John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
The Body of Christ has been held back with indecision for centuries, because it lacks understanding. We've accepted the attitude of the world saying, "Whatever happens must be God's will for us." Many believers have been taught that "Everything is God's Plan and His will for the earth." Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified) saying, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven." There isn't a single Christian today, who believes that the things happening in the world, are happening in Heaven."
It's obvious that God's will isn't being done, as it is in Heaven. It's God's will that people are being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit, but the wars, death, hunger, child abuse and many such other things happening, are definitively NOT GOD'S WILL IN HEAVEN. During His earthly ministry, Jesus knew what was God's will in Heaven and on earth. Jesus brought God's will to pass, even here on this earth. Jesus healed and delivered so many people, bringing God's will to pass here on this earth. Sadly, there are so many things happening in the lives of Christians today, that were never God's will for us.
I'm always amazed to learn that so few Christians will actually study God's Word, in order to find what His will is. God has made His will known to the new creation family, but we just accept the words of others, over His Word. I'm not saying that bad things don't happen to good people, but God is faithful to His Word, to do what He says. 1Corinthians 10:13,14 (Amplified) says, "For no temptation, no trial regarded as enticing to sin, no matter how it comes or where it leads, has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man, that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and or adapted and belonging to human experience, such as man can bear. But God is faithful to His Word and to His compassionate nature, and He can be trusted not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will always also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently."
I've heard many quote this scriptures saying, "God will not put on you more than you can handle." This isn't what Paul is saying. He's telling us that, "God will not allow the devil to come with something new, for which we have no defense." The tricks, temptations, and trials that satan comes up with, are already common to man. God's Word has the answer and means of deliverance for these trials, temptations and tricks, if we will go to His Word in faith.
Paul writes about the trials and temptations in the previous Verse, and tells us that the devil (not God) has deceived and brought unbelief in the people. Paul reveals one of the ways God provides the means of escape, saying in Verse 14, "Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear, away from, avoid by flight if need be), any sort of idolatry, of loving or venerating anything more than God."
The people Paul was speaking too, were God's people by covenant with Abraham. Paul lists one of the temptations that overthrew those in the wilderness in 1Corinthians 10:9-10 Amplified) which says, "We should not tempt the Lord (try His patience, become a trial to Him, critically appraise Him and exploit His Goodness as some of them did-and were killed by poisonous serpents (Numbers 21:5-6) Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did, and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death)."
I know Christians who are upset with God, because things haven't gone right in their lives. We blame God for these things and complain that, "God is putting this on me" or "God is allowing this to come upon me." These are what those in the Wilderness said when they said, "God brought us out here to die. Why didn't He just leave us alone?"
God's will was to bring them out of bondage from Egypt and into the Promised Land. They didn't want to follow Him, by His Promise. They wanted to stay in the comfort of bondage, where they held no responsibility to follow God. They did what they wanted to do, thinking it was God's Plan and will for their lives. Why don't we go to His Word, discover what His Plan and will for us it, instead of accepting every hardship that comes against us as being God's will?
God provided for every need of the people in the wilderness, but they were never thankful or grateful for the Blessings of God. They believed God was testing them, but we know that they were testing God with their unbelief. We are God's children and His family. God doesn't love one person more than He loves another. Jesus prayed for us in John 17:23 (Amplified), "I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and definitely recognize that You sent Me and that You have Loved them even as You have Loved Me."
So many of God's children, seemingly lack a personal, intimate relationship with the Father. We're all one at church and are one in worship, but how much to we fellowship with Him on a one-to One basis in our daily lives? I've always been impressed with a man named Ananias in Acts 9:10. This isn't a man we previously read about or never hear about afterwards. He wasn't an Apostle or a man we'd probably consider to be great.
Ananias though, had a personal relationship with the Lord, so that the Lord called him by name. More importantly, Ananias knew the Voice of the Lord and answered His Voice. This man's relationship with God wasn't formed through Sunday service alone, but from spending time in fellowship with the Lord. God knew He could call on Ananias and that Ananias would answer His call. If God called on us today, then would we recognize His Voice and obey His will and purpose? Jesus said that, "My sheep knew My Voice." I hear many Christians saying, "God doesn't speak to me" or "I don't know whether it's God, myself or the devil, who is talking to me." We're supposed to know His Voice. He's always speaking to us, but we don't hear Him, like we should.
All the kids at daycare know their parent's voice. My daughter can go pick up her dog at the dog beauty parlor and recognize her dog's bark, without seeing her pup. Parents can tell whether it's their child crying or if it's another child crying. Do you think our Heavenly Father can't distinguish your voice from another? God wants to hear from you personally. He doesn't always want someone else to be praying for you. He doesn't want to hear from us, only when we need something.
I'm not what people call "a religious person," but I'm a real person in Christ Jesus. My relationship with the Father, is based on spending time with Him. I don't want to only know about Him, from the experience of others, but I want to know Him, from experience and personal fellowship with Him. Thank God for my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, but I don't want them to stand in my place. My wife and I raised eight children and we were all one family. Every child was different as knew me as "Dad," from a personal relationship with me. Each individual, made up our family.
We're not just someone in a crowd of faceless people, to God. Let's see ourselves as the individual, the Father made us to be and sees. You can know many things from God, that no one else knows. I've never been in the same place with God, that you've been. I can learn more about God from sharing with you.
It's easier for us to make excuses as to why prayer didn't work in our lives, than to learn His ways and His will. The Father has Spiritual Laws that govern the Kingdom. When we learn and understand these principals or Spiritual Laws, then we cannot fail. God's Kingdom is forever and is eternal.
We can't try making the Kingdom work by natural or carnal rules and traditions. That's a waste of time. Trying to live here as a citizen and child of God's Kingdom by man's natural law, doesn't work. Trying to make Kingdom Laws work without understanding, doesn't work either. Doing these things has resulted in a big dilemma in the lives of Christians.
Only God's Law and ways works in the Kingdom and they're the only way we can have authority over Spiritual things that function in this world. We make up excuses and explanations for why God's Word doesn't work for us. Satan only stop his assault against us, by the Kingdom Laws that govern Spiritual things. We must use the Spiritual Laws that govern that realm, so we can come against these things in our lives.
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