Holy Boldness

How does a person really know where they stand with God? Jesus made it clear that He would not be duped by false claims of loyalty. It is not lip service or flattery but obedience to the Father’s will that matters. Jesus said not everyone who calls Him Lord will be accepted by Him. “Man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart.” Even seemingly valid ministry expressions such as prophecy and casting out demons are not guaranteed to win final approval in the presence of the Lord. God’s judgment will always evaluate the heart of the matter. True righteousness is not just a matter of outward conformity to a certain task but inward alignment with God. It is a common thing for people to assume that powerful ministry equals validation of a person’s walk with God. But this statement from Jesus directly confronts such an assumption. There was no issue that Jesus more often confronted than the sin of presumption. He found it everywhere in first-century Judaism, especially among religious leaders and He drew this conclusion, “many will say to me in that day…”. Ministry is not the same as intimacy. In some cases, ministry can become an idol that stands between us and God. This is why the fear of the Lord is so critical to the church. True discernment does not lie on the surface of the issue. A person may assume that they are doing the will of God and get caught up in ministry. But the question that always must be asked is whether or not God is pleased. Ministry is about so much more than where our gifts will take us. It requires a fruitful life, good relation ships, and keeping commitments. If God wants a person to be still, no amount of busyness doing “spiritual things” is going to please Him. If our relationships are out of order, what ministry can we do for God? A person cannot give God what He is not asking for! So once again we ask, “how is a person to know?” At the core of everything in the Kingdom, we must seek the face of God to make sure we are walking in intimacy with Him. King David prayed a vital and wise prayer, “Keep thy servant from presumptuous sins; let them not rule over me.” (Psalm 19: 13). The sin of presumption is rooted in pride. “If you think you stand, take heed lest you fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12). The enemy of our souls knows when we get full of ourselves. It serves us well to ask others to examine us. We all have blind spots. That is one of the purposes of living in community. We should seek out friends who can Powerful Ministry is not a Divine Endorsement

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