TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES!!!

Eight times the Scriptures enjoin us, “Take heed to your selves” (Exodus 19:12; Deuteronomy 4:23; 11:16; Jeremiah 17:21; Luke 17:3; 21:34; Acts 5:35; 20:28). Two of those times the words are spoken by Jesus Himself. This taking heed to oneself is a
primary function of the secret place. Prayer is the constant standardization of the soul. It is a lifestyle of stopping and taking candid spiritual account. This is not spiritual fear, but rather the exercise of one who has fear of God and a moving desire for glorious heights of intimacy with God. The devout is constantly testing himself for spiritual zeal, alertness, faithfulness, purity, love, obedience, growth in grace, etc.

Here’s some excellent counsel: Become a good Repenter. The only way
to move forward in God is through repentance. If your pride hinders you from repenting, get over it. You need mercy so badly it’s scary. Wise up and master the art of repentance. Call your sin in its worst possible terms.
I remember the day I awakened to the reality that I live far below God’s glory. I saw
it in the story of Jesus’ multiplying the loaves and fish for the five thousand: “Then
Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to
Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to test him,
for He Himself knew what He would do” (John 6:5-6). Jesus was testing Philip, to see if Philip was living in the glory zone. Philip would have to live in another dimension to know the answer to the test, which was simply, “Lord, just break these loaves and fish and multiply them for the multitude.” Philip failed the test because his thoughts were far below those of Jesus (Isaiah 55:9). Then I saw it so clearly: I am failing the Philip test virtually every day! I am so earthbound in my perspectives that I am almost unconscious to the dimension of glory in which Jesus lives. It’s safe to assume that apart from God’s grace I am constantly falling short of the excellence of God’s glory. Do I need to repent continually? You bet!

Beloved, I pray you might gain the secret of radical, rapid repentance. Ready
repentance opens the channels for intimate communion with God. When you’re in the secret place, be quick to confess your unbelief and hardness of heart. Don’t make Him talk you into it. Agree quickly with Him in the way.
When I speak of repentance, I am not thinking of repenting from sins like lying, fornication, stealing, cursing, pornography, hatred, drunkenness, or not tithing.

Those sins are so obvious that you don’t even need the conviction of the Holy Spirit to know you’re in disobedience. God’s word regarding those sins is obviously clear. Sincerity and a clear conscience doesn’t even begin until we deal with these kinds of outward sins. No, I am not talking about obvious sins; I am talking about
repenting from our iniquities. Iniquities are the hidden faults that we don’t see, the wicked residue of our fallen nature that discolours the fabric of our thoughts, motives, feelings, responses, and desires. Iniquities are wrapped up in much more subtle areas of sinfulness, such as pride, rebellion, unbelief, envy, selfishness, ambition, and covetousness.
We all have hidden pockets of iniquity, and we need God’s help to see them. You
can’t repent of something you don’t see, so God will help you to see them. God has
many ways of bringing our iniquities to the surface where we can see them, and those
ways are summarized under the scriptural metaphor of fire. How God uses fire to
surface our iniquities is the subject of this passage:

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows
those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from
iniquity.’ But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honour, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:19-21).

Paul is saying the Christian life is founded on two powerful realities: We are known
by Christ, and we depart from iniquity when we see it.
As you are in the secret place and meditating in the word, God will use the fire of circumstances mixed with the fire of His word to reveal your hidden faults to you. As you gaze upon His perfection and beauty, you will suddenly see yourself in a whole new light. You will sense His unconditional acceptance despite your weaknesses, but also His firm commitment to conform you into the image of Christ. At that moment you are standing at the threshold of a wonderful opportunity: This is a time to embrace rapid repentance.

For the devout, this is actually an exciting moment. Repentance becomes the
opportunity to turn from things that have been hindering love, and as such, repentance
becomes the catalyst for a greater and more profound intimacy than we’ve known to
this point with God. When we repent quickly of those things God’s word is revealing, we
experience the pleasure of the Father in a tangible way.
As we repent of the iniquities that the fire surfaces, we are actually buying gold in
the fire (Revelation 3:18). A consistent pattern of rapid repentance will cause us to
become a vessel of gold or silver, useful to the Master for noble purposes. Those who
resist repentance do not necessarily lose their salvation, it’s just that they do not
progress beyond being vessels of wood or clay. They are useful to the Master only for
dishonourable purposes (in a great house there is a need even for toilet plungers and dust pans).
The assurance of the above passage is clear: Rapid repentance from iniquity will
cause us to progress forward to more noble purposes in God’s great house and will deepen our knowing relationship with Him.

#TakeHeed
#TheSecretOfRapidRepentance
#Ps139:23-24 #SongsOfSolomon2:15 #Prov25:4

#ForKingdomEnvoys

HOW CHRISTIANS SHOULD VIEW ENTREPRENEURSHIP!

An entrepreneur is someone who creates and runs a new business for profit by selling products or services. An entrepreneur is usually a self-motivated person who is willing to work hard and do whatever is necessary to get the business off the ground. Entrepreneurs must be willing to face some lean times in the beginning if it takes a while for the business to become profitable. Entrepreneurship requires initiative, motivation, sacrifice, and patience—all traits that the Bible encourages (Galatians 5:22; 1 Peter 1:5–7).

However, entrepreneurship can become detrimental to one’s spiritual life if it becomes an idol or if the entrepreneur is serving Mammon rather than God (Luke 16:13). Some entrepreneurs become so immersed in work that they neglect family, friends, their health, and the Lord. When anything takes our total focus for an extended period of time, it can shift our lives out of balance. So Christian entrepreneurs must work to keep priorities straight and remember that a business with God’s blessing will fare better than one without it. The Lord will not tolerate our idols, so a new business owner must work to keep success from becoming more important than anything else.

Although Adam was not an entrepreneur, the first thing God did when He created Adam was to give him a job (Genesis 2:15). We are created to work, to use our minds and our hands to subdue this world and rule over it (Genesis 1:28). Scripture praises industriousness and hard work (Proverbs 14:23; 31:27; Ephesians 4:28). By contrast, those who are idle are harshly reprimanded (Proverbs 19:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:6). We are instructed to make it our “ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands” (1 Thessalonians 4:11).

Many entrepreneurs desire to become financially independent in order to care for their families, give to the needy, and fund missionary ventures. They have an idea, locate the funds to begin, and take on the responsibility for managing their own companies. When the motivation is honorable, and the business is honorable, God delights to bless it (Psalm 37:23). When an entrepreneur’s motive is selfish or sin-based, the business will not enjoy God’s blessing and may become a hindrance to God’s best plan for the owner’s life. As with all decisions, Christian must seek wisdom from the Lord before taking that first step in establishing a business (James 1:5). Part of wisdom is planning ahead (see Luke 14:28–29). When wisdom says it is a good idea, when all costs have been counted and the priorities are straight, entrepreneurship can be a benefit to the entrepreneur and to the world...

#TeamProverb22:29
#ForKingdomEnvoys


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