Did you know that when I see someone with a booger hanging out I very kindly go up to that person and “Hey, you might need a tissue.”  or “Dude you have a hanger.”  In past I would have not said a word and let that person continue on, and think how funny that was that everyone would see what that one person did not see. I am sure we all know what I am talking about.

If we run this through the gauntlet, you will see that as we go from a simple hanger  to neighborly help most people are receptive and gladly accept your charity. You buy a stranger a cup of coffee and you are a nice guy.  You are there for a person in a time of need you are a gracious heart felt individual who makes time for people. If you listen and support them through their  time of trouble, you are understanding.  In those times, when a person is in pain we can even ask to pray for them, and in my experience I have never had a person say, no.

But even in my own experience, as I was reaching out for help within a dilemma, I still did not want to hear the truth. Sure I wanted to complain about it  but in the end not, do anything  about it and hope it will work itself out.  Now let’s say everything is moving along and it all feels wonderful the last thing I want anyone to tell me is what I am doing might not lead to happy days or better yet wrong.

I can go back to a time, when I was trying to do the right by doing all the wrong things. You have heard the old adage, all good intentions lead to Hell.  I wanted the white house with the  picket the fence, married with children two dogs and a cat.  I wanted to feel loved and most of all I wanted everyone who was looking to see I had made it.   Even in my heart, I wanted to please God by doing what I considered the right things, but I was still a slave to sin.  I thought if I had a girlfriend and checked that box, everything would fall into place.  I had a  perfect vision of the end game. Unfortunately for me,  I choose a woman that would lead me down a path, that eventually brought me literally to my knees in surrender.  I alluded to her last week in my post.

If I am honest, I knew deep down that I should have never gone near that woman.  There is a rule of thumb in recovery which was stolen  from God and perverted into a half truth, to satisfy the natives and save their physical life. That rule is  no relationships in the first year and if we really break it down, no sexual relationships for the first year. Or if you are in a relationship, don’t make any major decisions for the first year, not distinguishing between married or not. There is good reason for that, as someone trying to break any bad habit, the last thing you need is to add something distracting  to your field of vision, until you can live a life without drugs, alcohol, gambling… for a period of time. I can tell you  I believed I was different and it always happens to the other guy.

I heard what everyone was saying and I still went in to tame the tigress. I was going in without proper training and because I was focused on the end result and not the process, by the time I figured it out and admitted what was happening, I had invested a lot of time and when confronted with the truth, I didn’t want to believe it or lose what I imagined  I had.

My friend  warned me the first time he saw her at a Halloween party

 Nobody had told her that he would wear an Indian costume and she showed up as his squaw! It was a jaw-dropping costume. Just ask Nobody and every guy in the room.   All his DC sponsor said was, “Here comes trouble.”

     Nobody looked at him and said, “That’s my girl.”    His DC sponsor looked at him and chuckled and said, “Oh boy.”  (Taken from Why Nobody is Searching for God)

As few months later my friend was trying to tell me that the reason nothing was working out the way I planned was, that she was in the parking lot after meetings to have private discussions with another guy.  I would receive phantom phone calls at the house.  I knew the truth, but did not want to believe it. I cried and cried hoping that she would change for me.  That her love for me and all I did for her would pay off.  If I could do enough, maybe she would only have eyes for me.  When she was focused on me all my fears subsided, when she was gone I lived in it.  She told me what I wanted to hear but her actions said differently, and I was paralyzed because I was not listening to  my friend who was yelling,  “Yo, dude you have a hanger!!!”

I was trying to have a life, that God had intended for a man and woman, by mixing all the wrongs ingredients, attempting to bake a cake and wondering why it did not taste the way I envisioned through the all the pictures.  But I was determined to eat it and save face.

Now this is an extreme, true life example, but that same holds true in all our lives and serves to prove my point in the end.  We start out on a venture just to find out our investment did not pan out.  You work for a good company, they have a great public presence, you are putting 120% of your time into it, because you believe in them.  Then the next thing you see is the management team on the front page of the paper caught for embezzling, cooking the books and the company collapsed.  Your co-workers looking at each other saying, “If we only knew.”  Now you are left in the cold without a job.

It is just as important for you to interview a company than it is for them to interview you.

This is why as a Christian, you need to make sure you know what you are aligning yourself with.  It is very easy for people to mix and match theologies into one that is acceptable outside of the truth.  Is this a group that meets and passes litmus test.  Not pass just one part but all parts.  Everything matters!!! Even their end of world view, how they look at judgment, because decisions will be made that might contradict God, so while you are signing and dancing and because you were wooed into thier church,  you forgot to go see what was behind the curtain . It is not about just saying the right things and seeing the right things. It is about the truth, whether it is appealing or not.  The minute you hear things like,  “In the end that really doesn’t matter what your end of world view is, if you love Jesus.” Understand there might be danger ahead. While this is true, I love Jesus. Some of my actions did not demonstrate that I love Him in my past.

We have seen a lot of preachers fall to the wayside not because they were anointed in the spirit and demonstrated many great and wonderful things, but because they were not doing as the Father had told them with their gift!!!!!  If they did, they would not have fallen.   Sin would not have taken them out from God’s front line.  They had not  embraced the actual new covenant and died to one self, instead they lived for themselves in the end.

Jesus said he only did as the Father told him.   He did not perform miracles for Satan even though He could have during His 40 day temptation. If as a man, Jesus did as he wanted with the anointing He possessed then  when He learned of Lazarus’ sickness, (John 11; 1-44) He may have hurried to see His friend.  It is obvious in that passage, that He did as the Father said, so that He would raise Lazarus from the dead instead of heal him.  Jesus could call down anything He wanted, but as a man he was subjected to every temptation like we are.  Jesus’ only way to remain Holy was to do things for the Father as He directed it.  People followed Him, He did not schedule a great event for people to see miracles, signs, and wonders and demonstrate God’s glory. God’s Glory was demonstrated through miracles, signs and wonders. There is a fine line that is treacherous to cross if we are not true to our daily call to Holiness.

A man who has just performed a spiritual wonder in the name of God, is Public Enemy #1 and is the most susceptible to a fall, if he performed spiritual wonders in the Name of Jesus other than doing what Jesus is actually asked Him to do. It is more important to hear Jesus tell you what He wants from you that do what you think He wants you to do.  If not and you are doing things in the name of Jesus and you maybe setting yourself up a for a fall with the best of intentions.

I read in the Bible that Jesus wants me to die to self and embrace the New Covenant.  If I am to follow in His ways, I must live my life as the Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit directs me. I must strip away all that is worldly and become Holy.  This is not an overnight thing.  It took years to prepare Abraham, Moses, David, Joseph  and Paul.  Jesus had to wait until His 30’s.  In that regard, as a man, I have to be sure I am on solid footing.  No class can teach that and there is no certificate. Those come from men not God.  Hey, everyone, I just completed supernatural school, come and look at me.  I am not trying to be coy, but stating a fact. This is happening in some non-traditional churches people are flocking to as people are leaving some of the traditional ones.   I am all about taking new ground for Jesus, but not if it hurts Father God in the end and trying to gain, use or tap into spiritual gifts, that are not for me to use.

In the past, I would listen to, great men of God, and believe that if they say it, it must be true. Today I am using all my strength to hear God and ask to have everything stripped from me that prevents or is an obstacle to doing His will on Earth through me.   The Lord’s prayer says, Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  Some day’s I am called only to be willing and just go to work. I can go many days saying in jest, “It’s time to make the donuts.”,  over and over again.  As a servant for Christ I have to be content in  that and not force a solution, I pray and wait.

Today, I pray, not for His will for me but, His Will.  Period, end of sentence. If I pray for anything that shines a light on me, I am in jeopardy.

In my previous quests to do the Will of the father, I would read, study and walk out in faith and attempt to do things that Jesus said I could do. However,  if I am focused on the things and not His actual guidance, I am deceiving myself.  We can still use the spiritual gifts God gave us and do great things, but to what end.  What is your motivation. I hear a lot of people say I wish I could to this or that.  Half the battle is hearing God tell you what He wants for you.  Please understand that if we work towards all things spiritual, eventually you will forget that you have two feet on Earth as God actually intended for you.  There has to be a balance between spirit and the physical and Jesus demonstrated that.

Are you adding works to your faith walk to gain more spiritually, so you to can do those things in Jesus’ name? Are you attending supernatural schools, so you can learn how to tap into something Heavenly, I would say beware.   I want all of those things too and I meditate and ask the Father to reveal them to me.  But I have to be OK when He says I am not ready.  I know that left to my own desires, I get in trouble.  The only way I can be safe is start each day with Jesus in the quiet place and take my steps from there.

If you need to remember one thing remember this, Jesus told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come to them. He did not say do these ten things so the Holy Spirit will come to you.  If you are going to churches to be amazed, if you are attending classes to gain spiritual insight or esoteric knowledge, so can you understand the ways of the spiritual realm, if you think you need to work harder so that you to can heal the sick and cast out demons, I would question your motivation.

As I look back, I have accomplished more things for Jesus  by waiting for the prompting of the Holy Spirit, while maintaining a Fear of the Lord and quietly ask Him to remove from me all that would hinder my daily call to do His will.  But that’s just me.

I Love you Father