Reality Check

Friend, I’ve been  doing some deep re-thinking and I’m beginning to hear some things from down deep.  I’m just going to share my heart and let God do whatever He will with it..

We have all come to the Lord unsettled, uncertain and needy people. I don’t think any would disagree with that. We have needs. We ‘ve suffered many hurts and  we’re weary and wounded.  We  need love but soon we begin to discover  that there are disappointments.  Everybody doesn’t love us and love our message as we had hoped they would. We’ve found we have critics. We even learn that we have enemies.  Painful. But if we will get real with God we will see that we have personal issues we need to work out. We can be honest with God. We tell him our troubles and we ask his help. God says “Come up here and I will show you things you’ve never known” We’re not alone;  God wants to take us with him to the root of our heart and soul so that he can heal.  He invites us to build ourselves up in him in new ways. His deeper, more effective way. 

Lessons come through the experiences of others who have walked that path. I remember once a minister was sharing about some big things he was doing in his city;  he was discouraged and he told God “I feel like I’m doing this by myself” And the Lord said “You are”

That was an awakening word to me. And a deep lesson. I saw that we can go off on our own and think we’re doing the will of God, but we’re not. I didn’t want to go there. 

I was zealous, I saw so many with deep spiritual need and it seemed I couldn’t pray enough. As we are all our, I believe. We want to cheer and comfort but we’re hindered. Still troubled inwardly ourselves. We daily have conflicts and disagreements to deal with, and we do well for awhile. But then we get weary and we fall back some. We’re tired. We think “I need a vacation”

When we discover that our human effort isn’t working it’s  good to pause with God and do some reality checks.  Because Jesus said “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” We find we need to realize that we’re barely beginners and God wants us to be more fruitful. We need a much deeper experience in the reality of our God. 

I’m thankful as I think on this because I found that  God is so gracious to keep us in a measure of peace and love. He waits for us to become willing and pliable.  God is so perfect and so good, and His  goodness is always to bring men to repentance.

Friend, ministry is divine work, created for saints who want to grow up. It’s not created for human effort. Flesh will profit nothing.  Jesus died to enable his redeemed to die to self effort and be empowered with glory power in holiness.   But until we’re rightly connected to God, our source, we will get tired and hurt and disappointed.  We need to find rest and get aligned with  God’s times and priorities.

What can we do to refresh and be better Holy Spirit disciples? How can we change so that we will be true salt and light? It’s been my experience that the peace of God does not come without first giving up our wrong focus. The cares of this life will keep us troubled.  Our lives must be totally surrendered. Unless our focus is set fully on Jesus and his way we will most certainly burn out and our witness will not be effective. I don’t want to be reduced to just being noise. I want to speak from the heart of the Father.

The question is. What is the main desire of our heart? Motive for doing what we do? Do we want to know the reality of him or do we want what he can do for us? He does give us a choice.  We can seek His face and He will help us to get it right. We can live in the place where his joy is our strength. He is pre-imminent. I hope we all think deep about it..