Why aren’t we seeing God move MORE in our life or church? It’s because of us….
We are being taught to look for opportunities to be nice, show someone love, kindness, gentleness, etc. so WE can step out and be nice in the flesh.This could actually be disobedience to God. We are being taught to emulate (try to duplicate) the fruit of the Spirit in the flesh and that is a sin.
We should be taught to draw closer to the Holy Spirit so we can DISCERN the difference between the Spirit of God, satan and our own flesh. ONLY then can we know for sure that we are obeying the Holy Spirit’s prodding and direction.
Being nice, gentle, kind, showing love to people can still be disobedience to God. How? Because we are acting out in the flesh. Because it might not be God’s timing, God’s ways or God’s words that we are speaking.
We must discern the difference between hearing from the Holy Spirit, our flesh and satan/a demon. Most people have no idea how many thoughts or “feelings” they get that seems like the right thing to do are not from the Holy Spirit but from satan/demon.
Satan doesn’t mind you doing “nice” things as long as you are going against God’s timing, God’s way, God’s words. While you might get a nice warm feeling insdie by doing something nice for someone, or showing someone love, your actions or words or timing could be going against God’s will which is disobedience and do more harm than good.
Let’s look at some examples in the Bible. In all of the following examples God was telling someone to do something or not to do something. IF the person was disobedient and not listened to God, then God could not have done something miraculous or the person might have been hurt or worse.
While the Apostle Paul was traveling through cities teaching the word of God, the Bible in Acts 16 says the Holy Spirit STOPPED him from preaching the word in Asia. The Bible says Paul tried going into Bithynia to preach, but the Spirit wouldn't let them.
Do you understand while in the flesh we would think, let's keep going, we are doing God's will. But in reality you could be sinning and being disobedient to God? If you are NOT close enough to hear the Spirit you will act out in the flesh and be disobedient to God.
It might NOT be God's timing and disobeying God can do MORE HARM THAN GOOD to the person/people, or maybe what you want to say to them is wrong (and you will realize it in a few years after you grow closer to God), it might also be to protect you from something.
It is not about your deeds and works in the flesh. It's about being obedient to God, it's not about pleasing a seminar leader or pastor by how MUCH you are doing (and ebd yo beubg disobedience to God).
It is not about having someone tell you to pray for opportunities to be used by God. That sounds so nice, but it could be dangerous IF the person isn't really hearing from the Spirit and it's really their own flesh, emotions or even satan trying to get you excited about doing something, but in reality you are going against what God wants at that time and thats disobedience (and that's satan's objective).
Your first priority as a Christian is to draw close enough to God so you can hear him and walk by the Spirit.
In the Bible, Jesus was telling His disciples that He must go and be killed so He can be raised on the third day. But Peter acted out in the flesh and tried to talk Jesus out of it. This might seem like a normal reaction from Peter, but it was disobedience to God, he was NOT listening to God, but to satan and interfering in God’s plan for Jesus to be the world’s Savior. Peter was listening to satan and not God.
Matthew 16:21-23 (NKJV)
“From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are [j]an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
In another example, Peter took his sword and cut off the ear of one of the high priest’s servant’s when then came to take Jesus and Jesus had to correct Peter. Again Peter was listening to satan and not God.
In John 18:1-11 Jesus goes into the Garden Gethsemane with his disciples. Then Judas came with an army of troops to take Jesus. Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant.
Then Jesus corrected him saying do not interfere with God's will
Consider Moses with the Israelites backed up to the Red Sear, suppose Moses, decided to act out in the flesh and rally the Israelites to fight the Egyptian army? Moses would have denied God from being God and miraculously parting the Red Sea by Moses raising his staff. If Moses acted out in the flesh in disobedience and sin, he would have cheated God out of showing the Israelites his power and He was truly the King of Kings.
Joshua faced a formidable wall around the city of Jericho and trying to penetrate it could have cause a lot of deaths to the Israelites. Rather than acting out in the flesh, and doing what “seemed” like the logical thing to do, Joshua trusted God. God told Joshua to march around the city of Jericho for 7 days and then blow their horns and yell on the 7th day and the walls of Jericho came down.
There are times when God told His people to take action to prove His miraculous ways
God doesn’t always want us to just sit back and do nothing. That is where listening to the Holy Spirit is absolutely crucial to your obedience and life.
For example in Judges 6 and 7 it explains the Midianites were stealing and destroying the Israelites source of food and leaving them impoverished.
An Angel of the Lord came to Gideon and told him to fight the Midianites. But Gideon wanted to test the Spirit to make sure He was from God. God told Gideon his army was to big and when they won, they would be tempted to take credit for the victory themselves. So 22,000 who were afraid left the area and 10,000 men remained and then was reduced to only 300 men. So there would be no question that the victory was because of God. God directed them to take a pot, torch and horn and surround the Midianites camp. They all blew their horns at one time and the Midianites started to kill each other and ran from their camp in fear.
If Gideon would have acted out in his flesh with over 30,000 men to fight the Midianites, God would not have been able to be God and show His miraculous power.
We are stopping God from moving today. We are being taught to look for opportunities to be nice, show someone love, kind, gentle, etc. This is disobedience to God. We are being taught to emulate, try to duplicate the fruit of the Spirit in the flesh and that is a sin.
We have to learn to rebuke and walk away from the seminar leaders and pastors that focus on trying to get you to just do something.
Being taught to ask the Holy Spirit for opportunities to be nice, kind or show love is wrong. You should be taught to draw closer to the Holy Spirit so you can DISCERN the difference between the Spirit of God and satan and your own flesh. ONLY then can you know for sure that you are obeying the Holy Spirit
It is far more important to draw close to God so we can hear and discern His Spirit rather than acting out in the flesh and possibly being disobedient to God and interfering in His plans.
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