Christian Living

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A Prayer or a Player

Feb 20, 2008
By: Rick L. King

In writing this article, I pray that people might sense my passion and heart. I am not writing to condemn or to judge anyone, but just the opposite. I hope to encourage people so that a fire might be ignited in their spirit so that they will go deeper in Jesus than ever before.

Each person is special and unique. Each of God’s kids has callings and purposes that only they may fulfill. Unfortunately I have seen so many settling for less. The body of Christ needs each one fulfilling their destiny. We have limped along for a long time. Together we are a powerful force as we are in Jesus and being obedient to His Holy Spirit. God says that there is nothing impossible with Him. I just believe that to be true. Yet, I have learned in my walk some things that must take place in order for this to happen.

In Eph 3:20 Paul says, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us”. The real key to the abundantly above are the words “according to the power working in us”. It takes power, Holy Spirit power, to get the exceedingly abundant above. I have observed that for a long time a church that seems to stay busy yet has little power. The devil has many caught up in works, working for God. God is not our employer. He is our Father and desires for us to work with Him. There is a big difference. To work with Him requires us to find out what He wants or desires. 2Ti 3:5 says, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away”. There are many that are religious, but where is the power? Religion causes us to get caught up in works and working for God. Relationship will cause us to walk in the spirit and power. The problem with working for God, it seems we never can do enough for Him and we find our self worn out. That is the devil’s plan. It makes us look good to others, but how effective are we? Where is our power to do the greater works that Jesus said that we would do? I have said all this to hopefully convey some things that the Lord has taught me that have really worked for me.

Many people like to pray. This is of course what we should be doing. Yet, how are we praying? Are we praying our will or spending the time to find out what God’s will is and walking in agreement with Him?

Recently the Holy Spirit showed me an analogy about a tree. We can pray the leaves off the tree, but they will always return in another season. Praying the leaves off keeps us very busy and actually does not produce many eternal results. It works from a temporal worldly standard, but not too much from a lasting eternal one. People that do this have a good heart and mostly a pure motive. But what if there is a better way? The Holy Spirit told me that if I spend time with Him and wait on Him in intercession and prayer, that He will reveal the root of the tree to me. If we kill the root, the tree will die. Guess what? No more leaves. The person that spent their time raking up the dead leaves is now out of a job. Religious prayer is so based on us in control and what we want or think. Relationship prayer is based on what does God want or think. 2 Cor 10:5 talks about casting down imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. Do you see what it said, the knowledge of God. This is not the knowledge about Him, but it is His knowledge. When we get those imaginations out of the way, we can have His knowledge. I don’t know about you, but when this was revealed to me, it set me free. I did not have to depend on my knowledge. My knowledge was sending me straight to the pit of hell. We can have His knowledge! That is exciting.

We don’t have to play the religious game that many play. We can have his knowledge and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can become more than conquerors through Him that loves us. We don’t have to settle for less when He promised us exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. We just need to learn how to tap in to His power. One of the ways is to get our imaginations or thoughts out of the way. We are told to Let this mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus. To have His mind means we can no longer operate out of our own. We must allow His mind in us through allowing the Holy Spirit to rule.

The word tells us in James 4:10 to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift us up. One of the first things that we must do is give up our control. It is not about us but only about Him. It is about bringing the kingdom of God down to earth. It comes through you and me. We bring the kingdom, or better said, He brings the kingdom through us. We can’t be raised up until we are humbled. We must realize that all of our strength and effort is fruitless and vain. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastics figured that out when he stated that vanity vanity, all is vanity. He found that the word “I” was vanity. It can not accomplish eternal results. Many have made Jesus their Savior, yet not made him their Lord. When He is lord, He is allowed to rule and reign through us as we have surrendered our will just as he did.

Once we have learned that he alone is worthy of praise, we can then praise and worship Him for who he is. God does inhabit praise. When we enter into His presence we will never leave the same. His presence is healing, deliverance, revelation, direction, peace, and so much more. I sometimes think that one of the greatest things about His presence; is that self is out of the way. It is the only place where I have found safety, boldness, and peace that’s far above anything that I have ever known. There is nothing greater than to be in His presence. No worldly thing, no person, no amount of money and any worldly pleasure can even come close.

My passion and heart is this. From what I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, He desires to take us deeper and deeper. There is no limit on how deep in Him we may go. The only real limit is us. Will be satisfied with a powerless religious walk or will we decide to pay the price and go deeper in him? You can go deeper. You can enter into a walk with the Lord where the Holy Spirit will lead and guide you. Will teach you, will empower you, will revolutionize your life. Will you settle for less? Will you stay stuck in the religious mold or do you desire more? I hope this article has helped you to realize that more exists and that it is for anyone that desires it. God is no respecter of persons. You may be given gifts much different than mine, but I guarantee you that whatever God chooses for you, you will be happy in the end. I have learned that God's desire for me is so much greater than any desire that I had for myself. The journey gets rough at times, but praise God if we will stay on the road; it will lead us to a deeper walk with Him far greater than what we could have ever dreamed. Just remember that God really loves you and has a very unique plan just for you. I pray that you will let go and now let God take you deeper.

Isa 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Joe 3:9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:

All scripture quoted is taken from the KJV.


Copyright © 2007
By: Rick L. King

No portion of this may be reproduced or used without written permission from the author.
Please contact me at [email protected] if you have a need for this writing. Thank You.

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