For a long time, I have been pondering the Lord's life of prayer. I wonder, "Lord, when You walked the earth, it is said that you spent such long hours in solitude and prayer, I wonder what you were praying, as God in the flesh?"
The Spirit, I believe, has been revealing some answers to that deep, deep question in my heart and mind.
This morning I woke up to the Spirit saying, "when you finally get to the end of your own agenda, you will find the beginning of My purposes in your life"!
As I process this truth, it occurs to me that I am such a control freak. Looking back over some of my life experiences, the arrows of pain and sorrow sent the message that I need to control life and insulate myself. Legalism pushed me into the place of rigid external controls.
Then, through the next volley of arrows to my heart, my agenda drove me to the opposite pole of libertine rebellion in an effort to find my own fix for the pain. As the complications of my rebellion took over, I sank deeper and deeper into the mire of a self serving agenda.
The Spirit knows and has come to lead me into all truth.
God, the Father has sovereignly orchestrated my life experiences. From an Eternal perspective, each life experience contains opportunities and is designed to perfect me, to groom me, to expose those qualities that are to be surrendered to Him for change so that I can come into the conforming image of Christ Jesus.
Self-reliance, self-defense, self-provision...all those "self" qualities of independence need to be changed in order for me to be the loyal servant and disciple of my Christ.
So, back to my wake-up call.
I believe those long hours of prayer were spent in unifying the Savior, who was contending in a flesh body, with the Father's heart and will. If we can remember the temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness, it was a deliberate attempt by Satan to get Him to depart from His original Divine Purpose; the reason God, the Father sent His only begotten Son into the World.
The enemy has a similar temptation for you and me. He uses our flesh (self) in an effort to cause us to depart from God's intended purpose for our life and follow another course. The Spirit calls me to surrender my self-serving agenda and come into unity with Him.
If I truly desire the Father's will and purpose for my life then all self-serving must end. Am I willing to exchange whatever represents my will and agenda and plan, for the greater plan and purpose that God has for me?
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
The Spirit, I believe, has been revealing some answers to that deep, deep question in my heart and mind.
This morning I woke up to the Spirit saying, "when you finally get to the end of your own agenda, you will find the beginning of My purposes in your life"!
As I process this truth, it occurs to me that I am such a control freak. Looking back over some of my life experiences, the arrows of pain and sorrow sent the message that I need to control life and insulate myself. Legalism pushed me into the place of rigid external controls.
Then, through the next volley of arrows to my heart, my agenda drove me to the opposite pole of libertine rebellion in an effort to find my own fix for the pain. As the complications of my rebellion took over, I sank deeper and deeper into the mire of a self serving agenda.
The Spirit knows and has come to lead me into all truth.
God, the Father has sovereignly orchestrated my life experiences. From an Eternal perspective, each life experience contains opportunities and is designed to perfect me, to groom me, to expose those qualities that are to be surrendered to Him for change so that I can come into the conforming image of Christ Jesus.
Self-reliance, self-defense, self-provision...all those "self" qualities of independence need to be changed in order for me to be the loyal servant and disciple of my Christ.
So, back to my wake-up call.
I believe those long hours of prayer were spent in unifying the Savior, who was contending in a flesh body, with the Father's heart and will. If we can remember the temptation Jesus faced in the wilderness, it was a deliberate attempt by Satan to get Him to depart from His original Divine Purpose; the reason God, the Father sent His only begotten Son into the World.
The enemy has a similar temptation for you and me. He uses our flesh (self) in an effort to cause us to depart from God's intended purpose for our life and follow another course. The Spirit calls me to surrender my self-serving agenda and come into unity with Him.
If I truly desire the Father's will and purpose for my life then all self-serving must end. Am I willing to exchange whatever represents my will and agenda and plan, for the greater plan and purpose that God has for me?
The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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