A Little Kneeology……

A Little Kneeology……  Hebrews 13:5 (Msg)  Don’t be obsessed with getting more material things. Be relaxed with what you have. Since God assured us, “I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you,” we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I’m fearless no matter what.  Who or what can get to me?

 It seems that so much of concern for many ministries focus on financial or material needs as a necessity for ministry itself.  I know that I have written several articles dealing with such but it just seems to prevail in so many of the requests and among many of the pastors that I visit with daily.  I know that finances in this world are important but the ability to minister and witness to the power of the gospel must not depend on money and material things.  There are specifics that we might consider important that require certain finances but their absence should not prevent us from witnessing to the power of the gospel to change lives.  So much of what we do has come to depend more on finances and material needs than the power of the Holy Spirit.  If we are submitted to the power of God rather than the physical or financial influence to empower the work to which He has called us, we can’t fail.  It is all about being submitted to Him and placing ourselves under His covering.  I know of pastors who have admitted to me that as they grew their ministry in accordance to their plans and the need for more money and much larger and more expensive facilities, more of their focus was on getting the money than on the actual ministry itself. Consequently, the ministry ended up suffering and in some cases failed.  I recently spoke to a pastor that told me that his ministry was doing well and growing so he and his other church leaders decided that if they build a much larger church and added more programs that it would draw more people to the church and based on the success of their present ministry, it would just grow and grow.  Not so, the financial demands on paying for and maintaining the much larger facility and staff took the focus away from ministering to the real needs of the people.  Even after all these past thirty years of ministry I can recall how in the early years under pressure of finance committees and denominational support demanding more finances took away from actual ministry.  We preach about faith but then allow things of the world to suppress ministry with a spirit of weariness.  A few years ago as God called me to leave the denomination that I was part of and into a new ministry, I submitted to Him in faith that He would provide for that which He had called me.  Such submission included finances, facilities, and every daily need and not to look to the future beyond the vision that He would give me, nothing of my own design.  We have moved from location to location based only on the immediate need, kept programs that only focused on witnessing to His glory and the making of disciples, and showing the love of Christ by providing for the needy and homeless.  Guess what, He has never let us down, walked away, or left us !  He has provided for us daily our needs and even allowed for some of our wants.  I share this witness in an effort to share not only the truth of His Word but hopefully to ease the weariness of those who are losing so much of the joy and blessings that come by just letting go and letting God.  It truly becomes a matter of saying, “Who or what can get to me?”  It is one of God’s secrets to finding peace.  Amen?

 NOTW…Bro. Mike