Guest Article

Slave to None - Servant to All

Once again, the apostle Paul comes in with a very powerful revelation from God the Father on how we should look at ourselves in respect to our relationship with God and Jesus and in our relationships with other people in our life.

There are two very powerful and profound verses from 1 Corinthians that are telling us that we have now been bought back at a price as a result of Jesus dying on the cross for all of us.

When you put these two verses together, one right next to the other as you would two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - the revelation comes through loud and clear from God the Father on exactly how we should be looking at our relationships with Him and the other people in our life. These two verses will tell us:

• Not to become slaves of men 

• That we are free from all men 

• We are to be servants to all

Put all of this together, and you can bottom line this revelation in one simple statement. We are to be a:

Slave to none and a Servant to all

Once you become saved and born again by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior - God and Jesus will now become your true Lord and Master in this life and the life to come. You no longer even belong to yourself - much less belong to anyone else in this life.

In the first two verses I will list below, Paul is telling us that we are not to become slaves to other men. He says that we have now been made free from all other men in this life. Yet at the same time, he tells us that we are to be a servant to them all so that we might win the more of them to God and Jesus.

What this is telling us is that we really have to keep this piece of revelation in proper perspective. Though no man or no woman owns us in this life, God will still want us to work very closely with Him in serving others in this life. What this means is that we will all have to try and work together in some type of unity and harmony with one another so that we can all accomplish what God wants us to get done in this life.

In some of the other verses I will list in this article, God is telling us that we are to be subject to rulers and governing authorities, that we are to obey those who rule over us, and that we are to submit ourselves to the ordinances of man for His sake.

What this means is that we are to honor and work with our bosses in the work place, with our political leaders in public office, with the president of our country, and with your parents if you are still under-age and still living at home with your parents.

The best way to look at this piece of revelation is like looking at a two sided coin. On the one side of the coin, you now belong to God and Jesus. You do not belong to any man, to any woman, to any country, to any political leader or to even yourself. God has bought you back at the price of His Son's death on the cross - and He, and He alone, is now your Lord and Master in this life and the new life to come.

As a result, God the Father will now be the One leading your life in the direction that He will want it to go in. He will now be the One to lead you to the jobs that He will want you to have in this life, to the missions He will want you to accomplish, to the people He will want you to help, to the spouse He will want you to marry and to the friends that He will want you to have in this life. Through the Holy Spirit, God the Father will perfectly lead you every step of the way with the perfect life that He now has planned out for you.

Neither you or anyone else in your life has the right and the authority to control and lead your life from the moment you become saved and born again and have fully surrendered yourself to God and His perfect will for your life.

That right and that authority now belongs to God the Father - and no one, I repeat, no one will usurp His authority in this area of your life. God now has total control over your life and He will now be the One calling all of the shots in your life. This right no longer belongs to you or anyone else in this life. Your divine destiny now belongs to God the Father.

However, there is now the flip side to this coin. Though God will be personally guiding you every step of the way with what He will be doing with your life - you are still going to have to work in unity and harmony with other people.

If God leads you to a specific job that He will want you to take, but you can't respect and subject yourself to those who will be in charge over you, then you are not going to be able to survive in that job, and as a result, you will have just taken yourself right off of a major step that God had just planned out for you and your life.

Some Christians have problems with taking orders from anyone, especially from those who are in some type of authority over them. They have very little respect for those in authority over them and they thus don't last very long in most of the jobs they take.

As a result, God is constantly having to go to plans B and C for them in order to try and help keep them afloat. As a result, they end up walking in more of God's permissive will for their lives rather than in God's perfect will because they keep walking right off of the steps that He keeps leading them to climb.

When it is all said and done, and their life is totally reviewed up in the Judgment Seat of Christ, they will be shown what more they could have accomplished in this life had they just learned to settle down and work in harmony and unity with some of the bosses and supervisors that God was initially leading them to work with in the first place.

Each step that God will lead you to climb in this life is a vital and important step as you climb up your personal ladder of success in Him. And in some of these steps are specific jobs God will be wanting you to take. And in these jobs, God will be expecting you to work in harmony and unity with your bosses and the other employees. God will want you to become a team player, even if things are not being run smoothly and efficiently in the day-to-day operation of the job.

Get yourself thrown off one or more of these particular steps because you could not work with those in authority over you - and you could get yourself thrown right out of God's call and God's best for your life. This is why it is so important that you get this particular piece of revelation firmly and solidly worked and planted into your mindset and way of thinking in this life. It could mean the difference as to whether or not you fully accomplish all of what God has in store for you in this life.

However, the reverse is also true on all of this. As you will see in one of the verses I will list below - God will also be looking at those who are in authority over you.

This verse says that masters are to give to their servants what is just and fair - knowing that they have a Master in heaven who will be watching over all that they do. This means that all bosses and all supervisors better be treating their fellow employees with respect, kindness and fairness in their dealings with them or they will have to answer to God Himself on their day of judgment with Him.

However, as we already know, not everyone who is in authority over you will be treating you fairly and justly. If this should happen to any of you, then you will need to go to God the Father in prayer and ask Him how you should handle the problem you may be having.

With many people operating out of their flesh in this life, many who are in positions of authority and power have let a lot of this power go to their heads. As a result, they have abused many of those who are working under them.

This kind of scenario happens across the board in just about every situation you can imagine. It can happen in any type of work environment, in families where one or both of the parents can start to either abuse one another or some of their children. It can happen in boyfriend-girlfriend relationships or even in best friend relationships.

Many of these relationships can deteriorate over time down to very dysfunctional levels. If or when this should ever happen to any of you - go to God the Father and ask Him how you are to handle this and whether or not it is time for you to cut the cords and break free from the relationship.

Sometimes God will ask you to stay a little while longer. Other times He will either ask you to leave or He will move in and make some type of change Himself to get you out from under someone else's demeaning dictatorship.

We have a perfect testimony of this in the Testimonies section of our website. The title of this testimony is " Battle Prayer Against an Adverse Situation at Work" In this testimony, a friend of mine's husband came under some severe abuse from a new boss that came to work for his company. He had been with the company for a long time and he was only 5 years away from being able to retire. He didn't want to quit, but he couldn't take for much longer the severe abuse his new boss was throwing at him.

My friend then went into the gap with God the Father behind the scenes - and God literally moved within a space of 12 hours to set this man completely free from this abusive boss he was working under.

When he went into work the next morning, one of the higher-ups called him in and told him that they were going to transfer him to another shift because they didn't want him leaving or getting fired from this new boss. Complete and total deliverance was given to this man within 12 hours after he had been under this man's abusive rule for about 6 months - all as a result of his wife going in the gap with God the Father behind the scenes for his deliverance!

If any of you have fallen into any kind of dysfunctional and abusive relationships with any of your parents, any of your spouses, any of your bosses or any of your friends - go to God the Father and ask Him how you should handle the problem.

You have now fallen into a battle situation and you will now need to get your orders direct from God on how to handle the situation. Though God wants us to be a servant to all - this does not mean you have to become a submissive doormat and punching bag for someone else's dysfunctional and psychotic behavior.

Many women are being physically abused by their boyfriends or husbands. Many young girls are being sexually abused by their fathers or someone who is close to their family. Many bosses are sexually harassing some of their female co-workers. This kind of abnormal and abusive behavior is totally unacceptable in God's eyes and He will help you to properly deal with it if you approach Him in prayer.

We have another testimony in the Testimonies section of our site of a married girl who was being severely physically abused by her husband. We showed her how to plead the Blood of Jesus against him and the physical abuse - and God moved in very quickly to completely stop all of the physical abuse she had been taking over the last year or two. The title of this testimony is " Pleading the Blood Against Physical Abuse"

However, on much smaller matters, there will be times that you will just have to turn your cheek and let the matter go. You are going to have to know when to engage and when to just let certain matters go as best as you can. But realize that God does have limits with His own patience, and He will move in with a very strong hand to get you delivered out of something if someone you know has started to get out of control with how they are interacting with you.

Now I will give you the specific verses from Scripture that deal with this very profound truth.

1. Slave to None - Servant to All

These first three verses will really hit the nail right on the head. They will specifically tell us that we are "not to become slaves of men" and that we are "free from all men" - but at the same time we are to be a servant to all so that we might win the more of them to God and Jesus.

These verses will also tell us that we are to remain with God and His calling on our lives. The last verse I will list makes an extremely profound statement when it says that we "are the Lord's" and as such, we are to "live to the Lord" and that we are to "die to the Lord." Bottom line - we belong to God and Jesus and we work and live for Them and Them alone in this life - and no one else!

These first three verses are major power verses. Here they are:

1. "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that calling in which he was called." (1 Corinthians 7:23)

2. "For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more ... " (1 Corinthians 9:19)

3. "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." (Romans 14:7)

   
   

In three very powerful verses, God the Father is giving us complete and full revelation on how we should be viewing this life in respect to our relationships with Him and with the other people in our life.

2. Be Subject to Rulers and Authorities

These next four verses will help keep the above three verses in proper perspective. Though God is telling us that we belong to Him and no one else in this life - we still have to be able to work in unity and harmony with other people and the only way we can do this, especially in the workplace, is that we have to be willing to be subject ourselves to those who will rule over us in some way.

These next set of verses will tell us that we have to be willing to be subject to rulers and authorities, to those who will rule over us in some way, and to every ordinance of man. These verses will tell us that this will be including Kings and Governors, which means the presidents and political leaders of our countries.

When the Bible says that we are to obey those who will rule over us - I believe God is telling us to respect and obey those who are in positions of leadership and authority in our lives such as our bosses, the CEO's of the company you may work for, the direct foremen or supervisors you may be reporting to and to any other leader of any other group or organization you may be working for.

Jesus did not try and overthrow the Roman government when He was walking down here on our earth - and unless God is leading you to dethrone a dictator who has got completely out of control with what is happening in your work place - God will expect you to do the best you can to get along with everyone else that you will work with and to obey all of the rules that your superiors would like you to abide by.

Here are 4 very good verses on this issue.

1. "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men." (Titus 3:1)

2. "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account." (Hebrews 13:17)

3. "Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men - as free, yet not using your liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king." (1 Peter 2:13)

4. "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves." (Romans 13:1)

The last verse gives us a very solemn warning when it says that we will have to answer to God on our day of judgment with Him if we have not sought to obey those in authority over us. It says that if we resist and disobey our leaders - then we are disobeying God Himself, since God is the One who will be deciding who gets these types of leadership positions in the first place.

These verses are also stressing the importance that we all try and get along with one another when it says we are to honor the king, to love the brotherhood, to honor all other people, to speak evil of no one and to learn how to be peaceable, gentle and showing humility to all men.

If more people could learn how to abide by some of these basic principles and truths - many of our workplaces could become much more fun and healthier to work in.

3. Masters - Treat Your Servants Just and Fair

Just as God the Father was targeting all of us who will be working under some type of rule from our bosses and supervisors in the above verses - these next two verses from the Lord will be targeting all of those who will be ruling over us.

God says that those who are in any type of leadership position over us should be making sure that they treat all of us just and fair. The words "just and fair" are two very intense words when you really look at how they apply in our workplaces. Many bosses, CEO's, foremen and supervisors are not treating a lot of their workers just and fair. They are playing favorites with certain people and running roughshod over others.

Many have let their positions of leadership and authority go to their heads. As a result, none of their fellow workers want anything more to do with them. From there, communication will start to shut down and productivity will eventually end up suffering as a result.

To all of you who are in supervisory positions in your jobs - grab a hold of what these next two verses are trying to tell you.

1. "Masters, give your servants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven." (Colossians 4:1)  

2. "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so." (Proverbs 3:27)

Notice the last part of the first verse when it says that you have a Master in heaven who is watching how you handle your position of leadership. If you are not treating your employees fairly and justly - then you will have to answer to God Almighty Himself on your day of judgment with Him.

Treat your employees like you yourself would want to be treated - with fairness, honesty, respect and kindness. If you do, then you will be loved by them and they will want to work harder for you. And if they will want to work harder and better for you, then you will end up becoming much more productive and profitable on your end of the job.

What goes around will eventually come around. Sow good seeds in your work environment and you eventually will reap a nice harvest. Sow bad seeds of arrogance, fear, and intimidation and you will eventually reap corruption, death and destruction.

Saddam Hussein is a perfect example of someone who ruled his people in every wrong way imaginable. He completely abused all of the power that was given to him and he ended up losing everything that took him years to build - and all of this was completely lost in a matter of days!

Satan, Hitler and all of the Saddam Husseins of this world have eventually fallen, and so will you if you are not treating your employees fairly, justly and honestly. Remember - God the Father is watching you very closely with how you treat all of those who are working under you!

Any type of leadership position given to you by God is a big promotion and a nice blessing. The Bible says that to whom much is given - much more will be expected. Don't lose sight of this big picture and what really matters the most at the end of your day and eventually at the end of your life. You will eventually be judged by God Himself with how you have handled your job and with what kind of working relationship you had established with all of those who had worked under you.

4. Submission in Your Marriage

For those of you who are married, this next verse will tell you how God wants you to interact with one another. In this verse, it says that wives are to submit to their husbands.

God says that the husband is the head of the wife. He then says that Jesus is the head of the church, and just as the church is supposed to be subject to Jesus, wives are to be subject to their husbands in the same way. God is thus giving us a chain of command that is operating in His kingdom.

However, just because God has told us that wives are supposed to be subject to their husbands does not give the husbands the right to abuse their wives. This verse ends with a very strong warning in that husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. In other words, you should love your wife as you would love yourself - which is part of the second greatest commandment in that you are to love one another as you would love yourself.

If you will love your wife in the way that God would really want you to love her - you will not be physically and/or verbally abusing her. You will treat her like the God-given treasure she really is. If your wife has been given to you by God - then you have been given one of the greatest blessings that God can bestow upon you in this life.

I know there are some Christians and other false religions that think that this gives them some type of spiritual right to be able to abuse and totally control their wives. But this view is wrong - and nothing will trigger the release of God's wrath and anger on you and your life than forcing Him to watch you verbally and physically beat your wife into complete and total submission to your will and your warped desires.

Behind closed doors in many marriages across this world you see this dysfunctional and psychotic behavior occurring with alarming frequency. The way some men treat and abuse their wives is a crime of the highest order in the eyes of God - and there will be hell to literally pay for some of them once they meet their Maker and they are forced to give an account of what they have done to their wives during the course of their married lives.

When God says for husbands to love their wives - He means for you to love them in a godly way - not in an obsessive and compulsive way where your only desire is to seek to bend them to your will and way of thinking.

Here is the verse from our Lord which really puts all of this in proper perspective.

"Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself." (Ephesians 5:22)

For many Christians, this verse has been a rather controversial one. But if every Christian man and every Christian woman would learn how to love and treat others in the godly way that God would like us to - then there would be no one getting out of balance with the way the Lord has worded this verse.

For those of you who would like a good article on learning how to love others in the way God would like you too, we have another article in our site titled "The Power of Love" In this article, I give you some of the key verses from the Bible on the kind of love that God would like to see all of us walk and live in.

Conclusion

If you can learn to put all of the revelation in the above verses in proper perspective with how you look at things in this life - then you will be going a long way in being able to be set yourself free from other people, from the fear of other people, and from the corrupt ways and ideas of this world.

Bottom line - you now belong to God and Jesus. They, and They alone, are now your Lord and Master in this life. You now work for Them, and Them alone.

Though you will have to work for and with others in the jobs you will be taking in this life - remember that you are really working for God the Father. He is the One that will be leading you to the jobs that He will be wanting you to take in this life. As a result, God will be your true Boss and your true Employer - not the company you actually work for.

If you can learn to look at things from this point of view, you will be less likely to body slam and throw fits and temper tantrums when things don't go the way you think they should.

Work in the jobs that God will lead you to work in. Be subject to and work with those who will be your direct bosses and supervisors. Try to get along as best as you can with the other people you will work with.

If you can learn do all of this - then God will be well pleased with you, and He will then promote you to the next level when it is your time to receive a new promotion or a new job from Him.

This basic principle also will apply to your social and family life. Do the best you can to keep the peace and live in harmony and unity with all of those around you and with all of those who live with you.

But remember the flip side to this coin. Though there are times that God will want you to let certain matters go and to turn the other cheek - watch out for those who will try to sink their claws into you to try to abnormally control you and your life.

The Bible tells us that we have to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves. There are some people out there that are just bad apples. They are masters at manipulating and controlling others for their own gain and profit. Be led by the Holy Spirit as to who you should hook up with and who you should stay away from in this life.

But if by chance you have fallen into the clutches of someone who is abnormally abusing or controlling you in any way - go to God the Father in prayer and really press into Him to get His advice and counsel on how you should handle this kind of predicament - especially if this person is a spouse, a close friend, another member of your family, or if it is someone that you actually work with.

We have quite a few dramatic testimonies in the Stories and Testimonies section of our website - all showing you how God can go into battle for you if you are willing to go on the offensive against whatever enemy or bad situation that may have come your way.

Per the article I did titled "Battle Verses of the Bible" - God the Father will go into battle for you if you have been caught in one of these more extreme, dysfunctional and unhealthy relationships with someone who you may know or work with.

The Bible tells us that our God is a powerful Man of War. He will not hesitate to go into battle to deliver you out of a bad situation if you have fallen into the evil clutches of someone who has chosen to live this life out of the dark desires of their flesh.

Remember - you are now a slave to none and a servant to all in your walk with the Lord. You now belong to your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He, and He alone, will be your Lord and Master in this life. This right does not belong to you or anyone else in your life - no matter what they may try and tell you with their distorted and warped way of thinking.

Michael Bradley Bible Teaching, Knowledge, Commentary and Over 150 Free Articles Copyright © 2005-2007 by Michael Bradley.

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><> We Christians are supposed to "forgive and forget", but how can we do that when we've been severely wronged? How to Handle Negative Feelings When Wronged by Someone Else explains the why's and how's of forgiving and forgetting so we can grow in Christ.

><> All for the Glory of God Ministries - Sharing needs, concerns and prayers. Free membership includes Bible study, free ads, and more.

><> Inspirational living online - Inspirational Living is a website designed to help people.

><> Bible Forums -Christian Message Board.

><> Miriam's Christian Family - Miriam's Christian Family is a website specially committed to serving Jesus Christ. It is a home where you can come and worship God in a family atmosphere. Come and join us to share in Christ's love. A Christian Family is heaven on earth. God bless.

><> Free Christian Prayer Support Website - Join others to strengthen your faith and pray for others in times of need.

><> Listen to the Old Testament and the New Testament Bible f.r.e.e online at: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_online_Bible.html

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The Bossy Church Lady's Newsletter For New Christians 12-06-2008 "From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. Acts 17:26-27(NIV) Warm Fuzzies Thank you to all of my subscribers, without you, the new Christian, this newsletter wouldn't exist. I would love to hear from you, but please do not hit reply to contact me because I won't receive your response. If you need to contact me you can email me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the spaces in the address). I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you want to share something with the other readers in a future issue of this newsletter--such as a testimonial, or a poem, devotional, a story that God has inspired you to write, or even if you want to advertise your own site-- you can send it to me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the spaces in the address). Your privacy is important to me; therefore, I will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe. If your e-mail program is blocking the pictures in this newsletter or if you would rather read this newsletter online, go to: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/backissues.html (The current newsletter is always at the top of the pages.) In This Issue ><> Hello, God… Are You There? by The Bossy Church Lady ><> Godliness With Contentment is Great Gain by Michael Bradley ><> Resources Hello, God… Are You There? Foreclosures, layoffs, businesses closing everywhere you look, bills keep right on coming, and now with Christmas just around the corner, it’s easy to let your mind become a swirling vortex of worries. If you’re facing hard times right now, you may be wondering why God is putting you through all of this. Times are tough for a lot of us right now. The one thing that’s guaranteed to make everything seem worse is to allow ourselves to compare ourselves to other people. Other people always seem to have more, they seem to be happier, they seem to make more money, they seem to be better looking, and on and on. But the most aggravating thing of all is that they seem to have what we want. Ahhhhhh!!! The biggest problem with wanting something that someone else has is that we’re being covetous. And when we’re covetous, or envious of someone else, we’re breaking the tenth commandment. Sure Jesus did away with the laws that were impossible to follow when He died on the cross, but do we want to make Him die in vain? When we refuse to be satisfied with what God is providing us with, we’re telling Him that we don’t think He’s doing a good enough job. Of course, I don’t know anyone who is big and bad enough to tell Him that to His face, I’m certainly not! But we sometimes say it loud and clear in other ways, especially when we want what we don’t have! Growing up, whenever I said I wished I had a nice new car or a bigger house like so and so did, my dad looked at me and asked, “Do you want their bills too?” Of course, I said no. You can apply that same question to almost anything. For instance, if you happen to be envious of someone that has the job you’ve been dying to have for so long that you can taste it, where their paychecks are so high that it’s unreal, ask yourself if you want the pressures that they face every day. I pray you’ll say no. Listen, I’ve been through some hard times myself: For years, I was a single parent fighting to make ends meet and put food on the table, I’ve had health problems that prevented me from working for a time, I’ve had two major car accidents with medical bills piling up while I fought to recover both times. The one thing I can say is that God has never let me do without; nor has He let anyone I know lack anything they needed. I didn’t have to drive the best car, be the best dressed, or live in the biggest house to have what I needed: God provided food, shelter, and anything else I truly needed abundantly. All I had to learn to do was be thankful and content with what I had. When you’re facing difficulties, the hardest thing in the world to do is remember that God has only what’s best for us in mind; the last thing He wants us to do is perish (Jeremiah 29:11). And God, knowing what circumstances would push us closer to Him, decided where and when we would be born, and under what circumstances that we would live our lives (Acts 17:25-27). Knowing that, we need to keep in mind that we don’t have to worry about anything because God’s got it all under control. When you look to God for everything, you automatically become thankful for whatever He provides. Bear in mind that though you can’t see Him, and He seems farther away when you’re trying to navigate through the kinks in the road, He is always with you. He is with you no matter where you are, no matter what you are going through, no matter what you will go through. If you are facing difficulties, you can go to God and tell Him all about your worries—He is your dad, after all. After that, treat yourself by letting go of your worries, knowing that God will take care of everything for you. And never worry: He will spread His wings so you and your loved ones will have the refuge you’re seeking. All you have to do is let Him wrap you in His cloak and keep you warm and safe while you bask in the love and attention that God longs to shower upon you, His child. You can use this in any publication as long as you leave the following byline intact: Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue, A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. Want to read more? Go to: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net where you'll find even more resources for new Christians. Guest Article Godliness With Contentment is Great Gain Once again, the apostle Paul comes in with a very powerful revelation that really has application for everyone in this day and age. This is another good mental principle and quality that each Christian should seek to get worked into their mindsets and way of thinking in this life. For those of you who live outside of the United States, my brother Chris and I live in the United States. We feel that our country is the most blessed country in this world as a result of our country being founded on the principles of true Christianity. Though we still have many problems with some of the things that are going on in our country, we still feel that God's hand is on this country and will continue to stay on it until the gospel has been preached to the rest of the world and the Rapture has occurred. As a result of being the most blessed country in the world, many in our country have fallen prey to the spirit of greed and materialism. I'm afraid with all of the material blessings bestowed upon our country by our Father, some of His children have become spoiled in the luxuries of this life, and now many of His own love the world more than they love Him. Money, power and material wealth has ruined many lives, not only in our country, but throughout the rest of the world as well. The Bible tells us that it is not the money itself that will corrupt and ruin a person and his life - it is the love and abnormal pursuit of that money that will ruin a person and his life. There is no question that any significant amount of money that may fall into your hands is an incredible initial high. Once any kind of significant money falls into your hands, the first thing that will come into your mind is what you can buy with all of this money. Your mind will go nuts with all of the material things you think you may really need and will want to buy with this money. Many people who have won big jackpots in some of our bigger lotteries have gone completely broke within 4-5 years. Millions of dollars were completely wasted on foolish purchases and unwise investments. People have killed one another over money. Many people have lost their marriages and good relationships with their friends and other family members over disputes over money and how to properly handle it. Money will change some people's personalities for the worse, making them forget where they have initially come from and who their real friends are in this life. Hollywood is littered with the casualties of what fame, money and power can do to someone if that amount of money and fame is not properly handled. Once again, the Word of God comes to our rescue as to how we should be looking at money and the material things of this life. God the Father has made sure that He put in the appropriate verses in His Word that will show us how we are to look at money and the material blessings that we can receive from Him in this life. God loves to bless His children with some of these types of material blessings - but what each Christian has to do is to keep all of this in proper perspective with the big picture and not let any of these material blessings draw us away from God and with what He wants to do with our lives. Many pastors and churches have been ruined with the sudden influx of money and then the improper management of that money. Everyone always starts out with the best of intentions, but somewhere along the line people just get stupid and out of control with large sums of money. Other churches have developed an unhealthy fear of losing whatever money they already have flowing through their churches. I believe that some of these churches have gone too far to the seeker-sensitive side in their sermons and messages for fear of losing money from some of the flock that they might offend if they preach all sides of God's Word. The fear of losing money is driving them as to what they should preach about on Sundays instead of being guided and led by the Holy Spirit as to what they should be preaching about. As a result, some of our churches are out of balance with some of their teachings and they are withholding some very valuable knowledge that their flocks are needing to hear from God's Word. If God is calling you and anointing you to build and pastor a church - then trust and have faith in God that He will keep you properly funded and supported. Don't let the fear of man and the fear of losing money from your flock keep you from preaching and teaching what God wants you to preach about on a weekly basis. If God can't properly support you in the running of your church - then there is something wrong with your situation and you need to get with God to find out exactly what some of the problems and barriers are that is preventing you from receiving the right amount of money to keep you afloat.  Per the article I just did titled "Be Anxious For Nothing" - I listed a verse in this article that tells us that we are to first seek after the kingdom of God - and if we do, then everything else that we will need to survive and function in this world will be given to us by God the Father. However, once God does start to release some of these material blessings into your life, you really have to work to stay on top of this part of your game with Him and not let any of this money, wealth and material possessions go to your head and start to pull you away from Him and what He wants to do with your life. You always have to remember where all of this money is coming from in the first place. All of this money is coming directly from God. It is not coming from yourself or from the world in general, even though the rest of the world will try and tell you otherwise. Stay humble with whatever blessings God will bestow upon you as a result of the good works that you have already done for Him to-date. Once you really enter into a full surrender with the Lord where you are now seeking Him and His perfect will for your life, then sooner or later some of the money and material blessings from God will start to be released into your life. And once this starts to happen, you are really going to have to ground on the types of verses I will list in this article. The apostle Paul once more very beautifully puts everything in proper perspective in the way that he has worded several of the verses in this article. In the verses I will list below, he says that: Godliness with contentment is great gain To be content in whatever state you may be in To be content with the things you already have For many in our money-hungry society, these particular qualities are not operating in their lives and mindsets. They can't be content with the things they already have because they can't stop thinking of what they are going to buy next. No matter what they buy or how much they buy, it never seems to satisfy or fulfill them - so they are always on the lookout for that new toy, that new investment or that new purchase. As a result of always wanting bigger and better things, these types of people have a hard time in being content with whatever state they are already in since they are never satisfied with what they already do have. As a result, they live in a lot of mental turmoil and they end up being totally miserable with all of their wealth and possessions. Hollywood is living proof that money, power and material wealth will not buy you true happiness and fulfillment in this life. As Christians, we already know that the key and secret to being able to find true inner happiness is by establishing a close, intimate, personal relationship with the Lord. Once you really start to walk in the Holy Spirit and start to draw much closer to God in your own personal relationship with Him - you will find a very funny thing starting to occur in your life. You will find that your love and desire for money and material possessions will start to wane and lessen. All of sudden your new house, your new car, your new wardrobe, and all of those new toys just do not seem to matter much to you anymore. The initial infatuation with some of these bigger material possessions seems to want to fade. You stop wanting to think about the next new thing you could buy. All of sudden, you start to become very content with what you already have. You start to see how blessed you already are in the Lord, and your desire for wanting bigger and better things seems to want to wane. You start to realize what is most important in your life and where you should be setting your priorities at in this life. As you start to draw closer to the Lord in your own personal relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will start to illuminate your mind as to what is most important in this life. Once this starts to happen - He will start to draw you closer to God and further away from material things. The closer you start to draw to the Lord in this life, the further away you will start to get from the ways and material possessions of this world - especially in the obsessive and abnormal pursuits of money, power and fame. Once all of this starts to occur, then you will able to live and dwell in the states that Paul is talking about in these verses. You will then start to become more content with the material possessions you already have. You will start to become more content with whatever state you may be currently in as you realize that your happiness and state of well-being is founded and rooted in your personal relationship God and Jesus - not with the material possessions you already have in your life. You start to realize that drawing closer to God and seeking after His perfect will for your life is more important than anything else you could desire or seek after in this life. Once the Holy Spirit starts to open up your eyes - you begin to see what should really matter the most in this life. If you could sum up the three most important things that you should be seeking after in this life, I think you could sum it up in these three types of pursuits: Seeking to establish a close, intimate, personal relationship with the Lord Seeking to establish close, intimate, personal relationships with your family and friends Seeking to do and accomplish the perfect will of God for your life If you start seeking after God, family and friends to deepen and better your personal relationships with each one of them - and then top it off by seeking to do and accomplish whatever God wants you to do for Him on a daily basis - then the lure and desire for money and material possessions will start to wane and they will no longer rule your life. Jesus could not have put it any better when He said that you could not serve both God and mammon in the parable of the Unjust Steward. The word "mammon" in this parable means wealth and riches. This is why Jesus also said that it is harder for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The abnormal love of money, and the abnormal and obsessive pursuit of trying to acquire more of that money, is what has led so many people to total ruination. This is why these specific verses from the apostle Paul are so important for each and every Christian to really grab a hold of and burn into your memory banks, so that you do not forget what is most important in this life and where you should be setting your priorities at in this life. When you really study the wording in these three verses, the Bible is once again putting everything in proper perspective in relation to the big picture and how we should be looking at this life and what our goals and aspirations should be centered on. Bottom line - all of the money, all of the material possessions, all of the power, all of the titles, awards, plaques and trophies you may have acquired in this life will not be going with you to the other side when you die and cross over to enter into heaven. The only three things that you will be taking with you when you cross over to be with the Lord is the personal relationship that you have established with Him down here on this earth, the personal relationships that you have established with your saved loved ones, and all of the accomplishments, works and fruit that you have achieved for God while doing His perfect will for your life. Jesus says that you will be rewarded for your works and labors that you do for Him while down here on this earth. Works will not get you into heaven, as you can only be saved by His grace through your faith, but any works, fruits and accomplishments that you achieve for God in this life will be appropriately rewarded once you enter into heaven. However, nothing else will cross over. I repeat, nothing else will be crossing over with you once you enter into heaven. They will all be left in the dust to rot and perish away. That big house, that nice new car, all of those beautiful clothes and all of the money you may have stored up in your retirement accounts will not be going with you. No suitcases will be needed when you get ready to cross over to meet your Lord and Savior. Paul saw all of this very clearly, and this was why he was able to word the following verses so eloquently and so perfectly. I'll go ahead and put each one of these verses under three separate captions and point out certain key words and phrases so you can get these words of knowledge and wisdom ingrained and imparted into your storehouse of knowledge that you are building up in the Lord. 1. Be Content With Such Things As You Have This first verse from Hebrews really hones in on learning how to be content with such things as you already have. The key word in this verse is the word "things." I believe God is targeting our material possessions and things with the way He has worded this specific verse. Here it is: "Let your conduct be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have." (Hebrews 13:5) Notice this verse links the word "things" in with the phrase of letting your conduct be without covetousness - which means not wanting or desiring what other people may have by way of material possessions and goods that you may not have. When you start seeking after God and His perfect will for your life, then God will start to bring in the material things you will need to walk and operate in your calls and divine assignments for Him. I believe God is trying to tell all of us to learn how to be content and happy with whatever He does bring in your life and not moan and complain with what He does not bring into your life. Though we are all equal in the eyes of God, we are not all equal in the way material goods and possessions are distributed out in this life. Some people will make and get more money than others will. Some people will live in the bigger and fancier houses. This is why God is starting off the above verse by stating that you are not to covet what other people may have that you don't have. Remember - what your neighbor may have that you don't have will not be going with him when he dies and crosses over. 2. Be Content In Whatever State You Are In In this next verse, the apostle Paul takes it one step further. In addition to learning how to be content with whatever material goods and possessions you may already have in the Lord - Paul is now stating that we must also learn how to be content with whatever state we may find ourselves in. For many in the type of world we live in today, this one is really a hard one to get worked into your mindset and way of thinking. Many people are constantly complaining about their current lot and state of affairs. They are always looking for that better and bigger thing, that new romance, that new job, that new friend, that new thrill, that new promotion, etc. These types of people have never learned how to stop and enjoy what they already do have. They have not appreciated what God has already done for them. They are always looking out at the horizon wondering when things are going to get better for them. Granted, God wants us to continue to grow in His knowledge, grace and power. And in that growth process there will be new advances, new things, new adventures, new opportunities and new promotions that will occur during the course of our lives. But we even have to keep all of this in proper balance and perspective. If we are always concentrating and focusing on what God may do for us in our futures - we will never be able to fully enjoy what He has just done for us in our present. Paul was really able to see and grasp this piece of revelation from the Lord. He found a major spiritual secret in being able to find true inner peace and happiness in the Lord in this life - and that spiritual secret is learning how to be content and happy in whatever state and level you may be at with God right now in your present set of circumstances. If you can't find happiness, joy, peace and contentment in the Lord with what He has already done for you in your present - then you will probably not be able to find it in whatever He will want to do for you in your future since you will always be looking for that next big thing that you think will make you happy, content and fulfilled. Then when God does bring you up into the next level with the next round of rewards - you are once again looking off to your future wondering what God can do for you next instead of living in and enjoying your present. This is why Jesus says that we are not to worry about tomorrow and what tomorrow may bring. If we are always looking off onto tomorrow and what tomorrow may bring - we will never be able to fully appreciate and live with what we already have today. Here is this most profound verse: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:11) Notice Paul says that he has learned to be content in "whatever state" he is currently in. He then further expounds on this by saying that he has learned how to be content when things are going good and when things are going bad. He also says he is content no matter where he is at. In other words, Paul is covering the entire board on this issue. He has learned the secret to being content and happy in the Lord requires that you learn to be content no matter what your present set of circumstances may be. The word "abased" in the above verse means to be degraded or humiliated - to be lowered or brought down. He is covering one end of the spectrum to the other when he says that he has learned to be content when things may be at their lowest levels in his life and when things may be at their highest level when he uses the words "abound" and "full." In other words, he has learned how to be content whether he is abounding or abasing. Material things don't mean much to God. Your happiness and contentment in this life is found directly in the quality of your personal relationship with God and Jesus. The better the quality of your personal relationship with God and Jesus, the more happy and content you will find yourself becoming in this life. It really is that simple - and Paul found that secret out very early on in his walk with the Lord. Paul then ends this verse by stating that he can do all things because Jesus can give him His strength to weather any storm cloud or adversity that could come his way. This was probably another reason why Paul was able to find this secret in being able to be content in the Lord no matter what his present set of circumstances were. Even in the middle of the worse type of storm cloud imaginable, Paul found out that the Lord was always there to help him weather and get through any storm cloud that life or the devil could throw his way. And boy, did this guy have to go through some severe storm clouds in his life. He is perfect living proof that you can go through some real severe adversity in your life, and yet still keep your head and act together in the Lord. If Paul made it through some of the severe trials and tribulations that he personally encountered in his life, then all of us can make it through whatever storm clouds we may have to face in this life. This one verse from Paul is loaded with major revelation. Study and meditate on this particular verse, and get these spiritual secrets worked and imparted into your mindset and way of thinking so you can learn to get them implemented into your personal walk with the Lord. 3. Godliness With Contentment is Great Gain This last verse from Paul really puts the icing on this entire cake. In addition to learning how to be content with whatever things we may already have and in whatever state we may be in - Paul now adds one more factor to this equation. He adds that we are to walk in "godliness" in addition to learning how to be content. In one simple sentence - he puts all of it together in the following verse and says that "godliness with contentment is great gain." This phrase is so catchy, I decided to title this article with this one specific phrase. The word "godliness" in some of the different Bible dictionaries is defined as: Holy living An attitude and style of life that acknowledges God's claims on human life and seeks to live in accordance with God' s will To be devout, reverence to God manifested in actions Someone who is godly has godly character, traits and qualities built up into his or her personality. What Paul is trying to tell us in this one powerful sentence is that it is a great thing and a great gain if you can learn how to be content with whatever you may have, with whatever you may get, with whatever state or current situation you may be in - and then to walk out this state of contentment with godly character and godly qualities manifesting through your personality. Learning how to be godly in your walk with the Lord is once again all part of the sanctification process that God would like to start with each one us. As God starts the process to transform you into the express image of His Son Jesus, then you won't be able to help but to become more godly in your walk with Him. Here is the verse. Notice the comments Paul makes about those who are not godly and some of the fleshly things that these kinds of people are operating in. "If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness." (1 Timothy 6: 3-11) This entire verse is a real mouthful! Notice Paul makes two specific comments about money and wealth in general. He says that the love of money, not the money itself, is the root of all kinds of evil - and then he says that those who are always trying to become rich in this life fall into a bad temptation and snare which will end up drowning them in destruction and perdition. These are some very harsh and strong words! This verse will line up with what Jesus has said in that it is harder for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Paul even makes the charge that the love of money has caused some to stray from their faith in God. Is he saying that some can lose their salvation over this issue with God? It is very interesting in this verse that Paul is comparing learning to be content with what we already have with those who are constantly pursuing the money and wealth of this world. He ends this most powerful verse by telling us that we should all be pursuing godly things in our walks with the Lord such as building up godly character and building up our levels of faith, love, patience and gentleness in the Lord. Then right in the middle of this verse he really puts everything in proper perspective when he points out that we have brought nothing into this world and we will carry nothing out of it when we die and cross over. Again - no suitcases will need to be packed on our deathbeds. Conclusion When you put all three of these verses together, one right next to the other, the revelation from God the Father on what is most important in this life comes through loud and clear. If you have fully surrendered your entire being and your entire life into the hands of God the Father - then God will start to lead you down the path that He will want you to follow in this life. And once you start to tread down that path, God will then make sure to bring you every single little thing you will need to walk out your call for Him in this life. If you are walking in the perfect will of God in your life - then you are seeking after the kingdom of God. And Jesus has already told us that those who will seek after His kingdom will be given everything they will need to be able to live, work and function in this life. In this "everything" God will be giving you will be all of the money, wealth, material possessions, favor, people, friends and marriage mates you will need so that you can maximize your talents and abilities for the Lord in whatever He will be calling you to do for Him in this life. However, as many as you already know, many of these extra goodies are not given to you all at one time. Many of God's blessings are gradually released into the course of your life over a certain period of time. As a result of the way God will work some of His people in this area, many of them will get frustrated, anxious and impatient waiting for the bigger and better blessings to come into their lives. When this happens, you really have to ground on the types of verses stated in this article. You have to keep on top of what the big picture is all about and keep everything in proper perspective. If you don't, the frustration, impatience and anxiety of waiting for all of this to manifest in your life could get you knocked right out of your call in the Lord if you decide to throw in the towel and start trying to do things your own way. These three verses should be major foundational verses each and every Christian should burn into their memory banks and seek to implement into their way of thinking and living in this life. This is what you call "big picture" revelation. This is major revelation on how we should all be looking at the big picture. There is only one way to look at this life - and that is through the eyes of God Himself. You have to see things the way God sees them. If you try and see things through the eyes of this world or through the eyes of other people - you will never see things clearly and in truth. The apostle Paul was given a major spiritual truth from God the Father with the way that he has worded two of these verses. Bottom line - learn to be content with whatever God has given you and with whatever state you are currently in - and seek to continue to walk as a godly man and a godly woman in the ways of our Lord. If you do - then you will be able to find true inner peace, contentment, joy and happiness in the Lord and it can all be given to you right where you are standing at right now. As Jesus has already told us - do not worry about tomorrow or what tomorrow may or may not bring, for sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Paul found this secret out very early on in his walk with the Lord - and so can you if you work to get these powerful truths transmitted and imparted into your way of thinking and living in this life. Michael Bradley Bible Teaching, Knowledge, Commentary and Over 150 Free Articles Copyright © 2005-2007 by Michael Bradley. Bible Trivia Give your noodle a workout with a new Bible trivia question every day: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_Bible_trivia.html Resources I'm always delighted to present each new resource that I find because it's my hope that every one that I include in my newsletters will help you grow in Christ. If you know of any resources that you would like to share with the other readers, feel free to write to me and let me know about it so I can include it in the newsletters. ><> We Christians are supposed to "forgive and forget", but how can we do that when we've been severely wronged? How to Handle Negative Feelings When Wronged by Someone Else explains the why's and how's of forgiving and forgetting so we can grow in Christ. ><> All for the Glory of God Ministries - Sharing needs, concerns and prayers. 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Give it away to your friends! Get the book in PDF Format Get the book in MS WORD Format-Printer Friendly Version Hurry! Send This Newsletter To a Friend! ><> Babe in Christ? Seeking answers about God? The Bossy Church Lady's website is packed with inspirational articles, tools, resources and scriptures that will answer your questions about Jesus. http://www.thebossychurchlady.net ><> Get a f.r.e.e e-book that will take you by the hand and explain everything you need to know about the end times! If you're a webmaster, snag the book and give it away to your visitors! The Bossy Church Lady's Take On The End Times Until next time... Love The Bossy Church Lady To unsubscribe, go to http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/goodbye.html, enter your email address in the form and click the unsubscribe button or use the link at the very bottom of this letter to unsubscribe. The Bossy Church Lady 9400 Elm Ct. Denver, CO 80260 Return To The Top Of The Page The Bossy Church Lady's Newsletter For New Christians 11-22-2008 "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." John 9:1-3 (KJV) Warm Fuzzies Thank you to all of my subscribers, without you, the new Christian, this newsletter wouldn't exist. I would love to hear from you, but please do not hit reply to contact me because I won't receive your response. If you need to contact me you can email me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the spaces in the address). I'd love to hear what you think! And, if you want to share something with the other readers in a future issue of this newsletter--such as a testimonial, or a poem, devotional, a story that God has inspired you to write, or even if you want to advertise your own site-- you can send it to me at sandra @ thebossychurchlady.net (without the spaces in the address). Your privacy is important to me; therefore, I will not sell, rent, or give your name or address to anyone. At any point, you can select the link at the bottom of every email to unsubscribe. If your e-mail program is blocking the pictures in this newsletter or if you would rather read this newsletter online, go to: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/backissues.html (The current newsletter is always at the top of the pages.) In This Issue ><> And By Faith He Still Speaks by The Bossy Church Lady ><> Be Anxious For Nothing by Michael Bradley ><> Resources And By Faith He Still Speaks “By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.” Hebrews 11:4 (NIV) Now that’s some potent faith! Even though Abel has been dead for a very long time, his unyielding, unwavering faith still speaks volumes to us this very day. His life gives us an excellent example of how we are to demonstrate our faith in God. When we meet someone, we always affect him or her somehow. We leave some sort of lasting impression on him or her, good or bad. Likewise, that person leaves an impression upon us. Think about what happens when something touches the surface of a pond: Upon being touched, the waves ripple outward from the point of disturbance. Faith is a very powerful force. Faith has the power to do the same thing; it ripples outward, it has the power to grow exponentially because it’s infectious. People are always watching for your reaction and listening to what you say whenever something happens in your life. If you act fearful of the future or do anything else that would demonstrate that you might not have the faith that you profess with your mouth, people will see it. In the same way, if you place all of your hope and faith in the Lord and the fact that He is in control, they’ll see that too. We don’t have to be rich or famous to leave a legacy of faith, we just have to have the guts to trust God enough to live by our faith in Him. Long after you’re dead, your faith can still touch hearts; touch lives for Christ. Like Abel, you can leave a legacy of belief, being certain of God’s love, never doubting Him or His Word, but you have to have unwavering faith in order to accomplish this. Chapter 11 in Hebrews mentions several other people who believed God’s promises even though they never saw them come to fruition. Do you have that much faith in the Lord? I hope so. You can use this in any publication as long as you leave the following byline intact: Copyright 2008 Sandra Purdue, A.K.A. The Bossy Church Lady. Want to read more? Go to: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net where you'll find even more resources for new Christians. Guest Article Be Anxious For Nothing This article will follow the last one I just did under the Sanctification Section titled "Letting Go of Your Past" In that article, I showed you the extreme importance that each Christian learn how to fully let go of their past if any part of your past is affecting your ability to walk and fly into the call of God for your life. As Jesus and the apostle Paul said in the two Scripture verses that I gave you in that article - no one who keeps looking back and dwelling on their past is fit for the kingdom of God. Paul says that we have to forget those things which are now behind us and move and press forward into those things which now lie ahead of us. As I stated in that article, God will give each person a reasonable amount of time to clean up some of the loose ends from their past. He will give you a reasonable amount of time to get an inner healing from Him on all of the hurts and pains that you have may have experienced from certain situations or from other people. God will show you the truth on many of the matters from your past so that His truth can start to work to set you free from any chains that may be still holding you captive to your past. But once God has sufficiently dealt with everything from your past that He wants to deal with - then you will need to turn around, let your past go, and start to walk and fly into the divine destiny that He has set up for you to follow in this life. In other words - you will have to get back living in your present again and start walking forward into the new life that God has now set out before you. Once this has occurred, you will now be ready to start to work very closely with the Holy Spirit as you start to move and fly forward into your divine destiny for the Lord. The Holy Spirit will now let you know what specific qualities He will want to try and work into your mind, soul and personality. This article, and the additional articles to follow in this Sanctification Section, will let you know some of the the basic qualities that you will need to get worked into your mindset and how you think about things. As I said in my article "You Are What You Think" - what you think about and dwell on in this life will make or break you in this sanctification realm with the Lord. You simply have got to learn what kinds of things you are to think about and focus on in order to really be able to fly as a powerful and anointed eagle of God. In this article, I will give you a very powerful mental principle that God the Father would like to get worked into your mindset and way of thinking. This mental principle is once again coming from Jesus and the apostle Paul. In the three Scripture verses I will give you in this article, Jesus is telling us that we are to: Be anxious for nothing  That we are not to have an anxious mind  That we are not to worry about our lives and what will happen tomorrow I remember when I first saw these verses, I wondered how anyone could learn to be anxious for nothing with all of the bad things that could hit anyone of us at anytime. How can you be anxious for nothing when:   You have just lost your job and you will now have to find another one You have just come out of a messy and painful divorce and you will now have to start all over again Your spouse has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and they only have 6 months to live You have just caught your spouse cheating on you You just found out that you son or daughter has become highly addicted to crack cocaine or meth You have just become the victim of a crime such as a rape, robbery or an assault I could go on and on with all of the adverse things that could hit anyone of us at anytime with the full force of a hurricane. As a result of the curse of Adam and Eve that is still in full operation on this earth, we are all stuck with having to battle various types of storm clouds from time to time. And for some, these storm clouds will be downright nasty, vicious and traumatic. Every minute of everyday someone is getting knocked straight to the ground with a vicious torpedo shot. How can anyone learn to be anxious for nothing in the way Jesus would really like from us in the sea of uncertainty that we are all forced to live and swim in - never knowing what is going to happen to us two minutes from now, much less what is going to happen tomorrow or the next day? I will first start out by giving you the three verses from Scripture where Jesus is telling us that this is something that He would really like all of us to learn how to do. I will then end this article with some comments on how we can possibly learn how to get this type of right thinking worked into our mindset and way of thinking - even if we are forced to have to deal with a major storm cloud. 1. Be Anxious For Nothing This first verse from the apostle Paul really sets the stage on this specific mental principle. Here it is: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6) Paul gives us a major revelation in this verse with how we can be anxious for nothing with the words that come after he initially makes this statement. Notice he says that we are to make all of our requests known to God in prayer - and if we do, then the peace of God can enter into us to guard our hearts and minds through Jesus. In other words, if you have been hit by a severe storm cloud - go to God the Father in prayer and tell Him exactly what you will need to handle the problem. If you do, then God will hear your prayer loud and clear, and He will then move to start to help you handle the storm cloud. Once you know that God is now on the job to help you take care of this severe storm cloud - then the peace of God will start to flow into your thinking and into your emotions because you know that God will now help you solve the problem or crisis you are now facing. This is why Paul is using the words that the "peace of God, which surpasses all understanding" will now enter into you to guard your heart and mind from getting all worked up and out of control. Once you go to God the Father in prayer to ask for His help to handle a serious problem or situation, then His peace will be able to start to flow into you. And once His peace starts to flow into you, then you will feel His peace starting to calm you down - even right in the middle of the worse kind of storm cloud you could imagine yourself falling into. I have heard testimony after testimony of people who have fallen into the worse kinds of storm clouds you could possibly imagine - and then all of sudden they would feel the peace of God come into them after they had prayed and committed the problem into the hands of God. They had no idea how long it would take for God to resolve the problem. They had no idea as to how God was going to handle the problem. All they knew was that God had heard their prayer and that He would now handle the problem for them. Once this fact was really grabbed by their minds and their spirits, then the peace of God was able to enter into them. And once the peace of God entered into them, they were then able to calm down and be anxious for nothing - exactly like what this verse is telling us to learn how to do. This verse is telling us that the peace of God will actually "guard" our hearts and our minds. To guard means to protect. What this means is that the peace of God can help you be anxious for nothing. Once you feel the peace of God come into your mind, into your thinking and into your emotions - then you won't be able to help but feel anxious for nothing - even right in the middle of a severe storm cloud. So in one powerful and profound verse, God is telling us to be anxious for nothing - but at the same time He is telling us exactly how to be able to do this - and that is by going to Him in prayer and telling Him exactly what you will need to handle the problem, and then fully commit and surrender the problem into His hands for His handling. Once you have fully surrendered the problem into His hands, then God will release His peace into your mind and emotions so He can calm you down and help you to be able to be anxious for nothing. 2. Do Not Have An Anxious Mind This next verse will perfectly connect to the above verse from Paul. This next verse is coming direct from Jesus Himself. Here is what He has to say about learning how to remain more calm in how we look at things in this life and not to have an anxious mind. "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." (Luke 12:29) This verse is a major power verse! This verse really puts everything into proper perspective in how we should view this life and what we should all be striving for and seeking after in this life. Notice that Jesus is specifically telling us that we are not to be anxious about the basic necessities of our life. Without food or water, we will literally die. Our bodies cannot go very long without proper nourishment. Yet Jesus is telling us not to worry about these basic things. The key words in this verse is the last sentence where Jesus tells us to concentrate and focus on seeking after the kingdom of God. If we do, then God the Father will make sure to add all of the basic things that we will need to survive and live in this world. Seeking after the kingdom of God means that you are seek directly after God Himself in order to establish a good personal relationship with Him - and then seek after His perfect plan and destiny for your life. If you make God #1 in your life by seeking after Him and His perfect plan and destiny for your life - then God will make sure that you have every little thing you will need to perfectly walk out your call for Him. In this support that you will be getting from the Lord will be all of the money that you will ever need to accomplish His perfect will for your life, all of the good people and friends you will need, all of the favor you will need so that certain doors and opportunities can open up for you to take you to the next step, and the wife or husband you will need to walk and share the journey with if it is in His perfect will that you get married in this life. This verse from Jesus should be burned into every believer's memory bank - as it perfectly sets the stage as to what is most important in this life and shows us exactly what we should be striving for and seeking after. This verse shows us that our top priority has to be with God and with what He wants to do with our lives. If we make the Lord and His perfect will for our life our top priority and goal in this life, then God will give us everything else we will ever need to be able to live and work for Him in this life. Notice Jesus says that "all" these things will be added to us if we seek after His kingdom as our #1 priority. The word "all" is a maximum intense word. The word "all" means that God will give us everything we will need to live and work for Him - not just some or part of what we will need! Many Christians are not getting some of their basic needs met because they are in violation of this basic principle. God is not #1 in their life. They are not seeking after God to get to know Him better. They have not entered into a true personal relationship with Him. They have not fully surrendered their lives into His hands so that He can place them into His perfect plan and destiny for their lives. Notice Jesus starts the last sentence out with the word "but." But first seek the kingdom of God - and then all of the basic things you will need in this life will be given to you. Once you fully understand this basic principle and get it properly implemented into your life - then you will no longer have an anxious mind since you will now know that God has your life fully and soundly in the palms of His hands and that He will now be working everything out for His and your own good. 3. Do Not Worry About Your Life This last verse will perfectly wrap up what the above two verses are trying to tell you. If you no longer have need of having an anxious mind because you are now seeking after God and His perfect will for your life, then this means that you can now take the last and final step - and that is to not to worry about your life and the direction it is now going since God is now in total control of your life. God is now the captain of your ship. God is now at the helm of your ship, and He will now be the One to direct your life in the direction that He will want it to go in. Once you fully grasp this revelation, then you will no longer need to worry about your life and have an anxious mind - because you now know that God has everything in good stead with how He will be working and handling your life. The burden and stress of trying to figure everything out has now been taken off of your back. God will now be leading you into the specific jobs He will want you to have in this life. He will now be leading you to the spouse He will want you to marry if it is in His perfect will that you marry in this life. He will now lead you to the friends that He will want you to have in this life. Too many Christians are still trying to work out all of the above issues out of their own flesh and out of their own intelligence. As a result, they end up marrying the wrong people, end up taking the wrong jobs, and end up hooking up with the wrong friends. By the time they reach their mid-life: Their house of cards all of a sudden comes crashing down on them. Their marriages end up in divorce. They either lose their jobs or feel totally unfulfilled in the jobs they are working. They all of sudden realize they have been following their own path in this life instead of the path that God would have liked to set them up on. If you will follow God and His perfect plan for your life - then much, if not all of the stress, anxiety and burden can be lifted from your life. As a result, you can then learn how to be anxious for nothing and learn how to relax and enjoy this life with much more vigor and vitality in the way that God would really like. Study this next verse very carefully with what Jesus is trying to tell you. This verse is loaded with major revelation. "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34) Jesus could not have put it more perfectly than by the way He has worded this longer verse. He gives 3 major analogies with the birds, the grass and the lilies of the fields. All three of these are being perfectly held up and supported by God the Father. And if God the Father is upholding and keeping these three perfectly alive, then He will do the same for each and everyone of us since we are obviously of much more value to Him than they are. If you can really grab a hold of this principle and get it worked into your mindset and way of thinking, then you can achieve what the last part of this verse is trying to tell you to do - and that is to not worry about your life and what tomorrow may bring because you now know that God has every little detail of your life held perfectly in His hands. Conclusion When you put all three of the above verses right next to one another - you are receiving a major revelation from God the Father. This revelation is that it is possible to learn how to be anxious for nothing and how not to be overly worrying about anything and everything in this life. When it comes right down to it, you have very little control over much of what happens in your life. You can't control: The weather You can't control other people You can't control the outcome of certain events  You can't control unforeseen events that will happen in your life When you get right down to it, you have little or no control over most of what happens in your life since you don't know what is going to happen to you in the next two minutes, much less what is going to happen to you in the next day or two. This leaves you with either one of two choices. You can either learn to fully trust God with every aspect of your life and learn how to be anxious for nothing because you know everything is totally in His hands down to the very smallest detail of your life - or you can choose to worry about anything and everything driving you and everyone else around you crazy. As I said in some of my other articles, we all have to go through various trials and tribulations in this life as the result of the curse of Adam and Eve that is still in full operation on this earth. And until Jesus comes back to set up His Millennium Kingdom, we are all going to have to put up with certain amount of evil from demons and bad and evil people who will choose to live this life on the dark side. So how can we really be anxious for nothing when hit by one of these heavier storm clouds as mentioned at the top of this article? The apostle Paul gives us the answer in the first verse I mentioned above. No matter how severe and how bad this storm cloud may be - God, through prayer, can still bring healing, deliverance or a solution to any problem or crisis - no matter how hopeless the situation may look to you in the natural. If you have just lost your job, God can lead you to the next job, and this next job may end up being better than the one you have just lost. If you have just gone through a messy and painful divorce and you feel like your life has been totally ruined and you have no where else to go - God can now take over, bring you up out of it, and give you a whole new life with a brand new start. If you have found that one of your children has become addicted to one of the more heavier drugs - you can go into the gap with the Lord and pray that He move to reach and bring your child out of that addiction. If you have been the victim of some type of crime, God can give you the grace and the ability to be able to forgive those who have wronged you, and then help you sort out and clean up whatever may have occurred as a result of the crime. The only possible way you can learn how to be anxious for nothing in this life is to learn how to totally trust God with every aspect of your life - and then totally trust Him to help you handle any type of storm cloud that may come your way - no matter how big or how severe that storm cloud may be. The Bible says that with God nothing is impossible. If you can learn how to fully trust God with every aspect and every detail of your life - then the Holy Spirit will start to release His fruit of peace as one of His 9 fruits right up into the middle of your personality. And once God starts to release His supernatural peace up into your mind and emotions through the Holy Spirit - then you can learn how to be anxious for nothing and not let all of the stress and worry of this life eat you up alive and steal all of your joy and peace that you have in the Lord. For many, this basic mental principle of learning how to be anxious for nothing is a tough one to learn how to really get worked into your mind and emotions in the type of world we live in today. We live in a very fast-paced, high stress, dog-eat-dog type of world. Unless you have your personal faith and trust levels built up in the Lord to some type of appreciable degree, you will initially have a hard time getting this particular mental principle worked into your mind and emotions. But if you stick with the Lord and continue to grow and mature in His grace, knowledge and power - then you will start to get to a point where your faith and trust levels will start to build up in Him. And once your personal faith and trust levels in the Lord start to grow and build up - then you will find yourself starting to relax more in the Lord. And once you start to be able to relax more in the Lord - then the peace of the Holy Spirit will start to enter into your mind, soul and emotions. And once His peace starts to flood up into your mind and soul - then you can learn how to be anxious for nothing in the way that Jesus would really like. Again, this is all part of the sanctification process that God would like to get started with each and everyone of us. And part of this sanctification process will be to get right thinking imparted into your mind. If you can learn how to get this particular mental principle worked into your mind, will and emotions - it will just make your life that much more fun, pleasant and peaceful in the Lord. Michael Bradley Bible Teaching, Knowledge, Commentary and Over 150 Free Articles Copyright © 2005-2007 by Michael Bradley. Bible Trivia Give your noodle a workout with a new Bible trivia question every day: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_Bible_trivia.html Resources I'm always delighted to present each new resource that I find because it's my hope that every one that I include in my newsletters will help you grow in Christ. If you know of any resources that you would like to share with the other readers, feel free to write to me and let me know about it so I can include it in the newsletters. ><> We Christians are supposed to "forgive and forget", but how can we do that when we've been severely wronged? How to Handle Negative Feelings When Wronged by Someone Else explains the why's and how's of forgiving and forgetting so we can grow in Christ. ><> Inspirational living online - Inspirational Living is a website designed to help people. ><> Bible Forums -Christian Message Board. ><> Free Christian Prayer Support Website - Join others to strengthen your faith and pray for others in times of need. ><> Listen to the Old Testament and the New Testament Bible f.r.e.e online at: http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/free_online_Bible.html Quick Answers To Your Burning Questions About God Are you witnessing to an unbeliever and need some super duper quick answers about God and Jesus... like yesterday? Get this f.r.e.e e-book and use it as a witnessing tool to silence the doubters! Give it away to your friends! Get the book in PDF Format Get the book in MS WORD Format-Printer Friendly Version Hurry! Send This Newsletter To a Friend! ><> Babe in Christ? Seeking answers about God? The Bossy Church Lady's website is packed with inspirational articles, tools, resources and scriptures that will answer your questions about Jesus. http://www.thebossychurchlady.net ><> Get a f.r.e.e e-book that will take you by the hand and explain everything you need to know about the end times! If you're a webmaster, snag the book and give it away to your visitors! The Bossy Church Lady's Take On The End Times Until next time... Love The Bossy Church Lady To unsubscribe, go to http://www.thebossychurchlady.net/goodbye.html, enter your email address in the form and click the unsubscribe button or use the link at the very bottom of this letter to unsubscribe. The Bossy Church Lady 9400 Elm Ct. Denver, CO 80260 Return To The Top Of The Page