MAY 2005 We are all called to serve. When we find a place of service in God’s kingdom the natural tendency is to want to own it, to call it our own but is it our own? Is it by our efforts that the work was established and that it grows? Or are we simply riding the wave of God’s Spirit, watching as a spectator the mighty hand of God, watching His plan unfold in and through our lives? Which do you hunger for, a work built with human hands or a Kingdom built by God alone? What are you willing to do to see it, to participate in it? Are you willing to yield your rights to God, to set aside glory seeking, to be used without acknowledgement? Are you willing to help others succeed in what God has called them to do even if it means setting aside your own agenda? The key question is this: Whose work is it? Consider the words of scripture: “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.” Psalm 75: 6–7 “Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above.” John 19: 10–11 And finally, Jesus said, “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16: 18 When you begin to occupy the place of service in God’s Kingdom that He designed you for the work is easy and the burden light. You will see the hand of God working in the lives of others in ways that will astound and mystify you. You will see the resurrected Christ build His church and nothing will stop it but to see it you must get out of the way. It must be about Him and not about you. You must decrease that He may increase. Whose work is it anyway? Many of us have occult backgrounds. We may be accustomed to doing things the occult way. The one with the most inner knowledge, secrets and power to wield is the one in control; the key issue for the occultist. God does things in the exact opposite way. The occult exploits your desire to control in order to enslave you. The Lord asks you to yield your desire to control in order to liberate. The opposite of witchcraft is submission to God’s authority. Submission to authority is based on trust in God as the ultimate ruler over all things, people and institutions. “Any authority or influence that we gain by our own manipulation or self-promotion will be a stumbling block to us and will hinder our ability to receive true authority form God.” Overcoming Witchcraft by Rick Joyner We are on the verge of a great outpouring of God’s Spirit. Christian goths will be at the forefront of this end times revival. We will purge the church of occult influences and set before it an example of courage and dedication that will inspire absolute surrender to the Holy Spirit. We must learn the way of the cross, yield our rights to God and trust that He will build His work in His way and in His time. There is no limit to what we can accomplish together for the advancement of God’s Kingdom if we don’t care who gets the credit for it. God Bless, |