Serving God's Purpose, part 5

However, once the Spirit of God touched Jacob’s heart he was a changed man. His change was so drastic that God gave him a new name. He was no longer to be called Jacob but rather, Israel. 

Paul and Barnabas were two examples of men whose hearts had been touched by God. Acts 13:50-52 “…They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” How many of us would be filled with joy over the fact that we had just gotten expelled from a city? Paul and Barnabas could see beyond themselves. They didn’t even think about the fact that they got kicked out. They were happy to have served their God. 

Stubbornness un-yielded, get its feelings hurt every time. Folks, I don’t consider myself as submitted to God as I could be, but I can tell you this: If I didn’t have some element of submission in my life I would have given up this position as your pastor a long time ago. A person cannot live fully for himself or herself and fully serve God at the same time, because there are too many things that come at you. Pastoring is taking care of sheep, and sometimes sheep bite. But I love the sheep God has entrusted to me, so I continue. 

Stubbornness is self. Self has no spiritual perception. Self cannot see beyond itself. It cannot see the greater meanings and causes of things, but submission can. Submission has great spiritual perception. Maybe that’s why women more naturally sense things in the spirit realm, they live submitted. Men have a harder time spiritually because we look at submission as weakness. 

Look at what the women’s liberation movement did to ruin the spirituality of women by scoffing at the idea of submission. Many feminists have almost a hatred for God because they believe God wants to infringe on their body’s rights. Their lack of submission to God has ruined their spiritual perception. 

It takes stubbornness to be a good leader, but it must be a submitted stubbornness, which then becomes submission to God’s purpose. We should go from a stubbornness of what we want to a stubbornness of what God wants. A good spiritual leader is one who is unmoved concerning the Will and Word of God. If they believe it is the Will of God for something then nothing is going to change their mind. Now the very traits and experiences of your life become of value to you because they have come under God’s care. 
 

If you don’t bring yourself under God’s care then the scars and deep-seated hurts in life will continue to hinder you and mess up your life. However, a yielded person will find that those very scars and hurts have now become the source of your influence. You can now serve God’s purpose in your generation because of what you have gone through in life. 
 

Here is my final point: Do you want to serve God’s purpose? Then bring your life under His. Our praying and fasting was meant to bring ourselves under God. Did those of you who were able to fast notice how quickly you wanted to rise up rather than stay down? In the midst of a fast we get into a battle of wills, don’t we? In the midst of a missions emphasis, we get into that same battle. That is why we just ask you to ask God what HE would have you do for missions over the next year. 
 

Paul once said, “I die daily.” That means that these types of activities - giving, praying, and fasting - need to be a regular part of our lives. We have a continual struggle with the flesh. And once it rises up, we cease to serve God’s purpose; we go back into the flesh and do things our way. But if we can keep it down, then we will begin to fit into what it is God has for us to do in His Kingdom.  END