Encouragement Corner

Table of Contents

Section Three

Our Ministry as Spiritual High Priest
Introduction: A Life of Continual Prayer & Praise
Devotion One: Stirred Hearts & Willing Spirits
Devotion Two: Treasures in Earthly Vessels
Devotion Three: God's Honey Pots
Devotion Four: The Reason Why We Sing
Devotion Five: Where the Lord Dwells
Epilogue: His Kingdom, His Power & His Glory

Our Ministry as High Priest

I Peter 2:4-10

The scriptures tell us God was in Christ reconciling the world to Him, which literally means God used Christ to change our relationship with Him from hostile to peaceful. God changed His relationship with us by placing our sins on Christ and once we believe in Christ, God makes His righteousness ours and we become the Righteousness of God. As God's Righteousness we receive the call into His Ministry of Reconciliation (II Corinthians 5:12-21).

We have been chosen to raise up a Nation of Priest and Prophets to draw the world to God and draw God back to the earth (usher in His Glorious Presence- James 4:8). In the Old Testament God anointed and appointed Prophets and Priest to be His representatives before His people and to represent the people before Him. The problem with their ministry was it didn't satisfy the requirements for true reconciliation, so God sent Christ to be our High Priest and Prophet to restore us back into our rightful place and position in God (Colossians 3:2-4)

Scripture tells us Christ was the first of many (Romans 8:28-29) and Jesus tells us the works He did we would do and GREATER (John 14:12-14). His ministry as High Priest has made every born again believer Spiritual High Priest able to enter into God's Presence and offer up Spiritual Sacrifices on behalf of the world (Hebrews 4:16; 5:1-4).

Again, in the Old Testament, only the High Priest was able to enter into the Presence of God to make atonement for his sins and the sins of the people and only once a year, but as New Testament Believers we have DIRECT access to the Throne of Grace, by way of Christ Jesus our Lord (John 14:6). Oh, what a wonderful revelation to grab hold to...through Christ we have become the Temple, the Priest and the Sacrifice (I Corinthians 3:16; Hebrew 13:15-16) and we can fulfill these roles and responsibilities in and through Christ (Philippians 4:13).

In John 17: 1-26 the Word says Jesus told his disciples what the Father told Him to tell them, and He did what the Father told him to do; His entire life was driven to fulfill the mission given to Him by God the Father in heaven past, and he denied himself completely on this earth; giving up every desire to do or say anything that was not part of the plan and purpose of God; He gave up His life so the Life of God could be lived out in Him.

Christ took off His heavenly glory, clothed Himself in human flesh, made no reputation for Himself, but became a SERVANT, to fulfill the will of the Father (Philippians 2:5-8). This is our example to completely die to ourselves, and become the Spiritual High Priest to offer up Spiritual Sacrifices (Prayer & Praise) to glorify God, edify of His people and horrify the devil and set him to flight (James 4:7-10).

Section Three

Introduction

A Life of Continual Prayer and Praise

Colossians 4:2-6
"...Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving..."

Hebrews 13:15-16
"...By Christ let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name, but do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifice God is well pleased..."

The Sacrificial System of the Old Testament Priesthood was God's way for them to Minister to HIM on behalf of His people (Exodus 29:1). They were anointed by God with Spiritual Power and appointed to perform Spiritual Service and God said this would be the Priesthood's perpetual statute or their position throughout all time (Exodus 29:9). Although the Old Testament sacrificial system is obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), we are to offer spiritual sacrifices, which include our prayers, our praise, our possessions and even our life (Romans 12:1-2).

The ministry of the Old Testament priesthood was one of continual service unto the Lord. Christ ministry as our High Priest before the Father is one of continual intercession. As God's Royal Priesthood and Ambassadors for Christ we to have been consecrated and need to continually consecrate ourselves for the work of the ministry of the Lord, which we are able to do through a life of continual prayer and praise.

Ephesians 6:18
"...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints..."

We are commanded to pray everywhere, for everyone and in all times and seasons. General prayer and specific petitions should be offered up for all on all occasions and in order to do that we must patiently persevere in prayer. The Lord Himself said, "People should always pray and not lose heart" and prayer is simply our way of communion and communicating with our heavenly Father. Prayer is sending and receiving of messages and we are told we can boldly approach the throne of grace and enter into the presence of a holy God through prayer (Hebrews 4:14-16). It is in His presence that we find help, healing, hope and are able to walk in health for every area of our lives (III John 2).

Psalm 34:1
"...I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth..."

David and Paul where both determined to praise God for His goodness and mercy toward them. We too should be driven, determined and devoted to continually offer up the sacrifice of praise and to give thanks in all things for this is the will of God for our lives in Christ Jesus our lord (Ephesians 5:20). We are to clothe ourselves in the praise of the Lord for the scriptures tell us he has given us the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). Oh it is when we lift Him up from the earth in praise that He will in turn lift our hearts and lives above all that would hinder His power and our service.

It is through the privilege of prayer that God hears and answers, but it is through the power of praise that God is moved on our behalf (II Chronicles 20:18-30). Prayer and praise is God's will for our life for it is in prayer that we dwell in His presence and it is through praise that He dwells in our midst (Psalm 22:3). Know and understand just as Aaron and his sons were consecrated for service, we are set apart through the privilege of prayer and by the power of praise (Exodus 29:29)

It is through the persistent practice of pressing in to God's presence through prayer and pushing forward in ministry through praise that the glory of the Lord will rise upon us that others will see the glory of God in us and on us (Exodus 28:1-4) and be drawn unto our glorious Father (Matthew 5:14-16).

Creation is filled with evidence of the importance of numbers and mathematical figures in the whole of life. Numbers and mathematical figures in the Bible have great spiritual meaning and significance and if we seek God for understanding, there are treasures of wisdom and knowledge in numbers (Proverbs 25:2) This section is divided into 5 devotions, with each part representing 1 week (5 weeks for God's grace and mercy towards us and the life we have in Christ Jesus). Each week set aside time and space to read the devotion, study the scriptures and prayer, to help you form a habit of devotion to reading, hearing and applying God's Word to your heart and life. Take the week and allow God to speak to you about practical ways you can apply His word daily to your heart and life.

Enjoy the Journey

Devotion One

Stirred Hearts & Willing Spirits

"Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring his gift as an offering to the Lord"
Exodus 35:5

"The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak"
Mark 14:38

"I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you"
II Timothy 1:6

Stirred Hearts & Willing Spirits

Exodus 35:20-21

We must know and understand God has called us by name and filled us with wisdom, knowledge, understanding and all kinds of workmanship for His service (Exodus 35:30-31). We must never forget that to be chosen and called is a thing of great honor. He chose us before the foundations of the world to bring about change in this world through the sacrificial system of Christ. The New Testament sacrificial system is made up of our gifts and talents to draw all people unto God that He may draw near to them (Matthew 5:14-16).

If we are to see God's glorious Presence and Power released in the earth we, as the Body of Christ must come together, bring all our gifts and offer them to God for the work of the ministry, to bring about unity and build up His Kingdom here in the earth. In Exodus Moses commanded the people to take up an offering but only from those whose heart and spirit was willing...it says both men and women came from all around the camp and brought MORE THAN ENOUGH for the work of the service, so much the craftsmen ask Moses to tell the people to bring no more (Exodus 36:4-7).

Everyone came with what they had and not everyone had the same thing to offer, but what they had they gave as a FREE WILL OFFERING. Some were called to make the furnishing, others the fragrances and others the garments and coverings. Then there were those who were called to serve the priests through the up keep of the tabernacle and the priests were called to minister continually before God in the tabernacle on behalf of the people. Again, if we are to be effective in our ministry as High Priest we must come together and bring our talents, and gift as an offering and present our lives as living sacrifices to God (Romans 12:1-2).

If ministry is to be effective we must find out what our gifts are. We have to know what God is requiring of us in building the Kingdom. In Ephesians 4:1 Paul exhorts us to WALK WORTHY OF OUR CALLING, but can we if we don't know what it is...well Paul tells us WE ARE TO DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO KEEP THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT THROUGH THE BOND OF PEACE.

What is your part today in keeping the unity of the Spirit? What gift can you present that will bring about unity in your home, workplace, society, and especially in the Body of Christ? Night is coming so we must be more vigilant about presenting our gifts, offerings and working the work God called us to do while there is still daylight, cause when night comes no man shall work (John 9:4). Our works will soon be revealed and rewards released (I Corinthians 3:11-15). Is your heart stirred and is your spirit willing for the work of the ministry???

Devotion Two

Treasure in Earthly Vessels

"The potter made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make"
Jeremiah 18:1-4

"The Lord said to him, go, for Saul is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name"
Acts 9:15

"This is the will of God...that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor"
I Timothy 4:12

Treasure in Earthly Vessels

II Corinthians 12:7-10
...I delight in weakness, hardships, difficulties..."

Paul rejoiced about his weakness, for he realized God's grace was enough for him to endure the painful and humiliating experience of being buffeted by the enemy. He not only rejoiced through his trails, test & tribulation, but it says he took pleasure in them, which means he thought good thoughts about them. Paul came to understand when he was weak within his humanness God's strength and power was made perfect within him.

II Corinthians 4:7-12
"...we have this treasure in earthen vessels..."

God placed the light of His Word & Spirit in the heart of believers so it will shine throughout the world and draw people unto Him (Matthew 5:16) and Paul said we have this treasure in earthly vessels. We are clay pots formed from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). You and I both know clay pots are very fragile. They crack and break under the slightest pressure or force. Why would God entrust us with such a precious treasure within our earthly bodies??? So the life of Jesus can be manifested in our natural lives (II Corinthians 7:11).

As believers, we will face many trails, test and tribulations. But we must remember God controls and uses them to strengthen His people. God's glory is manifested through broken vessels, through those of us who are willing to endure troubles by relying on His power and still offering to Him the sacrifice of praise (Psalm 107:22). In this life and walk of faith we will constantly face death of our humanness so our life in Christ can be clearly seen.

What we need to understand is our suffering is not about us all the time, most time it is about someone else. It is only through our breaking experience that we will be able to understand, relate and minister to the brokenness within the lives of those God sends us to (Luke 22:32). Jesus' death and resurrection should be a model for our service to mankind. In our suffering, we participate in Jesus' suffering and death and just has He brought eternal life through the things He suffered, we to bring life to others through ours (II Corinthians 7:12).

Finally my friends, although you may be hard-pressed on every side, God will not allow you to be crushed; although you may be perplexed and can't see a way out, God will not allow you to be hopeless; though you may be enduring persecution, God will never forsake you and though you may be struck down, God will not allow you to be destroyed (II Corinthians 4:8)!!!

Know and understand regardless of the weapons that form against you God will not allow them to succeed (Isaiah 54:17), for He knows His thoughts toward you...thoughts to keep you healthy and prosper you in all that you do for Him. Remember to praise Him through your process of being broken, for God is at work bringing the Light of His Word & Spirit into the world through you...His Earthly Vessel!!!

Devotion Three

God's Honey Pots

"Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love the Lord"
Psalm 122:6

"Those who trust in the Lord will prosper"
Proverbs 28:25

"It pleased the Lord to bruise Christ and Christ will prosper in bringing pleasure to the Lord"
Isaiah 53:10

God's Honey Pots

James 3:6-8
"...the tongue is set among the body that it can defile the whole body and is able to influence the course of life..."

James said our tongue is the most unruly member of our body for with it we praise God and curse man and that's like a spring that brings forth fresh and bitter water. We need to remember God created us in His image and Christ said when we do to the least of people we do it to Him. If we praise God yet put down those around us with what we say are we truly giving praise to God??? Are we really yielded to the Word and Spirit that lives within us??? (Romans 8:4-8)

Luke 6:45
"...a good man out of the good treasures of his heart will speak good things...

We need to understand what we say when under pressure is a direct reflection of who we have yielded our hearts and lives to. Jesus used a tree and its fruit as an example of determining the condition of ones heart, by what comes out of their mouth. He said out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:33-34). A vessel yielded to the will of God is FILLED with good treasures and produces good things. Jesus told a group of religious leaders, who begin to judge the disciples for not washing their hands, it's not what goes into us that defiles but what comes out of our mouth (Matthew 15:1-11).

Now remember scripture warns, God will discipline all who defile His temple, which we are (I Corinthians 3:17) and when God afflicts it's always to purify the hearts and refine the lives of His people (Proverbs 17:3). Now when we allow any thing to fill our heart and come out of our mouth and defile God's holy vessel He will send us through a breaking process so He can make us over again into a vessel He can use (Jeremiah 18:1-4). Scripture also warns us our hearts are deceitful, full of wickedness and we can't really know it's contents (Jeremiah 17:7-10) so there will be times when God will send pressure and pain just to reveal to us what dwells in the chambers of our hearts (Zechariah 13:9).

Ephesians 5:18-21
"...be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs...

One of the outcomes of being filled with the Holy Spirit is that of singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord, but Paul exhorts us to speak to one another in three categories of praise offered to God. In Colossians 3:16 he says we should allow the Word of Christ dwell richly in us and teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

There are 150 psalms and other psalm like poems throughout scripture, hymns where addressed directly to God and spiritual songs are songs about our Christian Journey (Philippians 2:5-11). We offer praise and worship to our God in heaven by how we chose to speak to one another in this world (Colossians 4:5-6).

Psalm 19:7-11
...the Law of the Lord...is sweeter than honey and the honeycomb...

David celebrates, with poetic praise, the purity and power of God's Word. He says God's Word should be desired more than fine gold and it's sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. In Proverbs it says "pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24). Remember scripture tells us we have become the Vessels of God (II Corinthians 4:7) and if we keep our heart and mind clean we become vessels useful for Kingdom Building (II Timothy 2:20-22)

God has placed His Honey (Christ the Living Word) and the Oil of His Presence (the Holy Spirit) down on the inside of His earthly vessels (the Body of Christ) to bring healing and health to the world through what we say and do (Psalm 107:20). We have to remember what we say will cause ones soul to be sweet and strong or bitter and bruised.

We have the power to bring life or death to hearts and lives by what we allow to come out of our mouth (Proverbs 18:20-21). We have all heard it in one form or another..."You have what you say"...now is the time for us to chose life and begin speaking positive, hope filled words of faith, that find their foundation in God's Word, over our lives, our families, our communities and our world (Ecclesiastes 10:12).

Devotion Four

The Reason Why We Sing

"Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful"
Psalm 33:1

"Be thankful to God, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations"
Psalm 100:4-5

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men"
Psalm 107:31

The Reason Why We Sing

Deuteronomy 10:20-21
"...praise the Lord your God for you have seen Him do great and awesome things..."

When we reflect on the goodness of God extended to us in and through Christ Jesus, it should lead us into a place of praise and worship and into a posture of love and obedience. When we are filled with the Spirit and the Word of Christ dwells in us richly it results in singing and making melodies in our heart to the Lord (Ephesians 5:19).

Moses and Paul both agree that this Christian journey can be summed up like this...we are to commit everything we do and say to Christ and continually give God thanks and praise in all things. Singing and music are very important aspects of a believer's personal life and in the ministry of the Church. In a since the Music Ministry plays the role of the priest, who offered up sacrifices of praise for themselves and the people of God (Lev. 7:12; Heb. 13:15).

The music ministry sets the tone for a worship service, invokes the move of God, reveals the knowledge of God, brings every one in unity, helps us receive the Word of the Lord and does Spiritual Warfare. There are quite a few things singing and music does within the Ministry of Christ so lets just take a look at a few.

Isaiah 35:10
"...come to Zion with songs and joy...and sorrow and sighing shall flee away..."

The Prophet Isaiah said God has given us the Garment of Praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3). When we become weak, weary and worn we can offer up the sacrifice of praise and God will give us a song and turn our sorrow into laughter. When the Lord brought the Children of Israel back from captivity scripture says their mouth was filled with laughter, tongue with singing; those who sowed in tears, reaped in joy and they came with rejoicing (Psalm 126).

Psalm 76:1
"...In Judah (praise) is God known..."

Judah, which means I will praise the Lord, was the name Leah gave to her last son (Genesis 29:30-34) and became the city that was the center of worship and celebration of God. Psalm 76 is a psalm of praise celebrating God for His kingship and love for the city of Jerusalem. It is a celebration of His victories and an exhortation for God's people to offer reverent praise and worship to their Creator and Redeemer for all that He is and has done (Ps. 48:1-4).

There is a spiritual principle within the above verse of scripture...when we lift up the name of the Lord in praise we open our hearts for Him to reveal more of Himself to us and in turn others will come into a greater knowledge of Him and magnify His name with us (Psalm 34:1-3).

Jeremiah 31:12
"...they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, flowing together into the goodness of the Lord..."

Oh, when we come together to magnify the name of the Lord for Him being our Redeemer and Ransom, we will experience the restoration of the blessing of God's goodness, which is life in abundance and bountiful provision for every need and good work (Psalm 107:32).

This verse of scripture causes an old song of praise to swell up in my soul..."when the praises of God are going up, then the blessing come down". If we want to see God rain down bounty and abundance into our hearts, homes, communities and world we need to send up an abundance of praise and worship to magnify His name (I Kings 17:1; 18:41-45).

Hosea 10:11
...Judah (praise) shall plow and Jacob (to take the place of another by force or trickery) shall break his clods (dull, or insensitive person)...

Hosea calls the people to repentance, reminding them that the decision could not be delayed and that God's blessing could be restored. Israel's rebellious spirit necessitated harsh disciple which was compared to a farmer binding his calf to a yoke and forcing it to do hard labor. Notice if you will he says Judah will plow and Judah means "now I will praise the Lord (Genesis 29:35)".

I believe there is a revelation in this verse of scripture that if we would return and restore reverence to God through genuine praise and worship, God will plow the stony places in the heart and lives of men and women all over the world and release revival like this world has never known (Joel 2:23). Plowing (praise and worship) and planting (speaking God's Word) are the necessary first steps for producing a harvest (adding souls to the Kingdom), which will bring forth good things when God sends rain (end time revival).

Devotion Five

Where the Lord Dwells

"God You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel"
Psalm 22:3

"Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in His holy mountain"
Psalm 48:1

"In Judah is God known"
Psalm 76:1

Where the Lord Dwells

Psalm 149:6-9
"...Let the high praises of God be in their mouth and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance and punishments...to bind kings and nobles in chains and fetters of iron...this is the honor of all God's people..."

The psalmist proclaimed that God's Word and His praise should be in the mouth and hand of every believer to engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy's of God (I Timothy 1:18). The high praise of God and His spoken Word will move God to bind our enemies and to remove every obstacle out of our way. The war that the enemy has launched against us is within our mind and is why we are exhorted to renew our minds by God's Spirit and Word (Romans 12:1-2).

Paul said our fight is not against flesh and blood (humans), but against the spiritual forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). Our real battle is not with our fellow man, but with demonic forces working through them, which most time our human opponents don't realize they are being influenced against us. Jesus intercede for those who put Him to death because He understood they did not really understand who He was (Luke 23:34) and His example was followed by Stephen when he prayed for his executioners (Acts 7:60) and should be followed by us today to intercede for our enemy's (Matthew 5:43-48).

Paul told the Corinthian believers that the weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of this world but God's mighty weapons of praise, prayer and proclaiming His Word (II Corinthians 10:3). Paul used the image of the fortress that sat on a hill 1, 857 feet high over looking ancient Corinth, to illustrate the spiritual warfare that we are engaged in. He said with the weapons of God we are able to destroy spiritual strongholds, cast down spiritual towers, and take spiritual captives. He goes on to explain what the spiritual strongholds, towers and captives are; they represent the inside and outside arguments, thoughts, plans, rationalizations that oppose our knowledge of God and our obedience to Christ (II Corinthians 10:4-6).

See our fight is against our old nature and the war that rages on within us, is against the flesh and the spirit of man (Romans 7:14-25). Paul gave us his strategy, and he was successful, which was to discipline his body and bring it into subjection (I Corinthians 9:24-27) and James tells us if we can tame our tongue we can tame our entire body (James 3:2). It is through the weapons and tools of continually praise, prayer and proclaiming God's Word that we will have power over the works of darkness (Luke 10:19-20).

II Chronicles 20:20-27
"...they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against there enemies..."

This testimony in Chronicles has to be one of my all time favorite accounts of God delivering His people from the hands of their enemies. It begins with King Jehoshaphat (unsure of what to do) recalling God's goodness toward His people in delivering them from their enemies, as 3 or 4 armies were coming to battle against them (II Chronicles 20:1-13).

Scripture records the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, who was a member of the Asaph division of the Levites (I Chronicles 6:39) and was most likely a musician, told them not to be afraid for the battle was not theirs it was the Lords. He told them they would not have to fight in this battle, but they appointed singers and musicians to go before the army singing to the Lord, and praising the beauty of His holiness (II Chronicles 20:14-21).

Before the army of Judah (the army of praise) could even get to the battle field, the enemy armies begin to fight against themselves until they were utterly defeated and destroyed. See we need to know and understand that whenever we offer up the sacrifice of praise, our battles God will fight and the outcome will be certain (II Chronicle 20:22-27).

Psalm 22:3
"...God you are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel..."

As you dedicate time and space to push forward in life, love and the liberty you have in Christ Jesus, always remember God sits in the midst of those that will offer to Him the sacrifice of praise. Always remember God has given us a great collection of poems, prayers and praise to instruct us as it concerns our worship of God through singing and music. The studying of the Psalms will help bring understanding and clarity to the importance and purpose of worship in a believer's life. Praise and worship should become a natural response with those of us who have been cleansed by God's grace and renewed by His Spirit and God should always be the audience of our worship (Psalm 34:1-3).

Acts 16:25-28
"...at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them...

Several great things happened in the account of Paul and Silas offering up the sacrifice of praise in the midst of being in prison. There praise caused God to move the foundation of the prison and open all the doors, but what I thought was the sweetest thing was it says the prisoners were listening to them. The word listen in the Greek means "to listen with pleasure," as if listening to beautiful music that soothes the savage beast within.

One can see, through the testimony of scripture, that singing songs and playing music, in personal and corporate worship play many important roles. The use of singing and music in praise and worship become like a forerunner, making our pathway straight as we enter into God's presence (Isaiah 40:3).

Music in our personal devotion and corporate worship breaks up the stony places of the hard hearted, for the Word to be planted and also it invokes the presence of the Lord to move in our heart and the worship service to meet the needs of His people. Praise, Prayer and Proclaiming God's Word are the most powerful spiritual weapons we have and when we continually offer up the sacrifice of praise God will cause us to walk in victory and abundant life (Joshua 6:1-20; 5:13-15).

Epilogue

His Kingdom, His Power & His Glory

Matthew 6:7-13
"...Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the..."

As we bring our gifts and sacrifices for the building of God's Kingdom we must never lose focus of Him. In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches on the importance of our motives when praying. For our motives will determine our method (the habitual practice of orderliness and regularity) and most believers don't realize the importance of order in prayer, praise and proclaiming God's Word (Psalms 100:4; I Corinthians 14:40).

Remember through prayer we come boldly before the THRONE of God and in the Old Testament the priest had an order they had to follow when entering into the Temple (Presence of God). We must never forget God is the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega and all things in between. All things are about Him, for Him and through Him so everything we bring and do to build up the Kingdom must be to accomplish His will, doing it His way and according to His Word (Colossians 1:16-19).

God's will is for the earth and her people be restored back to Him. His way is by sacrificial love and service and His Word is seen and fulfilled in the Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ (John 3:16). As we are building we must always check our motives for God warns the heart is devious and no man can know what lies in the chambers of his heart (Jeremiah 17:9-10). We must be sure our motive is MINISTRY NOT MONEY AND NOT MAN!!! Let it not be said we have built anything on the foundation of Jesus and it not be about serving God through serving the needs of others.

Let's not be deceived and distracted by the LOVE OF MONEY (I Timothy 6:10) and APPROVAL OF MAN (Matthew 6:5)!!! Not only do we need to check why we are praying and praising; building ministries and business, we must check WHAT we build and if it doesn't GLORIFY GOD, EDIFY HIS PEOPLE and REPLENISH THE EARTH WITH HIS GOODNESS it not for God. More importantly we need to check HOW we are building upon the foundation of Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 3:9-15).

The Lord said we are to come to Him and learn of Him and He said He is MEEK and LOWLY. If we are not humbling ourselves through sacrificial service to others, the gifts and sacrifices being offered are not being offered to God. If we are not willing to become everything to everyone, then it is not the Ministry of Christ (Matthew 11:28-30).

As we are praying for God to use us to create ministries and business to build up His Kingdom, we must not forget Christ's teaching about the motives and method of our prayers. He says the Kingdom we are building belongs to God, the Power we use to build belongs to God and the Glory that is and will be revealed belongs to God and He promised if we would seek first the Kingdom then everything else will be added to us (Matthew 6:33).

Peace & Blessings,

Brother Caleb

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