In Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus said, “when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”
Pastor Herk continues that prayer time is a time that we get to commune and converse with God in relationship, enjoying each other – Father to child. In reality, we do not have time not to pray. If you are too busy to pray then you are too busy. The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” If we want to see God move in our universal Christian church around the world, then pray. As much as you may disagree with what our government officials have done, are doing and are planning to do, we need to pray for them that the scales over their eyes that blind them from the truth of God and the Holy Scripture in the Word of God and change their godless ways. In God We Trust is our national motto. God’s Will should be the first thing that our Congress should be concerned with. “God opposes the proud. but shows favor to the humble.”
Pride is so subtle and James shows the seriousness of this when he says “You
adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Our biblical standards in this country – personal morality, marital, and spiritual by the Word of God – are under attack. Christians are bombarded daily with the message that we need to compromise; told to abandon and leave behind God’s standards and be more loving and understand, more flexible and tolerant, and not judgmental about the terrible sin going on around us and demanding forced compliance.
Many churches are buckling and folding to the secular humanist liberal movement. Several denominations and non-denominational churches are accommodating this liberalization to appease the sinful God-rejecting culture that denies God’s sovereign Word, Will and Way. But, it will not work because “to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The church of Jesus Christ must stand firm by their biblical standards, even if the secular government legalizes sin and criminalizes those who live by the Word of God.
The God-reject world that we are experiencing is the system of evil, opposing God under Satan’s control. So, what is the Believer’s proper relationship to the God-rejecting world? Jesus prayed in John 17:14 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” We need to love the people of the world enough to give them the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. James 4:5-6 asks, “Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
God is against the proud because makes us self-centered and leads us to believe that we deserve everything that see, want and get. We forget that it all comes from God 1 John 2:15-17 tells us, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God continues to live forever.” Pride is one of the seven deadly sin in Scripture; pride being the first. Proverbs 6:16-17a says, “These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: (1) A proud look. We come close to God by humbly submitting to Him. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Complete, humble submission to God, like Christ modeled for us.
The devil is destined for destruction, but he wants to take as much of God’s creation with him as he can. Our relationship must be with God. Without God’s help we are powerless against Satan, but he is defeated with the power and might of God. James 4:8 says, “Come close to God and He will come close to you.” As we draw closer to God, we become aware of habits and actions in our own lives that are not pleasing to Him. God desires for us to become more Christ-like and we all should be working towards that end, though it is a lifelong pursuit.
Romans 12:2 tells us, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” We change our actions by allowing God to transformationally change our minds. As God draws near to us, we shall feel the unworthiness that we harbor within us due to sin. Sometimes, surrender is not easy because we have long held lusts and desires that we may fight giving to God. Repentance has to include remembering how far we have broken from God’s way in order to repent and turn back. Jesus said in
Luke 9:23-24 “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, this is the one who will save it.” The Christian life is full of joy in the Lord, but when we reflect upon the sin in our life, we have to feel bad enough to want to repent. Acknowledge the fact that we need God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1 Peter 5:6-9 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. So, resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.”
We need to admit to our dependence upon Him for everything in life and through His power, we overcome sin. Our relationship with God is a living relationship. Without His power, we cannot accomplish anything significant in this life. In John 15:5 Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Anything that is more important to us than God is an idol. In order to come closer to God, we have to empty ourselves in order to have a “right” relationship with Him. Life is all about God and if we are truly serious about serving God, then we have to put our pride aside, we have to commune in prayer we Him daily, and take the time to hear what the Lord is saying to us.
Striving to get closer to God.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment