Evangelistdoright: July 2008

“If It’s God’s Will…”“No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God's nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God. By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God's will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ).”---I John 3:9-10 (AMP)“God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him.”---Proverbs 28:9 (Message)“God's will is not an itinerary, but an attitude.”---Andrew DhuseHead’s up, ya’ll: This one is not really a “warm fuzzy” message, but I think if you really pay close attention, when it comes to your life, it could provide you with a lot of clarity while sparing you a lot of pain and disappointment.It’s remarkable the things you can find out about/from God when you ask him. Correction: When you are abiding in him and ask him (John 15:7). Since making the concerted effort to apply his Word (and methods) to my life, revelations upon revelations have been pouring out. I’m not saying that to brag, but to encourage you that if you are seeking something from him and have not yet found it, do not be dismayed (Matthew 7:7-8). We serve a God who cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18) and he says that we can call upon him and he will answer us. (Jeremiah 33:3)However, I do want to remind you of the Message Version verse found in Proverbs (28:9). I don’t know about you, but there have been countless upon countless amounts of time when I have prayed and moved without waiting for a response from God; without receiving confirmation that he was in agreement. Take it from me and my Ph.D of hard knocks that there is a fine line--and real difference---between telling God what you want and asking him what you need. In other words, just because he allows something to happen, that doesn’t necessarily mean it was in his best interest for you. (What do you think we need so much grace and mercy for?---Hebrews 4:16) To be a mature and responsible follower of Christ, one must work to understand what it means to be in God’s will vs. our own.Oh, you better believe that I am still a huge work in progress when it comes to this, but as I’m moving from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18), I did want to share with you something that God shared with me this past week about this very issue.As I’ve been going to the Lord, sometimes broken and in tears, about his will for my life, it has been amazing the one word that continues to resonate within my space: wait. Oh, why couldn’t he give me a word, any word, than that? I HATE WAITING. But I must admit that in the process of doing it, I am learning a lot about the nature of God. In waiting, my heart is getting stronger (Psalm 27:14) and in doing so, I have been spared from the cycle of foolishness that I used to find myself caught up in on a regular basis, mostly because I moved in haste (Proverbs 20:22); not his will, but my will was done. Another plus is that now, in moments when I want to “throw caution to the wind” (have you ever thought about how crazy that sounds?—Psalm 1:4), the Holy Spirit will bring something to my attention that causes me again to deny myself and trust in God, even and especially when my senses don’t see where he’s leading me (which is really what genuine faith is all about---Hebrews 11:1).With that said, last week, I was talking to a friend of mine about something she wanted and she said, “I know it will come to pass if it’s God’s will.”Without giving it much thought I said, “Not necessarily. God respects choice and so if you or someone else chooses against his instruction, there is no guarantee it will happen.”Her response? “Shellie, doesn’t that mean you have a lack of faith?”I replied, “I mean, do you think it was God’s will that the Woman eat that fruit?”That wasn’t me. That was the Holy Spirit speaking through me.We both sat in silence for a moment and in the quiet I must admit that it really got me to thinking. How many times have I so ignorantly and lazily walked through life saying, “I will get that job if it’s God’s will”; “I will get that man if it’s God’s will”; “I will move to that place if it’s God’s will”? Does God have more power than I have wisdom? Most definitely. (I Corinthians 2:5) But does he respect the power of choice, even when it’s against his perfect will? Don’t take my word for it. Just ask Eve, Adam, Jacob, David and Samson (for starters).GOD: “Shellie, just because I know the thoughts and plans that I have for your life (Jeremiah 29:11), that does give you automatic access to them. There is a price that must be paid. To receive my will, you must be in my will.”How do we get into the will of our Father?“We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.”---Romans 8:28 (AMP)How do we show God that we love him?“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”---John 14:21 (NKJV)Did you catch that? When we love Christ and keep the commandments of God, it is then that God’s love, through Christ, is manifested. In other words, when we do what God tells us to, it is then that his purpose for our lives is revealed.“In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.”---Ephesians 1:11-12 (NKJV)There’s just no way around it. We have to abide in Christ, while living with a surrendered soul to God for our true, godly purpose to be made known. When we do, it is then that we have the spiritual discernment to even begin to fathom what to ask God in a way that will grant us the desires of a pure heart. (Psalm 37:4, John 14:14)That’s the good news; however, there is another side to this message. There are many people who, as we speak, are moving forward (or backwards, based on how you look at it) assuming that what they are doing is the will of God and it is nothing but the will of their flesh. For them, until they repent (Romans 2:4—AMP), nothing but chaos and destruction is in their future:“For the Lord knows and is fully acquainted with the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly [those living outside God's will] shall perish (end in ruin and come to nought).”---Psalm 1:6 (AMP)According to this verse, anyone outside of the will of God is considered to be “ungodly”. Now let’s look at another way the “ungodly” are defined:“We also know that the law is not made for good people but for those who are against the law and for those who refuse to follow it. It is for people who are against God and are sinful, who are unholy and ungodly, who kill their fathers and mothers, who murder, who take part in sexual sins, who have sexual relations with people of the same sex, who sell slaves, who tell lies, who speak falsely, and who do anything against the true teaching of God.”---I Timothy 1:9-10 (NCV)Whew! Do you know many times I’ve prayed, gone to church, paid my tithes, even partook in ministries and assumed I could go boldly to the Father with my wish list believing that it was in line with his will while I was committing sexual sin, telling lies (to others and especially myself) and going against God’s teachings? Do you know how many times I’ve done these things all the while assuring myself of the fact that God’s will would come to pass regardless?Oh Father, how I repent! (I John 1:9) Oh, how I see how much I need the Holy Spirit in my life, especially when it comes to your will for me."So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.”---Romans 8:26-27 (AMP)As a result of this revelation, I am finding that I pray less and less for persons, places and things and more for a heart change, not just for myself, but those around me that I love and desire great things for. It is because of this revelation that I realize that it’s time for me to stop romanticizing the notion of “If it’s meant to be, it will happen” as if I play no role in my destiny, one way or the other.It was God’s will (for instance), that I remain a virgin until marriage (Ephesians 5:3). It was God’s will that I would not get pregnant out of wedlock (Hebrews 3:14) and if I did, it was God’s will that I would not terminate any of my pregnancies (Exodus 20:13). Do you really think that because those things happened that they were simply “meant to be”? The beautiful thing about God is that he redeemed me and gave me a powerful testimony from these experiences (I Timothy 4:14-16---AMP), but I should never disillusion myself with the notion that because it happened, he wanted and/or willed it to.“Foolish dreamers live in a world of illusion; wise realists plant their feet on the ground.”---Proverbs 14:18 (Message)“But against all illusion and fantasy and empty talk there's always this rock foundation: Fear God!”---Ecclesiastes 5:7 (Message)What’s an illusion? It’s “something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality”. God’s Word says that a mature believer is a huge supporter of reality:“It's best to stay in touch with both sides of an issue. A person who fears God deals responsibly with all of reality, not just a piece of it.”---Ecclesiastes 7:18 (Message)One huge “reality check” for me was the Amplified Version of Galatians 6:7:“Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.”God will not allow his precepts to be set aside. Family, no matter what we want or choose to put our faith and energy into, God means what he says. There are several instances in my life where Psalm 1:6 was right; where my ungodliness brought forth death although Christ’s will for me was abundant life (John 10:10)…where my will took the place of my Father’s. Nothing good or lasting ever comes from that.I am not sharing this to depress anyone, but I am hoping that it will provide you with another perspective the next time you go to God about something you want, before you move assuming that he is in agreement, or even before you so casually reference “God’s will” working in your life when your actions dictate that you are actually working against it. You can believe something all day long, but faith without works is dead (James 2:17). The truth (John 8:32) is that for you to see and receive God’s will, you have to be willing to following it. This means that you have to be obedient to his laws and his ways.No wonder we are instructed to request that God’s will be done (Matthew 6:10). No wonder even Christ himself had moments when he had to pray, even when it cost him something dear, about this very thing. (Matthew 26:42) It is a real challenge to consistently put God’s will over our flesh, but once we accept that no one has the power to retain the spirit over the spirit (Ecclesiastes 8:8) we begin to understand why it takes a real surrender of self to have God’s will fully manifested in our lives.It takes a huge leap of faith (Hebrews 11:6) to put God’s best before our wants, trusting that he what he has in mind supercedes anything we could conjure up (Ephesians 3:20). And, it takes a real maturity to understand (and accept) that unless we unite ourselves with like-minded people (Matthew 18:20, I Corinthians 15:33), no matter how much we want something for or with someone, we/they just might not get it. Unless they are surrendered to God, they cannot clearly see God’s will for them and no matter how much God or we may want otherwise, the power of choice is powerful and they have every right to choose life (in God’s will)…or death (out of God’s will). Only a man who fears God can be taught in the way that God chooses. (Psalm 25:12) This is why the righteous are advised to choose their friends wisely (Proverbs 12:26).So what do we do in the meantime about those in our path who may not be in God’s will? We love them (I Corinthians 13:4) and we stay righteous while expecting our prayers to work miracles! (I Peter 3:12). The hope that we do have is that the prayers of a morally upstanding person has power (James 5:16) because when we are obedient, we are in God; when we are in God, that is when we link ourselves up to his power source; that is when we receive supernatural understanding (Psalm 147:5), the death sentence of things can be suspended (Psalm 79:11), we are given the strength to endure tough times (Psalm 68:35), and we can speak life into a situation (Proverbs 18:21)!This can be hard work at times but it’s worth it:“For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness--in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].”---Hebrews 12:11 (AMP)As we enter into another week, think about all of the things you have been claiming while assuming it was the will of God simply because you wanted it. Ask God to show you what was spoken in flesh and what was truly an unction of the Holy Spirit. Your lifestyle is a good place to start when it comes to discerning the difference between the two. And then, like King Solomon, purpose in your mind to seek wisdom more than anything else (I Kings 3:4-15). God is full of light (I John 1:5) and he has no desire to keep his children in the dark. It is in wisdom that we get a clearer understanding of what God’s will is for our lives (Proverbs 2:5-7), and how/if we are working for or against it.Bottom line? If you want God’s will, you must fully surrender your own. That is the only way to see what was “meant to be”, according to him, for you; something that you couldn’t come up with on your own, no matter how much you willed it.“He who despises the word will be destroyed, but he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.”---Proverbs 13:13 (NKJV)“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise..”---Hebrews 10:35-36 (NKJV)

“And what about us? Why do we put ourselves in danger every hour? I die every day.”---I Corinthians 15:30-31 (NCV)

“When you are through changing, you are through.”---Bruce Barton

Are you staying open? (Psalm 119:18) I hope so.

I don’t know about you, but since really focusing on that word (in a spiritual sense), life has gotten really interesting for me. For instance, a couple of days ago, I had to go to a computer training class. Please believe that it took everything in me to remain “open” about it (I hate that kind of stuff!), but had I not, I would have missed the message that I’m about to share; one that will be relatively brief. (Merry Christmas, Cory!)

As the techie was taking us, via teleconference, through various sections of the site, he said something that caused my director to make fun of me (in a good way). Of course, because the truth makes you free (John 8:32) and God detests liars (Proverbs 6:16-17), I must admit that I wasn’t listening as intently as I probably should have been. Therefore, I can’t recall what the woman asked that prompted him to give this response. Either way, whatever she said, I’m glad that she did:

Techie: “Well, is your site ‘static’ or ‘dynamic’?”

The Lady: (Dead air)

Techie: “That’s a technical term that means is your website the same every time people go to it or does it change with every visit or when they refresh it?”

That was when my director smiled because he saw my mind racing. “Oh, I’ll bet where gonna see a devotional on this one.” (See, why you’ve gotta watch what comes out of your mouth?---Proverbs 18:21)

As I got to thinking, I found myself really falling in love with that terminology. When you are ‘static’, you are “lacking movement, development, or vitality”. Every time someone sees you, calls you or talks to you, you are always on the same stuff, or as my dad puts it, you need to “flip over your tape because everyone has already heard that side.” You’re always complaining about the same things (Philippians 2:14), you always have the same insights and philosophies (Isaiah 43:19) and your life always seems to be stagnate when it comes to vision, purpose and progression. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Oh, but when you are ‘dynamic’, you are “characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful; energetic”. Again, I JUST LOVE THAT!

Does the word “forceful” make you nervous? It shouldn’t. If you abide in Christ, you dwell in the presence of the Father (John 15:5) and the Word says that, “…from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12) Being a dynamic person is being a godly person, but it ain’t for the weak-minded, it ain’t for the lazy, it ain’t for the spiritually passive, it ain’t for punks.

When you make the conscious effort to be led by the Spirit, you make the decision to become one of the sons (or daughters) of God (Romans 8:14). God is righteous IN ALL HIS WORKS (Daniel 9:14); God is able (Luke 3:8); God is Spirit (John 4:24), God is holy (I Corinthians 3:17); God is not (merely) in Word but in power (I Corinthians 4:20); God is faithful (I Corinthians 10:13), GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION…or DRAMA…or CYCLIC BEHAVIOR (I Corinthians 14:33); God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7); God is good (I Timothy 4:4); God is not forgetful of good works (Hebrews 6:10); God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:12); God is light (John 1:5); God is greater than our hearts (I John 3:20), God is love (I John 4:16).

To become these things, to be a reflection of our Father, this requires constant change, this requires forceful effort (of the spirit against the flesh---Galatians 5:17), this requires being dynamic----this requires dying to ourselves daily so that we can become like God---so that we can receive the benefits of godly living:

“For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].”---Ephesians 2:10 (AMP)

So, no plans for this weekend? I hope this motivates you to CHANGE your mind. As for me, I look forward to having a DYNAMIC one! Life’s too short to cling to STATIC. (Proverbs 27:1)

©Shellie R. Warren/

Evangelistdoright

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

If it Is God's Will by Shellie Warren

Friday, July 4, 2008

It Will Be Crystal Clear

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Are You Static or Dynamic?

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