he
who
blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and
I will not remember your sins.
God remembers them no more, wow that's great
isn't it. He won't bring them back up so when you take God seriously and ask
forgiveness for your sins, you need to remember
that he remembers them no more and
you should do the same thing forgive yourself and move forward not dwelling on
the past. Don’t give Satan a weak spot to use against you. I know that this is
easier said than done. Taking God seriously you can achieve it. Not in the
manner of works but in the matter of will. Gods will. We need God to be with us
as we work on building our relationship with him, Call on God during Good and
bad times he is there.
Here is my last thought on our need for God and taking him seriously. Without
GOD there is no relationship., no relationship with Christ, no Holy spirit
dwelling in us, there is NO CHRISTIANITY.. You can't have relationship with a
Triune God and leave 1/3 of the trinity out. It’s all or nothing. We need GOD I
believe everyone has a sense of God a need for him in them. Even the Atheist.
God wants a growing relationship with us and we need a relationship with him. It’s
a win win for us and God.
Need # 2 Humble
Yourselves
Why do we need to humble ourselves? We humble
ourselves in various situations. We do it daily if you think about it. Or maybe
not . Yet in our Christian walk we can find it hard to humble ourselves, It is
something we need to practice ,and practice is what it takes. To have a walk
that is a relationship with Christ , we need to humble ourselves before the
Lord .
Humility is something that is gained and
practiced as we grow in wisdom and grace. Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary
defines “humility” as: a prominent Christian grace. It is a state of mind well
pleasing to God; it preserves the soul in tranquility and makes us
patient under trials Biblically
speaking, humility is the opposite of pride. And according to one thesaurus
source, some other antonyms for humility are: arrogance, assertiveness, egoism,
pretentiousness, and self-importance. This is a natural flesh thing. Here are
some scriptures about being humble
Deuteronomy 8:2-3English Standard
Version (ESV)
2 And you shall remember the whole
way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that
he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether
you would keep his commandments or not. 3 And he humbled you and let you
hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your
fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread
alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
The Lord cause's us to be come humble
in Deuteronomy 8 God lead the Hebrews as they were known then through the
wilderness he tested them that he may know their hearts . Sort of like when we
go through life events happen to us do we Humble ourselves and
rely on God keeping in touch with him
to lead us through the trials or do we turn away
and lead ourselves. God will
allow us disappointments and failures in our life . During those times we need
to humble ourselves and call out to God to feed us or show us his provision. We
shouldn't be so arrogant ,and self important that we think we can do life alone
.We need to humble ourselves and see that we don't live by ourselves but by
every word that comes from the mouth of God.
2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called
by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek
my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from
heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This is a great verse on humility.,its
speaking of a whole country humbling it's self .There are 4 principles here
that can be applied to each and every individual Christian life .Humility,
prayer,seek God's face ,turn from sin. Doing these things God will heal
our lives. How often do we as Christians struggle in a sin because we don't
humble ourselves ,pray, seek and turn.away from sin. All sin does is grow if
left alone. It becomes ruler ,dictator in our lives ,it separates us from God
it changes our outlook on life. There is something to remember God is greater
than the world.
1 John 4: 4 Little children, you are from God
and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in
the world
If God is in us then we can conquer
the sins that have a foothold in our lives. By practicing the things mentioned
in 2 Chronicles 7:14 Humility ,prayer ,seek
and TURN from sin.. With out the desire to turn from your sin ,to
shut the door ,then our relationship with God will be stagnant or non-excitant.
This is a good verse to practice as a daily habit.
One more verse Psalms 25:9 He leads the
humble in what is right,and teaches the humble his way.
With our humbleness God leads and teaches us
on how to live .What is right and what is wrong , We need to be humble ,so that
our walk is right ,so our relationship is true and strong . Humbling ourselves
may look like weakness ,and doing it ourselves may look strong. The reality is
just the opposite For in Christ our appearance of weakness is strength .
2 Cor 12:10 For the sake of Christ,
then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and
calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Last word Humble yourselves before God and be
strong in your walk, in a true relationship in Christ and receive his rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls.
In
our life we will always have difficult times. This is a sinful world , We have
sinful flesh no matter what comes along Christ is there.
Heb 13:5 Keep your life free from
love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I
will never leave you nor forsake you.
Need # 3 Prayer
Prayer why is this a hard thing to do? This should be as natural to do
as tying your shoes, that is if you don't have slip-on shoes or Velcro type.
Shoes. I find it difficult myself to pray. My mind drifts off to something
other than what I'm doing. My mind is cluttered with too much JUNK. Sometimes
we just don't know what to say, some times and I've done this, we fall asleep.
I think if most Christians would look at their prayer life seriously they would
probably find their prayer time lacking.
What is prayer? Simple answer it’s a way of
communicating with our heavenly father, bringing before him our needs, praises,
and desires. To ask for what is within our ability to do, that it's the right
thing to do, or ask for the ability to do what seems out of our reach. To ask
for healing or restoration of a relationship, forgivingness of sins the list can
go on and on.
I need to practice this myself, when you pray,
having that time alone with God. Seclude yourself from the outside world.
Seclude yourself from the outside distractions. Clear your mind from mental
distractions. Go into your prayer closet. I'm not talking about when there is a
need in the here and now, but during your personnel one on one time with GOD.
When you are just talking to God
I mentioned a prayer closet or just someplace
from distractions. That can be difficult to do with today’s tech. You may need
to leave that idol called a cellphone out of your reach or just shut it off.
For some that is very difficult to do. Jesus at times when he prayed he
went to a place without distractions.
Mark 1:35 And rising very early in
the morning, while it was still dark, he (Jesus)departed and went out to a desolate
place, and there he prayed.
Matt 14:23 And after he(Jesus) had
dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.
When evening came, he was there alone,
Luke 6:12 In these days he
(Jesus)went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he
continued in prayer to God.
Here are 3 examples of Jesus going off to a place to pray getting away
from the distractions of his surroundings. If Jesus had the need to get away to
pray, how much
more is our need to get away to pray
in such a busy world.? We need to find that place ,maybe its upstairs in the
sewing room or out in the garage , the lake, a deer stand it can be anywhere
that distractions are limited.
Matt 6:6 But when you pray, go
into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
What makes prayer an essential to our
relationship with God? God tells us to pray.
Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the
peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 4:2 Continue
steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Matt 26:41 Watch and pray that
you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak.”
1Thessalonians 5: 16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
God
desires communication with him for us to know him and that is imparted through
prayer! That is talking with God. Thus, far I've mentioned 2 aspects of
prayer 1 Isolation that is a place without distractions and 2 commanded to
pray. How many aspects are there about prayer I don't know but when I'm done
there will be at least as many as I wrote about.
Some will say I don't know how to pray? I don’t
really buy that as an excuse not to pray.
Romans 8:26 tells us the Holy Spirit will
intercede for us. In a lot of denominational traditions. There is a scripture
that many learn and that's the Disciples instruction on How to pray (commonly
called "The Lord’s Prayer”)
Luke 11:1Now Jesus was praying in a certain
place, and when he finished, one of his
disciples said to him, “Lord,
teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them,
“When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
There is a slightly longer version of these
instructions in Matthew 6:6-14.
6 But when you pray, go into your room
and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your
Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not
heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will
be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father
knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day
our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our
debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into
temptation,
but deliver
us from evil.
I'm not going to go in great depth
on this section of scripture just going to bring out the highlights. So, let’s
get started verse 6 isolate yourself from distractions as I mentioned earlier.
Find that place where you can close out the distractions of the world Verse 7
Don't use empty words I’m going to make up 2 prayers on the same topic 1st
one " Great and mighty father in heaven help me through this troubled time,
this time in my distress and my anguish, relieve me of this turmoil, remove
from me the thing that is causing me to want to die. Great is your power and
Glory for in you nothing is impossible, in the Glory of your son Jesus the
Christ amen " 2nd prayer " Father Help Me”.
King David had Long and short prayers. My
point is this you don't need a bunch of words to pray Just start taking to God.
God isn't tallying how many words are being used or how many synonyms are being
used to describe your distress, He doesn't say I'll help him he used a lot of words,
or I won't help him he only uses 3 words. He doesn't say he is serious and he
isn't because of the amount of words used. When we don't know what to pray for
then the Holy Spirit will intercede for us. Romans 8 26-27
26 Likewise the Spirit helps
us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning’s too deep for words.
27 And he who searches hearts knows
what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the
saints according to the will of God.
Some times when you pray just be quiet don't
do all the talking. It’s not about the words as much as it is about the heart,
what's the intent of your heart, what’s there when you pray God knows.
Acts 24:24 And they prayed and said,
“You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these
two you have chosen.
Time to get off this box for a new one is
coming soon. Verse 9 Holy is your name is speaking of showing God reverence
verse 10 asking for his kingdom on earth and HIS WILL to be done,
not ours. That's the next soap box coming up shortly
Verse 11 provide for our needs
daily, some may say God doesn't do this, really! How do you get through a
single day without God's intervention in some form or another? I couldn't
imagine a day that God hasn't interceded in some form. Then there will be those
who say God didn't help me by a house or whatever. Well the verse say's needs
not wants. So there needs to be a determination is it a need or a want. And
that's pretty much another paper to write .
Verse 12 ask for forgiveness and
help us to forgive others. Verse 13 Guide our lives and stear us clear of
temptation so that we may not fail. In this request, we have an obligation to
listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. He may be saying turn around and
your saying NO.
Quoting scripture is great and
should be done ,my problem with this is that doing it as a mantra and if we
don't then all hell will break loose. This is not some special formula to get
what you want .This is instructions on a way to pray like I said earlier in
this paper "IT'S A MATTER OF THE HEART"
Soap Box Time " His Will "
There are several TV evangelist, so called men and women of God known as
the word of faith ,name it and claim it or the prosperity gospel types who say
" that whatever you ask for you get ,that God has to do as you say. We can
manipulate God to do our will. The “name
it and claim it” or “prosperity gospel” is not biblical and is in many ways
directly opposed to the true gospel message and the clear teaching of
Scripture. While there are many different versions of the name it and claim it
philosophy preached today, they all have similar characteristics. At its best,
this teaching comes from the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of some
Scriptures, and, at its worst, it is a completely heretical teaching that has
the characteristics of cultic doctrine.
The roots of the Word of Faith movement and
the name it and claim it message have more in common with new age
metaphysics than with biblical Christianity. However, instead of us
creating our reality with our thoughts, as new age proponents advise, name it
and claim it teachers tell us that we can use the “power of faith” to create
our own reality or get what we want. In essence, faith is redefined from “a
trust in a holy and sovereign God despite our circumstances” to “a way of
controlling God to give us what we want.” Faith becomes a force whereby we
can get what we want rather than an abiding trust in God even during times of
trials and suffering.This is totally a false teaching and should be not be
listened too.
There are verses that do make it sound like we
can have as long as we believe and have no dought about what we ask for. So let’s
take a look at some verses. I'm only going to go over theses verses briefly
just the parts about prayer then will give a explanation at the end of this
soapbox
Matt 7:7 “Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him
for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good
things to those who ask him!
Brief thought :Ask The first of
three commands in this verse. Jesus’ followers are to ask for what they
need.
It will be given to you In each of
the three statements here, Jesus’ point is the same: When God’s people pursue something—by
asking, seeking, knocking—He responds in faithfulness and generosity. This
verse emphasizes the need for an authentic relationship with God. You
will find God is still the one who allows for this action to take
place.
Matt 21:22 And whatever you
ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
More thought :whatever you ask in
prayer The qualifiers about asking in prayer and with faith restrict the
requests that God will grant. He will not give the disciples their every
whim and desire; He will grant those things that align with His will and plan
for the kingdom.
John 14:13 Whatever you ask in
my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
More thought :whatever you ask
in my name Refers to those occasions when He is given credit for the work,
rather than the person performing the work, and when it is in His will.
Mark11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you
ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Last
Thought :Belief and faith go hand in hand to receive what you have asked
for.
So in these verses what is it we have , ask,
seek faith, ask in Jesus name, believe that you
have received. These verses make it
sound as if we have these different things that God has to do whatever we ask
john 14 :13a states that basically “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will
do, " What is missing from these verses? I made mention of it in one
of my thoughts above .GODS WILL . What was stated in the
instructions on how to pray "Thy will be done."
1 John 5:14 And this is the
confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to
his will he hears us.
This is an assurance that God hears all
prayers; however, God answers prayers according to his will which
doesn't always align with human desires.
Luke 22:41 And he withdrew from them about a
stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are
willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be
done.”
This is a verse of Jesus praying to
be relieved from what was to take place shortly ,yet he prayed Gods will
not his.
Colossians 1:9For this reason also, since the
day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may
be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding,
Romans 1:10 always in my prayers making
request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed
in coming to you.
John 9:31 "We know that God does not hear
sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him.
Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all
your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Or
you could say by his will (my thought)
1 Thessalonians 5:18 in everything give
thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
And one from the Old Testament
Psalm 143:10
Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
What is the common thread here? GODS WILL whenever we pray its God will not our own for
we do not have the mind of God , we don’t have the end results of the actions
that take place ,.So pray in God's will ,start by having a authentic
relationship with God not a god in the box type were you pull him out only when
needed and then put him back . Just because we use Jesus name in our prayer and
believe that we will received what we
ask for doesn't mean it is what we
will get they are not magic phrases to be used to manipulate or trick God into
doing our will. It is always Gods will not our own. If you are an authentic Christian,
a Biblical Christian, and not a Sunday Christian or as needed
Christian then I believe that most
of the time when you pray your praying in Gods will to be done. At time's your
prayer will also be selfish .Most Christians prayers are probably selfish.. Ok
I'll get off this soap box and move on.
Verse 11 Pray for the needs you have on a
daily basis. God will provide you the means to get through each and every day.
One of the names of God in scripture is " Jehovah Jireh " means God
our provider. God provides for the needs we have like he provides for the birds in the air.
Matt 6:26 Look at the birds of the air: they
neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father
feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Because God provides for birds, He
will surely take care of His people. How much time do you add to your life
worrying about the needs of the day ? The answer is simple not a single hour..
Matthew 6:27 And which of you by being
anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? This is a rhetorical
question ,because you can’t add any time to your life but research has shown
those who are overly worried about everything have more health issues than
those who don't.
So when we pray to Jehovah Jireh that is God
our provider Seek first His kingdom and
His righteousness and all your needs will be dealt with .
Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom
of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
When you pray for God to provide your needs he
will meet you head on to help you through the needs of the day. An example from
my life I had a need for a vehicle, Four people in the house ,and we all
worked, but when one of the cars broke down . I
prayed about it and let the need of a car be known to the body of Christ
and several people offered a car to use . God met that need head on. One last
comment notice I am using the term needs
not wants . Needs and wants are two different things . I'll talk about that
in a later study
Verse 12
Forgive our debts as we have forgiven our debtors . Debt is a metaph for
offence or sin. When we pray we ask for a type of forgiveness that only God can
give ,When God forgives he blots out our sins and remembers them no more Isa
43:25“I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
Along with that forgiveness or maybe
it’s before that forgiveness that we forgive others for their actions against
us. There's a great scripture in Psalms 19.
Psalms 19:12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from
presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent
of great transgression.
The writer is asking for God to show
the sins that they are not aware of and to keep him from committing sin and to
keep sin from dominion in his life , so that they can be declared innocent .
This kind of forgiveness were GOD
declares he will not remember them nor will he bring them back up . Now to
touch on the second half of verse 12 chap6 of Matthew. It says as we have
forgiven our debtors or you could say as we have forgiven those who sinned
against us
Matthew 6:14 For if you forgive others
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15
but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses.
Sounds like we need to forgive
others in order to receive forgiveness from the Father.
Don't want to make a doctrine out of
one verse, so is there more verses like this .
Colossians3:13 bearing with one another and,
if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as
the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Luke 6:37 “Judge not, and you will
not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and
you will be forgiven;
Just one more verse
Matthew 5:23 So if you are offering
your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something
against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar
and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your
gift.
This verse is a little different,
yet the precept is there. In response to God’s forgiveness of them, Jesus’
followers should offer forgiveness to those who have wronged them. Forgiveness
results in forgiveness. Since God has forgiven members of His kingdom, they
must forgive others
As God has forgiven us we must
forgive others. OK Now the last verse in the instructions on how to pray .
Verse 13 speaks of temptation. To
have the ability to resist it and to be removed from it. Why is this important
? Because our flesh ,that part of us that is still decaying still under the
curse of sin is still sinful and weak.
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray
that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Luke 22:40 And when he came to the
place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation
has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not
let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will
also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure
it.
As Christians we live in a fallen
world, a world that does not want to be told they are sinning .There are many
avenues for temptation to enter into our lives. With today’s technological
advances sinning is easier than ever before. Or maybe the desire to sin is
readily available at a slide of a finger .
We should be praying that God will
strengthen us as we go about our business to not fall to the temptation . If we
do fall into temptation God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can
handle and he will provide the means to escape the temptation.
Just briefly this scripture is often quoted in
response to trials in your life that you feel you can’t handle . Saying God
will not give you more than you can handle.. That is in correct. This verse is
about temptation not trials. They are 2 different things.
Temptations come from the flesh;
trials are sent from God. Therefore when we speak of "trial" we see
God's fingerprints; when we see temptation, we see our own finger prints—or the
devil's finger prints. Temptation comes from within; trials usually come from
outside us. Temptation will usually attack a weak spot; trials test our
strength as well as exposing a weakness we may have been unaware of.
With all that I have said, do we
need to pray ? ABSOLUTLY ! Why? To communicate with God ,to strengthen your
relationship with God, to glorify God ,To ask for his will in our lives, to
provide for our needs, to seek forgiveness and the ability to forgive others,
to keep us from temptation ,and delivered from sin. As Christians we NEED
to pray. It’s not a should we pray it’s a must pray it’s an essential
in your relationship with God. One last comment .How does your relationship
grow with others without communication ? It doesn't ,just as your relationship
with God will not grow without communication.
Need # 4 Study Gods
Word
Should Christians study Gods Word?
The answer is a resounding YES!! So why do so many Christians not study God's Word,
or only open the Word on Sunday in church, that
is if they bring their bible to
church. What are some good reasons to not study God's Word?????? Here are some possible answers : If I study
it will show my weak relationship with God, If I study it will show me my sin,
If I study it will show me my failures as a Christian and as a person ,If I
study I'll have to stop some of the things I enjoy doing, If I study then I'll
have to forgive someone that I don't want to forgive, If I study then it will
take away my TV time, If I study people will think I’m a bible thumper, If I
study it will take away my Facebook time, If I study it will require time I
don't have, If I study ??? The excuses can go on and on as to why Christians
don't study God's Word.
May I say these are all lame excuses and any
other you can come up with to not study God's word. Some people will get a new device of some
sort that can do many things, and they will read the manual fully to be able to
get the most out of the device. Then there are those who just fiddle their way
through the device and don't get the full experience of the device .Then
someone will say :I love how this does such and such" and you respond
" I didn't know it could do that" Well our relationship with God is similar
to that device if we don't read the instructions and practice it ,then we don't
get the full experience of a relationship with God because we don't know what
we should be doing or what God desires for us in that relationship. Not talking
about salvation by works it’s the relationship that comes out because of
Salvation . There is an acronym for Bible. The book that is God’s Word.
B= Basic
I= Instructions
B= Before
L= Leaving
E- Earth
These are instructions we need to
read and practice to learn what it is God desires for us in our relationship
with him and our life as a Christian. So
Let’s dive into the meat of this topic.
What is God’s Word?
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed
out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may
be complete, equipped for every good work.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active,
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of
spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and
intentions of the heart.
Psalms 119:105 Your word is a
lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
Isaiah
40:8 The grass withers, the flower fades,
but the word of our God will
stand forever.
What do these verses tell us about
the Word of God ? The word is God
breathed ,the Greek for God breathed is theopneustos it means: "given by
inspiration of God " . God himself inspired the writers on what to write
.You could almost see God on a Judges bench and a stenographer that is a court
reporter ,recording every word being said. It’s useful in teaching us and those
around us ,to reproof ,Just a little Greek here : reproof in the Greek elegmos
means= correction, reproof. Some manuscripts use elegchos means=a proof, that
by which a thing is proved or tested . I think the latter is the correct
meaning . The next word is useful in Correction just a little more Greek word
for correction is :epanorthōsis it means= restoration to an upright or right
state,. Although reproof can mean correction I believe the meaning has more to
do with its usefulness in proving or to test. The word correction is to restore
to an upright state. OK moving on .
Scripture is useful in training in
righteousness and equipped for the works God has for us to do. Just briefly
what is righteousness ? It’s the condition acceptable to God, integrity,
virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting.
All are things that can be achieved through the study of the God breathed Word.
Back to some Greek I skipped a key word :Profitable GK ōphelimos means
profitable (3x), profit (1x) its form of the Greek word ophelos means
advantage. What does this word really tell us . It’s to our benefit to study
Gods word or to our profit to our advantage .
God’s word is active in our lives
helping us to make correct choices it will show us the places in our live we
need work , it will penetrate your heart and soul to show who you are in Christ
and who you can become in Christ. Scripture can help you see the intentions of
our heart. One of the meanings for active in the Greek is effectual and
powerful.. Think about that. God’s word will affect your life in making
you stronger and more powerful to combat those who wish to destroy you. That is
in a spiritual way. .
As I mentioned above Gods word gives us power
to battle thing in our spiritual life and it also will light our journey
through this life ,to help us deal with those things that are and can be
difficult to deal with . The word as a lamp will help us from straying from the
path that God has for us to travel.
The word of God will last for all time.
Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever,
but a lying tongue is but for a
moment. The truth of the word come from the lips of God .Every time someone tries
to prove the bible wrong ends up proving it true.
So what is God’s Word the answer is
simple and basic, it is our instructions on how to live .
Why study Gods word ? Above I mentioned
several things it helps us do by studying Gods word ,yet there are more reasons
to study it .We are told to study Gods word .
1Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ
the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to
anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with
gentleness and respect,
Christians should be prepared at all times to defend their faith and
explain the source of their hope
2 Timothy2:15 Study to show
thyself approved unto God, a workman who needed not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. (21st century King James) "
approved Meaning to consider genuine by testing "
Psalms 119:11 I have stored up your word
in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
We are told to store up the word or
you could say study the word so you can store it up and have a means to fight
the sinful flesh desire to sin against God. You can’t store something up without
going after it. So how do you store up Gods word without going after it? You can't You need to study it!!!
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
Refers to mental conformity to the truth of
God. This renewal results in a transformation in the life of the believer. The
renewal comes through studying of God’s word . This doesn't happen by sitting
on your rump but by participation by studying the Word of God.. Studying Gods
word is just one of the things we do to renew or mind, also part of this
prosses would be prayer and meditating on the word.
Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart
keep my commandments,
How many things have been forgotten over the
years ? I think there is plenty that has been forgotten. Why ? Because we don't
continue in the use or study of it. God’s word is like that . Years ago I went
through a class and part of the course was memorizing 20 specific scripture
verses . I did that but after the course was over I stopped quoting those
scriptures as I drove to work.. Well I also don't remember them with the
exception of one . My point is if we don't continue in study Gods word we can
over time become in effective as Christians and become weak." 7 days without
Gods Word makes one weak"
I'm going to end this with one more scripture
in three different versions.
James 1:22
English Standard Version
But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Be a participant in the word don't
just listen but take action . By only listening and not doing then are you just
fooling yourself that the word really matters.
New American Standard Bible
But prove yourselves doers of the
word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
This version of the scripture is
even more of a command for in it its asking for the evidence that you live the
word and are not deluded that it does not matter.
Weymouth New Testament
But prove yourselves obedient to the
Message, and do not be mere hearers of it, imposing a delusion upon yourselves.
Like the NASB version ,the Waymouth
New Testament is asking for the proof of obedience to the word ,the Gospel
message that you not only hear it you live it and are not fooled into thinking
it does not matter
By not studying God's word ,then are
we being doers of the word , are we proving ourselves, doers, are we being
obedient to the message of the word,? By not studying are we deceiving
ourselves.?
The study of God’s Word is an essential in our
Christian life . Ezra knew this and is an example for us today.
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to
study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in
Israel.
Ezra practiced James 1:22 before it
was even in the New Testament scripture.
This is from a paper I wrote on 11/13/11
Paul's and James teaching compare to Ezra's
practices . By Russ Kujawski
Romans1:16
For I am not ashamed of
the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who
believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith,as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith."
James
1: 22 But be doers of the word, and not
hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer
of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural
face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets
what he was like. 25 But the one who looks
into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who
forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing
We can see in just these few verses that we
as Christians should not be ashamed or embarrassed of Gods Word ,we are to live it and share it .
So you may ask what does this have to do
with Ezra?
Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to
study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach its statutes and rules in
Israel.
Ezra set his heart to
the study of Gods Law, He was not ashamed, He practiced Gods Law :he was a
doer, and he taught Gods law. he shared Gods law.
Ezra did what the NT
writers tell us to do. Ezra set the example ,the NT writers said this is what
we should be doing , its past time for us as Christians to take a stand and not
be ashamed of the Gospel ,to live it like it really matters ,and share it like
it really makes a difference.
Be a Ezra
Need # 5 Turn to Jesus
As I'm thinking on this next Need #
5" Turn to Jesus” I started watching a movie called “Not a Fan" on
Pure Flix. It’s sort of a devotional movie. I had forgotten what the book Not a
Fan was about. As the movie played I realized it’s about the topic I'm starting
to look at. So, it's playing in the back ground as I sit here organizing my
thoughts.
Turning to Jesus many will say I have turned
to Jesus (Turning =Following). Many believe in Jesus, how many FOLLOW
JESUS. Why do we need to turn to
Jesus? Some will say because were all sinner's That is correct, as stated in
Romans 3:10 as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together
they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
Some will say because he died for
us, he paid the penalty for our sins. That is also correct. 1Peter2:24 He
himself (Jesus)bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die
to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, you have been
healed.
I would like to keep this in context with
other scripture in the bible. The bible in my thinking is its best commentary.
What are we healed from? Before I answer that question let’s look at another
companion scripture Isaiah 53:5
5 But he was pierced for our
transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement
that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are
healed.
In 1st Peter it mentions he Bore
our sins, In Isaiah it mentions transgressions, and iniquities, Both end with by
his wound's we are healed. From what???? The penalty that we should
suffer for our sins Jesus suffered in our stead that is in our place, so that
we might not have to suffer the penalty of our sin and are able to live
righteous. The chastisement he suffered was to bring us peace, so yes, we need
Jesus. For without him we would be required to suffer the penalty
of our own sins. What I'm not saying, and I want to be clear here. So as Dr,
Charles Stanley would say " Now Listen up" .There are consequences
in the here and now world for our sins. There is probably a reaction to our
sinful action that we may need to deal with during our time in this world. I'm
speaking of being healed of the penalty for our sins in our eternity. After we
die. We are forgiven here and now by God because of what Jesus did, and don't
serve the penalty for our sins in
eternity.
I do want to make a statement on eternal
security. Some may read my comments above and think I advocate for eternal
security or also known as once saved always saved. That would not be a correct assumption.
I am not a proponent of OSAS nor am I a proponent of the ability to lose your
salvation. I think there is sufficient scripture to support both views. Your
fruit or actions dare I say it your works will be the evidence of your faith
I like how the Waymouth New
Testament puts it. James 2:22You see that faith was active along with his
works, and faith was completed by his works; Does the evidence of your
life show that you have faith. If the evidence shows faith, then do you have
salvation? I'm going to leave that question open ended and just let you dwell
on that thought.
As the book "Not A Fan " are you a fan of Jesus you believe in
him and go to church but that's about it. At work, he is not there with, you
leave him at home. You just take Jesus to church. Or are you a player, a follower,
a participant, I named this need as: Need to turn to Jesus" I'm also going
to add and follow Jesus.
Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would
come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and
follow me.
Deny himself Refers to setting aside one’s interests for
the sake of God’s kingdom. Take up his cross every day Jesus’
disciples must be willing to follow Him every day, no matter what
the cost.
Are you willing to deny yourself,
are you willing to set aside your interest, are you willing to take
up his cross, and are you willing to follow him no
matter the cost?
Matthew 10:38 And whoever does not take
his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Jesus’ words here foreshadow His
death and call on His followers to identify themselves fully with Him, to the
point of being willing to die as He did. Are you willing to live for him
in his humility?
Matthew 19: 21 Jesus said to him,
“If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the
young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
In Matthew 19:21 perfect Describes being
complete or mature.
sell your possessions Jesus sees the
young man’s attachment to his possessions as a hindrance to faith. He
commands the man to rid himself of whatever prevents him from making a total
commitment to the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus’ instructions suggest that the
man has not truly kept the commandments, beginning with the first one—the
command to have no other gods except Yahweh
There are some people who have
trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior, but do little to act on their belief
(James 1:27; 2:14–26). Others actively follow Christ: They live as true
disciples, passionately pursuing the Lord’s will in all things. These are the
ones who take their relationship with Christ seriously.
Ask yourself: Are you merely a
believer or actually a follower of Jesus? Trusting in Jesus Christ is
fundamental, but it’s only the first step. Living in and seeking out the
Kingdom of God.
Your primary purpose is to take a lifelong
journey following in the Lord’s footsteps—honoring Him with your actions and
speech and increasing in biblical wisdom.
A Christ follower’s life is summed
up in the phrase, “Complete obedience.” In fact, Jesus defined true Christians
as those who prove (prove = to give evidence for) their love for
Him by obeying His teaching (John 14:23)
.Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he
will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to
him and make our home with him
.
When it comes to obeying God, our only response
is I will or I won’t. It’s tempting to say, “I will, but …” as some of Jesus’
would-be disciples did, but that’s a roundabout way of saying no (Luke
9:57–62). Some are on the fence when it comes to Jesus, but the problem there
is Satan owns the fence.
57 As they were going along the road, someone
said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him,
“Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has
nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said,
“Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 60 And Jesus[a] said to him, “Leave
the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of
God.” 61 Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell
to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the
plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Followers remain faithful to the Lord’s
plan whether doing so is easy or hard. Not only that, but they proclaim
Him in both blessing and calamity, and they follow Him even when
they are uncertain where He is leading.
What is it in your life that is keeping you from
being just a fan to a player in your life as a Christian.??
I've written about 5 Needs that I
think Christians are called to do if you desire to serve God and build on the
relationship you can have with him through his son Jesus and the sacrifices he
made and, Through the guidance of the Holy spirit who live in you.
The 5 Needs
1 Need To Take God Seriously
2 Need To Humble Yourself
3 Need To Pray
4 Need To Study Gods Word
5 Need To Turn To Jesus And Follow
Him
There may be more needs than what
I've written about, these are not in order of what’s most important. Start with
these Needs if you desire to have a fulfilling relationship With God.
God Bless
By Russ Kujawski
