We take it upon ourselves to define what God will accept. We take it upon ourselves to define what God deems pleasing or acceptable, and if the Word teaches us anything, it is that God determines His standard; man doesn’t do it for Him.
Both Cain and Abel brought offerings before the Lord. He was
pleased with one, and displeased with the other, respecting Abel’s offering,
but not respecting Cain’s. There is a lesson to be learned from this event that
many are reticent to learn, because all they’ve ever known during their
Christian walk was the tithe, and having to offer it up, no matter the mindset
and heart condition with which it is offered.
If I present my body as a living sacrifice grudgingly, or
with some ulterior motive, God will see through it and judge it unworthy of
respect. If the heart is right and consecrated unto God, everything flows from
that singular point, whether a greater understanding of Him, a more robust
prayer life, or greater authority.
The heart must belong to God fully so that He can do with it
as He wills, removing the dross, the dust, the unnecessary, and the harmful so
that He might fill it with His Spirit and light. God will not build holiness
upon a foundation of sin. God cleanses us of all sin and unrighteousness and
sanctifies us, giving us holiness in full measure.
Everything hinges on the full consecration of the individual,
body, mind, soul, and spirit because only then can God proceed to mold, to
fashion, and to prune, bringing us ever closer to the image of His Son Jesus. It’s
not something we’ll get around to once God has done our bidding, but the one
thing we must strive for first and foremost. If God shows you no further favor
from this day until the day you breathe your last, if you never get that
promotion, or that new house, or that new car, what He’s already done by
sending Jesus is enough to warrant our worship, devotion, obedience, and
faithfulness a thousand lifetimes over.
We’re fond of taking certain verses out of context and running
with them as though we were auditioning for a remake of Forrest Gump. If that
wasn’t bad enough, we also insist that everyone else gets on the same bandwagon
and sings the same tune, and if anyone dares to dig a little deeper and put the
pieces together to form a Biblical understanding, they’re readily labeled a wet
blanket, or someone who is trying to stifle the Spirit.
Never mind that the Scripture taken out of context only gives
temporary relief, then ends up being the cause of bitterness because things
didn’t work out the way they thought they would or should, we keep right on repeating
the same practices, getting the same results, then wander about befuddled as to
why nothing has changed.
John 14:13-14, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will
do, that the Father might be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My
name, I will do it.”
And out comes the laundry list. New car, new house, perfect
lawn, more money than I know what to do with, stuff upon stuff heaped upon more
stuff, and sure enough, we ask it in His name, yet still struggling to make rent
on the double wide every month. But how can this be? We did the thing. We asked
for all these things in His name, but they never materialized!
Because Jesus was addressing those who are consecrated to
God, and once we are consecrated to God, the composition, focus, and topic of
our prayers inevitably change. When our focus and desire are the things above,
we do not pray to receive the things of this earth, but more of His presence
and power.
After being beaten and threatened not to continue preaching a
risen Jesus, the disciples gathered together and prayed not that the Pharisees and
high priest be struck down with plague, but that they receive boldness to
continue doing what they’d been called to do, even in the face of persecution.
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, the core of
His prayer was that the Father’s will be done. Being full of pain, He prayed
even harder. Being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. He prayed for the
strength to see His purpose through to its rightful end, even though He was
fully aware of what that end would entail.
When a heart is not fully consecrated to God, the prayers that
flow from it will have the individual as its central theme and focus. Whether
their health, their wealth, or their lot in life, they will center around making
things easier for the flesh. When one is consecrated, however, their prayers
will center around giving God the glory rightly His, and for the necessary
strength to carry out His will even at the detriment of the flesh.
If you’ve ever wondered why so many pray selfish prayers
today, now you know.
I was in a church service a while back, and ended up sitting
next to an elderly lady. I noticed that she had a tattered notebook next to her
Bible, and when it was time to pray, she opened it and began reading from it. I
was intrigued, and after the prayer ended, I asked her about its significance.
She smiled and said, “This is a list of all the people that have asked me for
prayer, and all the things I know I should be praying for regarding the needs
of others.” There were names, situations, even entire nations that she diligently
prayed for every time she went before the Lord, and although she was using a
cane and was noticeably slow in her movements, none of the prayers were about
her.
God searches the heart and tests the mind. He sees what motivates and animates us, and when we put others before ourselves, when our prayers include more than requests that would exclusively benefit us, we have moved away from the predisposition of being self-centered, and self-obsessed to the realization that it’s not all about us, but about His will working through us.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
Posted on 23 April 2025 | 11:27 am
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