Tag Archives: intentions

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How Much of what You Do is for You, Not Jesus

Do we ever think how much of our day is spent concerning us than the things of Christ? As we ponder here in the house of God today, what has been your most involved thought this morning? Even before you started your day this morning, or even now. Do we ever realize how much of our day we spend thinking about what is most important to us personally and not of Christ or of benefiting of others? Sometime we, exclusive of Christ, can be the most
selfish people there are, because our hearts are so much involved with our desires, that evil thoughts
can invade our hearts. We tend to think that we need this or that, when Jesus said in Philippians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Jesus also said that we should take more care for the things of others than ourselves. In a nut shell, how well do we know ourselves and what are our motives in Christ Jesus? Why do you do the things you do? Is it because you love Him, fear Him, or because you have nothing else to do?

Luke 6:44-48
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

Many people in Church today are showing up. To do what? Absolutely nothing. It becomes a routine or pattern. “I come to Church because I’ve been told to come to Church,” or because “The scripture says fail not to assemble yourselves together.” Its better that there be two honest people in the Church, than a whole Church full of folks that have the Devil in them. Anybody can see a body, anybody can have a body. But nobody knows about the body that is coming in. We all pretend we are of One Body, but the body doesn’t know about its own body. “We are of the Body of Christ.” Are we in the Body of Christ? If so, what body is that? The Word of God say that if you’re apart of My body the things I do you’ll do…the things I say you’ll say. The first part of Luke 6:44-48 says for every tree is known by its own fruit. Isn’t that something? You know an apple tree because you see apples on them; a lemon tree because you see lemons on them; a peach tree because it has peaches; a plumb tree because it has plumbs; and a pear tree because it has pears. You know everything by the fruit it bears. You plant seeds for potatoes and you get cucumbers how will you feel? So we want what we want, and everything that looks like what it looks like is suppose to be what it is. So when we see the Children of God walking down the street do we know if they are apart of the body? Everyone has a “talking game,” but you’re known by your fruit.

What is you’re foundation? How did you set your foundation? Was it built upon the words of other people, and not on the Word of God? When you build upon the words of other people and not the Word of God, its easily manipulated and washed out of you and replaced with what you heard. When you go to an all you can eat, buffet style restaurant, grabbing your plate, you don’t put everything on the buffet on it. You pick and choose exactly what you want. Are the people of God today, picking and choosing what Word they want in their foundation? If you don’t choose the right things in your foundation, you have no glue that will bring everything together. All of the Word of God is good for the edification of the Body, so we shouldn’t pick and choose. We take the time to pick and choose what we want to believe from God, but not what God wants to believe in us. Its not what you want, its what you need. You need this because God needs to perfect in you a thing. What is our purpose here in the world? To be a light for the world. But our lights are dim. What is your foundation today? How much of what we do is for us and not Christ?

Ephesians 4:20-27
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

If you’re foundation in Christ is true and sure, why is your conversation sounding like when you were in the world? Was your foundation structured and sure? You’ve already been taught of Him. What part of the teaching did you hear and not hear? If you’ve been taught Christ, then your foundation should be sure. The only thing you should be concerned about is how to walk in Christ. You will get flustrated. Flustration leads to disappointment, and disappointment leads to being disappointed in yourself. You’re foundation may be sure, but things come by that may shake your foundation. Then you have to look back and see what caused the shaking. Were you being the “old you?” Its comfortable to be the “old you,” but the “new you,” isn’t so much. The “new you,” pushes you outside your comfort zone. Don’t give place to the devil. Don’t give him the keys to your house. Whatever was in our foundation that shook it, its a door way for Satan.

Isaiah 43:6-7
I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.

So as you can see we were made for God’s glory, not for our own. Nobody can do what each of us can do, because He has assigned it us. So why procrastinate? Why are we only motivated to do something when it fit our needs? How would you feel if someone didn’t appreciate the gift you’ve given them? Would you give them a gift again? A poem by C. T. Studd from “’Twill Soon Be Past” reads “Only one life ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Even though this is not in the Bible, I can see why this phrase has stood the test of time because when you look at your life it will tell others the truth about how you are or were your life is in Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Colossians 3:16-17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Psalms 37:7-10
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

You must be patient. You cannot put God on a time schedule. What happens when you’re patient? In your patience, you shall inherit the Earth.

John 15:16-20
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, 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. These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

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Warring Against the Mess in the Flesh

How many times have you started out doing what was the right thing to do but it turned out worse? You started out with a good intention. Did you know that good intentions are not good enough? We try to do things that our Lord would be happy and pleased over. In dealing with life itself you must understand that the first word that you see in the word “intention,” is intent. The word intent is starting something, but not completing that thing. For example, he did have intentions to save money, but he never held on to any money. She intended getting a good job in her field, but never took the time to search out her field. There needs to be some action behind the intentions. I have intentions to go get food, but if I don’t cough up money to get the food, I won’t get it. With intentions there is always a presence of a struggle with you or some opposing factor in your life that causes you not to fulfill the intention. Good intentions are not good enough.

Good intentions without action behind it means nothing. If you don’t put fire behind your intention, that intention dies. How would you like if the Lord only intended to die for us? If He’d not put action behind it, we’d be a most miserable people. If you really intend to do something, it would have been done. So when you are in a warring with your flesh, its a conflict. I’m glad the Lord didn’t get cold feet when it came to us. I’d rather for someone to say that they can’t do something, than to say they intend to do something, and don’t do it. When thinking if a person will go forward with doing something for someone else they say “Well how did they treat me last week? They didn’t treat me right. They borrowed money from me last time. No I don’t like them. You borrow money and didn’t pay me back.” The other person says “I was intent on paying you back.” We’re always in a conflict with ourselves. We do things for people according to if they did something for us. Conflict and intentions have a hand in hand relationship, because conflict keeps you from carrying out intentions. Opposition keeps you from carrying out intentions. Your attitude towards a person keeps you from being a brother or sister in Christ to that person. There is war between brothers and sisters in Christ. If a brother or sister didn’t do something we didn’t like, we hold back brotherly love. The Bible says we should care about others more than ourselves. If we don’t, we spread discord because a sister or brother didn’t get the love needed, and so they spread bitterness and it trickles down to the next person. We ought to know how to talk to our brothers and sisters, motivating them to do good and not to do jackedupness. I don’t want you to leave hurt. If we don’t do go to our brothers, their hurt will be internalized and the hurt will be spread. Care about your brother or sister. Isn’t something how we get jealous? We have so much opposition. Why because there is a selfish nature inherited by humans. Jesus with the disciples who were going to dinner rebuked Jesus for sitting with publicans and sinners. Jesus said He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. We must not have a selfish mentality.

James 1:5-8

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We want to look good before other peoples eyes, because our intentions are not good. There is a war and conflict going on. Don’t think God is going to answer you when you have a mindset to do things for show. Did you know being a Christian is a lonely road? You go through a lot of trials and tests, because He wants to make you. We say to the Lord, why are You taking me through all this? Why me? I don’t want to go through another test? We complain through the entire thing, then at the end, we say Lord, it was good for me to go through that. There is always a conflict because our flesh wants to kick against everything. We say I’ll go help sister or brother so and so clean their house, because its filthy. You work tirelessly. When you get to your own house, you’re so tired and fall asleep, and miss your time with Lord because you were too busy doing something for someone else. When you have an intent to do something, make sure you carry it out.

How do we get beyond not carrying out our intentions? Its selfishness. It’s alright to be selfish, but not to the detriment of being with Him. When we have intentions the pray, and we don’t what kept us? Its the warring that takes place in our lives, souls, and day to day operation. We intend to do good, but you can’t be double minded as James says. When you’re warring it means a struggle between opposing forces. The word conflict is a clash between forces. There is a clash inside of you. What are you warring against? What things are distracting you? Phone calls, frivolous things? But you just told Jesus that you don’t have time. We make the time for what we want to make time for, and then we complain when we think Christ isn’t coming on time. When we get in trouble when do we want Jesus? Before hand so when we get in trouble we don’t need to worry about calling Him. Can you imagine Jesus talking to the Father about us saying “oh Lord.” Then the Father says to Jesus, “Well You died for them.” Our intent needs to be carried out. The Lord asks one thing of us: to Love Him. Then He said after you love Me, love others. He didn’t ask you for your car or to burn 20, 000 houses to sacrifice to Him, He just said love Me, and as you love Me, love one another. Its your reasonable service just to love. So when you intend to do something, don’t intend, just do it. Its you who makes the promises you don’t keep.

Do you remember Samson? He had all that strength to be used for Lord, but he was fighting against the people who were fighting against his people, the Philistines. He had a conflict. How about David? He had conflicts. How about Saul? People don’t realize that these conflicts in their lives were destroying their communication and walk with God.

Proverbs 16:1-9

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits. Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established. The Lord hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil. When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

A man plans his ways, but God guides his steps in the way they should go. There is a way that seems right to a man, a woman, a child, but the end thereof is death. Your mind plays tricks on you. If your mind is jacked up, then how will your way be? Those who think themselves something are nothing. When you think your something, your nothing, there is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is the way of death. When you think you’re something, then your end is death.

Point your finger at yourself and say “You’re always getting me into trouble.” No one makes you do anything. You do things because you want to. You remember the old song “The devil’s on my back.” The devil isn’t on your back, if he was, you’d be all jacked up. He doesn’t care about you. He has too many other things to do than to be on your back. The Lord is the one that cares about you. Satan just doesn’t want you to win more souls to God. Satan knows there is a God and he trembles. You hear some people say “I ain’t scared of no God,” meanwhile, Satan, God archenemy trembles at Him. We need to realize that we can’t beat God or jack Him up.

Make sure the intents of your heart are genuine.

Further reading on this topic: Proverbs 17:14-20,1 Corinthians 1:9-17, Philippians 2:1-16