THE PATHWAY TO THE HEART OF THE FATHER (7 OF9)

Continuation of my teaching on "Prayer." In Mark we read, "And there came a leper to him, beseeching (praying) him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." (Mark 1:40) The word "prayer" is often translated "beseech" (#3870 parakaleo) one who pleads another's cause with one; to convince; to persuade; and convict of sin. The leper was attempting to persuade Jesus to heal him. The leper knew Jesus could heal him because he heard and saw he was totally convinced Jesus could, but he was not convinced Jesus would heal him. I know you can, but will you. In our prayers we often know God can move in our lives, but we question will He. His faith in his approach was in the ability of Jesus to heal him. Our faith is easily put into the ability of God. There is no question about the ability of God. God can do anything He wants to do. Nothing in God should amaze, because God can do anything. But can we put our faith in His willingness to do something right now is the question. At the end of the day we MUST put our faith in God's willingness to heal us not His ability. So God wants to move us in alignment with what He wants rather than His ability. We cannot follow His ability, it is so vast. But His will for our lives we can accurately follow in that and experience the ability of God as it relates to us, and not someone else. What does He want? What does He want from you? What does He want you to do? Our faith must be in God's will for our lives not in what we see and hear or even others victories. The leper was not sure of Jesus' will. He was not convinced, but He pressed in, "And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean." (Mark 1:41) What comes first "be thou clean" or "I will"? The order is important. In prayer all we really need from God is, "I will" and then we know exactly how to move, exactly what to do, how to act. Because when we hear we then know how to move. If God gives us the word then we move on the word knowing we are in the will of God. Knowing faith comes with the word from God. "So then faith cometh by hearing a word of God." (Romans 10:17 (Greek)) Everything we will need to walk in the word God speaks to us is in the word. We do not to struggle, strain, or work it up. It is nice to know we do not have to manufacture faith. If God says raise the dead, just say dead person raise up. God brings it to us. Healing the sick is the easiest thing in the world. God wants us to join with Him, to move with Him, and walk with Him in all of His moving, doings, wishes, desires and ways. God wants us involved. So don't worry so much about straining after the will of God. He will clue us in, and if it is none of our business He will not clue us in. But if He wants us involved along a certain line or issue, He will bring us into that understanding and it will become for us the will of God. And, everything fits together, everything works in the will of God. If God does not tell us we must not try to guess and follow after that guessing, or we'll fall into a ditch. We need to relax and allow God to speak to us concerning what He wants us to do. But often many Christians operate in guessing what God wants and not knowing (by hearing from) what God wants. Then we get into trouble seeking after God's will. God should I do this or that? God is the boss we need to allow God to call the shots and not ask Him just move in what He is giving us at that time. The more we can relax the more we can hear from God. As we begin this wondrous Christian walk we are after something; The key of receiving. The key is not, is He able, but is He willing. And, if we do not get the answer we are looking for, we then go into a tether whether it is or is not God's will, because we are looking to receive. The less we are concerned about receiving the more we will find ourselves in God's will. We should not want to receive anything from God. Do you know God can do a lot without money? We cannot eat money or wear it, nor can we live inside it. Many think God is tied to our money. Often times God will link Himself with our money for us to give and help spread the gospel, in order to get from our heart the habitual giving and sacrifice he wants. Our focus should be on giving not receiving. Why? Because the more we give the more God can give to us. God will give to us as He wills and that will be all sufficient. He is able to give us $20,000 a month if He wants, He is able. But we must move in the will of God and we will see His suffienecy. We will never get a better view of God's faithfulness then from the bottom of the barrel. Do not worry about hard times you will be able to see God better than in good times. Whatever God gives to us should be all that we want. We must not get upset as He does His will in us. Many think Satan has attacked them when they are in the will of God. Satan has nothing to do with it, we are just walking in the will of God, to know Him and see Him. Oh, that He may show Himself to us. We best see God in tough times and narrow places. If we really want to come to know God then we will have to know tough times. Often times we can approach God not knowing if it is the will of God, but knowing God can come across if he wants to, and we move in it and sometimes we hit God's will, but most often we miss it. But sometimes we hit it and God says "I will" we get so tickled and think we are blessed, but if this becomes a pattern and/or habit we get all bent out of shape when it does not happen. We must never get use to God providing one way or another. He is God He can use anything. Did you know there are no rules or formulas in God? God operates by His divine spiritual principles that always leads back to the heart of the Father. Written by David Stahl