We have neglected the greater work…prayer!

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me and what I have been doing.  He will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.  You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”  John 12:12-14

What are the “greater works than these” that Christ says we shall do?   Now we know that Jesus had an amazing ministry on earth, but he promises us an even greater ministry.  And he tells us what it is right in the next line…it’s the “Asking in his name.”  The greater work is prayer!!!  How can we bring in the souls as Christ commissioned us?   It’s in the petition of prayer!! Because God has gone to the father, he has given us the holy spirit to help us pray.  And it is through praying in the holy spirit (Ephesians 6:18), that the power of God is released to bring in the harvest of souls.  Matthew 9:37-38 says this “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.  PRAY ye therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborer’s to his harvest.”  See when we pray, God will send out the laborers!  People will feel impressed to go out to different places to preach the gospel.  Our prayers will burden them to do God’s work.  In fact, the greatest first missionaries (Paul and Barnabas)  were sent out from a prayer meeting in Acts 13. We can see from the scripture above from John…when we do the greater work of prayer, God promises to do anything we ask when we ask in his name!!

The enemy knows this!  He knows the power of our prayers!!!  So, being the master of deception…he thinks on how he can keep the harvest of souls for being gathered by the saints.  So he does it by bringing in a false gospel.  As gospel of prosperity.  So that the saints are continually looking for their next breakthrough or promotion…while souls are perishing.  And God warns us of this scheme in  Mark 4:19.  He warns that the seed, which is the word (the gospel) will fall among thorns, but the the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth,  and the desires for other things choke out the word and make it unfruitful.  He does it by roaming to and from the earth, causing suffering among the saints so that they may lose their faith and turn from doing the greater work. I Peter 5:8-9.  The enemy keeps the saints preoccupied with their troubles, success, or personal desires…so no one is planting the seed on ground where it can multiply.  The scariest thing about deception is this…no one knows they are being deceived!  [**discussed in detail in The Frustrated Chritian Series].  So they go on and on…from one blessing to the next, one frustration to another, while the souls are perishing!

BUT…if we pray…It will be like that seed sown in good ground that produces a crop, thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown!!!  Now that is a real prosperity gospel!  Some of us ARE the laborers who will go out and produce the harvest.  But it all begins with our prayers. Our prayers have the power to send the laborers out…they have the power to change the hearts of sinners and bring them to repentance.  When the disciples tried to heal the demon-possesed boy, they asked why they could not.  Jesus told them, ”this kind can come out only by prayer.”Mark 9:29.  The greater work has absoloute power to come to pass….But, “We ask not.” James 4:3.  We ask not, for opportunities for God to use us to witness.  We ask not, for God to position us to meet people who God has readied to receive the gospel.  We  ask not, for the Lord to prepare to send our our ministers to spread the gospel.  When we do ask, we ask amiss…as James says, so that we may consume ourselves on our own pleasures.  But we must remember that prayer that is the greater work.  We should measure our impact as christians by the measure of our prayer lives.  If we do not pray, what use are we doing the greater work of God?   If the salt loses it’s flavor, what use is it?

What drove Jesus to do his greater work was this…compassion!  Matthew 9:35, says that “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crows, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” That is when he made the commission for the saints to pray for the lost.  It was his compassion for them that moved him.  When we see the lost, do we shake our heads and point fingers?  Or are we moved to pray for them?  We must be careful not to lose our compassion for sinners because they are perishing. May we, instead pray for them so that we may not be ashamed (Philliians 1:20) but see hundreds and thousands of souls making it in because we prayed!   Because we saw that they were lost and didn’t know the right way!  We can see the right way…but how can the blind see.  Shouldn’t we be a lampstand to the lost?   Matthew 5:14.

The bible says the fervent, effectual prayer of the righteous man availeth much (James 5:16).  There is something about praying in the spirit that realeases God’s hand to work.  When you pray in the spirit, Romans 8:26, says that the spirit makes intercession for us…because we know not what to pray. The scripture goes on to say that the spirit searches mind of God so that we pray God’s will!!  We know from I John 5:14, that when we pray in God’s will…God promise that anything we ask will be done!!  That’s efficient prayer isn’t it?  An effectual prayer is heard and has power with it because it’s in the will of God.

Our prayers to God go up like an incense before him (Psalm 114:2). In fact, in Acts 10:4, God speaks to Cornelius and tells him that “Your prayers and gifts to the poor has come up as a memorial offering before God.”  Not one prayer is wasted…but he keeps them before him as a memorial!  Revelations 8:8 says that God keeps the prayers of the saints on a golden altar before the throne along with the smoke of incense.  God values our prayers so much that that come up to him and he stores them away on his heavenly altar!  How else do we know that God values prayer?  He says that “my house is a house of prayer.”  Matthew 21:13.  Why didn’t he call it the house of preaching?  Or the house of singing and dance?  Because at the thrown of grace…at the altar of prayer…is where his hand is released!  It is where the greater work happens!  And through his spirit he allows us to participate in bringing in the harvest.  He calls us co-laborers in his great work!  1 Corinthians 3:9 says, For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.”  Yes you, are the house of prayer!  You are God’s building!

May we do the work of prayer, in the spirit, and also other kinds of prayers (Epehsians 6:18) and so fulfill the will of God to bring in the harvest.  We all have the ministry of intecession.  We are all called to be prayer warriors.  Any church or ministry will lack power without the vehicle of prayer!  Our ministries are only as strong as our prayer lives.  Paul knew this…that’s why when he writes to Timothy about the church he says…first of all prayer is of utmost importance..!!!

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone– for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. I Timothy 2:1

God is concerned about salvation, first of all!!  If we can do nothing else.  If are not able to go out an get the harvest, let us atleast pray that the Lord of the harvest send out laborers.  May we be filled with compassion for the lost…those who are like sheep without a shepherd.  May we cry out for them with all kinds of prayers and fasting.  Amen.  Please receive this in Love…whatever I speak I speak into my own life first.

So What Does It Mean to be a Frustrated Christian?

Have you ever believed God for a promise and it didn’t come to pass? The disappointment may have left you, angry, confused, and frustrated–no less!  You had the exact scriptures memorized and recited them by heart!  “Nothing is impossible to those who believe, right?!  If you speak into this mountain, it will move, right?? Matthew 17:20. But your efforts came to no avail, an hence–the frustration. Frustration is defined as having disappointed expectations and foiled plans.  The frustrated christian is beset this exact problem.  Perhaps a dream has gone unrealized or an outcome was unfavorable…leaving the frustrated christian in a precarious position–that of distrust or disbelief of God.  Many people have been implored by prosperity teachers to believe for a new house, a new job, or perhaps perfect health.  But the house deals falls through, another person gets the promotion, the disease progresses… It seems that despite “speaking unto the mountain” the situation remains unchanged and frustration and bitterness inevitably set in.  Christians become disappointed with God, convinced that the word does not work.  Some vow never to trust again.  Some become determined to handle things on their own.  Some even walk away from the faith.  The purpose of this e-book to shed light on teachings in the word about faith and expectations in the midst of difficult circumstances.  My hope is that you have a renewed boldness that is based on biblical teachings…line upon line…precept upon precept…so that you may be set free from the frustration and pitfalls that so easily befall those who exercise faith in prosperity teaching and doctrines. I pray that in reading this, your faith and understanding in God’s word grow and are perfected more and more.  May God bless the teaching of this word, so that we may understand why many of our plans were frustrated and develop confidence and assurance in the fact God’s plans are never frustrated! ( Job 42:1-2)  May his plans be our plans!

The Frustrated Christian Does Not Know The Will of God

The Frustrated Christian Does Not Know the Will of God

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.  And if we know he hears us, whatsoever we ask, we have the petitions we desired of him”  I John 5:14

So for all of those who are advocates of prosperity doctrines, we can explore the pitfalls of this teaching right here.  Yes, there are many scriptures used to support “word-faith” teaching–that whatever you confess you shall have.  Mark 9:23 does  indeed say “if you can believe ALL things are possible.” Matthew 21:22 does say”WHATEVER you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”  But I always like to view scripture in context of the whole bible.  And while these scriptures are truth…I John 5:14 gives us deeper understanding.  Now look closely, right after the “anything” that caused our hearts to palpitate. The caveat there is that it must be “according to his will.”  So you can pray all you want to be a millionaire, but if it is not in God’s will it’s never going to happen.  Frustration will set in if you are praying for a new house, when it is not God’s will for you to have one at that time.  If you exhaust your human efforts to get one anyway and  actually succeed, I can assure you that everything will seemingly go wrong with that house!  See, the real problem here is that the frustrated christian is believing God for the plans in his own heart. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a mans heart but the Lord’s purpose prevails.  Yet another scripture is Psalm 33:11, “The Lord foils the plans of nations, he thwarts the purposes of peoples.  But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.”  So we learn here that God himself will frustrate your plans.  So when things seem to not come to pass as you desire, don’t lose faith in God’s plans for you.  Lose faith in your own plans.

Jeremiah 29:11 states, “For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord.  “Plans for prosperity and not harm, to give you an expected end.”  The fact that scripture states that God has plan(s) for you denotes that God has specifically set up detailed things that will occur in your life.  To me, this denotes that a blueprint for your life has already been mapped out.  Instead of discovering what that blueprint is, we follow our own blueprint and wonder why our plans fail.    Paul says it like this, “Let us run with perseverance the race with endurance marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1    See, Paul knew that the race was already mapped out.  I don’t know about you, but when I think of a race I think of a situation where obstacles and hurdles must be overcome.  God places all those things in our  paths in order to perfect our faith.  The completion of the aforementioned verse is this  ” Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Hebrews 12:2.  See, even the savior had his course mapped out for him.  It was not his will, but he said “Nevertheless not my will, but your will be done” Luke 22:42.

My point here is this, if we are frustrated, we must examine our hearts to see if we are pushing our own will and our own agenda.  But the exciting part is this, as it states in I John 5:14, we can have confidence that if we ask anything according to God’s will, he will do it!  Anything!  All the things we know are in God’s will from his word have absolute power to come to pass!  Exciting, isn’t it?  This is how we exercise real faith.  It’s not about mustering up some supernatural level of faith to believe God for material things regarding the prosperity message.  It’s about believing for God’s will to come to pass…in this we know that nothing shall be impossible.  And if we ask anything according to his will, he will do it!  That’s real faith.

Perhaps, we may not know  what the will of God is.  No worries…Proverbs 16:3 says “Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him]; He will cause your thougths to become agreeable to His will, and so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:3  All we have to do is commit our plans over to God in faith, and he will transform our will into his own.  As long as we are not forcing our own plans, God will do this!  The transformation of our will to God’s will requires action on our part, I will tackle this in the next chapter.

The Frustrated Christian Has Not Been Transformed by the Renewing of Their Mind

Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices…Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what the will of God is.” Romans 12:1

This verse tells us that in order to know what the will of God is, we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds in God’s word.  In doing so, we will no longer conform to the pattern of this world.  The way of the world is to commit your works and plans to yourself.  The whole basis of our plans are often self-interest and self-promotion.  The world is concerned about  pleasures, individual promotion, and the acquisition of wealth, power, and honor.  As christian, we must not be like the world and consume our lives on these things.  God’s word says ” Set your minds on things above and not on earthly things” Colossians 3:2.

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where theives break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19

These scriptures may be a little difficult to fully commit to at this point, because the world has engrained in our minds the need “to get”  “to accumulate” and “to store-away.”  We are programmed for self-advancement.  But acceptance of these biblical truths requires thought renewal.  Now notice, I did not say that it is God’s will for you to be poor.  What I said, is that you should not be seeking to accumulate more and more wealth for yourself.    If you are frustrated because you are doing everything in your power to accumulate wealth for yourself, this is not God’s will.  Our ambition should be to provide an honest living for our familes, and should you get wealthy–don’t forget the poor.  James put’s it this way “Pure religion undefiled before God us this, “To help the fatherless and the widows in their affliction [the poor] and keep thyself from being polluted by the world.    We accomplish this by renewing our minds in the word.   Only then can we know God’s will for our lives.

While we are on the subject of knowing God’s will, let’s escape momentarily to Isaiah 58 where we also see God speak of his will to man and how we can receive guidance from him to find it.

If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday,  The  Lord will guide you always…” Isaiah 58

There it is, the Lord will guide you always…he will show you his will and his way when you renew your mind in his word.  When you learn to take your eyes of your success and your acquisition of more things, and expend  yourself on those who have nothing–then you will know what the will of God is!  How can we set our minds on heaven and not on earthly things.  How can we store away treasures in heaven?  We do it by taking the resources we have here and giving to those that have less than we do.  You will not lack because God’s word says, ” A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” Proverbs 11:25.

The funny thing is, when we are no longer trying to acquire more and more for ourselves, the frustration vanishes.  We are focused on  God’s will, and not our own.  If we don’t get the promotion, it’s okay because we know it wasn’t God’s will.  But as longer as we are focused on our own interests above anyone elses, we shall be frustrated. One more scripture for the road:

Phillipians 2:2-5  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.  Rather in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you in the interest of others.  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as  Christ Jesus.

This is the will of God.

The Frustrated Christian Does Not Seek the Kingdom First

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

Many people protest that they do indeed seek the kingdom first.  My litmus test for that is to suggest those individuals to reflect on what they spend the majority of their time in prayer about…is it the kingdom or is it a desire?  The frustrated christian is frustrated if they are trying to reverse the order of this scripture.  Some are seeking the other things first and leaving God’s kingdom to take the back seat.

Let’s take a moment to explore the parable of the four soils.  In Mark 4:18 it reads “Others, like the seed sown among the thorns heard the word, but the worries of this life, the deceitfullness of wealth, and desires for other things choke the word and make it unfruitfull.  Others, like the seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce crop thirty, sixty, or one hunfred fold.”

What I want to focus on here are those “desires for other things.”  These desires are anything that prevent us from sowing seeds of righteousness and the lives of others.   I noticed that in God’s word…he only instructs us two seek after things…that’s his kingdom and his righteousness.  Desires will be added.  Our first ministry is to win souls for Christ.  Our prayers should first be for the harvest of souls.  Our personal desires should not choke out the good seed…which is the commission to win others for Christ.  In the next verse God says this, “Do you bring a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed?  We are not to put the message of the gospel under a lamp.  We should be witnesses and bring light to those who cannot see.  We should be scattering the seed about, in hopes that God will take our works and multiply it–to ready a harvest of souls.

The christian will always be frustrated if they primarily focus on the “added.”  If our minds are set on God’s kingdom, we will not be frustrated by our “desires for these other things.”

The Frustrated Christian is Cosumed By Toil ,and the Pursuit of Wealth and Advancement

“What  does a man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” Ecclesiates 1:3

In the book of Ecclesiates, Solomon–to whom God bestowed more wisom and more riches than anyone that ever lives, ironically declares that the pursuit of pleasures, toil and wealth are meaningless!  He equates chasing after these things to chasing after the wind.  Instead, Solomon emphasizes that happiness comes from the pursuit of God and seeking to please him.  Ecclesiastes 2:25-26.

Solomon warns that those who love money and obsessively seek it never find the hapiness that it promises.  Ecclesiates 5:10.  He states that it is far better to be a poor youth than a king that lacks such wisdom.  Men toil their entire lives to accumulate wealth that gets enjoyed or squandered by someone else when they pass away.

Solomon recommends this, “That everyone eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their work–this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 3:13-14.  He warns against toiling for the sake of accumulating wealth.   Solomon does not mean that we should not work hard though, rather suggests “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” Ecclesiastes 9:10.  The same commission was given by Paul to the  Colossians:

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not form men, since you receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”  Colossians 3:23

Why else should we work, as unto the Lord?  Because the word says that promotion comes not from the east or the west, but from God (Psalm 76:5).  So we work heartily to him and expect our reward from him.  God is the judge that will lift one up and sit another down.  But most importantly, Mark 4:19 states that the deceiftfulness of wealth makes the word of the gospel unfruitful.  A man cannot serve two masters, we cannot serve both God and money.  Either we are going to love money and forsake the kingdom, or vice versa.  Matthew 6:24.

The Frustrated Christian Has Forgotten Their First Love

Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied, ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” Matthew 22:37-40

The greatest two commandments are keep the christian from focusing to much on himself and his own concerns.  When we become self-absorbed, we become our own idol.  We replace our love for God with self-love.  Our love for God and his kingdom take a back seat to our own pleasures and desires.  Our neighbor’s concerns are no longer a priority.   What is it to love our neighbor like ourselves?  Well…how do you love yourselves!?  When we put our hearts and minds on our neighbors concerns…and give them what we would like to be given…that is loving your neighbor to the standard you love your self.  Is that not the golden rule, do unto others as you would have it done unto yourself? Would not we want forgiveness for ourselves?….give it unto others.  Would we want others to pray for us?..pray for others.  In fact, my litmus test for self absorption is this…what do you spend the majority of your time praying about?  What do you pray about first?  Is it others?  Or is it some desire?  James says this…”Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your pleasures” (James 4:3).  We frustrate our own prayers when we are self absorbed, because God will not honor selfishness. When God taught the disciples to pray, did he not say “OUR father, give US the daily bread, forgive US” Our prayer lives should model the fathers…it should be about US and not just “ME.” We are to “bear one anothers burdens.” Galatians 6:2.   We must learn to take our neighbors concerns to God as if they were our own concerns.

Despite what the prosperity teachers are preaching, God is not in the business of blessing the saints so that we can show out to our enemies, friends, relatives, or co-workers.  We don’t give with vain motives.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others more significant than yourselves.”  God does not give us seed for our own vain glory.   He is blesses us to be a blessing.  He gives seed to the sower….so that we can sow in the lives of others.  In return, God proises that those who sow generously will reap generously. II Corinthians 9:6.  You will not lack, but have plenty extra to do the work of God.

As it is written: he has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seeds to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in many expressions of thanks to God.  II Corinthians 9:8-11

It’s never been about you.  It’s about God’s gospel, God’s kingdom, and God’s people.  In fact, How do we demonstrate the first and greatest commandment of loving God with all our hearts, minds, and soul?  He says, “If you love me, feed my sheep.”  John 21:15-17.  If we truly love our father, the litmus test is this…we will evangelize!  We will use the talents that he gave us to evangelize to his kingdom.  Consider the parable of the talents in Luke 19.  The king went away for a time and left his servants with 10 talents each to put to work until he returned.  1 servant produced 10 more, one produced 5 more, 1 servant buried his talent.  And what did God do?…he took the talent from him and gave it to the one who produced ten.  Let not God return to us to discover that we have buried our talent and done nothing for the kingdom of God!

Let’s talk about the final judgement when the Son of man comes in his glory.  “Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.  For when I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came.”   When the righteous asks when did we do these things, God will say, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”  Our ministry should always be to the least.  If we love our father, we will give to the least.  Our ministries should be for the least!   Even Christ’s ministry was to the least.  He said: The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has annointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to released the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  Luke 4:18

I have poured over the books of the prophets in the Old testament.  God’s anger is always kindled against the proud and those who witheld justice from the poor–or those who oppressed the poor.  His anger is kindled against those who selfishly pursue gain for themselves and overlook the widows and the fatherless.  In fact, Jesus’s own brother James who likely knew him the most intimately said this, true religion acceptable to God is taking care of the widows and fatherless.  James 1:27.  I belive that the most defiled gospel, is the gospel of self.  The  mission should be this:

To loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke. To share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter–when you see the naked to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own fles and blood…Then your light will break forth like the dawn…When you call the Lord will answer you.”  Isaiah 58: 6-9

Our love for God is demonstrated in our love for other neighbors…especially the least among us.  It is also demonstrated in our committment to sharing his gospel.  May we not be so caught up in ministering to our ownselves that we forget our first love.  May we not make other things and other people our first love and become to God like Hosea’s wife.  Hosea 2:7, “She will chase after her lovers but will not catch them, she will look for them but not find them, Then she will say, I will go back to my husband as at first.”  God used this analogy to show that his adulterous people will return to their first love–God himself!  Chasing after idols and self preservation will get you no where.  Christians must never forget their first love!  Remember when you first God saved?!  You were so excited about what you had found that you couldn’t wait to share the gospel with someone else.  You prayed for the opportunity for God to use you.  You stayed up at night reading the word.  God comissions us to return to how we were formely.  God says this:

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perserverance.  I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be aposteles but are not, and have found them false.  You have perservered and endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.  Yet I hold this against you:  You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen!  Repent and do the things you did at first.  If you do not repent I will come to you and remove your lampstand from it’s place.

I will end with this…we are the light of the world.  We are God’s lampstand.  God says in Mark 4:19 “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed?  Instead, don’t you put it on a stand.”  Here God is saying that our life should be a lamp that helps people see God.  What bowls have we allowed to dampen our light?  Self-gain?  Desires?  Let us instead do good deeds unto men and make this our ultimate priority, so that we may gain glory for our father and not ourselves.

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

So What does it mean to be a Contented Christian?

“For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Phillipians 4:11

The secret Paul had learned, was to draw strength from God in times of trials.  What would cause someone to even desire to be content in the situations he endured?  It’s because Paul had discovered a remarkable truth. The same truth that Solomon discovered.  That beyond wealth, knowlede, pleasures, desires, and success…God was infinitely more satisfying!  When you have all you need, there is no need to look for anything more.  There is no more need to fill the void with temporal things…because God alone is satisfying!  Anything can be endured because God is worth it.  He becomes like the pearl and the field that the merchant purchased–you are willing to give up everything!  God is worth singleness.  He’s worth persecution.  He’s worth the giving of your self. He is worth it all…everthing else is rubbish in comparison.

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything loss comparared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have loss all things, I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” Phillipians 3:7-9.  He goes on to say in verse 14, that the high calling of the gospel is the “prize.”  We all have desires but our ultimate prize should be Christ’s gospel!    On this alone did he consume his time and energy, and his life!  Even to the point of death. Phillipians 1:21.

David, also knew that the Lord was infinitely more satisfying than anything.  In Psalm 27 he writes, “One thing that I desire of the Lord, and this I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple.”  He said only ONE thing he desired!  And that was to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord.  God was more satisfying!   David was so content in God, that he danced before the Lord with all his might 2 Samuel 6:14.   Now the only time I’ve seen people dance like that is when it’s new years…and the pastor says “It’s your season for breakthrough…your about to get 100 fold!!” LOL!!!  But see David knew a profound truth, he didn’t have to gaze upon desires or these things.  In Psalm 37:4 he says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  God alone was his desire.  He knew that God is a jealous God and that he won’t give you the desires of your heart until you desire him above these things.

God says this,” My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jeremiah 2:13.   During that time, cisterns where placed in the ground to trap rainwater.  People preferred broken cisterns to supply their needs…the cisterns of success, money, power, etc…but these would not hold water.  But God is the source of living water!   May we turn back to our first love–to our first commandment, to love God with all our mind, souls, and strength!  May we stop chasing after the wind.  Chasing after breakthrough after breakthrough….but understand that these things will be “added.”  Instead that we will allow living water to flow out of us, so that we may help out people.  John 7:38.

To reach such a level would require renewing your mind in the word of Christ!!    Daily renewal.  Daily dying to self!  Because even as Solomon–the wisest man than ever lived, eventually was led back to idolatry.  We have to continually die to self.  I pray that you have benefited from the scriptures provided here.   That you may be supernaturally transformed by the renewing of your mind, and know what the will of God is!!   It is my eanrest desire that you are set free from the bondage desires and worry–being assured that God is more satisfying!!!  Keep praying and believing!!  Know that God is worth it all…he’s so satisfying. He is our first love, may he allow reign on the throwns of our hearts forever.  May we pursue him alone.  I will end with a scripture from I Timothy 6:6:

But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.