God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 6

"The reason why so many things seem like the aren’t going right is because of false teaching, i. e., (that Christians who are serving God faithfully are free from the results of the (fall of man).  It is not true.

 

At the same time, many of us have brought on to ourselves much despair.  Many problems are self-inflicted and there are consequences to bad choices that follow us for a time.
 

Some of you are still actively cultivating an experience that will turn out to cause unnecessary trouble and heartache.

For those things that you bring on to yourself, the only cure is to put an end to the vicious cycle by confessing the problem/sin/indiscretion and repenting of it, (turning your back on the problem, instead of turning your back on the people that are trying to help you out of your problem.)
 

But, many problems and troubles come your way, unsolicited and not due to any action or inaction on your part.  The fact that each and every person has free will, puts us all at risk for unexpected events in our life.
 

And because of the fall of man, sickness and rust and deterioration and death of the flesh will find its way into every household, saved or unsaved, sanctified or spirit filled. 

It’s not in escaping the negative things that come your way, but in the managing of those things in agreement with and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that proves your faith."
 

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

 

God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 5

"Even though God did not bring about the loss, the mistakes, the tragedy, the trouble, the problem or the sickness - rather than take us out of it (and God could) God, quite often decides to takes us through it. 

 

When you get this truth about how God operates in you and through you settled in your spirit, you will look at those things that you go through, differently.

 

Could it be that God utilizes this season of lack, or the loss of a loved one or the sickness you are going through to reveal more of Himself, to you?  Could it be that God allows these seasons to bring you to a place where you start to look to God and trust in God for your substance, life, your everything? 

 

Could it be that God allows the death of His saints to show you the frailty of life and the short time you have to fulfill His will in your life?

 

Could it be that through sickness God reveals an attribute of Himself that increases your faith?

 

Most of us have found out that God uses times like these to reveal another attribute of Himself to us, that we had not carefully considered prior to that experience.
 

It is not true, that if you have enough faith, you will never have problems. 

Faith is to carry you through, not keep you out of.

But faith goes deeper than that. The more you trust in God, the more you understand God’s role in your life and your role in God’s plan. 
 

The more you trust in God - the better prepared you are for whatever comes your way and what comes your way is better. 

Don’t fall for the rhetoric that says, “Christians don’t have financial problems;

Christians don’t have problems that arise unexpectedly.

Christians don’t get sick.

It is because these things happen to the faithful that it is so important for you to be in contact with God, (through prayer) and to be in agreement with God as to how to deal with (whatever comes up)."
 

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

 

God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 4

"Where would you have me go, that Your will, will be fulfilled?

These are the kinds of prayers that God has placed in the hearts of men and women that are truly seeking God.  Don’t get nervous, it is likely that you are already headed in the right direction to fulfill God’s plan for your life.

 

But you must ask God the question and wait in His presence for the answer. 

Where would you have me go, that Your will, will be fulfilled?

Lord, are there souls at risk, that I could minister to, if I were to give up one night a week?

When Christians go to their prayer closet and ask God how they can expand their time in order to more perfectly provide for the saints of God and to bring more people to the foot of the cross - all of us will have more. 

 

One of the reasons for all the lack in the body of Christ is because they are not listening to God as to what they are to be involved in.  They pick and choose their ministry according to their existing schedule, when their existing schedule might be in direct opposition to the will of God for their life.

 

Lord, are there souls at risk, that I could minister to, if I were to give up one night a week?

 

Lord, do I need to go through something, that I might see you more clearly?

 

God has allowed you and is going to continue to allow you to go through some things - things that you are not comfortable with.

 

Some of you are going to go through financial hardship

Some of you are going to go through sickness

Some of you are going to lose loved ones.

 

2 Corinthians 12:9

 9.  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

Note: It is not a placebo to reality to trust God.  It is the only way you can be sure that your life has meaning along the way and that the ending will be of worth also.  It is the only way that you can know (while going through the fire) that God is in the furnace with you.
 

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

 

God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 3

"I want you to consider this prayer also.

What would you have me to do that I might have more of your presence?

 

Religion without the very presence of Almighty God is vain and empty and powerless.  Anybody can revel when they’re on top of the world, but when laden with a heavy burden, only a man or woman with faith can overcome and transform their darkness into light. 

 

If you ask, What would you have me to do that I might have more of your presence? - be prepared, because God is God and you are under His authority and if you are sincere, God will have you do, what is not getting done.  God will have you do what the body of Christ is short in.  God will place a hat on your head that you may have never worn.  Be prepared to do the miraculous if you indeed mean business. 

 

Don’t let the enemy steal your faith.  The scriptures say in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

What would you have me to do that I might have more of your presence? Because I believe the scriptures now I know that I can do it."

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 2

"You can demand demons, but not God.

 

I am going to talk about a place that might be a bit unfamiliar

territory for some.  Bear with me.

 

We are always praying for God to do this or do that or get us out of this or get us out of that. 

We pray for God to meet our needs.

We even plead with God on behalf of others for this or that.

We certainly pray when things go wrong or when we are in trouble or when we need something.

 

And I am not saying not to continue praying for what you need and for what you think others need.  But I am saying, in addition to the kinds of prayer that I have mentioned, that you should also pray like this:

LORD, what would you have me experience, that I might see you more clearly?

Whoa! 

We’re always praying for God to get us out of this or that, when we should be praying for God to take us through this or that, because it is in the (this and that’s) of life that God shows Himself to us and works through us.  It is in our weakness that God is often revealed.

Romans 5:1-4, 1.  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 2.  By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

 3.  And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

 4.  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

You have got to learn to love God and reverence Him through it all, and until you get this one truth, you will be powerless and victory-less when things aren’t just right, and there are many times when things aren’t right.

If in the seasons of bliss only you find solace and comfort in God, you have not yet found God.

LORD, what would you have me experience, that I might see you more clearly?

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

 

 

God Thinking LIII - Getting Beyond Your Self 1

"In prayer you have got to get beyond your self:

Beyond your needs and desires

Until you do, you will not hear from God.

• you will not get the answers to your questions.
• You will not understand your purpose for being.
• You will not understand God’s blueprint for your life.
• You will not receive the plan and you will not receive the provision for fulfillment of that plan, until you get beyond yourself. 

I’m not saying that you should not ask God for things or to not ask God for your needs to be met.  The scriptures are clear - you are encouraged to ask for your needs to be met and for your desires to be fulfilled, but, hear what the writer of Psalm 42 says.

Psalms 42:1-2

1.  As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

 2.  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God:

 

And the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 9.  But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 10.  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

 

In prayer you have got to get beyond your self: And when you do, you come to the place where you can commune with God.  

 

You go to God in prayer.  You ask forgiveness for your sins and indiscretions - you confess your sins - you repent of your sins - then:

You seek Him for your needs.
Now that you have settled in and had your needs met;
You pray for others.
Then, you thank God for Who He is.
You praise Him for His magnificence.

Now where most of us stop praying, because, after all we have been praying for five minutes - Where most people stop praying and start doing their housework or pick up the kids or make dinner or go back to work or go to bed - For all the Martha’s out there and all the workaholics - For all of those who forget what they prayed for before they even finish praying - I want to talk to you about a place where your dialogue with God is:

Unencumbered by any remembrance of your sin.
Unencumbered by who you once were.
Unencumbered by where you’ve been or what you have done. 
Unencumbered by your past.
Unencumbered by your idiosyncrasies.
Unencumbered by you routine.

To commune with God you have to get past that place where prayer is all about you.

A place where God speaks and you listen. 
A place where dinner or your favorite TV show does not  decide when you break off your communication with the Holy One.

 

Prayer with God was never meant to be something that you do in passing or out of duty, but worse yet is to treat prayer like a smorgasbord, and God is the server and you go to Him begging for this or that and even worse yet, demanding that God do this or that.

 

Note: I hear some of that teaching on TV and big box ministries and it makes me sick.  A right relationship with God is based on the truth of scriptures being unlocked in your heart by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  You don't need to be titillated by rich and powerful carrot danglers, you need to be instructed in righteousness by God. Nothing else will do.  Think about it, after chasing the carrot for twenty or thirty years, what are the results of your actions/reactions to that kind of teaching?

 

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Getting Beyond Your Self by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014

 

 

 

 

 

    








   

God Thinking LII - Fruitless 9

"  16.  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, (Before I go any further, we all must condescend to understand that not one who has ever come to Christ has come on their own.  They were invited by the Father to come unot the Son.  It is pride that makes us feel like somehow we were deserving of God’s call to receive His grace. 

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

 

16.  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, (Again, I want to comment on how important it is that we see and understand the Word.  God chose us and ordains us to bring forth fruit.  This verse could be read like this: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, (placed within you, committed to your existence, purposed in you, settled in your heart, caused you to be fully:  prepared, able, informed, supplied, inspired, motivated and ready) that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

In these verses is discourse from God to us about His purpose in bringing us into the vine in the first place.  It’s all about bearing fruit.  And we should be about bearing fruit.  

Does Christ bring forth the fruit?  No, that is the job of the branch and there will be no fruit borne without the branch.  

If we had any idea of how much God relies on His Children to do His work, we would get serious with God and bear fruit.

Is the Word of God clear - that God is calling us to bring forth fruit, more fruit and much fruit and also fruit that remains.

Do you know what the fruit is?  The souls of men, women, teens and children.

How do you feel about being given a commission to go forth and bring forth fruit?
 

Excerpt from God Thinking LII - Fruitless by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2014