COMFORT VERSUS COMMANDMENT


When your comfort level becomes the center of your attention rather than God, as a Christian you are BEGGING for trouble, distress, and a blistering situation!


For example: on occasions that are important to you (such as a bad doctor’s report; some awful trial from which there seems no escape; a phone call in the middle of the night with bad news, etc.), worry kicks in. Your stomach gets upset, you get nervous. Panic creeps in. At this point, you need help - but NOT the kind the world can provide!


If the very first thing you do is ask yourself “Why?” - then, my friend, you ain’t talking to a very smart dude!! You see, ‘unbelief’ talks to itself rather than God!


NEVER focus on the circumstances - no matter what they ‘seem’ to dictate. And I totally understand this sort of thing because I’m a “get-‘er-done” type of personality. But, as children of The Most High God, we KNOW that nothing will EVER come our way except that God has allowed it! And if He has allowed a troubling condition into your life, He also has provided the ANSWER to the problem!! Notice - I didn’t say God caused the problem. I said He allowed it!


Listen: when God leads you to wait - WAIT!!! You see, “FAITH” enables us to SEE God ON TOP of our situation.


People of faith are ‘realists’. Often they don’t know “how” things are going to work out-------------------but they DO know that they will! Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) BUT THOSE WHO WAIT ON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH; THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS LIKE EAGLES, THEY SHALL RUN AND NOT BE WEARY, THEY SHALL WALK AND NOT FAINT.


And I imagine the greatest battle of your spiritual life is always going to be: WILL YOU BELIEVE? It is NOT “try harder!” or “I’m not worthy of God’s attention”. Remember one of our favorite words: BELIEVE: Because Emanuel Lives, I Expect Victory Every-time! This attitude requires FAITH.


Most times, God’s timing is a mystery to us; and lots of times, frustrating! But never give up! And don’t ‘arrange’ solutions. Having done all in the natural you’re legitimately supposed to do, WAIT ON THE LORD AND KEEP ON BELIEVING!


And remember this: THE DEVIL - WHO SOMETIMES TRIES TO IMPERSONATE THE HOLY SPIRIT - IS KNOWN AS “THE ACCUSER OF THE BRETHREN”! AND HE WILL USE ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES AND PEOPLE TO DISCOURAGE YOU.


Jesus said: John 16:33 (NKJV) "THESE THINGS I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU, THAT IN ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION; BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD."

A life of faith is NOT about your desires and wishes. That puts the power in the hands of the ‘wisher’. The power of true faith is rooted in the substance and reality of the object of that faith. That ‘object’ is God, Himself, Who is THE primary source for dealing with any problem you have put into His Hands. Hebrews 11:1-2 (NKJV) NOW FAITH IS THE SUBSTANCE OF THINGS HOPED FOR, THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN. 2 FOR BY IT THE ELDERS OBTAINED A GOOD TESTIMONY. In other words, God gave His approval to people in days of old because of their faith!


And while you’re in the sometimes agonizing place of ‘believing’ or having faith for something to come to pass, you might find yourself in the position of having to apologize and/or repent to someone else! And you might notice ‘feelings’ of: THIS ISN’T FAIR! I’M THE ONE HAVING TO HUMBLE MYSELF – AND HE’S THE ONE WITH THE REAL PROBLEM!!!


But, child of God, ‘humility’ is the best place in the world to live. It’s where God is always found! Even if you’re a minor contributor to your situation and the other person a major one, your ‘issues’ are still just as real! So..................embrace a humble spirit. Isaiah 57:15 (NIV) FOR THIS IS WHAT THE HIGH AND LOFTY ONE SAYS-- HE WHO LIVES FOREVER, WHOSE NAME IS HOLY: "I LIVE IN A HIGH AND HOLY PLACE, BUT ALSO WITH HIM WHO IS CONTRITE AND LOWLY IN SPIRIT, TO REVIVE THE SPIRIT OF THE LOWLY AND TO REVIVE THE HEART OF THE CONTRITE.


And again in Isaiah 66:2-3 (NIV) HAS NOT MY HAND MADE ALL THESE THINGS, AND SO THEY CAME INTO BEING?" DECLARES THE LORD. "THIS IS THE ONE I ESTEEM: HE WHO IS HUMBLE AND CONTRITE IN SPIRIT, AND TREMBLES AT MY WORD. 3 BUT WHOEVER SACRIFICES A BULL IS LIKE ONE WHO KILLS A MAN, AND WHOEVER OFFERS A LAMB, LIKE ONE WHO BREAKS A DOG'S NECK; WHOEVER MAKES A GRAIN OFFERING IS LIKE ONE WHO PRESENTS PIG'S BLOOD, AND WHOEVER BURNS MEMORIAL INCENSE, LIKE ONE WHO WORSHIPS AN IDOL. THEY HAVE CHOSEN THEIR OWN WAYS, AND THEIR SOULS DELIGHT IN THEIR ABOMINATIONS;


WE bring before the Lord Almighty the sacrifice of Praise! It’s how we begin every Service before the Lord.. Why? Because in this Scripture God is reiterating the obvious “TRUTH” that HE and HE, ALONE “created”! And He’s obviously not impressed with feeble attempts to impress Him with empty talk regarding our “righteousness”! In other words, PRIDE is not only WRONG, it also clearly irritates Almighty God!


LISTEN: You can walk in faith; take communion; dance before the congregation and the Lord; prophesy and lay claim to everything that’s ever been spoken over you. But if you don’t humble

yourself and FORGIVE those who have wrongfully used you, YOU’LL NEVER INHERIT THOSE PROMISES! Why? Because God cannot look on sin! And if you walk in pride (whether you ‘realize’ it or not) you are walking in a very dangerous, unforgiven state!


And I can tell you from personal experience - the meanest, most accusatory people in the world are religious! They’ll kill you with their mouth while waving an arm in the air, crying “Hallelujah”! And most times, these people are DECEIVED into ‘thinking’ they’re justified in the stance they’ve taken against you and/or your church!


SO.....................as we have often said:

When your tongue is wagging, talking to other people about problems; when it’s gossiping, it’s operating under the POWER OF DEATH!

Listen: we were created in God’s Image and HE SPOKE in order to get things done! He created through the spoken word. Grace and mercy comes through the words of His mouth. Whatever is accomplished on earth comes through God’s word! Hebrews, chapter one, tells us that Jesus upholds all things by ‘words’. Romans 10:9 says to confess with your MOUTH. Even the Bible was spoken into existence through words spoken to prophets by God.


Therefore, YOUR actions are your ‘resource’ for real change! The right kind of behavior and moves on your part, handled in the correct manner, will have tremendous force in the lives of those who exasperate you and provoke you.

Proverbs 17:10-13 (NIV) A REBUKE IMPRESSES A MAN OF DISCERNMENT MORE THAN A HUNDRED LASHES A FOOL. 11 AN EVIL MAN IS BENT ONLY ON REBELLION; A MERCILESS OFFICIAL WILL BE SENT AGAINST HIM. 12 BETTER TO MEET A BEAR ROBBED OF HER CUBS THAN A FOOL IN HIS FOLLY. 13 IF A MAN PAYS BACK EVIL FOR GOOD, EVIL WILL NEVER LEAVE HIS HOUSE.


I am certain that “being right” or “having the last word” is NOT worth my place before my King! Walking in pride and self-righteousness is one of the most dangerous places a Christian can go!

And if you buy into the deception of believing we can ridicule - without consequence - another brother or sister in Christ - you have embraced a “Jezebel” spirit which means you “believe” your actions are justified and condoned by Almighty God.


Lastly, tonight, I’m going to repeat to you some of my favorite Scriptures. It will revolutionize and radically change your way of looking at circumstances IF you take it to heart and incorporate it into your way of doing business.


Joshua 3:3 (NKJV) AND THEY COMMANDED THE PEOPLE, SAYING, "WHEN YOU SEE THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND THE PRIESTS, THE LEVITES, BEARING IT, THEN YOU SHALL SET OUT FROM YOUR PLACE AND GO AFTER IT.

When you see in your heart what the Lord is saying, PURSUE THE LORD!!! NEVER ALLOW HIS WORD TO YOU TO DIE! No matter what comes up against you, your FAITH is in the Most High God ...NOT what you envision through your mind!


Psalms 27:1-2 (NKJV) THE LORD IS MY LIGHT AND MY SALVATION; WHOM SHALL I FEAR? THE LORD IS THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE; OF WHOM SHALL I BE AFRAID? 2 WHEN THE WICKED CAME AGAINST ME TO EAT UP MY FLESH, MY ENEMIES AND FOES, THEY STUMBLED AND FELL.


And, finally: Psalms 27:13-14 (NKJV) I WOULD HAVE LOST HEART, UNLESS I HAD BELIEVED THAT I WOULD SEE THE GOODNESS OF THE LORD IN THE LAND OF THE LIVING. 14 WAIT ON THE LORD; BE OF GOOD COURAGE, AND HE SHALL STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART; WAIT, I SAY, ON THE LORD!


It is Done, in Jesus’ Name