Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/10/13

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 7/10/13

We are Christ’s project.  When we get saved He begins cleansing and working with us.  After a while it changes to the degree where we become His workman.  As workman we need to rightly divide the word of truth.  God help us to know how to rightly divide the word of truth so that we can help souls.

When individuals walk behind light, that light becomes darkness and the scripture says, “How great is that darkness!”  We have a God that changes darkness to light.

Reviewing previous thoughts, the scripture says to lay aside malice and such and desire the sincere milk of the Word.  It tells us to add to faith virtue and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance.  God help us to add those things.

God is able to make all grace abound to you so that you always have sufficiency in all things.  Our roles between now and Sunday Morning will be various but God can make His grace abound toward us so that we abound to every good work.

We are sufficient by prayer.

Mat 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

It is vital for us to pray in the closet in order for us to have our sufficiency from God.

Mat 6:7  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Mat 6:8  Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

It is vital that we pray right.  When you don’t know how to pray, when perhaps the lines are not drawn by the Word on a subject or situation or perhaps you don’t know what is applicable, God Knows.  God knows what we have need of before we even ask Him.

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Our sufficiency is when we pray in the closet and we recognize “Father you know what I need.”  Personally I have done this many times.  “I know I have needs, I need wisdom and I don’t know what that wisdom is.  I need direction and I need you to lead me.” 

I was in this situation last night.  I was pulled different directions.  I wanted to do several things.  God had something other than my plans.  He wanted me to work right at home. 

God knows what we need and when we need it.  There are times when we need direction and we feel the Holy Spirit of God directing us and there are times when as the scripture says, “Your strength is to sit still.”

We need to keep the message real to each other that grace and peace abound on our job, in our home, and in our relationship with one another.

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

James wanted us to know that his lot in life was to be a servant.  If he was the pastor at Jerusalem, he had really learned some things.  He could have been a brother in the congregation there that was helping the pastor, James.  Either way he had really learned some things.

Jas 4:1  From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Jas 4:2  Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

May God help us to keep wars out of our conversation, our hearts, and our minds and may God help us to stay out of the wars that others are fighting.  People have a tendency to draw others into their wars.  When you get drawn into another’s war then you immediately lose your focus spiritually.

This was written to people in war who were fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

You have not because you ask not.  You ask and receive not because you ask amiss.

The thought of asking amiss is to be asking what is not in God’s order.  Many times we have thoughts and they are not bad thoughts.  We think, “I would like this or I would like you to do this or I would like this not to happen.” 

The thoughts are not of a carnal nature, it is just that God knows what He is doing.  When we look back down the road of our lives, we see where God worked His will in His time.  It was not at a snap of the finger; God knows what He is doing.

When people get into a war they want you to pray a certain way.  We can agree in prayer but we need to submit to God’s will.  “God you know what your will is.  You know how to work this out.”  Our burden is that the perfect will of God be done.

Jas 4:7  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

That is a key; when you find yourself in a situation where the enemy may be moving in and you find yourself torn this way or that way, submit to God.  Perhaps things didn’t go the way that they should have and you find yourselves wanting to enter into a war, submit to God. 

We know some of the will of God, God would have all men be saved.  We are scripturally sound in doing good one to another and to anoint and pray for the need. 

When we wonder “How should I pray about this?” instead of praying amiss put it all over into the lap of the Lord.  God has a way of moving without any of us entering into a war to accomplish it.