Things from above
Wednesday April 13, 2005
Col.3:1-3
With all of the distractions…dating, marriage, work, school, kids, life…its hard to keep your focus on the things that are truly important.
We have been talking about the word of God, and the importance of our focus on that lately. The condition of your heart, and applying the word to walk in victory.
Now we are going to go deeper.
For where your treasure is, there shall your heart be also. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. What ever your focus is on in life, that is what you will want to talk about. If it is on your career…your aspirations…your goals…whatever is truly the focus, will come out.
It is time for us as soldiers in the army of God, to look up to our commander in chief, and set our affection on the things that he has in store for us, not on what we are trying to earn or do here on earth.
We spend far too much time seeking our own desires, and not the desires of God in our lives.
How many of you know, when you work with wood, if you cut with the grain it is much easier. And if you glue the joints up on a table with the grain going the same direction, it holds much stronger. We have been working against the grain of God in our lives for far too long. It is time for us to start flowing with the grain of God.
When we try to do things on our own, and serve ourselves, we are working against the grain of God. This is what is called being carnally minded.
The bible tells us in Romans 8:6 to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.8 So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
When you are in the flesh, trying to satisfy your carnal desires, you are not pleasing God.
Because when you try to please self-self becomes God. And The God that we serve is a Jealous God, and in fact the bible tells us that his name is jealous. Any thing that you put before God becomes a God to you.
Most of the people get so busy trying to make a living, that they forget to enjoy their lives. If you spend more of your time thinking about work, and how miserable it makes you, than you do thinking about God, you need to start looking for a new job, and start giving more time to God.
Your work, or job is just a means that God has given to you for you to serve him with. Your life was not meant to revolve around it. Your purpose in life is much greater than that.
Television is another thing that people will often make as their God. If all you do is watch the tube, before long, you will be focused on a precise schedule of whats on next? This thing is for entertainment, not to base your life around. If you spend more time watching t.v. than in conversation with God, it is your God. Anything that you put in front of God, is your God.
That is why the scripture tells us to seek those things that are above. Matt. 6:24 No man can serve 2 masters, for he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Ex. 34:14 Thou shall worship no other God, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God. The 1st of the 10 commandments that were given to Moses was this
Dt. 4:24 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
He is the almighty God, the everlasting God, The I AM, the God, of Glory and the God of truth, The Lord God omnipotent, the king of kings and lord of lords, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the true and living God, and he is Jealous-he alone is worthy to be praised.
The very purpose of our existence upon this earth is to worship God in all that we do. Worship is not just during the music session at the beginning of church service, worship is a lifestyle. Worship is seeking God, and his will in our lives at all times.
Mark 12:30 Love the lord God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind, and with all of your strength.
The deepest level of worship that we can be involved in in life, is when you can praise god in spite of your pain, when you can thank him during a trial, when you can trust him when you are tempted, when you can surrender while you are suffering, and when you can still love him when he seems distant.
We were created to worship God. Rev. 4:11 Thou art worthy o’ Lord, to receive glory and honor, and power. For you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created.
We were created fot the pleasure of God. To please him, he needs to be the focus of our lives. Praise and worship are not just for the music service in church, but to be a continual part of our lives.
If you are a representative of Christ in this earth, and people are constantly watching your every move and word, you should give praise continually to be an example.
This life that we live, we are to live for the glory, worship, and pleasure of God. The bible tells us in Ps. 150:6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Its time to stop spending so much time serving ourselves, and start spending more time serving God. Stop letting the things of this world control your life, and start listening to the still small voice of God.
We are a society that has become controlled by the circumstances around us. God has called us to come out from among them…………..
We are supposed to be the ones with the authority on this earth, not the ones being controlled by all of the things that life throws at us. God has made us to rule as kings and priests in this earth, but we spend so much time focused on other things that we forget about this.
He has made us more than conquerors through him who loved us. We are above and not beneath, the head and not the tail, blessed going in, and blessed coming out. We are the children of the most high, Sons of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Remember just because a situation may look like a mountain to us, God gave us the ability to move it. We do not look at the size of our problems and get upset about it, oh no, we look at the giant standing in front of us and think about how much glory God will get when we come through this one.
We are to walk by faith and not by sight. Just because it looks big and impossible, does not mean anything in the sight of the lord. When we walk by faith we know that God can move the mountain out of our way.
Do not spend so much time analyzing the problem that is before you, that you forget that God can move it.
2 Cor. 4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are unseen are eternal.
When we look at the things which are seen, (the circumstances) then we allow fear to operate in our lives. It is when we walk by faith that we allow God to do all of the miracles that he can in our lives.
Fear is the opposite of faith, and the assassination of the greatness that God has in store for your life. Do not focus on the problems in your life focus on the solution. Worry does nothing for you, but turn you old, and make you bitter. Worry makes you paranoid that everyone is out to get you, and nothing will ever work right.
Worry is a lot like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but does not get you anywhere.
If you are risen with Christ, seek those things that are above. Set your affection on things that are above, not on things on the earth.
Matt. 6:34 therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its self. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Mt.6:33 but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things shall be added unto you.
Seek his righteousness, seek Jesus. Seek right standing in the eyes of the Lord, and everything that you have need of in this earth will be given unto you.
You are in rightstanding when you are fulfilling your purpose in life. And the purpose of your life is to glorify God with every word out of your mouth, and with every action that you take.
To fulfill your purpose in this life you must pray, Father Thy will be done, not my will be done. Seek those things that are above, Stop seeking for a handout from God, and start seeking the face or favor of God. Stop trying to boss God around, and ask him what is your will for my life. What is my purpose.
If you do not have a goal in life, you will never know when you are successful. Ask God for direction, and ask him for guidance to fulfill thy will, not my will.
