Servias Ministries Blog

In Colossians chapter 2, Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT:

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,

7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;

10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

We have been given the power and authority to walk in Christ by FATHER or HE would not have by HIS SPIRIT instructed Paul to write these words thus we have the choice to accept or reject what has been given to us this day.  Paul warns us to guard against vain philosophies and deceit according to the sensual, worldly wisdom of men.  Just consider the various philosophies along with their originators, they are dead and have no true life or restoration as fruit.

Two of the largest industries in the United States are defense and healthcare and both are contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.  Our faith IN HIM will heal us and make us whole and unconditional Love will forgive our enemies and minister life to them, ultimately converting them to brothers.  If we walk rooted and built up in Christ, those two industries would begin shrinking immediately yet they continue to grow daily.

Let us be raised with HIM and be fully established in the faith.  Each Word Jesus spoke was by the Divine Intent of FATHER and so let us focus on putting away the uncircumcised flesh and embrace the full circumcision done by Christ for He cut away our sinful nature.  Let us be fully guided by Love in all that we do and say in the purity that circumcision brings forth in our lives.

We must accept the Truth and reality that we are complete IN HIM Who is the Head of all principality and power in order for us to be fully rooted and built up IN HIM.  As we come to this realization we will be abounding in thanksgiving and those obstacles set before us will no longer be overwhelming as they were in the past.  FATHER will guide us through all the challenges of life and we will then truly walk as Overcomers.  As we walk in this fashion, we will walk in all the fullness of the Godhead bodily thus we will fully walk in FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love.

Let us focus daily on being built up in Christ and walk by THE SPIRIT WHO instructs us according to FATHER’S Divine Intent, purpose, and will.  As we do, we will fulfill our individual, unique callings.

At 7:03 this morning we experienced a 5.6 earthquake with an epicenter in Pawnee, Oklahoma, about 80 miles away.  This is the first time that I nearly ran out of the house for safety.  My wife almost feel out of the bed.  Early Reports of this shaking are being reported as far as Houston, Texas.

This was even a slow week for earthquake activity around here!

By THE SPIRIT Paul spoke in Philippians chapter 1:

27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Are you and I willing to suffer for Christ’s sake?  Suffering means to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo hardships, setbacks, and/or disappointments.  Jesus suffered the ultimate hardship by enduring the cross as an innocent victim on our behalf and I am truly grateful for His willingness to suffer for me in order that I might live.  What an example of unconditional Love for us to live by.  Jesus had sufficient Love and faith to endure the suffering for the benefit of mankind knowing that FATHER would fully restore Him upon completing His purpose.  FATHER will do that for each of us as well.  Let us not be moved by the necessity of suffering for Christ’s sake for the reward in Heaven is much greater than any of our current suffering.

We need not be terrified of our adversaries but trust in FATHER and HIS ability to deliver us in all circumstances.  Once you have experienced Divine deliverance from harm you are better able to handle the the threat of harm in the future.  Fear not, what can man do to me!

If we were not a threat to the enemy, we would not be targeted by the adversary.  When we are raised up by HIM as a standard of Love, truth, and purity, we become a target of those who are reminded of their path toward destruction.  They will attack us simply because we represent what is good and they don’t want to be reminded of their lawlessness.  Once Jesus arrived on the scene, the Pharisees were exposed to the people of their transgressions.  Jesus challenged their traditions and in response they sought to kill Him.  When the light shines upon darkness there will be a reaction… count on it.

In Acts chapter 14 in is written by THE SPIRIT:

21 And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,

22 strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”

Most everyone wants to live a life of peace, safety, and tranquility.  If that were the reality, we would not be required to develop great faith in FATHER and HIS ability to deliver us from evil.  Unconditional Love would not be necessary if there were no adverse conditions to challenge our Love walk.  The disciples experienced this reality as they preached the Gospel and were challenged by the status quo.  Many of us have been through suffering inflicted by others because we were willing to respond to the deeper mysteries FATHER revealed to us that challenges the doctrines of the masses.  They were more interested in our compliance to their doctrine than the Word of Life.  “Misery loves company” as the saying goes.

Let us embrace trials and tribulations as opportunities to overcome rather than succumbing to the fear of dealing with seemingly overwhelming situations.  Trusting in FATHER is strengthened during the trials, not in the times of peace and safety.  Adversity is intended to strengthen our resolve to walk in Christ at all times.  When we fall short we are shown an assessment of our level of maturity in the Love walk.  Do not be discouraged but simply learn from the assessment and set your focus on Above.

When you feel overwhelmed in suffering remember what Paul shared by THE SPIRIT in 2 Corinthians chapter 11:

23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool— I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.

24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness—

Paul knew the reward in Heaven is great and thus he was willing to suffer in this world for Christ.  Let us embrace this reality as well.

Paul wrote in Romans chapter 12 by THE SPIRIT:

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.

10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;

11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;

12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,

13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.

As we mature in Love we will no longer pretend and be hypocritical in our walk.  There are those who act like they are walking in Love but are really judgmental in their attitude.  Paul would label them as hypocrites.  As we take on the Character of Christ, our Love walk will become pure and genuine and we will truly cling to what it good and we will look for good in others rather than focus on each and every flaw we can find.  Jesus stated in Matthew chapter 7:

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.

2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?

4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye?

5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

We must purpose not to judge for the old man uses worldly judgment to exalt himself.  He would have you judge everyone else by their actions whereas you judge yourself by your intentions.  People deceive themselves when they pick apart others in order to justify their own actions or views and Paul warns against such an attitude.  Let our Love walk be pure.

We are to abhor, shun, and hate evil and it should not be found among us.  We must cling to what is good and pure in the sight of FATHER.  HE has provided us with HIS Book of instruction and it fully defines what is evil in HIS Sight.  Evil will not be allowed in HIS Presence so we should not entertain evil for it will hinder our intimacy with HIM.  FATHER casts evil into outer darkness so let’s not go there.

Are you devoted to Loving your brother and sister, preferring them over yourself?  Do you honor others and give them preference over your own needs or do you exploit their kindness in order to fulfill something missing in your life.  It doesn’t take long to determine whether a person is a giver or a taker.  The “taker” is unfulfilled in their relationship with FATHER and they typically don’t want to change and be still before HIM.  Instead they continue to feed their selfish desires and extract what they can from others.  Their heart is never at peace and will not be until FATHER fills their void.  When two people give preference to the other, they can enjoy ongoing fellowship.  Otherwise, one will always be ministering to the other.  Unity requires Love to be at the center of the relationship.

We must not be weary in well doing but renew ourselves daily.  “Re-creating” is necessary and there is nothing wrong from taking a brake to rest and restore yourself.  FATHER placed the seven day cycle in existence for a purpose.  Six days of work are followed by a day of rest.  That simple reality will serve you well if you purpose to truly rest on that seventh day.  A day without the ongoing pressures exerted by the world will keep us fervent in our walk.

One way to practice hospitality is to invite your brother and/or sister over and simply cook a meal at home.  There is an openness and intimacy in sitting at a table in the kitchen that is unachievable at a restaurant.  This setting allows us to minister to the needs of others without interference.  As we mature in our Love walk, it becomes a joy to minister to others in this quiet setting.

Being diligent requires us to be disciplined and reliable.  What would we think if FATHER were unreliable with HIS Promises?  Oops, I guess the law of gravity didn’t work today!  No, FATHER is unchanging and fully reliable and that should be what we aspire to as well.  As we focus on the higher ways of FATHER we will no longer be moved by the worldly pressures and related emotions.  Our focus will be on HIM rather than the circumstances.  In this state we will truly be fervent in spirit and fully serve FATHER.

Paul sets the standard for our daily mandate and once the standard is there for us to see, we can assess our level of maturity.  Am I a giver or a taker?  Do I contribute to others’ needs or do I constantly expect others to fulfill me in some manner?  There are times we must look in the mirror and make a critical assessment of ourselves so that we can make the necessary corrections in our daily lives.  Let us fulfill our daily walk in Love, devotion, diligence, and perseverance.

By THE SPIRIT Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians chapter 3:

4   And we have such trust through Christ toward GOD.

5   Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from GOD,

6   Who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

HIS SPIRIT is what makes us sufficient and adequate to minister the Gospel to others.  Our life is to be a testimony to others as we interact on a daily basis.  The words we speak either promote life or death, healing or destruction, positive or negative… let us be ministers that give life.

We must no longer submit to the selfish nature which would separate us from HIS SPIRIT but instead embrace FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love in our lives so that we can be effective ministers of Christ.  The solutions to the world’s problems center around the need for unity and it can only be found in aligning ourselves with the CREATOR of the universe by which all things were created.  If we choose otherwise, we simply will go against the flow of life as FATHER created it.   Constantly challenging HIS Intent only leads to death and destruction so why would we choose another path when the path of life is presented to us?

By definition any challenge to FATHER’S Divine Intent will be met with resistance.  Some people may call it “bad karma”  or bad luck but it is simply resisting HIS Plan, Will, and Purpose.  In Proverbs chapter 3, Wisdom wrote:

31 ​​Do not envy the oppressor, ​​And choose none of his ways;

32 ​​For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, ​​But His secret counsel is with the upright.

33 ​​The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked, ​​But He blesses the home of the just.

34 ​​Surely He scorns the scornful, ​​But gives grace to the humble.

35 ​​The wise shall inherit glory, ​​But shame shall be the legacy of fools.

The word perverse means- showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences.  These writings are intended to mature both you and me.  Since I only write as THE SPIRIT leads me, I am the first to receive instruction from these writings and I assure you they have a positive effect on me.  I look forward to hearing what is on FATHER’S Mind each day.  It has become critical to my life to be sensitive to HIS SPIRIT each and every day.  I have known what it means to be foolish and headstrong and I have learned from those mistakes and have chosen to walk according to HIS Wisdom, not mine.

As we continue to walk according to FATHER’S Divine Intent, our sufficiency is found IN HIM, not by our own hand.  We should be increasingly grateful that FATHER is accessible and willing to guide us through the turbulence ahead.  As Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in Philippians chapter 4:

12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Whatever state we are in, Christ strengthens us and is our sufficiency.  As we dwell and meditate on this Truth, it will come alive in us.  Our meditation on these Truths needs to occur daily, not occasionally.  To strengthen our bodies we must discipline ourselves on a daily regimen of proper exercise, nutrition, and sleep.  Don’t think that when you need to act in peak performance you can simply rely on what you did years ago.  We must stay in shape by exercising ourselves on a daily basis.  It is true for our spirit, soul, and body.  FATHER, give us this day our daily bread that we may be sufficient to minister according to YOUR Divine Intent!