Many use the truth of the love of God as a means to become popular and/or for financial gain. They speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining advantage. They say things like, “God loves you and therefore wants you to be financially prosperous; He wants you to become like Him and speak things into being; He wants you to declare and decree whatever you want, or whatever you lack, etc. He loves you so much that He wants you to have all authority in heaven and on earth.” These people peddle Jesus as a sort of life-coach and a personal handyman who helps you get whatever you want and fixes whatever is wrong.
People who listen to, and give heed to, these people fail to take into consideration Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Many think they are blessed when people like them and accept them, or when everything is going their way, but the Lord says we are blessed when people persecute us, and cast insults at us. We are blessed when we are poor, when we mourn, and when we are humble. We are blessed when we persevere under trials, etc.
These people deliberately withhold facts, such as, when we ask God for more faith, we are also asking for trials by fire, for faith is tried by fire, 1 Peter 1:6,7; and if we ask for the will of God to be done in our lives, we are also asking for sufferings, for it is the will of God that we not only know the power of Jesus’ resurrection, but also the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, Philippians 3:8-11.
The Lord’s ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts. We, as Christians, must bring our ways and our thoughts into subjection to Him by denying ourselves and taking up our cross and following Him. He is NOT our life-coach, or personal handyman, HE IS OUR LIFE. We must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him. We are not to USE Jesus; we are to FOLLOW Jesus. We are not to WIELD His authority; we are to SUBMIT to His authority.
Please weigh these words on the scales of the Word of God.
Jon David Banks, God’s most unworthy servant
jondavidbanks.com 