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And it came to pass in those days,
That he went out into a mountain to Pray, and continued all night in prayer To God. Luke6:12 Jesus, though Son of God and Son of man, sacrificed the natural life for the spiritual one. He sacrificed sleep to stay in communion with God and to maintain his anointing. He sacrificed the privileges of a home life or keeping a living by worldly success for the sake of the gospel, for the sake of the kingdom, for the love of the Father. His sacrifice was one of obedience not will power. He came not to do his own will but the will of the Father who sent him. His sacrifice of the natural life was a suffering that bore fruit: the fruit of Calvary: salvation, healing, deliverance, and peace. It was because he suffered and was obedient unto death that God highly exalted him and gave him a name above every name. His healing, preaching, and teaching ministry was the manifestation of preparation. His ministry did not come about merely because he was sent from the Father. He bore fruit because he sacrificed the natural life over and over again and was obedient and willing to suffer for the kingdom of God and our salvation. Whether your ministry is music, preaching, helps, teaching, or healing we must follow the example of Christ who prepared himself by living a sacrificial life, one of obedience and love. The success of any worthwhile undertaking in the kingdom of God is the result of the manifestation of preparation. Unless one is willing to sacrifice and be devoted to the call God has placed on one’s life he or she will not bear fruit that is sweet and nourishing to the soul. To commit oneself to Christ means to live as Jesus lived and to live that life requires sacrifice, faith, diligence, awareness, concentration, and wisdom. When one operates in ministry all one sees is the island on the surface. What one does not see is the commitment and time and practice of preparation. Spend time in prayer and study and fasting. Give yourself wholly to God and God will make you a blessing to all you minister to because of the manifestation of preparation. Be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Amen |