THE WILL OF GOD
I’m going to talk about something that we all know about on some level but many of us are afraid to commit to it and the rest simply rely on the traditional guidance of the rut in the road, which means the essence of it has never dawned on them. There are subtleties in the things of God that can stare us in the face year after year, setting there like an owl on a fence post but we never quite focus on it. It is in our field of vision, although, we see it only as a blur on the screen. An owl functions in the dark, where we do not see it; it’s function is hidden. This is very simple. It’s so simple that for most of us it’s very hard. This is about trusting in the will of God. We all think that we do this… but very few of us actually take it to its fully balanced value in the sight of God.
Pro 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. I use the word “balance” in almost everything I write. If we can comprehend it, balance is as important in our spiritual life as it is in our natural ability to stand and walk. We do not function well in the presence of God when the balance between the Spirit and the natural mind is not right; therefore, balance has everything to do with prayer and the will of God in our lives.
We must make the will of God paramount in all of our prayers! There are those who have mastered this balance and who act daily in the perfect balance of prayer. That balance is absolutely not beyond the grasp of anyone who can muster a genuine trust in God. Nevertheless, even old prayer warriors often fall short of God’s etiquette in prayer, mostly due to unrealized religious baggage. It is now time for us all to lay aside the reservations of the carnal mind and present a just balance before the throne of God.
PRAYER IS A SIMPLE THING; it is intended to be thought of in that way. Nevertheless, we complicate it in many ways. Unfortunately, the worst balances are almost always passed along by mimicry: we do what we see others do (even if they don’t verbalize it) and then we affirm and reaffirm the false balance by repetition. We pray in a lot of different ways and for a diversity of reasons. This is not good! The focus plays a huge role here: the spiritually immature pray according to their understanding but the Lord desires that those who have grown in wisdom and understanding to pray as becomes their spiritual stature.
Prayer is one of the most important things we do. It is a mandatory function, also a spiritual tool and a weapon. How can there be war without prayer? It is important to understand how it is applied, what it feels like and the way it functions. Nevertheless, I am sure I cannot cover all the nuances of prayer, as experience is the better teacher, that is, after starting on the right foot !
Those of us who have prayed all of our lives are fairly confident that we know what we are doing. In spite of that confidence, I am sure that there are a few who have actually come to the balance that pleases the Lord. Most of us though, without realizing it, fall short. This is a humbling realization for those who actually talk the talk and walk the walk. The ironic thing about things like this is that we may have neglected to see the simple elements that support the deeper, wonderful understandings; like the owl on the fence post.
Looking back over the decades, I can see many earnest and fervent prayers prayed by many people (who were in total agreement) that were absolutely not answered. And what about the thousands upon thousands of people who were prayed for in healing services who were never healed and that, after they went through many prayer lines over many years? Nevertheless, there are always those few that God smiles upon and brings miraculous healing because of his special wisdom. It is a fact that God does answer prayer because of those times that we stumble into the grace of God, not realizing how we arrived nor why the next request goes unanswered. And from there we wander from petition to petition, convinced that our faith is lacking and our fervency is under par. Some, sorely perplexed by this, wine and moan, totally stymied and wondering why the scriptures promise the positive but when we pray we seem to get another result. And form this faith wanes and expectations grow foggy.
There are obviously preconceived ideas about praying; these are most always religious models, which are as I said before, passed along by religious mimicry. It is common to see pictures of Jesus on his knees praying or one of the original apostles on his face before the Lord. Many therefore also bow the head, close the eyes and assume the “praying hands” posture. Many feel they must mimic these postures to pray properly and, they do not feel that they have prayed unless some dogmatic ritual has been performed. Of itself… none of this is wrong!
What is to be understood is the substance of prayer. The first thing to focus on is that God looks on the heart. If the heart does not meet the true balance, what we do with our body is as useless as throwing dust in the air. Prayer should never be a ritual but an affirmation of trust. True prayer comes out of the heart, not necessarily the mouth and it can function beyond the conscious mind. It is just as effective to use the mouth as the mind when praying but it starts with an understanding. Which begs the question, do we really understand the protocol of prayer?
Please bear with me as we work through some basic understandings in order to get to the meat. Sometimes that is what it takes to unwind some of these bad balances.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. -Luke 11th Chapter.
When we read this passage, Jesus is not telling us what to say (per se) but is describing the nature and essence of praying. Prayer deals with the spiritual realm: the reverence of God’s name, the kingdom of God, the will of God, our portion of SPIRITUAL bread for each day’s SPIRITUAL nourishment, repentance from sins, the fruit of the Spirit, which inspires forgiveness for the transgressions of our brethren against us and finally, the leading of the Spirit in being delivered from evil.
The spirit of prayer is an attitude that often has no words at all but is an inner groaning for the will of God to be made manifest. This is a mature spiritual attitude of prayer. An attitude is an angle of alignment in relation to another object. In the case of prayer, the other object is the will of God. In order to make prayer simple, put God’s will in its proper place and our will where it pleases the Lord. This is simple but not easy, until we abandon ourselves to it.
Without abandon the balance will never be right! Abandon has to do with the name of God; that is, " Hallowed be thy name." If you can receive it... the unspeakable name of God is uttered only by the whole heart opening up in an abandonment towards the Lord. This is calling on the Lord with an utterance out of a true heart which is beyond words.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Every one of us has natural needs (which many of us are totally focused on) but the supplying of those needs is contained in the will of God. We cannot put ourselves first, neither ANY of the natural needs of our lives. We must put the Kingdom first! This is the will of God for the true worshiper.
Matthew 6:31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This is the true worshipper’s required attitude towards life in general and everything in it, past present and future. Don’t let the owl on the fence post go unseen! Nevertheless, the immature or unlearned children of God feel that they cannot pray without telling God what they want and what they want the Lord to do. This is the mimicry that has been smeared all over CHRISTIANITY.
Who of us is wise enough to know what we need, let alone what others need? Needs and wants are two different things. Nevertheless, THE SCRIPTURE CONFIRMS that God does know (beforehand) what we need! If we pray for what we or anyone needs according to our natural understanding, what are we trying to prove? Is it that we know better than God? Do we think he is in a fog of stupidity or half blind? No, we don’t think that… or do we? Most of us, however, do manage to treat our Lord that way by the way we pray! We don’t think about it, we simply act it out day after day. Let us pray with the understanding of God’s protocol, not as we have been traditionally taught when we were in bondage. So we say that we trust in God, that we walk by faith and yet we often put the cart before the horse because that’s the way THEY taught us to pray when we were still in the old bondage. This is actually some of the religious baggage that I am always harping about. It is absolutely a weight that we need to dump on the side of the Straight and Narrow and then continue on the journey.
However, changing the way we pray is not as easy as it sounds, old habits are die-hards. There are nuances concerning praying in the will of God that will seem awkward at the start. It’s the trust that one is not used to! No? Then why are we always telling him what we want him to do? Care must be taken because the temptation is to slip backwards because of the numerous nuances that we come to in our spiritual endeavors. Trust me here! As simple as it seems it can be hard. Praying within the will of God is not simply praying; this is one item that changes the whole pyridine of our walk with the Lord. We follow the Lamb. And how is that possible if we call the shots? It is not given to us to call the shots.
When we, with abandon, trust God unconditionally, we surrender control over our steps and he, therefore, directs our life situations. If, therefore, after we surrender, our life hits the wall and everything in it falls apart and rots, we will still mightily trust that we are right where God wants us and we will offer thanks! From this point and on to the end, how can we fail or go wrong? This does not mean that we will not feel the pain of it, if God takes us down the bitter path. It does absolutely mean that we will take the pain, like a fighting bulldog and continue with confidence. True worshipers often win by losing.
If we profess that we Love the Lord, we prove it by doing things the way he said to do them. Jesus does not make idle suggestions! Trust is when we do not see it but we assume it to be so! Therefore, when we pray for the spiritual substance and the will of God (instead of what we THINK WE NEED or someone else needs), we are acting out our trust and confidence that God, in fact, does know better than we do. This is related to reverencing his hallowed name; it’s a recognition of who he is and his ability in watching over us.
When we pray, we are pressing the substance of prayer onto whatever or whoever we have focused on but it is not our will that is being projected. This weaponized prayer bombardment can be sustained over long periods of time. There is a physical feeling that goes along with this sustained prayer bombardment; it is a pressure or a tension accompanied by a desire for the will of God to be made manifest, similar to the pain of a woman in travail. It is a siege against the powers of darkness. We may not know exactly what the will of God is in every situation (unless he reveals it) but our persistence will absolutely bring about the will of God… whatever it might be. Think about that.
The act of praying for someone is the same, we are praying for the will of God in that person’s life. We trust that God knows better than we do what the actual need is. Sometimes it may be that tribulation in that person’s life is what they need. Nevertheless here we go, again and again praying for their relief… when God is busy baptizing them in fire for their own good. This is often hard to watch but if God is doing it, let us go with the flow; otherwise, we fight the will of God.
What about the scriptures that say ASK… and it shall be given (Luk 11:9); doesn’t this mean that we can ask for anything we want? No! It does not mean we should ask for anything we want. There is a specific target for asking.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. -1Jn 5:14 & 15.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. - Col 3:1&2. “Risen with Christ” means that at some point we died. What died is our will… because obviously we are still alive; this is but one of our many baptisms. If we are therefore dead to our will, what we arise to is God’s will!
If the Lord allows the storm to come into our lives: the income has failed, the mortgage is way past due, the kids are hungry and the bank account is depleted. The dragon is now breathing his foul breath in our face. Nevertheless, we are unmoved! Considering our children, our spouse and our home along with our entire life, how can we possibly be unmoved? It can only happen when the will of God becomes our freedom. Once we abandon ourselves to it, we are dead to the fear that terrorizes most people.
Praying continuously in the will of God shapes the mind and the attitude towards this world and its situations. Our attitude and our affirmations of praying according to the Lord’s will have prepared us for all things, good and evil. We are in the hand of God… that is the real situation, NO MATTER WHAT WE SEE! This attitude is our reality because we have been hardened by our resolve towards the will of God being done. This was accomplished in our past prayers day and night over time. This is our true spiritual focus! This is where God wants our minds to be. Prayer in this balance brings the joy and peace that Jesus promised. This is an attitude of surrender to the will of the Lord. Nothing can defeat us when we move with our trust in the Most High God!
There are many nuances and facets in trusting God; it is impossible to cover them all with examples but that scenario is the essence of it. Imagine applying the will of God to all of life’s weird circumstances. This does not mean that natural sufferings will not weigh on us. And it does not mean that we will appear like super-holy zombies in our outward appearance and personalities. What it does mean, is that we are determined (on the inside) to be focused upon trusting the Lord no matter what. And we hold to the attitude, that if necessary, we are ready to go through the fire. I realize, that it is very easy to say yes to this when all is well; it is another story when we are facing the furnace with a family. Nevertheless, God might dunk us into the refiner’s molten ladle for cleansing. God will do this, if that is what we need and he will do this out of his love for us. The question is… will we still love him?
If we find ourselves in the melting pot of God’s love… let us look at ourselves, not to judge but to confess what our conscience reveals. This is not a good time to allow the heart to be deceitful. God looks right through us like we are glass. We, therefore, might as well fess up to the Lord! Or if there is an elder “(that you trust)” confess to that person, as to the Lord. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. -Jas 5:16. This means spiritual healing, first and foremost and THEN natural healing. This can remedy all kinds of spiritual and natural ailments.
On the other hand, there might be nothing that calls for repentance in our life. At times, we suffer for the will of God as it relates to his wisdom. Job did nothing to earn the wrath of God, yet he suffered for our benefit; that we might know the proper manors to follow in suffering. In addition, job’s suffering is a catalyst for a great deal of “hidden manna” (so to speak); this came out of his suffering, for which God repented, after his wisdom had worked to its perfection.
The apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to deliver him from an evil spirit, which Paul referred to as a messenger of Satan. This spirit was a pain in Paul’s life. This is a perfect example of the wisdom of God at work: when the Lord answered Paul, he didn’t say yes or no. The Lord’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you.”- 2Co 12:9 What did that mean? It means: my will and my wisdom is perfect for what you need! Remember: “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (see Luke 11th chapter)” The Lord allowed Paul’s situation for his own good! God is ALWAYS aware of and in control of our situation, even before it happens.
If we are going to ask for something that Jesus has already said would be provided, does it not seem a little awkward doing that? If it’s a job we need, in most cases, we still must go out and put forth the effort to find the job. Seeking facilitates the finding! And if we are at the point where we are appointed to die (because we are a hundred and fifty years old) should we be praying for healing… or preparing to leave the building? After all, there is a time… FOR ALL THINGS!
But again, there is a time for all things: exceptions might arise concerning these balances but if we deal with an exception, be sure that we are led by the Spirit and not by our natural mind. So I’m not saying there is never a time for specific asking but it is certainly not for the things that the flesh is prone to ask for. Paul, as we have seen, petitioned the Lord three times for a specific spiritual matter in his life. Jesus also, petitioned for specific spiritual matters.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. - Mat 26:39.
When we have a just and godly balance, we are continuously seeking the things of the kingdom and the righteousness of God in our praying; we also, have been continuously holding up the brethren in prayer that the will of the Most High be made manifest in them. And we do this as if it were a wheel forever turning within us. We groan in the Spirit with utterances not even in our own understanding concerning these things? Groaning is a consciousness (not a sound) coming out of fervent prayer and attitude for the kingdom and those that it contains; it carries a feeling like a flow of lava, burning for the manifestation of his will among the brethren. This is a tension and a consciousness that we carry and actually feel physically; it is an emotional feeling, like love, fear, despair or anger that we can feel in the pit of our stomach.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Rom 8:26.
Let me explain something that we already know. We are flesh and blood and we bleed and suffer like everyone else. We have human emotions. In spite of that, we are not like everyone else in the way we think and see this life. We totally realize that everything that we can see or touch will come to a natural end, as well as all that we own and everyone that we know. We will lose it all… including our spouse, children and all friends and relatives.
Nevertheless, we do not fear this type of loss! We focus on the fact that at some point all of these items will be lost in a few short years… no matter what. We, therefore, realize that life is very short but eternity is endless. Therefore, our focus allows our love of the Lord to mature so that we fear nothing. We detach ourselves from the love of our possessions and are ready to part with them if the time arrives. We choose holiness and to focus on Jesus and put our trust there as well. If the focus and trust is right we can do anything. This is how Peter walked on water. It is our heritage to do the impossible: this means that we can suffer anything and survive everything!
If we have a genuine natural need… WE GO OUT AND LOOK FOR IT! Seeking facilitates finding. But before we go “seeking,” acknowledge the Lord! Tell the Lord that we know that he knows what we need and that we trust him and appreciate his guidance. Or simply embrace that attitude and be on your way!
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. -Pro 3:6. Add a balance of unwavering patience and you will be good to go! Don’t sprout an impatient attitude and say, “God I need this… and I want it now!” As I said earlier, we do not know what we need even if it seems obvious.
Therefore: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. -Pro 3:7. The Lord is our Sheppard; we don’t bite the hand that feeds us with a sarcastic or fearful attitude.
True worshipers are spiritually focused beings, who live by faith in the realm of God and we DO CONFORM to his will and his ways. We are therefore, everyday in the process of self denial.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. - Mat 16:24.
I do not know if any message is perfect in and of itself, seeing as how understanding is always growing. Nevertheless, I believe these balances to be true.
Jaytee Bee / Sam Landers
I’m going to talk about something that we all know about on some level but many of us are afraid to commit to it and the rest simply rely on the traditional guidance of the rut in the road, which means the essence of it has never dawned on them. There are subtleties in the things of God that can stare us in the face year after year, setting there like an owl on a fence post but we never quite focus on it. It is in our field of vision, although, we see it only as a blur on the screen. An owl functions in the dark, where we do not see it; it’s function is hidden. This is very simple. It’s so simple that for most of us it’s very hard. This is about trusting in the will of God. We all think that we do this… but very few of us actually take it to its fully balanced value in the sight of God.
Pro 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. I use the word “balance” in almost everything I write. If we can comprehend it, balance is as important in our spiritual life as it is in our natural ability to stand and walk. We do not function well in the presence of God when the balance between the Spirit and the natural mind is not right; therefore, balance has everything to do with prayer and the will of God in our lives.
We must make the will of God paramount in all of our prayers! There are those who have mastered this balance and who act daily in the perfect balance of prayer. That balance is absolutely not beyond the grasp of anyone who can muster a genuine trust in God. Nevertheless, even old prayer warriors often fall short of God’s etiquette in prayer, mostly due to unrealized religious baggage. It is now time for us all to lay aside the reservations of the carnal mind and present a just balance before the throne of God.
PRAYER IS A SIMPLE THING; it is intended to be thought of in that way. Nevertheless, we complicate it in many ways. Unfortunately, the worst balances are almost always passed along by mimicry: we do what we see others do (even if they don’t verbalize it) and then we affirm and reaffirm the false balance by repetition. We pray in a lot of different ways and for a diversity of reasons. This is not good! The focus plays a huge role here: the spiritually immature pray according to their understanding but the Lord desires that those who have grown in wisdom and understanding to pray as becomes their spiritual stature.
Prayer is one of the most important things we do. It is a mandatory function, also a spiritual tool and a weapon. How can there be war without prayer? It is important to understand how it is applied, what it feels like and the way it functions. Nevertheless, I am sure I cannot cover all the nuances of prayer, as experience is the better teacher, that is, after starting on the right foot !
Those of us who have prayed all of our lives are fairly confident that we know what we are doing. In spite of that confidence, I am sure that there are a few who have actually come to the balance that pleases the Lord. Most of us though, without realizing it, fall short. This is a humbling realization for those who actually talk the talk and walk the walk. The ironic thing about things like this is that we may have neglected to see the simple elements that support the deeper, wonderful understandings; like the owl on the fence post.
Looking back over the decades, I can see many earnest and fervent prayers prayed by many people (who were in total agreement) that were absolutely not answered. And what about the thousands upon thousands of people who were prayed for in healing services who were never healed and that, after they went through many prayer lines over many years? Nevertheless, there are always those few that God smiles upon and brings miraculous healing because of his special wisdom. It is a fact that God does answer prayer because of those times that we stumble into the grace of God, not realizing how we arrived nor why the next request goes unanswered. And from there we wander from petition to petition, convinced that our faith is lacking and our fervency is under par. Some, sorely perplexed by this, wine and moan, totally stymied and wondering why the scriptures promise the positive but when we pray we seem to get another result. And form this faith wanes and expectations grow foggy.
There are obviously preconceived ideas about praying; these are most always religious models, which are as I said before, passed along by religious mimicry. It is common to see pictures of Jesus on his knees praying or one of the original apostles on his face before the Lord. Many therefore also bow the head, close the eyes and assume the “praying hands” posture. Many feel they must mimic these postures to pray properly and, they do not feel that they have prayed unless some dogmatic ritual has been performed. Of itself… none of this is wrong!
What is to be understood is the substance of prayer. The first thing to focus on is that God looks on the heart. If the heart does not meet the true balance, what we do with our body is as useless as throwing dust in the air. Prayer should never be a ritual but an affirmation of trust. True prayer comes out of the heart, not necessarily the mouth and it can function beyond the conscious mind. It is just as effective to use the mouth as the mind when praying but it starts with an understanding. Which begs the question, do we really understand the protocol of prayer?
Please bear with me as we work through some basic understandings in order to get to the meat. Sometimes that is what it takes to unwind some of these bad balances.
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. -Luke 11th Chapter.
When we read this passage, Jesus is not telling us what to say (per se) but is describing the nature and essence of praying. Prayer deals with the spiritual realm: the reverence of God’s name, the kingdom of God, the will of God, our portion of SPIRITUAL bread for each day’s SPIRITUAL nourishment, repentance from sins, the fruit of the Spirit, which inspires forgiveness for the transgressions of our brethren against us and finally, the leading of the Spirit in being delivered from evil.
The spirit of prayer is an attitude that often has no words at all but is an inner groaning for the will of God to be made manifest. This is a mature spiritual attitude of prayer. An attitude is an angle of alignment in relation to another object. In the case of prayer, the other object is the will of God. In order to make prayer simple, put God’s will in its proper place and our will where it pleases the Lord. This is simple but not easy, until we abandon ourselves to it.
Without abandon the balance will never be right! Abandon has to do with the name of God; that is, " Hallowed be thy name." If you can receive it... the unspeakable name of God is uttered only by the whole heart opening up in an abandonment towards the Lord. This is calling on the Lord with an utterance out of a true heart which is beyond words.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Every one of us has natural needs (which many of us are totally focused on) but the supplying of those needs is contained in the will of God. We cannot put ourselves first, neither ANY of the natural needs of our lives. We must put the Kingdom first! This is the will of God for the true worshiper.
Matthew 6:31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
This is the true worshipper’s required attitude towards life in general and everything in it, past present and future. Don’t let the owl on the fence post go unseen! Nevertheless, the immature or unlearned children of God feel that they cannot pray without telling God what they want and what they want the Lord to do. This is the mimicry that has been smeared all over CHRISTIANITY.
Who of us is wise enough to know what we need, let alone what others need? Needs and wants are two different things. Nevertheless, THE SCRIPTURE CONFIRMS that God does know (beforehand) what we need! If we pray for what we or anyone needs according to our natural understanding, what are we trying to prove? Is it that we know better than God? Do we think he is in a fog of stupidity or half blind? No, we don’t think that… or do we? Most of us, however, do manage to treat our Lord that way by the way we pray! We don’t think about it, we simply act it out day after day. Let us pray with the understanding of God’s protocol, not as we have been traditionally taught when we were in bondage. So we say that we trust in God, that we walk by faith and yet we often put the cart before the horse because that’s the way THEY taught us to pray when we were still in the old bondage. This is actually some of the religious baggage that I am always harping about. It is absolutely a weight that we need to dump on the side of the Straight and Narrow and then continue on the journey.
However, changing the way we pray is not as easy as it sounds, old habits are die-hards. There are nuances concerning praying in the will of God that will seem awkward at the start. It’s the trust that one is not used to! No? Then why are we always telling him what we want him to do? Care must be taken because the temptation is to slip backwards because of the numerous nuances that we come to in our spiritual endeavors. Trust me here! As simple as it seems it can be hard. Praying within the will of God is not simply praying; this is one item that changes the whole pyridine of our walk with the Lord. We follow the Lamb. And how is that possible if we call the shots? It is not given to us to call the shots.
When we, with abandon, trust God unconditionally, we surrender control over our steps and he, therefore, directs our life situations. If, therefore, after we surrender, our life hits the wall and everything in it falls apart and rots, we will still mightily trust that we are right where God wants us and we will offer thanks! From this point and on to the end, how can we fail or go wrong? This does not mean that we will not feel the pain of it, if God takes us down the bitter path. It does absolutely mean that we will take the pain, like a fighting bulldog and continue with confidence. True worshipers often win by losing.
If we profess that we Love the Lord, we prove it by doing things the way he said to do them. Jesus does not make idle suggestions! Trust is when we do not see it but we assume it to be so! Therefore, when we pray for the spiritual substance and the will of God (instead of what we THINK WE NEED or someone else needs), we are acting out our trust and confidence that God, in fact, does know better than we do. This is related to reverencing his hallowed name; it’s a recognition of who he is and his ability in watching over us.
When we pray, we are pressing the substance of prayer onto whatever or whoever we have focused on but it is not our will that is being projected. This weaponized prayer bombardment can be sustained over long periods of time. There is a physical feeling that goes along with this sustained prayer bombardment; it is a pressure or a tension accompanied by a desire for the will of God to be made manifest, similar to the pain of a woman in travail. It is a siege against the powers of darkness. We may not know exactly what the will of God is in every situation (unless he reveals it) but our persistence will absolutely bring about the will of God… whatever it might be. Think about that.
The act of praying for someone is the same, we are praying for the will of God in that person’s life. We trust that God knows better than we do what the actual need is. Sometimes it may be that tribulation in that person’s life is what they need. Nevertheless here we go, again and again praying for their relief… when God is busy baptizing them in fire for their own good. This is often hard to watch but if God is doing it, let us go with the flow; otherwise, we fight the will of God.
What about the scriptures that say ASK… and it shall be given (Luk 11:9); doesn’t this mean that we can ask for anything we want? No! It does not mean we should ask for anything we want. There is a specific target for asking.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. -1Jn 5:14 & 15.
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. - Col 3:1&2. “Risen with Christ” means that at some point we died. What died is our will… because obviously we are still alive; this is but one of our many baptisms. If we are therefore dead to our will, what we arise to is God’s will!
If the Lord allows the storm to come into our lives: the income has failed, the mortgage is way past due, the kids are hungry and the bank account is depleted. The dragon is now breathing his foul breath in our face. Nevertheless, we are unmoved! Considering our children, our spouse and our home along with our entire life, how can we possibly be unmoved? It can only happen when the will of God becomes our freedom. Once we abandon ourselves to it, we are dead to the fear that terrorizes most people.
Praying continuously in the will of God shapes the mind and the attitude towards this world and its situations. Our attitude and our affirmations of praying according to the Lord’s will have prepared us for all things, good and evil. We are in the hand of God… that is the real situation, NO MATTER WHAT WE SEE! This attitude is our reality because we have been hardened by our resolve towards the will of God being done. This was accomplished in our past prayers day and night over time. This is our true spiritual focus! This is where God wants our minds to be. Prayer in this balance brings the joy and peace that Jesus promised. This is an attitude of surrender to the will of the Lord. Nothing can defeat us when we move with our trust in the Most High God!
There are many nuances and facets in trusting God; it is impossible to cover them all with examples but that scenario is the essence of it. Imagine applying the will of God to all of life’s weird circumstances. This does not mean that natural sufferings will not weigh on us. And it does not mean that we will appear like super-holy zombies in our outward appearance and personalities. What it does mean, is that we are determined (on the inside) to be focused upon trusting the Lord no matter what. And we hold to the attitude, that if necessary, we are ready to go through the fire. I realize, that it is very easy to say yes to this when all is well; it is another story when we are facing the furnace with a family. Nevertheless, God might dunk us into the refiner’s molten ladle for cleansing. God will do this, if that is what we need and he will do this out of his love for us. The question is… will we still love him?
If we find ourselves in the melting pot of God’s love… let us look at ourselves, not to judge but to confess what our conscience reveals. This is not a good time to allow the heart to be deceitful. God looks right through us like we are glass. We, therefore, might as well fess up to the Lord! Or if there is an elder “(that you trust)” confess to that person, as to the Lord. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. -Jas 5:16. This means spiritual healing, first and foremost and THEN natural healing. This can remedy all kinds of spiritual and natural ailments.
On the other hand, there might be nothing that calls for repentance in our life. At times, we suffer for the will of God as it relates to his wisdom. Job did nothing to earn the wrath of God, yet he suffered for our benefit; that we might know the proper manors to follow in suffering. In addition, job’s suffering is a catalyst for a great deal of “hidden manna” (so to speak); this came out of his suffering, for which God repented, after his wisdom had worked to its perfection.
The apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to deliver him from an evil spirit, which Paul referred to as a messenger of Satan. This spirit was a pain in Paul’s life. This is a perfect example of the wisdom of God at work: when the Lord answered Paul, he didn’t say yes or no. The Lord’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you.”- 2Co 12:9 What did that mean? It means: my will and my wisdom is perfect for what you need! Remember: “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (see Luke 11th chapter)” The Lord allowed Paul’s situation for his own good! God is ALWAYS aware of and in control of our situation, even before it happens.
If we are going to ask for something that Jesus has already said would be provided, does it not seem a little awkward doing that? If it’s a job we need, in most cases, we still must go out and put forth the effort to find the job. Seeking facilitates the finding! And if we are at the point where we are appointed to die (because we are a hundred and fifty years old) should we be praying for healing… or preparing to leave the building? After all, there is a time… FOR ALL THINGS!
But again, there is a time for all things: exceptions might arise concerning these balances but if we deal with an exception, be sure that we are led by the Spirit and not by our natural mind. So I’m not saying there is never a time for specific asking but it is certainly not for the things that the flesh is prone to ask for. Paul, as we have seen, petitioned the Lord three times for a specific spiritual matter in his life. Jesus also, petitioned for specific spiritual matters.
And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. - Mat 26:39.
When we have a just and godly balance, we are continuously seeking the things of the kingdom and the righteousness of God in our praying; we also, have been continuously holding up the brethren in prayer that the will of the Most High be made manifest in them. And we do this as if it were a wheel forever turning within us. We groan in the Spirit with utterances not even in our own understanding concerning these things? Groaning is a consciousness (not a sound) coming out of fervent prayer and attitude for the kingdom and those that it contains; it carries a feeling like a flow of lava, burning for the manifestation of his will among the brethren. This is a tension and a consciousness that we carry and actually feel physically; it is an emotional feeling, like love, fear, despair or anger that we can feel in the pit of our stomach.
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. - Rom 8:26.
Let me explain something that we already know. We are flesh and blood and we bleed and suffer like everyone else. We have human emotions. In spite of that, we are not like everyone else in the way we think and see this life. We totally realize that everything that we can see or touch will come to a natural end, as well as all that we own and everyone that we know. We will lose it all… including our spouse, children and all friends and relatives.
Nevertheless, we do not fear this type of loss! We focus on the fact that at some point all of these items will be lost in a few short years… no matter what. We, therefore, realize that life is very short but eternity is endless. Therefore, our focus allows our love of the Lord to mature so that we fear nothing. We detach ourselves from the love of our possessions and are ready to part with them if the time arrives. We choose holiness and to focus on Jesus and put our trust there as well. If the focus and trust is right we can do anything. This is how Peter walked on water. It is our heritage to do the impossible: this means that we can suffer anything and survive everything!
If we have a genuine natural need… WE GO OUT AND LOOK FOR IT! Seeking facilitates finding. But before we go “seeking,” acknowledge the Lord! Tell the Lord that we know that he knows what we need and that we trust him and appreciate his guidance. Or simply embrace that attitude and be on your way!
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. -Pro 3:6. Add a balance of unwavering patience and you will be good to go! Don’t sprout an impatient attitude and say, “God I need this… and I want it now!” As I said earlier, we do not know what we need even if it seems obvious.
Therefore: Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. -Pro 3:7. The Lord is our Sheppard; we don’t bite the hand that feeds us with a sarcastic or fearful attitude.
True worshipers are spiritually focused beings, who live by faith in the realm of God and we DO CONFORM to his will and his ways. We are therefore, everyday in the process of self denial.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. - Mat 16:24.
I do not know if any message is perfect in and of itself, seeing as how understanding is always growing. Nevertheless, I believe these balances to be true.
Jaytee Bee / Sam Landers
