What happens when the river of God is not flowing inside of you? Just like a stagnent pool of water we get clogged up with things that contaminate the water. We have been studying the things that need to be cleaned out of our hearts and lives so that the spirit of God can flow inside of us. What does this river of life inside of us bring to our lives? Peace, joy, gentleness, kindness, patience, long suffering, goodness...all the good things of God. Even if you know Christ Jesus as your Savior if the flow of the Spirit of God is locked up inside of you it will block the good things of God from reaching your life. These things are all delivered to us by the HOLY SPIRIT that dwells inside of us, but the enemy wants to block that flow. We have studied these six things thaat will block that flow.
1. Guilt and shame. We must learn to forgive ourselves
2. Condemnation. We must let go of our past mistakes and realize that God loves us and has forgiven us too.
3. A Lack of Love. Hurts and painful experiences can make us withhold our selves from reaching out to others in love. Love can hurt, but if we do not love, than God cannot flow through our lives.
4. Illusions and lies. The worse kind of lie is the lies that we tell ourselves
5. Aggravations and frustrations that steal our joy and peace.
6. Overcome our Fears
Today we are going to conclude this study with the seventh thing that I have found that will block the flow of God and that is a heart that goes after worldly things.
Matthew 6:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
That sounds like Jesus is talking in riddles, but he is not talking in riddles but giving us the key to life. He is laying the principle foundation here that if you lose your life to the cause of God, you will find life has found you. But if you hang onto your life, you will find that true life has passed you by. It is really simple to understand. Some people go through this life without really living.
You must let go of your life, your worldly attachments, your people, your plans, your likes and dislikes, your ways. We must lay those things down for spiritual enlightenment, God's people, God's plans, God's likes and dislikes, and God's ways and then you will find life.
I have walked with God long enough to experience this Scriputre in my life.
I let go of career, the pursut if money, the pursuit of happiness, the pursuit of wordly possessions to do the will of God when I was young. I pursued him with all my heart, all my soul, and all my strength.
It was difficult when all my friends were out partying and 'enjoying' life and making plans to be richer and following the desires of their heart. It was difficult to lay down my life to pray, fast and do only the things that God wanted me to do. But I did those things anyway. I remember when I was 28 years old I was on an extended fast. During this fast the enemy came to me and said, "You are young, why not go out and enjoy your youth? Why do you want to deny yourself and suffer like this when you could be enjoying your life right now?" It took me back a bit when the enemy said this to me. But, a few moments later I responded, "I am living the life I want to live, I am laying down my youth and my strength to do the will of God."
Now that I am older, many of my friends have had their lives fall apart over and over again, but God has added back to me everything that I laid down. Career, possessions, wealth, peace of mind, and my children have all matured and served the Lord. I didn't pursue happiness, I laid down my life for the purposes of God and it was hard to do. But now happiness pursues me, wealth pursues me, peace pursues me. Everywhere I turn and in everything I do I am blessed and prosper. Plenty of storms have hit my life, but God has brought me through each one more prosperous. Instead of my life falling apart, each storm has made me stronger!
What do you do if you are older now and you have never really laid down your life like that, and everything is a mess? It is ironic but this is true. The more mess your life is in the harder it is to lay it down and have faith that God will build it back up again! Why? Because if you quit living for your life now and live for the will of God most of what you have now will fall apart comepletely.
And that is difficult to live down. And it will feel like you are losing your life that you have built. You have to trust what Jesus said, "If you LOSE your life, you will find it again. But if you hang on to your life you will LOSE it." The only way your are ever going to find peace, and prosperity and the good life is to lay your life down, but to lay it down you will lose everything. It is difficult to understand, but the way out is down, full surrender to God is likely to stip you of all you have now, but with God you will receive back far more in the end than what you have lost.
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