The Message

The Message

                        

The Father knows what we have need of before we even ask of Him, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Be not therefore like them: for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him.”-Matthew 6:7-8

God encourages us to come to Him with all of our supplications and not to worry about them, (Matthew 6:25-34), for He is our Provider, and this builds and strengthens our faith in Him as we trust Him to fulfill our needs.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”-Matthew 6:33

Yet, when we are solely focused on ourselves in our prayers, we are not only missing out on the “bigger picture” but we are missing the point altogether.

How can we begin to move on to greater things for the Kingdom, if we are always focused on getting what we want or not trusting God to supply our needs? Praying for our wants and our needs is not wrong, but is what you call more of a “lower level” prayer, the very basics of a prayer life. But as we grow and mature in the Lord, our prayers should be maturing too. As we begin to understand the burdens of others in our lives, our nation, and around the world, the Holy Spirit moves us to pray for them and how to pray for them. Our hearts begin to break for the very things that break His. Through this, our hearts are prepared to enter into greater territory, as we begin to understand what it is we have been called to do. We begin to finally see The Message in neon lights that says, “It’s not about me.”

This life lived for Christ is about self-sacrifice, motivated by the Love of the Father, to love one another. It’s about being a servant, not being served. It’s not about what you can get, but about what you can give. It’s quite unconventional and conflicting with the way the world operates and thinks. It’s no wonder we are rejected, persecuted, mocked, laughed at and thought of as crazy, by the world! A worldly person has too much pride and selfishness to even begin to think about it Christ’s way. They don’t want to give up anything, at least, not without the motive that says, “What’s in it for me?” They think that what we have in Christ is tasteless compared to what they have in the world. It’s like what 1 Peter 4:4 says, “They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of indulgence, and they heap abuse on you.” But the opposite is very true. That’s the grand deception. They do not know any better because they have not established a relationship with their Savior yet. They only hear stories of self-denial and only see that which they’d have to give up, instead of what they will gain in exchange. This is why it is vital that we follow the leading of the Spirit, to those who are lost, so that they may be found. The world is looking at you, God’s child, because the Answer they seek is found within you.

Christ says in John 15:5- “I am the Vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.”  He was saying we can do nothing that He requires of us, without Him. We have no righteousness, nor power apart from Jesus Christ. We need the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit to change our hearts and mold them after His own, to accomplish the ministry He has set before us. The world is in spiritual destitution and Jesus is the only Cure. We need to be focusing on the needs of others through Jesus Christ. But how will anyone ever know if we aren’t spreading the Gospel of Truth?

“How then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”-Romans 10:14

God has sent a Savior on our behalf, to save us from ourselves, from the power of the fetters of sin and death, so that we could be free to live the life He has promised to us, the life we were meant to live, for the Upward Cause. We are to lay down our lives, for our brothers and sisters, as in Jesus’ own words:

John 15:13-“Greater love hath no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

The Message of  Christ, is all about Love and through His Love, He draws us unto Himself. We are His ambassadors. We are the Body of Christ, in which His Holy Spirit dwells. We are to "feed His sheep" through His Word, as we live by His Spirit, and Love them with the Love He has given us.

Let us ask of the Father, to improve and increase our prayer life, so that it lines up with His will, that He give us wisdom and understanding in the things we face and how to help those in need, that we step outside ourselves and our selfishness, and into the lives of those who need to see Jesus in us and in our lives, and experience His Love. We must decrease, so that He may increase, and receive all the glory due His Name, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!

Be Blessed.