But what are the true riches? Is it not souls saved, helped, and delivered? How pious we can get when all our bills are paid and there is some left over. We have it together, so we must have arrived. But the Lord wants fellowship in ~His~ Spirit!
Do we know His Spirit? Do we want to cooporate with His Spirit and His Plan? Sometimes we think when He tells us His Plan that He wants our advice and implementations. We become His counselor rather than Him ours since He ~confided~ in us.
To be honest, this is where many lose it in ministry. Instead of seeking God for His Plan, some ministers do their thing and then when that runs flat, they search and search to follow another man made program because that is ~the way~ they know how to do it! They have just enough knowledge to come across to others well, but the plans are all man's. They think they are doing God a service or a favor.
They have just enough money to "bless" or just enough talent to "serve." They've dabbled in the water and know what it means to get wet. But because they've become critics on "who's got it" and comparatively "how much," they seem like experts on the "latest" thing. This ability to impress makes them feel pretty important!
But, since the old saints are wise to this, selfishly or unselfishly so, these individuals need to find others less wise to impress. The funny thing is that God allows it to get His Word out. The sad thing, though, is that this is what causes "holy" wars.
A person can get saved, healed and delivered by someone preaching the Word - the delivery man (preacher/singer) doesn't have to be perfect or even a believer! Because, it's the Word that works. Not our flesh.
We are enticed by our lusts to do different things. Some do things out of ignorance and some fall because their strength is small, but we need to find out the way that works. We can go to different levels to the degree we are willing to submit our spirit to God's Spirit.
But as you have heard, with new levels there are new devils. Do we really want God or have we found a comfort place? Often we find a comfort zone and stay there to get rest and that can be by God's design, or we can stay there because that's as far as we want to go with God.
But what happens to running water that stands still is that it begins to become stagnant. Odors and strange creatures begin to emit and it's at that place we have to decide if we are going on with God and clean up the pond, or hold our position. Sometimes it's good when we can't stand ourselves any longer and we go to God.
But we will go around and around the mountain again if God cleans us up and we go back into that spirit of our control. Some wait until they can find another person to "get it going" for them. They run to leader after to leader to find someone they can serve and their happiness is based on the effectiveness of that leader.
Some leaders will go through staff after staff to "find" the one that works and then blame their failures on the one that got "stolen away." It's sad, but there will be seasons where things go better than at other seasons. The one who has tried is doing much better than the one who has never tried. Are we trying to find God's perfect will for our lives, or our perfect will?
Some people think that if all goes well, then they have arrived to the perfect will. Some think if they are only being persecuted and are hurting, then they are in God's perfect will. But the perfect will of God is what God's Word says His perfect will is! And the first and basic part of that is relationship with God - as is given by the First Commandment.
Do we love our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we love others as we love ourselves? Oh how we would love to be benefactor to the world! Do we love God enough to allow Him to do it His way? Will we cooporate with His Plan? Or do we need to become God's advisors? How well do we know our own hearts - - and His?
God can test you by giving you some riches. God can test you by taking them away. If it is God giving it or taking it away, no man under the sun can prevent it!
Sometimes God will take things away to allow you to see what is in your own heart. Sometimes we don't like what we see, but in that, we have the opportunity to do something about it. How does God know we mean business? We bless someone else, not looking to gain personal benefit for ourselves. We do it to bless Him. But sometimes we need to get ourselves right so we can bless others!
Can you admit when too much is too much for your own good? Can you discern when not enough is not enough and then seek help from the Body? God fits each one into their place and then every joint supplies. Are you supplying? Are you being supplied? Are you in the proper fit?
If not, seek His will and not your own and you will find the waters flowing. It will wash you and cleanse you and bring new life and growth. Happiness will return even in the difficult places. God has a Plan for your life and it is good!
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