Our Purpose
"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God (to the other towns also), because that is why I was sent."Luke 4:43
There it is, our purpose over all the earth. "How do I do that?" you ask. We must go back before we can move ahead and see it clearly! We are to "preach" His kingdom by sharing what He has done in our lives. The only way that we can really understand it, and have the excitement to "get it," is to have experienced His incredible mercy and grace, be so full of it that we want to share it with other people!
Even further back is our sin, our stronghold, our weakness that has separated us from Him.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God, your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
What is getting in the way of His plan for you? Something is, because we’ve all got it! We are human, not perfect. I heard someone say that the other day and I loved it. Yes, I suppose we are striving for perfection, striving to be like Jesus really, but more attainable, we are striving to be humbled to God, to be surrendered to God, to be in awe of Him and his magnificent glory and all that it promises us.
Personally, it is surrendering to Him, when I want to give in to the anger, the frustration of the things that I have no control over. As you will learn about me, I am divorced. For me, that means a neverending dynamic with my son’s father. I have realized greatly in the last months that I have a control problem! I thought it was everyone else - haha. When I can’t control what directly influences my son (and my stepdaughter), it drives me almost to the point of insanity. And, then I allow that to consume my day or my week. God is asking me to surrender that to Him and I am trying- having a hard time letting go of the control. :)
Satan, on the other hand, keeps turning up the heat! Woo, I mean does he ever. He keeps tempting me to get mad, get frustrated, get resentful- that is the biggest I think! Then, I am not joyful for the Lord, not spreading what HE has done for me, what freedom HE has given me in His name. I am consumed, depressed, anxious-- and that is what is spread to others, not Him and His light.
On this earth, we tend to look at others to measure our success or even to justify our actions. I have the greatest scale ever:
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan (where he had just been baptized) and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone." The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours. Jesus answered, "It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:1-8
See, when I allow myself to be consumed with anger and bitterness, then I am worshiping it- not our God and all that He has for me! Everyone gets upset, but does it control your next thought, your next decision, your next move in this season of your life?
Can you believe Satan tempted Jesus? That would take some big nerve, but he did it- 3 times if you read the rest of the passage....So, what makes you think he wont tempt you. If he’ll do it to Jesus for 40 days, he will do it to us all day every day. Where are you weak? That is where he’ll attack- watch and see!
The glorious ness in all of it is that once you recognize it, you can see it coming and you can surrender it to the Lord. Then, He will give you that peace, He will take it from you! You will be Victorious with God and then you can "Preach it!" Use your story to share God’s love and power and to alert someone else to Satan’s schemes.
LORD, I pray right now for you to reveal a weakness to the person reading this! Give them discernment to hear you and then prompt them to call on you in their time of need. Amen!
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
There it is, our purpose over all the earth. "How do I do that?" you ask. We must go back before we can move ahead and see it clearly! We are to "preach" His kingdom by sharing what He has done in our lives. The only way that we can really understand it, and have the excitement to "get it," is to have experienced His incredible mercy and grace, be so full of it that we want to share it with other people!
Even further back is our sin, our stronghold, our weakness that has separated us from Him.
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God, your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
What is getting in the way of His plan for you? Something is, because we’ve all got it! We are human, not perfect. I heard someone say that the other day and I loved it. Yes, I suppose we are striving for perfection, striving to be like Jesus really, but more attainable, we are striving to be humbled to God, to be surrendered to God, to be in awe of Him and his magnificent glory and all that it promises us.
Personally, it is surrendering to Him, when I want to give in to the anger, the frustration of the things that I have no control over. As you will learn about me, I am divorced. For me, that means a neverending dynamic with my son’s father. I have realized greatly in the last months that I have a control problem! I thought it was everyone else - haha. When I can’t control what directly influences my son (and my stepdaughter), it drives me almost to the point of insanity. And, then I allow that to consume my day or my week. God is asking me to surrender that to Him and I am trying- having a hard time letting go of the control. :)
Satan, on the other hand, keeps turning up the heat! Woo, I mean does he ever. He keeps tempting me to get mad, get frustrated, get resentful- that is the biggest I think! Then, I am not joyful for the Lord, not spreading what HE has done for me, what freedom HE has given me in His name. I am consumed, depressed, anxious-- and that is what is spread to others, not Him and His light.
On this earth, we tend to look at others to measure our success or even to justify our actions. I have the greatest scale ever:
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan (where he had just been baptized) and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God tell this stone to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone." The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours. Jesus answered, "It is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:1-8
See, when I allow myself to be consumed with anger and bitterness, then I am worshiping it- not our God and all that He has for me! Everyone gets upset, but does it control your next thought, your next decision, your next move in this season of your life?
Can you believe Satan tempted Jesus? That would take some big nerve, but he did it- 3 times if you read the rest of the passage....So, what makes you think he wont tempt you. If he’ll do it to Jesus for 40 days, he will do it to us all day every day. Where are you weak? That is where he’ll attack- watch and see!
The glorious ness in all of it is that once you recognize it, you can see it coming and you can surrender it to the Lord. Then, He will give you that peace, He will take it from you! You will be Victorious with God and then you can "Preach it!" Use your story to share God’s love and power and to alert someone else to Satan’s schemes.
LORD, I pray right now for you to reveal a weakness to the person reading this! Give them discernment to hear you and then prompt them to call on you in their time of need. Amen!
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
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