Walking to Please God
By Ryan Watkins
We all have a specific purpose for our lives. God wants us to be a representative of Jesus in the world, bearing witness that he is alive in us. How well we represent Jesus in the earth will depend upon how much our mind is renewed to His Word. Our will should always be dedicated to God’s will.
*GENISIS 18:19 - For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
Abraham’s part was keeping the way of the Lord so God could bring to pass the words of his will. That’s our part. We must walk in his way and his will so he can bring his word to come to pass.
*ROMANS 8:29 - For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
We are predestinated to be conformed to his image. This is God’s will for us. This is something we do and grow into. We have to be diligent to the things of the Lord-dedicated. Dedicated with what we have (using our tools to the fullest extent to please the Father).
*EPHESIANS 5:25 - Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another.
God had in mind the church be set apart from the world, a church full of his glory. A glorious church, a holy church, without spot, wrinkle, or blemish. That’s what God wants us to come to. So the world will see a church without spot or wrinkle. A holy church.
*JOHN 17:17-20 - Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.
We are to be without spot or blemish in the earth, sanctified (or set apart) by the truth of the word of God.
*COLOSSIANS 1:9,10 - For this cause we also, since the day we heard it do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.
When we are filled with the knowledge of God we can walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing knowing his will and his wisdom being in us. Walking worthy of the Lord and pleasing him is connected with bearing fruit. The power will be there to bear the fruit.
*Pleasing God——*Bearing Fruit——*Power
(All connected together.)
When we please God, we bear fruit. If we are not bearing fruit in our ministry we’ve not been pleasing God with what we’ve been doing with our time and attention.
*EPHESIANS 4:11-13 - And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
Saints are to be brought to maturity. We must determine in our hearts not to just get by and have our needs met, but to help the other guy get his needs met.
We must determine to please God and not ourselves to keep the power of God flowing and unhindered in our lives. Not just getting by but growing up into him so the power of God will be manifested through us to others. Changing lives, ministering deliverance, instant healings, miracles, signs, and wonders-this is what God intends for his sons and daughters to be doing in the earth. Showing forth Jesus until he comes and being about the Father’s business. God’s will for his body is to come into perfect unity unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We all need to put ourselves under ministers we know are accurately and rightly dividing the word of truth. It will either influence us for good or bad. Whenever we receive from men and women of God, our spirits are open to them.
We are not to walk like unborn again people (the world) walk, in the uselessness of their mind. Their understanding is darkened. We haven’t learned to walk in the vanity of our minds in Christ Jesus. WE have learned to PUT OFF the old man. This is something WE CHOSE TO DO. WE have to renew our minds to the word of God.
*Righteousness happened when we were born again. We are in right standing with God.
*Holiness is there but WE HAVE TO DO THIS AS A DECISION OF OUR WILL. It’s the will of God that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Holiness is what WE DO with our time, what we do in our actions, how we conduct ourselves, even in our conversation. It’s not what we are made to do but what we chose to do. Living set apart unto God will bring us victory right here and now. If we just walk in love with everyone, we will be pleasing God. AMEN.
Azusa was one continual meeting. They sold out to what they were doing. They became known as holiness people. How did they get that title? They separated themselves from the world. They let go of things they thought were not pleasing to God. They put off the former conversation of the world (the old man) and put on the things pleasing to God (the new man.) There is a difference between being dedicated to God and doing these things because we want to than just following a set of rules and regulations (legalism.) It’s all about our heart attitude towards God and what he wants instead of what we want all the time. The only way to find out what God wants for our life is to stay in the word (meditate.) He knows we can’t act beyond our knowledge of his word.
*Romans 12:1,2 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
When we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, our spirits are born again in the likeness of Jesus. Our souls, which consist of our mind, will, and emotions, need to be retrained. As we renew our minds to the word of God, we are training it in the things of the spirit. Holiness is when we conform our actions to the image of God that is in our spirit. When we give our attention to the things of the spirit, we will tap into the power of God that is in us. By letting go of the things of this world and seeking after the things of God, by living a holy life, set apart unto God, we will cause that power to flow through us as we go about doing the Father’s business, living out the plan that he has for each and every one of us in the earth. May you continue to know the truth because it’s the truth you know that will set you free. AMEN.