Trust in God not on Earthly Things

Reading: Mark 10:17-25

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

We see a rich young ruler coming to Jesus and honoring Him as a Good Teacher. His interest was in inheriting eternal life. When asked about keeping the 10 commandments, he said he kept them from his youth. So he was religious. Jesus saw his heart. He then told the young ruler that he lacked on thing. The Master then commanded him to sell all his possessions and give them to the poor.

There are somethings we learn from this incidence. The lessons are as follows:

1) Money or possessions reveal the condition of the heart

Before giving the instruction, we are told that Jesus looked at him and He loved him. This young rich ruler was disappointed with Jesus at the command he gave him. He had great riches. He viewed this as loss to him. He left Jesus sorrowfully. He trusted in these riches more than he could trust in Jesus. We are not told that he carried out this instruction. Furthermore, we are not told whether or not he came back to Jesus.

Now, how do you feel when the Lord tells you to give more than you feel like? Do you choose possessions over the Creator of heaven and earth? It may not only be the issue of money and possessions. Even if it comes to other priorities of our lives, we need to make God number one. You can conduct a self- introspection. God loves you deeply. He is a jealous God. He does not want anything to be above Him in our lives. He wants to be at the throne of our hearts.

According to Matthew 6:19-21 the Bible says, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
We often hear that thieves entered a business place and took a lot of money and ran away. This shows us that indeed, the scripture is true that earthly treasures are subject to many things. They can be spoiled or stolen. So it is advisable to lay our treasures in God. Our treasures in the heavenly kingdom are safe. How do you invest in God's Kingdom? You give as God directs you in His Word and by the Holy Spirit.

2) God has better things for you

Jesus cannot tell you to do something that will disadvantage you. According to Jeremiah 29:11 the Bible says, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

God has good thoughts about you. He wants you to experience the fulfillment of your dreams. The rich young ruler felt like he was loosing. Jesus afterwards said it was difficult for those who trust in reaches to enter into the Kingdom of God.
Peter then asked as to what is it they would get in return since they had left all to follow Him (Jesus). That is found in Mark 10:28-31.
 "Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
But many that are first shall be last; and the last first."

If you fully give your heart to God and follow Him, you do not lose. You get a hundredfold return. The young rich ruler missed out. He was going to inherit what he was looking for and also a hundredfold on what he sold had he obeyed Jesus. So you will not lose when giving according to God's instructions. God has better things for you. Obey Him in all things.

It is therefore far better to put your trust in God instead of earthly things. Earthly things were given to us for enjoyment. But God must be the first priority of our lives. Money and possessions really reveal the condition of our lives. But God has better things for you.

God bless You in Jesus Name! Amen.

What Happens When You Pray?

Anyone who prays is obeying God by so doing. Prayer is for people who want to see things happen. These are people who want to change their lives and also affect those around them. It is for people who know they cannot succeed alone in life. That is people who do not trust themselves. Are you one of them? Now let us read 1 Samuel 1:10, 11,17-18.

1Sa 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Jehovah, and wept sorely.

1Sa 1:11  And she vowed a vow and said, O, Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

1Sa 1:17 And Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant to you your petition that you have asked of Him.

1Sa 1:18 And she said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.

There are good things that happen when a believer prays. Prayer is what we have been commanded to do as children of God. But if you don’t pray, natural things will happen, and they are usually not good.

Many things happen when a believer prays, but we shall look at three of them today:

1. You stop the cycle of pain in your life

Hannah did not have a child and her sister in law used to provoke her about it because she had children. She used to cry and grieve about it. Her husband tried to comfort her but to no avail.

I am glad that she did not end by only crying, but she realized the importance of prayer. In 1Samuel 1:10 it says, “And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Jehovah, and wept sorely.” She reached a stage whereby she said, “Enough is enough.”

If there is something that grieves you in your life, pray.

Only crying about it will not help you. If it makes you unhappy, it is time to do something. Hannah’s prayer was answered. She gave birth to Samuel. And Samuel became a great man of God.

Now, bitterness is not your portion. Crying is not your thing. Enough is enough. I decree the joy of the Lord over your life now, in Jesus Name. You are a child of the most high God. You belong to the Creator of the heavens and the earth.

I decree an answer to the cry of your heart. Any desire or prayer of your life is decreed answered now in Jesus Name. You should start rejoicing.

2. You receive strength to resist temptation

The whole world fell into sin when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. But Jesus came and rescued mankind. But He did not remove the devil. He is still around. The devil is a tempter. He wants you to fail in life. So what should you do?

Jesus said, “Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”(Matthew 26:41).

Jesus advised His disciples to watch and pray in order to avoid entering into temptation. That was the solution He gave them. So this solution can also work for you. Jesus told His disciples of something He did Himself.

Mat 4:1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit up into the wilderness, to be tempted by the Devil.

Mat 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards hungry.

Mat 4:3 And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Mat 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, and then He was tempted by the devil.

When tempted, you are not told or made to do what you do not want or like. It must be something you desire or want that is presented before you. There is temptation once there is an urge or encouragement to it. If you are pushed or forced to do it, it is not a temptation. For anything to be a temptation, you must feel drawn into doing it. There are things that can be brought to you but if you hate them completely such that you do not want even to look at them, they do not qualify as temptation to you.

Jesus was hungry and He needed food to eat. But the issue was, “who was bringing the food? And what were the intentions?” You remember the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? Eve looked at it following the deception of the devil. What happened? She saw that it was beautiful and desirable to make one wise. What happened after that? She fell into the trap of the devil.

I decree today, that you shall not fall into the trap of the devil. In Jesus Name!

So prayer will help you see the difference.

3. Rule in life

Praying indicates that you do not trust yourself to reign alone in life. You need Someone to support you. Where do you meet the One to support you? You meet Him in prayer. You need His power and wisdom. Once you have done that, you will successfully rule and reign in life.

Rev 1:6 and made us kings and priests to God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Originally, we were created to rule and dominate the earth. Satan took that from us. But thank God. Jesus died for us and restored dominion. He made you a king and a priest. The duty of a king is to rule and to rule effectively.

Ecc 8:4 Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him, What doest thou?

How does a king rule? He rules through words. When he speaks, no one can say “no”.

Mat 18:18 Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth shall occur, having been bound in Heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth shall occur, having been loosed in Heaven.

You must pray in order to reclaim your position in life. You are a King and you must reign with your words. A King does not speak anyhow. He is not careless with words because He knows that they have power to come to pass.

I now speak restoration of your kingship in Jesus Name. I decree restoration. From today onward, you shall rule over your enemies. The devil is in trouble. So never destroy yourself with careless words. Death and life are in the power of the tongue according to the Bible. Rule in Jesus Name.

 
We answered the question, “what happens in your life when you pray?” We said you stop the cycle of pain. You receive your desire and start living a joyful life. Then we continued to say, “You receive strength to resist temptation.” You must resist temptation and you will overcome if you pray. Finally; we said, “rule in life.” That is how God made you. All these things are possible when you pray as a believer. I therefore encourage you to pray.