"It Is Time To Get Off The Bench" Series

he Ultimate Decision

June 25, 2014

Many of you are asking the Lord to show you how to be a Warrior for Him. You have decided that playing it safe sitting on the bench while comfortable is not exciting anymore. Know I will be praying for you to be able to throw off all that enticement that comes from the world and be able to live of life of obedience and focus ONLY by God’s grace.

Ephesians 2:8,9 says that we are saved by God’s grace and not by any of our works. But if we are not careful we can go overboard on God’ grace and water down obedience. God still desires to be God in our lives. We can make church comfortable, talk about how belief in Jesus has washed away our sin and that we are free from the laws that once shackled us. While this new found freedom in Grace is freeing to the soul we need to remember the cost for our freedom. Remember it isn’t anything we did it, is only by Jesus’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that we are saved.

When Daniel and his friends were sent into captivity in Babylon, Daniel and his friends asked if they could not eat the food from the kings table. The food was rich and they would have defiled themselves by eating the food. It may have been prepared a way that was not the Jewish custom or the animals to eat may have been off limits. So Daniel proposed that they eat vegetables and water for 10 days. If they looked better after 10 days then they would be allowed to continue eating vegetables and water.

Daniel 1:15-17 “At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.”

In the book of Proverbs there are a couple verses that also talk about gaining wisdom from God.

Proverbs 2:1-6 “ My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

The common thread form both these passages is ACTION! A lot of times we feel that because we are saved God is going to do a good work in us and then we are good to go. Part of this is true. God is the only one who can do a good work in us when He changes us through the power of His Holy Spirit when we are saved. But then we are called to use this new found strength. Works do not get us into heaven but “Faith without works is dead.” James 2:26

We do not do good works to get in better with God or to be saved. BUT if we are saved then our Spirit living inside us will prompt us to do good works. Such as living in obedience to a Holy God. Not the God we created to be our friend. We can use God, our friend, a little too lightly. But the God who with one breath can destroy millions or breathes out stars. That’s the God we serve.

The above verses to gain wisdom, understanding and to understand visions and dreams such as Daniel only came from obedience mixed with action. Proverbs says that ONLY AFTER you have

1. Accepted His word

2. Stored up His commands

3. Turn your ear to wisdom – learn and study

4. Call out for insight – action

5. Cry for understanding – action in pleading with God through much prayer

6. Search for it as hidden treasure – Work hard to get it but with enthusiasm. – Treasure hunters are eager and have fun searching – Do you have fun searching the truths of God?

Then and ONLY then will God allow you to understand His glory and power. Only then will He allow you to see and feel things that other people don’t. When you are obedient to the Lord for what He has done for you God WILL move mountains for you. But we can’t just sit back and wait for it to come. It is the same with the story of the talents. Everyone who worked were given more. The one who did not work his talents were taken from him.