Hold Up 2: God, Where are You?”

Matthew 6: 25- 34:

Do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body as to what you will put on. Is life not more than food and the body, as to what you shall put on? Look at the birds of the air as to they do not sow, neither do they reap, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?

And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so as raised the grass of the field which is alive today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will be added unto you. Do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts upon them can be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against the house; and yet it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock.
Everyone who hears and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who build his house upon the sand. And the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against the house; and it fell, and great was its fall.

In the last newsletter we talked about God’s love for you personally and about hindrances to our prayers. Once people recognize God loves them, they must reconcile with past sins up to the moment. Many people doubt their salvation and many have guilt that has never been dealt with. They carry a burden of condemnation. It holds them back when they get into the worship service.

When we want God to move things spiritually, we must deal with the garbage the demons are eating. I saw a picture once of someone who came to the church for help; they were very sincere and they received it. On the way out of the building, they had God’s light on them. Then they entered a dark room, climbed up a ladder to a big garbage bin, and began digging in the garbage bin. This is what happens when we refuse to change after being ministered to under the anointing. We welcome the garbage back in our life until we are willing to forsake it.

When revival comes, people break through under the power of God and come to Christ. They feel the need to pray and repent of the garbage that has been in control. The Word as it is preached or spoken breaks up the darkness; it cuts the soul and the spirit of both joints and marrow and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4).

“There are no creatures hidden from His sight, but all things are laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom you have to do.”

There is an anointing at the invitation time after the message has been preached. Many of us don’t realize that this is the time for God to set us free. We need to be sensitive to the calling of the Holy Spirit as He woos us to come forward and deal with the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Too often we ignore the calling to come and allow the church to pray for us. The anointing breaks the yoke. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ and convicts us of sin.

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things, as we are, yet with out sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and grace in time of need.

Picture the cross where Jesus died and down below is a swirling river of blood. When we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Sometimes we need to confess our sins before we can get rid of the nagging condemnation that is always there. Jesus died for all your sins. As you confess them, see your sins in that blood at the foot of the cross.

A pastor dealt with me about something I was continually condemned over. I confessed it to him at the invitation and I was encouraged to see the cross once more. I saw it, and the blood of Jesus was there like a river. Little white tags were in the blood floating away out of sight. My confession broke the condemnation.

Do you need to be set free, loosed? Have you been harassed by condemnation even though you have confessed privately? Have you accepted Christ without letting Him take control of your life? Is their evidence that your life has changed? Have you been depressed?

Is your life in shambles? Come and let us pray with you. Open the door to Jesus. Satan wants to eat the darkness--- Jesus wants to set you free. Say it aloud to the pastor or someone up front during the invitation.

“I need help and there’s a hindrance to my spiritual growth. I need God to________.”

Proverbs 3: 32:
“The crooked man is an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright.”

Our righteousness is as filthy rags. His blood cleanses our hearts when we confess our sins, and He is faithful to forgive.

So what is holding you back? What keeps you from fulfilling the purpose God has for your life? You have to give Him your life to find out; no holding back on a little area. Total surrender means your cup overflows with the presence of God because He loves you and you wear His righteousness. He puts his robe on those who surrender their lives to Him. Has the spiritual house that you have built stood on the sand or the rock?

Jesus is the answer; He is the light, and when you come to Him He expects you to say the truth. There is no way to get to heaven without surrendering to Jesus and giving Him your life. He wants to make something beautiful out of tragedy, something good even though you have sinned, and the only way to do that is through total surrender of your life.

I hope this helps you become free. J

Love,
Ruby