When there is something that greatly concerns us, like the salvation of our spouse or children, we can be so intense we become obsessive about it, even in our prayer life. Excessive prayer, especially in the area of spiritual warfare, can become just another work of the flesh.
In my life there have been certain relatives I have prayed for over a period of months or years. But I did not pray for each one of them by name day in and day out. I might pray for one of them on a particular day and then go for a full year without praying specifically for that person again. Then all of a sudden I might be moved to weep and travail for that individual even though I might not have seen him or her for months. I didn’t do that every day, only when I felt led to do so by the Holy Spirit.
In our prayers, as in every other aspect of our Christian life, we need not be afraid of being led by the Spirit. Sometimes if we don’t sense that the Spirit of God is leading us to do something, we lead ourselves to do it. After all, we reason, we ought to be doing something. We seem to have the mistaken idea if we are not actively doing something, God can’t work. We forget we are to cast on Him our care, not our responsibility.
It is our responsibility to trust, to pray without worry, and to avoid works of the flesh. When we go beyond that responsibility and start to pray and worry, we cancel out our prayers. They become nothing more than a work of the flesh, an attempt to change things by our own energy and effort.
FRUSTRATION EQUALS WORKS OF THE FLESH
I do not frustrate the grace of God.…
GALATIANS 2:21 KJV
God is not against work, He is against works. There is a difference.
Work is doing by the grace of God what He has called us to do. It is the expending of our energy and effort to see the will of God come to pass in our life. But works is doing by our own strength and ability what we want done. It is the expending of our energy and effort to try to make happen what only God can make happen.
When we do the work God has called us to do, He gives us superhuman energy.
In our meetings sometimes we work until very late in the evening ministering to people. The next day we may be up at six, getting everything ready to move on to our next destination. Physically we may be tired, but spiritually we are renewed and refreshed by the Spirit of the Lord. That is a good example of the difference between works of the flesh and the work of the Spirit. We work hard but seek to avoid works of the flesh.
Works of the flesh include worry, reasoning, and trying to figure out what to do to make things happen according to our will and timing. They are one of the biggest problems among God’s people today.
As we have seen, the opposite of works is grace. As long as we are trying to live the Christian life by works of the flesh, we are never going to be really, truly happy.
The devil uses works of the flesh to rob us of our joy. Satan doesn’t want us to be filled with contentment, peace, and rest. He wants us to be worried, confused, and upset. Instead of trusting in the Lord and waiting for Him to move in His own way and timing, the devil wants us to take things into our own hands, as Abraham and Sarah did in the Old Testament.
SHIFTING RESPONSIBILITY
Then Sarai said to Abram, May [the responsibility for] my wrong and deprivation of rights be upon you! I gave my maid into your bosom, and when she saw that she was with child, I was contemptible and despised in her eyes. May the Lord be the judge between you and me.
But Abram said to Sarai, See here, your maid is in your hands and power; do as you please with her.…
GENESIS 16:5,6
In Part 1, we read how Sarah, despairing of ever having a child of her own in her old age, suggested to Abraham that he take her Egyptian maid Hagar as his “secondary wife” and have a child by her. Abraham agreed and did as Sarah suggested.
In Genesis 16:5, 6 we see the immediate consequences of that action. As soon as Hagar saw she was pregnant with Abraham’s child, she despised Sarah and began to treat her with contempt. Sarah complained to Abraham saying, “May the responsibility for this terrible situation be upon you!”
At first, that accusation may seem to be totally unfair and unjustified. After all, it was not Abraham’s idea that he have a child by Hagar, it was Sarah’s idea. But in a way, Sarah was right; Abraham was to blame. Why? Because by agreeing with Sarah’s suggestion, he failed to fulfill his God-given responsibility. Instead of waiting for the Lord to supernaturally produce the promised heir, Abraham joined his wife in a foolish attempt to produce an heir on their own through totally human effort. The result was trouble and unhappiness for all concerned: Sarah, Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac.
The reason Abraham failed to fulfill his responsibility was that he was passive. Instead of truly casting his care upon the Lord and trusting Him to work out His divine plan, Abraham went along with his wife’s misguided scheme.
Often that is our problem. Instead of casting our care on the Lord, we cast our responsibility. We become passive, often due to laziness. It just seems to be too much trouble to take a stand on the Word of God and wait for Him to act on our behalf as we confidently trust in Him.
When Sarah came up with the idea of trying to produce a child through Abraham and Hagar, Abraham passively went along with it. Later, when Hagar became pregnant and treated Sarah cruelly, Abraham again shifted his responsibility by telling Sarah, “Well, she’s your maid, do whatever you want to with her.”
Just as he failed to correct Sarah when she made a foolish suggestion, Abraham also refused to get involved when her suggestion produced problems in the household. In both cases, he avoided his God-given responsibility by trying to shift it to his wife. The same kind of thing happened with Adam in the Garden of Eden.
When God questioned Adam about eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam’s excuse was, …The woman whom You gave to be with me — she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate (Genesis 3:12). Like Abraham, Adam tried to shift his responsibility from himself to his wife. He even went so far as to imply it was God’s fault for giving Eve to him in the first place.
Too often today men try to avoid accepting their personal responsibility by shifting it onto someone else — usually their wives, or even God. I believe the devil has done a marvelous job of getting men to be spiritually passive and leave the responsibility for spiritual matters to the women in their lives. Thank God, we are seeing a change as more and more men begin to seek God and become the spiritual leaders in their marriages and families.
THE LAST THREE RESPONSIBILITIES
…See to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord.
COLOSSIANS 4:17 NIV
So our first three duties or responsibilities are to trust God, to pray without worry, and to avoid works of the flesh.
Our final three duties or responsibilities are to continue in obedience during the time of waiting, to continue to bear good fruit, and to offer God a sacrifice of praise. Let’s look at each of these three separately.
CONTINUE IN OBEDIENCE
…Whatever He says to you, do it.
JOHN 2:5
Jesus’ first recorded miracle took place while He was attending a wedding celebration. When the marriage couple ran out of wine to serve their guests, Mary asked her Son to do something about the situation, telling the servants, “Whatever He tells you to do, do it.” Jesus ordered them to fill up several huge water pots. When they had done so, He directed them to draw out of the vessels the water which by then had been miraculously changed into wine. (vv. 1-11.) Because of their obedience to Him, the physical needs of many were met that day.
The first rule of miracles is obedience.
If you are looking for a miracle in your life, make sure you are sowing seeds of obedience, because the Lord has promised us that if we do so in patient confidence and trust in Him, we will eventually reap: And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do
not loosen and relax our courage and faint (Galatians 6:9).
Sometimes when things are not working out the way we think they should, or we are not receiving the answers to our prayers as quickly as we would like, we get the idea, “Well, since God’s not doing anything, why should I? Why should I be obedient if it isn’t producing results?” In such times we must realize that God is always working. We just may not be able to see it, because He usually works in secret.
GOD’S SECRET WORK
My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].
Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.
PSALM 139:15,16
The psalmist wrote that long before his actual appearance in this world, he was being formed in secret by the Lord.
God put together a perfect work in the form of King David of Israel, just as He is putting together a perfect work in our lives. David did not make his appearance in this world until the Lord determined the time was right. In the same way, God will bring forth His perfect work in us when He knows everything is right for us.
Even though it may seem God is doing nothing, He is secretly working behind the scenes. We may not be able to hear it or see it, but we can accept it by faith.
If you would like something to cheer you up in the midst of all your trials and troubles, get a good Bible concordance and look up every reference to the words work(s), worketh, working, etc. You will see right away that ours is a working God, as Jesus told us in John 5:17: …My Father has worked [even] until now, [He has never ceased working; He is still working] and I, too, must be at [divine] work.
At this very moment while you are reading this book, God is at work in your life and in your present situation, if you believe He is: …According to your faith be it unto you (Matthew 9:29 KJV).
If you have cast your care upon the Lord and left it with Him to handle, He is working on your behalf right now. He wants you to untie His hands. You do that by refusing to worry and by dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, hidden away safe and secure under the shadow of His wings.
While you are abiding in the Lord and resting in His peace, waiting for Him to do His part, your part is to continue to bear good fruit for His Kingdom.
CONTINUE TO BEAR GOOD FRUIT
[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.
JEREMIAH 17:7,8
While you and I are waiting on the Lord, we need to be bearing good fruit. We should be like a tree planted by the water, drawing strength and life from its source because its roots go down deep into the ground. Even in times of drought, such a tree will continue to bear good fruit.
If you and I are firmly planted in Jesus Christ and deeply rooted in His love (Ephesians 3:17), even though we may have all kinds of problems in our lives, we will still bear the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22, 23: …love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
Sometimes we seem to think because we are going through hard times we have a license to be miserable and ugly. That kind of attitude and behavior will not bring our answer. The Bible teaches we are not to give in to such “evil tendencies” (James 4:6), but rather to continue to bear fruit, giving thanks and praise to God even in the midst of negative circumstances.
OFFER THE SACRIFICE OF PRAISE
Through Him, therefore, let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
HEBREWS 13:15
In Psalm 139:15,16 we saw that David acknowledged God had been working secretly in his life from before his birth. In verses 13 and 14 he praised the Lord for Who He is and for His wonderful works on his behalf: …You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are Your works, and that my inner self knows right well.
That is what we are to do in the midst of pur problems. While we are waiting to see the fulfillment of our prayers, we are to be continually offering up to God the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
It is not our responsibility to worry and fret or try to play God by taking into our own hands things that should be left to Him alone. Instead, it is our responsibility to cast our care upon the Lord, trusting Him, praying without worry, avoiding works of the flesh, continuing in obedience, bearing good fruit, and offering Him the sacrifice of praise.
8
THIS TOO SHALL PASS
…and it shall come to pass.…
GENESIS 4:14 KJV
In the beginning chapters of the book of Genesis we see a prophetic word that things will “come to pass.” In fulfillment of this word, the expression “it came to pass” is used hundreds of times throughout the King James Version of the Bible. For example, in Genesis 39 KJV, which describes some of Joseph’s experiences in Egypt where he was sold into slavery and rose to second in command of the entire nation, the phrase “and it came to pass” appears eight times. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, speaks of …things which must shortly come to pass… (Revelation 1:1 KJV).
That should tell us in this life whatever exists now, or will exist in the future, is not permanent, but temporary. The good news is, no matter how dismal our current situation or outlook, we are assured by God, “This too shall pass.”
Life is a continual process in which everything is constantly changing. If we can grasp that truth, it will help us make it through the difficult times in which we find ourselves. It will also help us not to hold on too tightly to the good times, thinking, “If I ever lose all this, I just can’t make it.”
God wants us to enjoy all of life — not just its destination, but also the trip itself.
ENJOY THE TRIP!
Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is for one to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in all the labor in which he labors under the sun all the days which God gives him — for this is his [allotted] part.
ECCLESIASTES 5:18
Years ago the church my husband and I belonged to at the time offered a nine-month Bible course called “The Elisha Program.” Dave and I enrolled in it because we felt it was God’s will that we start our training for ministry. The course met two or three nights a week, which was quite a commitment, especially for Dave because he was working so hard during the day.
That course seemed like a major undertaking until the Lord gave me a vision about having goals and reaching them. In the vision I saw the horizon ahead of me, which in this case represented graduating from the course. As I began moving toward the horizon in the vision, it faded from sight and another would rise up.
The Lord was showing me in our lives we are always going to be moving toward some goal or objective. As soon as we finish one, another will be there. We as believers are always extending our faith for something. Whatever we are believing God for right now may have manifested a year from now, but by that time we will be believing God for something else. The Lord was teaching me that since we are going to spend our entire lives waiting for something, we should learn to enjoy life as it unfolds. If we don’t, life will pass us up and we will never enjoy where we are right now.
DON’T DES
PISE THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS
Who [with reason] despises the day of small things?.…
ZECHARIAH 4:10
I wasted years being miserable where I was, waiting to get to the next horizon before I really started enjoying life.
As I look back on the early days of my ministry, I can remember “the day of small things,” which would have been so easy to despise. When I first started out, my meetings would draw just a handful of people, maybe fifty at the most. It is just as hard to preach to fifty as it is to preach to five thousand, so I had to put the same amount of time and effort into my lessons then as I do now.
When my ministry team started traveling, we needed a vehicle to transport us and our equipment from one place to another. The first van we bought cost us twenty-six hundred dollars. It had bald tires and rust spots on it. We would leave St. Louis, Missouri, our hometown, and go to a little place in Illinois called Quincy, where there would be from 70 to 125 people in attendance at our meeting.
Since we didn’t have enough money to spend the night in a motel, we would have to drive back home that same evening after the services had closed. We would usually get back about three o’clock in the morning. On the way home we would get so tired we would have to pull off on the side of the road and get ten or fifteen minutes of sleep before driving on.
I hated those days while they were going on, but now I can see their value. They were important because they were times of preparation for the greater days the Lord knew lay ahead. I sincerely believe my ministry would not have grown to the point of reaching so many people as it does today if I had not been faithful enough to press through the hardships of those early times.