Name it and Claim it

Do you remember when Jesus was tempted by Satan for 40 days in the wilderness? Satan said "If thou art the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and, On their hands they shall bear thee up, Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone."Matthew 4:6 ASV 
Then "Jesus said unto him, Again it is written, Thou shalt not make trial of the Lord thy God." Matthew 4:7 ASV

Well I have always wondered what that that meant exactly. So the other day I was thinking about a comment I was presented with from a fellow believer concerning the issue of presenting what you want to God and claiming it in His name. My fellow believer had an objection to that type of teaching and I wasn't really sure what I felt about the subject.

I did know a few things. I knew that I believed in an unlimited God and that I have been led by the Spirit to follow the teaching of certain pastors and not others.  So I did some reserach and I looked up the concept on the internet. I found accusations of false teaching as such. So I dropped the matter. Next I was led to remember another belief I have. It is about acceptance and the existence of paradoxes. I believe that most of the time we are presented with incomplete information. So I have learned to lean on the Holy Spirit to guide me so that I may have a full understanding of the subject matter. So ultimately I think about is for a while and then I let it go. What happens after that is, at some point, understanding enters my brain. It happens immediately sometimes and other times it takes days. However this is the understanding that I was led to about the name it and claim it concept:

When we say things like " I will stick my hands in a pit of snakes so that God can prove that he is God and nothing will hurt me because I have made Jesus the Lord of my life and savior, you are in pride.

If you say I want this house and because God said in John 14: 13-14, Matthew 21:22,1 John 5:14, Philippians 4: 6-7, Psalm 37:4 and a host of other places, that if I ask in Jesus name it will be given to me and so I demand this house, then you are in pride.

So what is the deal? Great question. The discipline is to move from pride, where it is all about you, to faith, where it is all about what will glorify God. In Jeremiah 31:33 KJV God says, "
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." So for the believer God promises to give us the desires of our heart which he is in charge of and guiding. 

So we desire that house but even though we believe God will give us the desires of our heart, we have to remember that we don't have all the information we need to determine the all the details in the right order and in the right timing. Details like: How will we get it? When will we get it? What is going to be going on at that time with our lives, the market, the neighborhood, etc? What changes will need to be made as a result of present conditions? 

Ultimately, we have to remain flexible and open to God's will. See a desire is a simple matter to fill because there are infinite ways to fulfill it. For example, I had a secret desire to open a school by which I would have the students learn about spiritual, emotional and financial health. The school would be built of these concepts. I never persuaded the idea. I even forgot it for a while. Then I invented a game called The Vocabulary Game. It was invented trying to help a little girl study 100 vocabulary words over the summer. I was led by the Spirit to build the game and to take it to public schools and tutor sessions. The Holy Spirit brought back to my memory the desire I had when I was younger by giving me satisfaction. See I didn't really want to start a school but I did want to help build minds and the game allows me to do that. 

I never set out to be an inventor or a teacher. I never set out to build a school. But the school was the only way I understood how to build minds. But God knows all and because I am committed to being led by Him that example is not unique in my life but more like the norm these days. When we are flexible it doesn't mean that we give up on our desires. Instead it means that we expect Him to bring the desire to pass but are willing to give up the method and timing of how it should come about. He's an unlimited God. He will supply all of our needs (Philippians 4:19), but greater than we can imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He still loves us and like any great parent wants the best for us.

People don't go to Hell for committing Sin

Here is something to consider if you are a Christian or have any dealings with Christians.

People don't go to Hell for Sin. People go to Hell for not believing in Jesus. Did you hear me?

PEOPLE DON'T GO TO HELL FOR SIN. PEOPLE GO TO HELL FOR NOT BELIEVING IN JESUS.

Believe it or not this is awesome news. It really simplifies things. So you're not going to hell for cursing or using drugs. That guy is not going to hell for rape or murder. My friend is not going to hell for cheating on her husband. How is that great news? You ask. Well, if you are the cheater you can still go boldly to the throne of God and ask for help. If you are the person cheated on you can exercise your faith that all things work together for the good of those who love the lord.

Sounds unfair you say...well you are right! Until you consider that the reason you yourself are not on your way to hell for something as simple as overeating or getting upset at someone is for the same reason. JESUS!

God wants a relationship with us at all times. He understands that life is hard and decisions are made that sometimes lead us to places we never wanted to go. That is way he sent Jesus to die for us. Jesus takes away the sin of the world. All the sin...past, present and future. That is the beauty of the Grace of God.

When Jesus was on Earth he brought equal amounts of Grace and Truth to each encounter. The truth is to God a sin is a sin is a sin from murder to overeating. All sin no matter how small separates us from the love of God. Sin eventually makes us believe we are unworthy of His blessings and we stop worshiping and believing because of shame.  The truth is we are right, but we were always unworthy even before the sin. The Grace is we are not judged based on our performance instead we are judged based on Jesus' performance. Just in case, you didn't know Jesus was perfect.

He was not born of Adam, a man with sin in his blood. He was born of the Holy Spirit and as such was never born into the prison of sin. This prison of sin, by which every man is born into, keeps us sinful no matter what good works we do. Jesus was born into the prison of righteousness. This prison is the prison we all enter when we make Jesus the lord and savior over our lives. As such this prison keeps us righteous or in right standing with God, no matter what we do.

So does that mean that we should go out and do whatever we want; lie, kill, and steal. Of course not. Does that mean that there are no consequences for what we do. Of course not. So what does it mean? It means keep moving forward in Christ and keep believing that God is for you. So that God can make all things work together for your good.

That is when Parley Pioneers Inc. comes in. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are here to help keep you moving forward in Christ.