Servias Ministries Blog

Is your worship replaced by worry?

According to Scripture, our day begins at night so if you are worried as you go to bed, your next day will often be challenging.  As we set our affection on Christ when we go to bed, our sleep will be blessed.  If I wake up in the middle of the night, I will focus my affection on Christ and return to sleep.  Let us not succumb to fear, worry, anxiety, or doubt.

Being a worshipper is what positions me to pray effectively.

Complaining is prayer in reverse.  Complaining actually reveals that I’m losing the battle over my thoughts.  Complaining, criticism, or resentment all reveal losing the battle over my thought life.  Did Jesus ever complain?

 Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in Philippians chapter 4:

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

If you are gripped in worry, rejoice in THE LORD.  As you worship THE LORD, your anxiety will diminish. 

8 Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and Holy, merciful and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work of God, praising Him always.

Paul also wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Thessalonians chapter 5:

16 Rejoice always,

17 pray without ceasing,

18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.

In other Words, let joy be your continual feast.  Make your life a prayer.  And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.

Any situation I cannot rejoice in or give thanks in; I am losing the battle over my thoughts. 

The devil masquerades himself as an angel of light (2^nd Corinthians 11:14).  An offense will come into a person’s life because they think they’re functioning in discernment.  The enemy attempts to sneak something into our heart that actually works opposite of what The Holy Spirit is saying.  This angel of light promotes complaining, criticism, resentment, worry, thus removing the peace of GOD in our hearts.

What rejoicing and thanksgiving do is that they completely dismantle that mindset.  They expose the root system that the enemy has used to persuade to buy into a lie.  Worrying is a symptom of the issue.

Jesus addressed worry as He spoke in Matthew chapter 6:

25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

33 But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Rejoicing and thankfulness are absolute pure expressions of faith!

Give us today tomorrow’s bread!

Most of us have quoted The Model Prayer (aka The Lord’s Prayer) numerous times throughout our lives.

Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 6:

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your Name.

10 Your Kingdom come.

Your Will be done On earth as it is in Heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.

For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

We are not to use vain repetitions.  We are not trying to convince FATHER to meet our needs, He already knows our needs before we ask, we are simply to pray daily for HIM to meet our needs in advance.  Notice that Jesus uses the terms “Our Father” and “Give us”, not “My Father” and “Give me”.  This prayer is intended for all believers, not just me and my family and no more. 

Sometimes our prayers are token prayers to make us feel better about responding to a crisis and they’re not necessarily prayers to make a difference.  The Lord has called us and positioned us to make a difference in our co-laboring relationship through prayer.

One of the greatest mysteries in the Bible is the fact that we were designed to co-labor with GOD!

Once you grasp this Truth, your prayer life will change for you are vital in bringing forth The Kingdom of GOD to the earth.  A prayer is one of those moments where we see it the clearest. 

You and I were designed to be alive at this moment in time.

In the Book of Esther, the Jews were to be annihilated by a decree of the king.  Yes, GOD could have intervened on HIS own but HE co-labors with men and women.  To keep the Jews from perishing, Esther was called to pray in order to be acceptable before the king and intervene on behalf of all Jews.

It is recorded by The Holy Spirit in Esther chapter 4:

10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a command for Mordecai:

11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that any man or woman who goes into the inner court to the king, who has not been called, he has but one law: put all to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter, that he may live. Yet I myself have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.”

12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words.

13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews.

14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai:

16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”

17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.

Prayer is an essential part of our lives in receiving our needs from FATHER.

Don’t cower down to any resistance to The Gospel!

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 14:

1 When Paul and Barnabas arrived at Iconium, the same thing happened there. They went, as they always did, to the synagogue and preached to the people with such power that a large crowd of both Jews and non-Jews believed.

2 Some of the Jews refused to believe, and they began to poison the minds of the non-Jews to discredit the believers.

The sons of the adversary will attempt to convince people that The Gospel is not real.  Our testimonies will counteract such poison.  I have been healed supernaturally, and it is well documented.  Their poison cannot stand up against the Truth and the facts.

3 Yet Paul and Barnabas stayed there for a long time, preaching boldly and fearlessly about the Lord. Many trusted in the Lord, for He backed up his message of grace with miracles, signs, and wonders performed by the apostles.

4 The people of the city were split over the issue. Some sided with the apostles, and others with the Jews who refused to believe.

Miracles, signs and wonders testify of the validity of The Word.  We should come to expect such confirmations as we share The Gospel.

5 Eventually, all the opposition factions came together, with their leaders devising a plot to harm Paul and Barnabas and stone them to death.

People who are blinded will submit to the father of lies and will ultimately respond with violence.  Have you seen such responses in various cities around the country?  Rather than praying for our leaders, they are promoting incitement to rebellion.

6 When the apostles learned about this, they escaped to the region of Lyconia, to the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the nearby villages.

7 And they continued to preach the hope of the Gospel.

Once the situation degraded to physical violence, Paul and Barnabas moved on and preached elsewhere.  They were led by The Holy Spirit to depart.

Jesus’ life was not taken from Him, He laid it down.

The Beloved Disciple recorded by The Holy Spirit in John chapter 18:

3 The Pharisees and the leading priests had given Judas a large detachment of Roman soldiers and temple police to seize Jesus. Judas guided them to the garden, all of them carrying torches and lanterns and armed with swords and spears.

4 Jesus, knowing full well what was about to happen, went out to the garden entrance to meet them. Stepping forward, he asked, “Who are you looking for?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. (Now Judas, the traitor, was among them.) He replied, “I am He.”

6 And the moment Jesus spoke the Words, “I am He,” the mob fell backward to the ground!

7 So once more, Jesus asked them, “Who are you looking for?” As they stood up, they answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.”

8 Jesus replied, “I told you that I am the One you’re looking for, so if you want Me, let these men go home.”

When Jesus spoke and said “I AM”, the soldiers fell because of HIS Glory.  Jesus being fully led by The Holy Spirit, submitted to the perfect Will of GOD.  He knew the time was at hand.  As we are led by The Holy Spirit, we too will know when to remain or depart from a particular situation.

You will only pray and declare what you believe is possible!

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit what the angel spoke in Luke chapter 1:

35 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One Who is to be born will be called the Son of God.

36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”

Not one promise from God is empty of power. Nothing is impossible with God!

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Timothy chapter 2:

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior (to pray for all men),

4 Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.

If FATHER desires all men to be save, we should too.

Luke recorded by The Holy Spirit in Acts chapter 8:

1  Now Saul was consenting to his death. At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.

What did the ones who were scattered throughout the regions do?

4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.

The “no name” believers preached the Gospel throughout the region.  This prepared the people for the ministry of Philip.  Who wasn’t scattered?  The Apostles.  Philip arrived later.  The everyday believer went out to preach.  You and I are qualified to preach.

5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.

7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.

What was the result of the scattering of believers to the region?

8 And there was great joy in that city.

Isn’t this one result of the Great Commission Jesus commanded in Mark chapter 16?  Persecution led by Saul backfired.  Instead, the Gospel spread throughout the region.  Though FATHER does not initiate persecution, in this case intense, HE will use the situation to further the Kingdom of GOD on the earth.

It is possible for miracles to take place in such a measure, in such a level, that great joy comes to an entire city even before they are saved.

Don’t look at those who appear to be better at proclaiming the Gospel in your city.  Allow The Holy Spirit to direct you in sharing The Good News.  The Word of GOD has the power within Itself to cause Itself to come to pass.  Simply speak The Word and allow FATHER to empower HIS Word. 

You can lead a person to Christ in your own home; a church building is not required.  The power is not in your maturity.  The power is in The Word that you declare.  FATHER says Amen to HIS Word when it is spoken.

What is the will of GOD for how we live life?

Paul wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1^st Timothy chapter 2:

1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and reverence.

3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,

We must be careful and not be divided in our thinking.  If you have in your thought process that GOD causes evil, then you are powerless when you face a conflict.  Did GOD send the cancer or did the devil?  We have weakened authority when we think GOD is the author of the evil that comes our way.  HE is the Healer!  The devil is the destroyer.  GOD will use adverse situations to bring forth restoration, but HE did not instigate the adversity.

What is the Will of GOD on earth?

Jesus clarified this when He spoke in Matthew chapter 6:

9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your Name. 10 Your Kingdom come. Your Will be done On earth as it is in Heaven.

Is there any sickness or adversity in Heaven?  No.  This is an easy test to determine the nature of any situation you encounter.

FATHER gives us an assignment:

Pray for all men with all forms of prayers and requests as you intercede with intense passion and pray for every political leader and representative.

Secondly, give thanks.

The prayers for those in authority are not complaining prayers, not if you are giving thanks.  We are never required to thank GOD for the evil that exists in a person, whether they be a ruler or your neighbor.  The prayers that I pray are not to be accusations.  They are to be prayers to FATHER to minister to those in leadership roles.  As leaders, Moses, Joshua, and David were all called “servants of THE LORD”.  We must not forget that FATHER places people in leadership roles.

Wisdom instructs us in Proverbs chapter 30:

10 Do not malign (criticize) a servant to His Master, Lest He curse you, and you be found guilty.

This means that I have no right to criticize another human being to HIM.  That person is not my servant; he or she is HIS servant.

As I wrote yesterday, “Watch your words”.

The fruit of adhering to the lifestyle of praying mentioned above is that we would be able to live tranquil, undisturbed lives, as we worship the awe-inspiring God with pure hearts. 

GOD wants the cities of the earth to be filled with peace… as it is in Heaven.  HE wants violence to cease; HE wants broken families to get healed and restored.  HE wants businesses to succeed, HE wants people to prosper, HE wants people to enjoy the provisions HE has made for us in life.  The adversary’s goal is the opposite.

Our dream is to have a city whose builder and maker is GOD.  Our prayers should focus on the reality of Heaven to permeate earth itself.  We are to pray that The Gospel impacts our locale to such an extent that peace and tranquility prevail.

Do you believe it’s possible?  Jesus expects us to bring forth His Kingdom to earth, and it will not be done by criticizing words.