Tuesday, February 5, 2013

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". Matthew 6:33

Many believers turn to God in need yet they don't take the time necessary to commune with Him.  It should be the most important relationship you have.  He comes before your spouse, child and/or parents.  We are to love Him more than anyone or anything and allow all other relationships to follow.  I am saddened when people don't make any time for their Lord yet they are the first ones on their knees every time a crisis arrives.  Let me ask you a question?  Can you continue to withdraw cash from an ATM machine without ever depositing any cash in?  We should view our relationship with God the same way.  We cannot expect Him to always be there for withdrawal if we never deposit (aka through spending time with Him). Our prayer time is our alone time with Him. Reading the Word, praising in song, worshiping in church, studying Him with other brothers and sisters in a bible study, serving are all ways we worship, praise and glorify Him.  He is pleased by our faith and rewards obedience.  He leaves us with His peace to overcome all circumstances and grants us grace and mercy to overcome all sins in our life.  He is our Counselor, Abba Father, Jehovah Jireh, He is our Everything and He wants to be a part of every area of your life.  We need to re prioritize our time and schedules if we are not leaving enough time for Him.  Be mindful of what is coming "before" Him in your life for the very thing you covet, will be the very thing He takes away. If your job causes you to miss church, your bible study, leaves no time to serve or give back...don't be surprised if you lose that job or lose your veil of favor. It happened to me. I was so caught up in work and paying for all my possessions, I lost sight of who blessed me with all I had.  My church attendance suffered therefore I never served in any area. Forget about a bible study. I prayed and continued my relationship with God but He was not first in my daily life. The day He spoke to me and laid it all out and showed me idol after idol, all that was coming before Him, I was horrified, embarrassed and saddened. My Lord was not pleased with me but loved me enough to come down to my level and reach out His hand to me. I am blessed and beyond grateful I took His hand that day and I obeyed His word and re prioritized my life. He asked me to lay down my job and give up all the security I relied on to completely walk in faith leaning only on Him to provide. I learned to deposit my time with Him first and foremost before  starting my day doing anything else. I made Him the Lord of my life, not just my Savior. I surrendered my life to Him, my possessions, my marriage, my finances, my everything to Him. I gave Him ownership to my life through full submission.  And it has been a very long and hard journey but He told me before the journey started it was going to be the hardest thing I would ever do but to trust in Him. I share just a  small piece of my story to show you how easy we get off track without even realizing it. We think by being responsible and by being a "good person" it is enough to earn our salvation but that is according to the world's standards, not the Lord's. It starts with a personal relationship with God. And once we establish that relationship, we need to constantly nourish it so we can grow more mature in spirit.  There is nothing more important we could ever do for ourselves so I encourage you to self exam your life. Are you attending church as you should? Do you have an insatiable thirst for His knowledge? Do you spend quiet time with Him learning?  If you cannot say yes to these questions, than maybe God is trying to get your attention today. Listen to His voice and obey Him today.  Allow Him to dwell within you and allow Him to transcend through all of your life, not just what you are willing to give. And may today be the day you re prioritize your life for Him. Amen?!

CLICK on this video if you have never given your heart to Jesus. You can do it today!