Children of God Summary

In Psalm 27, David cries out to God in an intense urgent prayer: “Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; have mercy and be gracious to me and answer me!.” His prayer is focused on one desire, one ambition, something that has become all consuming for him: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after” (Psalm 27:4).

David is testifying, “I have one prayer, Lord, one request. It is my single most important goal in life, my constant prayer, the one thing I desire. And I will seek after it with all that’s within me. This one thing consumes me as my goal.”

What was this “one thing” that David wanted above everything else, the object he had set his heart on obtaining? He tells us: “to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple” (27:4). I can’t even imagine a greater desire!

Now don’t think that David was some kind of ascetic, shutting out the world “out there.” He wasn’t a hermit, trying to hide away in a lonely desert place. Now I realize those things may sound nice in the tumultuous lives we sometimes find ourselves in. I’m immediately thinking of a new parent with a toddler running wild or an overwhelmed dad . . . despite the conditions of our lives, we can still follow those yearnings like David’s.

David was simply a passionate man of action. Indeed he was a great warrior, with crowds singing about his victories in battle. He was also passionate in his prayer and devotion, with a heart that yearned after God. And the Lord had blessed David with so many of the desires of his heart.

David tasted everything a man could want in life. He had known riches and wealth, power and authority. He had received the respect, praises and adulation of men. God had given him Jerusalem as the capital for the kingdom and he was surrounded by devoted men who were willing to die for him.

But beyond all those things, and what we need to imitate, David was a worshiper. He was a man who gave praised his Lord and gave thanks to him for all his blessings. He testified, “The Lord laid blessings on me daily.”

David was saying, in effect, “There is a way of living I seek now—a settled place in the Lord that my soul longs for. I want uninterrupted spiritual intimacy with my God.” This was what David meant when he prayed, “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

The last few days I sent you 3, very lengthy and thought-provoking . . . maybe even challenging messages. They were messages encouraging you to examine your own life and relationship with the Lord. Can you find that child-like devotion and Love for your Lord?

Yes they were long studies. I hope you were able to read them in their entirety. You think they were tough to read, think what I went through to write them! The messages weighed heavy on my heart

I am going to give you the links for each study again, and I ask that you reread them. Today is Sunday so why not consider them your “Sunday Message“? To give you time to absorb the teachings there will no “Morning Messages” for the next couple of days. Please take the time to prayerfully consider the teachings.

Follow each link again and before you read each one pray,

“Father I’m going to clear my mind and heart to hear you message fresh and new. Holy Spirit, come and lead me, teach me, guide me through each message and bring life out of each one. What are you trying to say to me?”

Children of God (pt 1 of 3)

Children of God (pt 2 of 3)

Children of God (pt 3 of 3)

Children of God (pt 3 of 3)

God doesn’t always take us through the easy way. Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, “sorrow is better than laughter, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better and gains gladness,” that “sadness has a refining influence on us” (Living Bible). “For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret His sending it” (II Corinthians 7:10).

Some preachers won’t tell you that, so I’m sorry to have to point it out for you. And yes, it’s unfortunate that this “refining influence” can’t be found in our times of peace and prosperity. However, the realities of God’s Kingdom will only be unveiled to us when the love of everything this world has to offer has been stripped from our grasp.

Purifying fire and times of crisis will cause us to get things out of our lives that we didn’t even realize were in there. Let me illustrate what I mean.

Let’s pretend you just created a vase out of clay, then placed it into a kiln to harden. The extreme pressure caused by the heat hardens and purifies the clay. Any foreign substances in the clay, like a piece of straw or dirt, would cause the clay to expand and explode, marring the vase. That’s the way it is our lives.

If there are any impurities in our lives, the stress of adversity will force them to the surface and if you don’t deal with them, they will destroy us or at least our testimony and cause anger to rise against our Father.

You may not like to hear it, but sorrows and frustrations can teach us lessons that laughter never can. It’s been said that there can be no Pentecost without first experiencing a Calvary. There can be no Canaan without first going through the Wilderness.

I have heard it argued the wilderness experience of the Israelites wasn’t at all necessary. The argument says that the reason the people of God had to spend that time wandering around in the desert was because of their own sin, that it wasn’t God’s desire or plan.

This is absolutely true, although, the scripture also says, “when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine Country, although that was shorter. For God said, ‘if they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea” (Exodus 13: 17-18).

Even before the people of Israel sinned and had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness, God already knew something about them. He knew that they weren’t ready to go right into the Promised Land. It has been said that it took one day for God to take Israel out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to take Egypt out of Israel—and I don’t even think that was long enough.

Moses told them to remember how the Lord led them in the desert for 40 years, “to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble you and test you, to do you good in the end” (Deuteronomy 8:2-5, 16).

Clearly, God’s purpose for the wilderness journey was for training, for discipline, for instruction. God was acting as a father to provide for His people. Part of His provision was to bring His children through the wilderness.

God does indeed have a purpose and He is bringing us into the land of promise. However, when we get there, we have to be mature enough to accept the responsibilities and privileges of that inheritance. He has to lead us through a process of growth, of training, of instruction, so that we will not only be brought out of Egypt, but that Egypt would be brought out of us.

Like I said, God doesn’t always take us through the easy way. This was true for the believing Hebrews: “Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering” (Hebrews 10:32).

Is this true of your life? You went all-out for Jesus, making a full surrender—and His light was turned on in you! Then suddenly you entered a time of suffering. Your problems and trials mounted up!

“Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule . . .” (verse 33). You became a spectacle to the whole world, your friends made fun of you, you were a picture of suffering, and an example of tribulation. The world around you wondered where your God was, and why you were suffering so much.

“. . . you accepted it with joy” (verse 34). Think of it: The Hebrew Christians were cast in jail, and their fellow believers were imprisoned. They lost their nice houses, all their furniture and clothes—all their earthly goods.

You know . . . we may come to that place in America. Believers in other nations  face situations far worse than that. But how are you going to deal with it? Will you handle it like the Hebrew Christians did? The Scriptures say they not only endured it—but they endured it joyfully! That’s even harder. What did the Hebrews have that helped them to remain joyful in such trials? The answer is in verse 34: They “knew there were better things waiting that will last forever.” They had their eyes on the return of Jesus! They were living for eternity! As I’ve quoted often, Jim Elliot wrote, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

The Hebrew church understood that fact well, because they never threw away their confidence in God when all this was happening. On the contrary, they had the same promises we have—and they trusted.

“Think back on those early days . . .” (verse 32). The author of Hebrews was telling them to look back and remember the Lord’s deliverance!

A dear Christian woman in our church told me how her husband lost his business ten years ago. They were getting close to fifty years old when they lost everything. Late in life they had to start over, with virtually nothing. So they moved into a small apartment—and prayed together and grew in the Lord.

She said, “Never in the past ten years has the Lord failed us. And these have been ten of the happiest, most productive years of our lives. God used all the hardships to bring us together, while many of our friends were falling apart and getting divorced.

“We don’t spend much, because we don’t have much. But it has been better now than when we had it all. There were times when we needed $10,000 and God met that need. We look back and we can see God’s faithfulness. He has brought us through!”

Friend, God always brings His children through! I’m not saying you won’t go through hard places, and maybe even lose a job or a house. We all need to be prepared for that. But the Bible tells us, “Don’t throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!” (Hebrews 10:35).

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith” (verses 36-38).

It doesn’t matter how hard it gets, because it won’t last very long; Jesus is going to come again! And whether or not He comes during your trial, He promises to deliver you.

Here is the only way you and I are going to make it: We Must Trust Our God To Take Care of His Dependents

If you’re going to shrink back out of fear and unbelief, you will end up “to their own destruction” (verse 39). They will fall, and they will end up in darkness and confusion.

Sadly there are many who are shrinking back today. They have no faith; they don’t abandon themselves to God’s care. They see themselves as helpless, forsaken, abandoned children. They have never cast themselves on the Lord, saying, “Yes, I’m helpless—but I’m a child of the Almighty God!”

I’m not some superman. I have to live this out, just like you do. But I have a loving Father who will never fail me. And I’ll never accuse Him of failing me! He’s going to see me through, one way or another. I may not have the lifestyle I’m accustomed to or want. But if He brings down everything around me, I will still maintain my faith—I will have joy, happiness, peace and all that I need!

As you read this, you may be facing an unknown future. You may not know what is just ahead for you, in your career or for your family. You may be in a situation that calls for you to face the impossible.

Right now, the Holy Spirit is calling you to child-like dependence on your Father. He’s urging you to cast yourself on Him in utter helplessness. And He’s calling you to remember: You are a child of the Almighty God!

Children of God (pt 2 of 3)

In part 1 we saw that it was imperative that we learn to be fully dependent on our Father. That Jesus went as far as to say if we didn’t, we would never see eternal life in His Kingdom.

But wait! (I always feel like a telemarketer when I say that). But wait! It doesn’t end there. Jesus added another very stern warning in the same passage:

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his heck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6).

Jesus isn’t talking about child abuse here. Again, in this context he is saying that it is an offense to God for anyone to teach that we are self-sufficient. So not only are we, as believer and disciples of Jesus, to view ourselves as wholly dependent on our Father, anyone who teaches someone to do otherwise has offended our Father. And false teachers who would offend young believers with any gospel that caters to self-love and self-will, will be judged.

So you televangelists and Pastors out there should be producing Christians who never depend on the arm of the flesh. If you are taking child-like hearts away from total dependency on God—and toward self-motivation and self-esteem, Jesus says it would be better if you had never been born—and you can’t get any stronger warning than that!

Some preachers have offended an entire generation. They have put stumbling blocks in front of thousands of believers, urging them to seek all the goodness and blessings of a caring Father—but never say anything about the obligations of being a disciple; about the rod and the chastisements that go with being a beloved child. I don’t oppose the “Word of Faith” message, per se, I’m angry with the unbalanced presentation of these truths.

Getting back to my children, I absolutely love them and want the absolute best for them. They don’t have to make any special requests of me—other than alerting me to any special needs they might have that I don’t know about—they don’t even need any special faith that I will do those things for them.

As their parent, I care for them by providing good things for them—good clothes; food; money to buy tickets to the movies; camping with them—but I also care for them by correcting and disciplining them. The Scripture says that discipline will bring the salvation of my children—now that doesn’t guarantee their “eternal salvation.” That’s something they have to choose. But it does help in building righteous behaviors and produce honorable adults.

Now, getting back to our Lord’s discipline, right now you might find yourself under “the rod of the Lord’s discipline.” If you are, I assure you that it’s not because you’ve sinned—it’s because He loves you. His love is motivating it all!

The disciples loved Jesus. They had confessed to Him, “We believe you are the Son of the living God.” Yet we have to wonder if that truth really gripped them before Jesus’ resurrection.

The Holy Spirit dealt with me while I was preparing this message. He asked me: “Who are you pray to so much? Who is it you sing so much about? Whose child are you?

I said shocked and disappointed that he needed to ask because I thought he already knew that. So I said, “Father, it’s you. You’re the God of the universe.”

He answered, “Don’t forget that.”

My friend, that shocked me up a little, but then it hit me! I discovered this is the key to utter dependency! If you grasp this, you won’t need a checklist to know, “Am I trusting as I’m supposed to? Am I really following His Word?“

It has to register in your mind and soul: “I really am a helpless child. But I am Abba’s child! The everlasting, Creator God is my Father—He rules the universe. I am the child of a Father who knows all and controls all.”

This is where the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes so glorious: He first bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. But then He goes even further to reveal that we are also “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

As you read this message, hopefully you don’t have any trouble admitting a condition of helplessness. Maybe you’re unemployed. As you look to the future, everything seems hopeless. You may already identify with a helpless child. You can say, “Yep, that’s me—unable to handle my debts, my hands are tied, I’m unable to make anything happen!”

Well, standing next to the child amidst the disciples was someone else . . . someone with a hand on that child’s shoulder. Yehoveh stood there—God in Christ! And I have no doubt that child crawled into the Master’s lap and hugged Him in total rest and peace. You see, it was easy for children to recognize Jesus for who He was—they sang hosannas to Him!

All of us are helpless children indeed—but we are also children of Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe! Dependency isn’t just recognizing how helpless you are—it’s also seeing how powerful your father is!

Dependency on God means three things:

1. Committing yourself to God’s absolute power.
2. Submitting to His will.
3. Waiting for Him to act in His proper time and way.

Do you know a Christian who is in a panic situation? Let’s say you ask him, “Do you believe God has the power to deliver you?” They’ll probably answer: “Yes—absolutely! God has all the power needed. Nothing is impossible for Him.”

So then ask them:”Do you believe He cares about you, that He loves you?” Hopefully their answer is, “I’m not the best Christian. I’ve made mistakes. But, yes—I believe God loves me that He cares about what happens to me.”

So then ask: “If you believe He has all power, and that He cares for you . . . then why are you worried about things? So full of panic and fear?”

Your friend will answer, “Because nothing is happening! Things are getting worse, and I’m on the brink of total disaster! Those folks who talk about trusting God have jobs. They’re not in my position—they don’t know what it’s like! I get my hopes up, and then they all get dashed. Everything turns up zero!”

This is why so many have lost hope—because they’ve moved from help-lessness to hope-lessness without seeing the other person in this story—the One who has His hand on that child’s shoulder!

In our lives we will experience hardships. It’s not just the wicked who suffer (although I wish that were the case), but as the Bible says, “many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19). And yes, through such trials you will end up either hating God or casting yourself completely into His care. That is your choice.

My friends, the Holy Spirit has come for just these kinds of situations. He hasn’t come to just keep you pure, but to keep you from disaster. He has been sent to lead and guide you through all trials, crises and hopeless situations.

“ Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?” (Matthew 18:10).

We’ve almost relegated this verse to a little Sunday-school ditty: Every child has a guardian angel. I don’t doubt that’s true. But Jesus is saying so much more here! He’s saying, “Don’t despise those who, like children, have given up trying to figure it all out. They have cast themselves completely on my care. And their Father has a host of angels who’ll do anything needed on their behalf!”

Children of God (pt 1 of 3)

There’s all kinds of “Bible” things we quote, but really don’t know what they mean. For instance, the apostle Paul wrote, “His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). At least as believers, that’s how we’re supposed to see ourselves—”Children of God.”—it’s also how our Father describes us. But you know, sometimes we use words like these too flippantly, and never really understand the power and depth of what they really mean.

So what does it mean to be a child of God? Well think of a small child. They are totally dependent on their parents. Well, we need to see ourselves as totally dependent on God’s care. A child of God realizes quickly that when he tries to control his own life, things get all turned around and messed up. What we should do is think of ourselves as being completely incapable of functioning without the Lord’s daily help; to live wholly dependent on God for everything.

Sure it’s going to hurt our pride, but that will be a way into a victorious life. On my income tax report I’m able to declare any children living with me as “dependents,” right? Well, let’s be dependents of the Lord!

Now here’s something that will mess with your mind, a little. There are no such “dependents” that exist in the world. Huh? No. Sinners are self-sufficient people. They see themselves as achievers, “can-do” people. They preach that whatever the mind can conceive, it can achieve—that with the right mental attitude, a person can do anything. Frank Sinatra popularized their theme song: “I did it my way!“

Well, it’s sad to admit but within the Church today, there are very few children in the house of God. The Church has been flooded with self-help books of all kinds. Believers are taught to take things into your own hands: winning their own victory over self, doubt, fear and loneliness. These are all part of our flesh’s tendency to avoid total dependence on God Himself!

Many in the church today believe that if you have the right formula, the correct confession, you can figure everything out for yourself and solve your own problems. They say, “God, You gave me a good mind. I’ll just think this through. I know if I do it the right way, I can work everything out.”

You can hear this self-help message preached from our pulpits and through the TV ministers. They promise, “If you can think it, you can do it. If you can name your blessing, you can claim it. Just speak the word into existence!” Now I hate bad-mouthing my mother, because when I first came to the Lord I sat under this type of message. But when taken out-of-context, or from an unbalanced “theology,” I’ve seen this mess up more than one believer’s life. The problem is with this, as it is often preached (or at least received), the message is nothing more than humanism—a self-centered, self-fulfilling “gospel of self!” Preachers by the thousands are trying to teach people how to cope—but it is impossible to cope in this life, outside of the power of Jesus Christ!

The reason for this message is that I feel the Lord asking, “Where have all the children gone? There’s so few children left, so few dependents. Where are the believers who live today wholly dependent on Me?”

There was a time when Jesus found his disciples arguing over which one of them was going to be the greatest in the coming kingdom? Which one would rule the most cities and be the most productive? Which ones would sit on his right and left? In response to their arguing, Jesus called over a child, and had him stand in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in” (Matthew 18:2-3).

This is amazing, (as well as shocking and profound). Jesus looked in the faces of his disciples and told them that they had to change their entire relationship to him. The phrase He used here, “Unless you turn” which, in Greek means, “Unless you repent, change, turn about, revolutionize your thinking!”

Jesus was saying, “Forget about who will be the greatest! Unless you completely change the way you think about your walk with me, you will never make it into the kingdom!” (Father forgive us . . .)

Thousands of Christians spend their whole life thinking about heaven; singing about it; anticipating and longing to go there, and I can certainly understand that, but I’m warning you now, Jesus just said that many of us will miss it entirely if we never learn what Jesus tried to teach His disciples: “Don’t get your eyes on heaven—on ruling, reigning and doing great things in eternity—until you first learn how to walk in this life. Otherwise, you won’t even make it there!” (Ouch!) “. . . and become as little children” (Matthew 18:3).

This scene is one of the best object lessons in God’s Word. Yet we have missed its greatest significance! Jesus is saying, “You have to rethink your relationship to Me—you have to revert to childlike ways!”

If you have any toddlers around, you’ll immediately see what I’m talking about: selfishness (“Mine, mine!”), stubbornness (“No, no!”), and jealousy. God help us if we revert to the things we see in toddlers! That would be total bedlam.

But when Jesus talks about being childlike, He doesn’t mean a single child-like characteristic. He’s talking about something a whole bunch bigger than that—and that’s a child’s human condition.

Some interpret Jesus’ message here as being about trust. They say, “Jesus wants us to be trusting, the way a little child is.” And certainly that is part of the message, but that idea ignores the context of what brought the lesson up in the first place. They were arguing over who would be the most important. It had nothing to do with “trusting” him.

Besides, trust is only a small part of a child’s human condition. Children for the most part, are dependent on their parents, whether they trust them or not. Parents provide, well okay, parents are supposed to provide their clothing, their food, getting them to school on time, making them milkshakes whenever you make grilled cheese sandwiches . . . that’s what parents are “supposed” to provide.

Jesus was focusing on our condition—our utter helplessness—not just on trust, faith or innocence. He brought a child to use as an example, a mirror, if you will, of their own helplessness—not just spiritual helplessness, but also natural, human helplessness.

Kriston Couchey wrote an inspiring script that addresses this very issue. It is entitled, “Coming Up From the Wilderness.”

You go down thinking you came to get equipped
You come up knowing you just got stripped

You go down awed at those who claim to know God but just don’t get it
You come up awed at how you claimed to know God and just didn’t get it

You go down thinking you are the least of the apostles
You come out knowing you are the chief of sinners

You go down confident you are God’s man for the job
You come up with no confidence at all in yourself

You go down saying, “I am different, and it will not take me long.”
You come up saying “I thought it would never end!”

You go down angry with those who rejected you and the gift on your life
You come up offering up your life so that those same people are not destroyed

You go down thinking you are searching for God
You come up knowing He was seeking you

You go down preoccupied with the purity of doctrine
You come up preoccupied with the purity of holiness

You go down relishing the day you will prophesy like Elijah
You come up like Moses, convinced you are not qualified for the task

You go down fantasizing about the great wonders you will do among the multitudes
You come up preferring solitude with peace and quietness

You go down a praying man who knows what words to pray
You come up having lost the meaning of words since you learned to be silent before Him

You go down concerned about the matters of life and ministry
You come up knowing nothing matters but Him

You go down speaking, proclaiming, and calling forth your destiny
You come up grateful if you get to be a doorkeeper in the outer court

You go down always having the last word for those who oppose you
You come up unable to say anything except what you hear your Father saying

You go down looking for the promised land of rest
You come up knowing you finally found it in Him

You go down seeking miracles, power and ministry
You come up lost in Love, leaning upon your Beloved

[Beautiful! Read this verse again and again, and each time take one-line-at-a-time, to see how the Lord can minister life to you]

What I’m talking about is an inability to defend or help yourself. Jesus was telling His disciples, “Look at this little boy. He is totally defenseless. He can’t cope with life alone—he must be fed and clothed. And he is a picture of you. You must see yourself as defenseless—as helpless as this little boy.”

Certainly we have to learn to trust God because without faith it is impossible to please Him. Yes we need to put a guard over the words we speak, because Scripture teaches that the power of life and death in our words. All those things are important—but they are also dependant on our relationship to our Father. We are to grow up and become men and women of spiritual maturity. We are to put away childish things. We are no longer to be children in our understanding.

But never in our lifetime can we put away our human condition of a child’s dependency! God wants us to see ourselves as totally, absolutely incapable of facing this life by trying to figure out or take care of things on our own. We must see our condition as one of utter helplessness!

I know this is going longer than any of my normal messages, so you’ll have to forgive me. I try to keep these short and sweet, but this is so strong on my heart, I have to share this with you. But take a moment and think back to one of the “Old Testament” stories you may have heard. How would you describe the children of Israel at the Red Sea, if not as helpless? They were hemmed in on every side and could do absolutely nothing about it. Only a loving Father God could make a way of escape for them. They certainly didn’t have faith—and they went forward only because Moses had the faith to open the sea. They were like children—absolutely helpless! And their Father took care of them.

Consider King Asa and Israel. They were utterly helpless against the Ethiopians. A million-man army and three hundred chariots marched against them at Mareshah. Scripture says Asa cried to the Lord, “O Lord, there is none besides you to help, and it makes no difference to you whether the one you help is mighty or powerless. Help us, O Lord our God! For we rely on You, and we go against this multitude in Your name. O Lord, You are our God; let no man prevail against You!” (2 Chronicles 14:11).

“So the Lord defeated the Ethiopians in the presence of Asa and the army of Judah, and the enemy fled” (verse 12). Listen to Asa’s prayer: “Lord, we are helpless. We can do nothing. The power is all yours – and we are dead unless you help us!”

This morning the Lord is telling you, “I have so few such children left. They talk about me and sing about me every week in church. But when they find themselves in a hard place, they don’t depend on Me!”

“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matthew 18:8-9).

Wow! Tough words, aren’t they? For years I’ve tried to receive discernment into this passage. Because the Lord doesn’t want us mutilating ourselves. The most common interpretation of this passage is “If your hands reach for sinful things, or your feet take you to sinful places, then stop it—get these things of your life. If your eyes look lustfully, then quit, no matter what the cost!”

Well, I obviously have a problem with that. It’s too simplistic and meaningless. I think what Jesus was saying here means a whole bunch more than that. I think it has to do with the lesson Jesus was teaching in this same context: It is a rebuke against self-effort. It’s all about our helplessness!

He’s saying, “If your hand tries to work out your problem—that is, if you’re taking matters into your own hands—then stop immediately! If your feet run around desperately trying to solve your trouble, then stop running! If your eyes looks to something or someone else for help—a man or woman who you think might be the answer to your prayer—then by all means, stop looking and pluck out that type of thinking immediately!”

We do this all the time. If we have a big financial setback or concern, the first thing we do is look for someone with the ability to help us—a rich uncle or dad. A friend of mine had a deep financial need in her business and we prayed about it. Now she knew someone who could have written a check and paid the entire amount without a blink, and two days after our prayer, out-of-the-blue, he calls her for a meeting.

Now the immediate thought that this could be the Lord answering the prayer. It was an obvious presumption. We prayed for the Lord to provide the needed funds, and the next day the fellow calls. Wouldn’t you think that was the Lord’s answer to your prayer? It makes sense . . . However, during the meeting she never heard a leading from the Lord to actually ask the man for the finances. That is so important. Maybe he was the answer to the prayer, but maybe he was a test. Was he the provider, or was the Lord the provider? It is so fortunate that she listened to the Lord and not to the “obvious presumption.” If she had asked, who knows, he may have written the check, but then again he may have ended their relationship because she had presumed he would. Oh I hope you understand what I mean to say.

I heard the testimony of one pastor several years ago where a man had donated a house to their ministry. They eventually sold the house to help buy another building. About six months later, they were in deep financial trouble—they needed about $5,000 as soon as possible. This brother sat in his office, thinking, “Who can I call?” Suddenly, in his mind’s eye, the man’s name appeared, and he reasonably thought: “He gave us a house worth $55,000! Maybe he can support us on this . . .”

He called the man to explain his need of support. Ten minutes later he hung up the phone shocked and disappointed because he had never been so chewed out in his life. But it didn’t end there. Instead of getting on his knees, his first thought was, “There has to be somebody else who can help.” He wasn’t praying—he was thinking!

Oh, how it grieves our Father when we keep looking for a person or something else to solve our problems! We think, “This is my dream. If I can just get past this certain point, it will solve everything!” We go around with our hands, feet and eyes searching for answers—but God is saying, “Cut it out! Stop it! It offends me!”

I don’t mean to tip your rocking chair, but Jesus makes it clear that there are serious consequences when we try to make things happen without relying on Him. He says it will cost us eternal life!

“What?” I see that look on you face. You’re thinking, “Do I have to pray about everything? Do I have to depend on God for everything?” Yes! That’s what I’m saying. That’s the humility of a child! It means spending the rest of your life saying, “It’s better to live totally dependent on the Lord than to be cast into hell trying to do it on my own!” “It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet” (Matthew 18:8).