For us as sinful men and women, prayer is not designed to align God with our will, but to align our will with God. Prayer is not to make God more like us but to make us more like God. It should firm up the muscles of our faith.
Steve Swartz

Is Jesus’ Heavenly Father really Lord and Master of your life, and your church?

Is Jesus’ Heavenly Father really Lord and Master of your life, and your church?

Is Jesus’ Heavenly Father really Lord and Master of your life, and your church?

How many Christians have concluded that God doesn’t speak or intervene in their lives, and that seeking God “in person” is a waste of time?

How many Christians literally believe that the “Word of God” is the Bible?

How many churches are set up to operate in such a manner that the men and women in charge can make decisions without consulting with God?

Is the church engaged to Jesus, or is has she given up on that courtship, and is pursuing another?

I can tell you the truth – Christ is coming back, and many in the church will not be ready for him. Many have already died without Him as their Lord and Master.

It is easy to tell which churches are ruled by men, rather than by God – these churches stand out in the news as they make major theological changes that are contrary to scripture. Since they rationalize that God no longer speaks in person, they can contain Him in a box (or book!), and then alter that box to suit their own desires such as power, acceptance of their sin, recognition, and emotional compensation. God is not the Lord of that church – they have fashioned another god in His place. It is a sham that such people still call themselves Christians, because they certainly do not follow Christ.

But the church is made up of people like you and me…

My own fear is that if I listen to all God has to say, I will not like some part of it. So I selectively obey God. I read the Bible instead of seeking Him in person, because I am afraid of what He may say or ask from me. I see God as a threat to my lifestyle, and the security of my future, which I am trying to build up. And what is the result? My life lacks purpose and direction – it has spurts of brilliance, but is not burning constantly bright – I am missing the mark and not fulfilling the complete purpose God has for me. And like the church I am part of, I may go off and begin serving myself.

The book of James chapter 4 says,

4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, "God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6 But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

So the spirit of God is in mankind, naturally drawing us to Him like water returns to the oceans. We can distract ourselves, and pretend many things, but the truth is unavoidable – we were made for a purpose, and only in God our creator can that purpose be properly met.

I fear God. But this isn’t the kind of healthy fear of one who knows God and trusts in Him fully – mine is more of a self-serving fear – it’s a fearfulness of how God threatens my self-serving nature. It’s a fear that God puts my little empire at risk, because I didn’t build that empire (fully) at His direction. I may have built on the wrong foundation.

Let’s name some fears:

  1. Will my retirement be stable, peaceful, and offer me financial flexibility to party when I want ?

  2. Will God ask me to do something that prevents me from watching my TV show tonight ?

  3. Will God ask me to use my money in some way other than for the widescreen TV I was dreaming of ?

  4. Will my wife tolerate being uprooted when God calls me to relocate to India for His sake ?

  5. Will I lose my job and be laughed at when I become more vocal about the reality of God’s impact on my life at work ?

  6. Will the world hunt me down as I become a threat to their complacency when I serve the living God and respond dynamically, daily, to his leadership in my life ?

See the trend? Every fear is self-serving. I want to serve myself more than I want to serve God.

And I will tell you that the world is very afraid of true servants of God. It is because they don’t understand God’s nature (or maybe they do) – like me, they sense a threat to their empires and personal “freedoms”. And this is the same threat Satan sees, and so he works against God.

What is the nature of God? I think we inherently perceive it – God is not selfless as we are. He is far more self-sacrificing than we are normally willing to be. He set aside his glory and kingship to be born in mud and filth, to parents of very little means – and you know what else He did. That is an intense love, and He calls us to love Him, and to love others like He does.

You know, people of the world will kill a loving servant of God to protect their empires. Those loving servants of God are quite unpredictable – they could be labeled a terrorist threat. Loss of life for God…yeah, I keep bringing that up. I got a little self-preservation thing goin’ on… do you too ?

So where does the courage to serve God come from?

It is easy in concept. We can serve Him in law, but He prefers we serve Him in love. This is the kind of love that draws a woman to a man before and during marriage – selfless, consuming, joyful, fulfilling. The courageous part comes in making the decision to pursue that relationship – to make the eternal commitment that because God shows His love for me, I will love Him back. Yes, He is the love initiator – that is a sure thing. The relationship will never crumble due to a lack on His part. So it seems this courage to fully serve God as Lord and Master comes from the love and trust we have in Him.

How can He be fully Lord of my life, where I will risk everything for Him?

A friend of mine reminded me that participating in the Lordship of God is an ongoing process. We fall down, we get up (with God’s power). The key is to not forsake the relationship with God. Pursue Him!

Looking back, we can see where we’ve been – there is evidence of a life that lacks purpose and direction. But God has shown us His love, and we are faced with a jump of faith, trusting in His character. Let’s both take the jump, because Jesus says “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Let us demonstrate the Lordship of God in our lives by seeking Him in person (in mind and spirit), obeying, and pursuing Him constantly!