Guarding the Power of God’s Authority over our lives

The minute we move from God’s will to our own we will lose the Power of God’s Authority over our lives.

Source: PInterest

In Philippians 1 the Apostle Paul starts by encouraging the people of Philippi in their faith but at the same time recognizes that for some, their motivation for preaching the Gospel of Christ is self-indulgent. Philippians 1:15-16 ‘It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel'.  Paul then goes on to explain that regardless of personal motives the important thing is that the Gospel is being preached; Philippians 1:17-18 ‘The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice’.

As I read the scripture from Philippians 1:15-18 during my daily Bible reading I reflected on my own motives in relation to certain ministries that I contribute to at my local fellowship. I thought very carefully about my own motives and whether they came from genuine goodwill or in fact whether I had started to become self-indulgent on occasions. As I pondered this a little longer, I realized that there have been times where I had been selfish and prideful. The Holy Spirit made me realize that we can get so wrapped up in what we see as ‘our ministries’ that we lose track of the fact that they were never ‘ours’ in the first place and the minute we move from God’s will to our own we will lose the Power of God’s Authority over our lives. This was quite a revelation for me and something that I need to be mindful of in the future. Praise God that He is a God of love and He shows us correction when we need it; 2 Timothy 3:16 ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness’. 

In Matthew 7:15 the church is warned to watch out for false prophets who may subtlety infiltrate the Church in order to disrupt and destroy; ’Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves’. Whilst it is easy to imagine false prophets as ‘real’ people who appear as ferocious wolves the reality is that self-indulgence, pride and other things, from people who belong to the body of Christ can be equally, if not even more damaging to the Church. We could man the watch towers 24hrs a day to guard against the forces outside of the Church however we should be equally mindful and vigilant on what is going on inside the Church as well. 

Source: Bible Verses To Go

God provides all of our needs and there is nothing wrong with God blessing worldly things into our lives as long as; and this is crucial, we don’t put anything before God; Luke 16:13 ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money’ and 1 Timothy 6:10 ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs’. Another example of preaching the Gospel of Christ with alternative motives can be found by many of those who preach the Prosperity Gospel. As the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:18 ‘whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached’. So, even behind the smoke and mirrors of the lights and the glitzy stage managed shows the Gospel is still being preached however it must be asked if preaching Christ is secondary to the main motivation of making money. How can anyone justify charging an entrance fee of £100 to £150 for a Christian Worship ‘Conference’? No matter how much razzmatazz (which is nothing to do with the Gospel) this would buy, it only serves to exclude and marginalize those who cannot afford it. The poor, the lonely, the vulnerable, the lost are the very people who need to hear the Gospel of Christ, yet they are excluded. What would Jesus think? I do not recall anywhere in any of the Gospels where Jesus charged an entrance fee for people to hear Him! The Gospel is a free gift from God Almighty; 1 Corinthians 9:18 ‘that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel’ and Ephesians 2:8 ‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God’. It is important to ensure that we don’t get distracted by bright lights and ‘great music’ which should only serve to help bring us closer to Jesus and not divert our attention away from Him.

The message I received from reading the scripture in Philippians 1 gave me the opportunity to examine my own motives and to ask myself whether I am allowing Christ to work through me or am I blocking this through self-indulgence?  It is always good to reflect and re-focus in order to ensure that we are not starting to get distracted and to keep our minds focused on Jesus. May we always test and approve what is God’s Will before we start to do our own will; Romans 12:2 ‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will’.

May God’s blessings be in your life.

Author: Anonymous

May God bless and enrich your life   

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