An expected delivery is foremost when one knows they are "the" pregnant. But how about those serving the Lord? Do they know they too can deliver a "
ministry" that is born of God?
It takes strength to deliver a baby, just ask anyone who had ever delivered a child into the world. Yet, we know or should know God was there all the time. In that knowing, we should be mindful the importance not only bringing a child into the world that God planned but also the importance of us being obedient to His voice!
Ministry, like the child, growing up is a part of that plan. Staying a child forever is not God's plan. Ministry as well is to grow and become what is destined. In that empowering the Holy Spirit is released into and through our lives to expand us in that
" ministry" and help us to continue to walk in "the fear of the Lord".
But many people find themselves fighting against God when something of
"ministry" takes off! You can some times see something lurking in people's thinking, in their own doing and in a continual search to see the Holy Spirit working in that "ministry", you can find no evidence.
God is
intentional in blessing us—He wants us to bear fruit for the sake of others.
Salvation is for our health and prosperity as it is for redeeming us from
death, hell and the grave. The
foundation of all blessing is the Cross. It was in the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ that we experience the great exchange! We exchange our sinful life for His
life.
In the book of John, Christ Jesus gave a promise: “Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also, and greater
works than these he will do, because I go to my Father”…(John 14:22) He was
saying “ I am going back to the Father, but you will become the voice of God.”
Christ is the Word of the Father, but we were to be that voice. In (Acts
2:4)…..” They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
His blessings are not earned—they are rooted in God's great love
for us and His infinite mercy. We have been delivered from curses through the
Cross that Jesus bore. Today we are to meditate on the good of God, and the fact that Jesus Christ paid it
all for you and I to be saved from eternal death and to live abundantly in this life.
All power belongs to Him. Within that we
are strengthened with all power (Colossians 1:11-14) according to His glorious
might so that we have great endurance and patience with joy giving thanks to
the Father who qualifies us to share in
the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. It is where we reside in
His love and in the redemption of our sins. Amen.
It is a "keep moving forward" attitude.
In thinking on the birth of a new ministry, I think on the scripture of Philippians, "whatever is true" remembering that what we think on is important to the new "ministry" surviving birth and to become God saturated!
Philippians 4:4-13
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. NIV
People can be all excited to the point of telling everyone of their new ministry. But the real work of delivery and care begins with God and will end with God. We can do everything through him who gives us the strength. It is by thinking, meditating and envisioning God in that process. It goes well at first, then the power of the Holy Spirit is released. But in some time, a year or even less the boundaries are being changed. Oh not by God, but by those who look over their "stuff" to maintain their lost in life.
Oh but the Lot's in this life, and there are many.
Remember Abram went out when God told him to leave his family behind. Lot with Abram.
Read below:
Genesis 13:8-18
8 So Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Let's part company. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right; if you go to the right, I'll go to the left."
10 Lot looked up and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan was well watered, like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, toward Zoar. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company: 12 Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.
14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, "Lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you."
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD. NIV
By chapter 14 Lot's possessions are carried off by not one king, but by another 4 kings and their people.
Genesis 14:11-17
11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram's nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom.
13 One who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). NIV
God helped Abram to recover all of Lot's stuff (possessions).
By chapters 18 and 19, of course the angels have come and pronounced what will happen to Sodom and Gomorrah. In the following we find what occurs when the angels come to Sodom.
Genesis 19:1-11
19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground. 2 And he said, "Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the open square." 3 But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
4 Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally." 6 So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, 7 and said, "Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly! 8 See now, I have two daughters who have not known a man; please, let me bring them out to you, and you may do to them as you wish; only do nothing to these men, since this is the reason they have come under the shadow of my roof." 9 And they said, "Stand back!" Then they said, "This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them." So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. 10 But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 11 And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door. NKJV
Choosing to coexist is represented in Lot. Lot had had much wealth, but did not have that abundance that comes from God. Lot was in constant pressure. If he had any spirituality at all, he was surely it was lacking at this time of his life. In his spirit he had remained a "child" if you will. He remained in that state of "pooping his pants". Why Lot went with Abram is not clear. WE find this in Genesis 12.
Genesis 12:4-5
4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. NKJV
For one who has given birth to a "a new ministry", one must stay fixed on GOD and His plan.
In reading about Lot, we find him a man who, yes, was converted, but very weak in faith. He was coexisting with the world. Of all his hopes and dreams, his vision contained nothing of God. By choice he was set in the world. By choice, he procrastinated.
All of
Lot's goodness was virtually wasted because his spiritual life was going
nowhere. He was in "a really bad way". And he suffered for it, indeed. Also as well, his family suffered for generations.
He lost his wife in the whole ordeal. His sons-in-law thought he joked about the coming judgement.
It was in his family, we saw an amount of contempt. Evil
shows itself most often in verbal violence. Lot saw it expressed in his son-in-laws. And in Lot's complacency, violence appeared to him and his house. A violent heart will have violent actions. He was satisfied in his stuff. Even though a leader of his home and a teacher of the word of God to them, contempt came. Contempt will always show up when the "person" is one who is hot one day and then cold the next day. For which ever way the wind might blow on that "specific day" is the way the person will go! One who lingers long is the one who really gets bit when that wine they concocted turns on them. Read below:
Proverbs 23:29-35
29 Who has woe?
Who has sorrow?
Who has contentions?
Who has complaints?
Who has wounds without cause?
Who has redness of eyes?
30 Those who linger long at the wine,
Those who go in search of mixed wine.
31 Do not look on the wine when it is red,
When it sparkles in the cup,
When it swirls around smoothly;
32 At the last it bites like a serpent,
And stings like a viper.
33 Your eyes will see strange things,
And your heart will utter perverse things.
34 Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,
Or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying:
35 "They have struck me, but I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.
When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?" NKJV
The word I keyed on was that which lingers.(verse 30). We find it in the KJV version as:they tarry long......is the word achar ( aw-khar) means to hinder, loiter, be late (slack) stay in one place....procrastinate
They put off doing "the something" in ministry. They loiter and reflect on the me, myself and I......and totally put off God. They are either lazy or just postponing God. YIKES!
Yes, it is a deliberate action. They want to bask in the moment, that "feel good" moment and in all their goodness. Again, what? But in Abram, we saw him move to worship God in bringing them out and begin the new in God!
That mixed wine, is mixing that of God with the world. Looking on it, and then drinking that portion is that which is of the goodness of God mixed with worldly concepts, with worldly vile contemptible things. Their words speaks one thing, but they do another. They tarry under their own strength, with no help of the Holy Spirit.
Lot was a man whose
works burned, but he himself was saved (I Corinthians 3:15).
We must abide in the that which is true, noble, of a good report, whatever is the lovely, the admireable, the praiseworthy, we are to speak and to practice. See verse 9 again!
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength. NIV
In that, we gain strength of God. In that we keep our focus, not on what we can add from the world for God, but what God wants to expand that is of Him and of Him alone. Because those who live contemptible lives, waffling back and forth, will not stand with the Word of truth, but will falter especially when you might really need them beside you. No, God is the Avenue. God is the Source, and He is able to deliver us into ministry and deliver us into that which is receptive by those in charge.
We keep our focus not on the wine that the world produces but like Abram, go build that altar and worship God.
18 So Abram moved his tents and went to live near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron, where he built an altar to the LORD. But don't just take my word for it. Go read it for yourself.
Everywhere Abram went he built an altar to God. His faith and worship was in Him who would "provide". Amen!
Keep your focus on God, keep Jesus on the throne of your heart, and proceed by the power of the Holy Spirit to see what God planned for you. Hey, the ball is in your court! What will you do with it?
