Servias Ministries Blog

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 6:

15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 

17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 

19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 

20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

My body is the temple of The Holy Spirit and I should treat it as such.  Even though all things may be lawful for me, I should listen to THE SPIRIT concerning what I eat and drink.  As each of us becomes more sensitive, our body will function better and tend toward health.  Overindulgence is not good so we should consume in moderation.

We are urged to flee sexual immorality.  Any impure use of the body ultimately defiles it and requires a purging to resolve the defilement.  If we will give no place for a thought to manifest, we will keep ourselves pure.  Let us take each thought captive and counteract it by expressing The Word in that specific area.

Our goal should be to glorify FATHER in our body and spirit so let us begin this day and focus on glorifying HIM in word and deed.

FATHER spoke in Jeremiah chapter 1:
12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to perform it.”

What a wonderful commitment to us from FATHER!  HE did not just provide us with a book full of “maybe’s” but one filled with HIS promises which HE will watch over to fulfill in each of our lives.  Who better to place our trust than THE ONE who created us and loving hovered over us as we were formed in the womb.

As we read chapters and study topics in Scripture, let us keep in mind this fundamental promise FATHER has spoken.  There is none greater who can challenge HIS Word and the power contained therein.  HE expressed HIS Divine Intent in each Word given to us through various means.  When HE speaks to me directly, I fully trust HIS Word, no matter what the world would say otherwise.

How much power does FATHER have?  It is infinite and beyond our comprehension.  HE is not constrained by lack of knowledge or skill, but has all the resources of Heaven and earth at HIS disposal.  I daresay there are resources we have not been given a glimpse of that are available to bring HIS Word to pass.

What can negatively impact this unfathomable power?  Our unbelief.  Because of HIS Love, HE will not override our decision to seek our own way outside of HIS Word.  The power in The Word is still there but is held back by our own unbelief.  Unbelief will withhold power because of FATHER’S commitment to allowing us to choose our own way.

With this understanding we are able to appreciate FATHER speaking the following in Deuteronomy chapter 30:

15 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 

16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 

17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 

18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 

19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 

20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

As for me and my household, we choose life. 

There are some days when we simply need to ponder FATHER’S Word in its purest form.  Psalm 1 contrasts the righteous man with the ungodly man.

1 Blessed is the manWho walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,Nor stands in the path of sinners,Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He shall be like a treePlanted by the rivers of water,That brings forth its fruit in its season,Whose leaf also shall not wither;And whatever he does shall prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.

5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.

6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,But the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Our Heavenly Father is full aware of our path and I appreciate knowing that Truth in my life.

Paul wrote by THE SPIRIT in 1 Corinthians chapter 16:
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: 

2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. 

3 And when I come, whomever you approve by yourletters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem. 

4 But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.

Is every word written by Paul to the Corinthians fully inspired by FATHER’S Divine Intent and manifested by HIS SPIRIT?  Is there any Word or thought conveyed intended for any other purpose than FATHER’S Intent?  I ask these questions because our ego will have us discount certain verses in order to protect its “kingdom” of scarcity.  It only has power based on what we provide it and thus when we no longer accept its kingdom, its ruler has nothing left to rule over.

Paul gives a clear directive concerning collection for the saints at Jerusalem.  They were to set “something” aside at the beginning of each week to be distributed to those in need elsewhere.  Paul did not set a specific amount except to say that there must be something to be set aside.  Further, he would not take up a collection when he came so there would be no compromise to the “something”.

The collections would be taken by those who were approved as trustworthy to handle the proceeds but Paul was willing to lead the way if required to do so.  It is clear he understood the importance of meeting the needs of those in Jerusalem, or anywhere else for that matter.

Willingness to give is often an issue of trust.  At the highest level, do I trust FATHER and HIS promises to me concerning giving?  When my wife and I give, we do not concern ourselves with “policing” the recipient because we know our intent is honored by FATHER.  The recipient’s honesty and integrity is judged by FATHER without our assistance and he or she will receive the appropriate reward. Paul’s final exhortation:

13 Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 

14 Let all that you do be done with (agapē) love.In all aspects of our walk, let each be done in Love.

Transition is the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another, and we are in constant transition.  Movement is the hallmark of transition.  In Genesis chapter 1 by THE SPIRIT:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The word “hovering” means to shake or move with a feeling of tender Love.  FATHER’S Divine Intent causes transition to occur as HE focuses on the manifestation of that intent.  When our intent manifests, we move either higher or lower depending on how our intent aligns with FATHER.  As we seek HIS Wisdom and respond accordingly, we move higher.  As we look to the world and its sensual, experiential, limited wisdom, we will only move closer to the scarcity associated with man’s wisdom without FATHER’S Divine Intent.

Each one of us is in a constant state of transition and we each have sole discretion which direction we pursue.  If we will only build our foundation on the Rock rather than the sand, we will be able to embrace the deeper Intent of FATHER.  We must:

Be still.  Stillness teaches us restraint.

Be silent.  Silence eliminates noise from the outside and forces the mind to become quiet… if you tell it to do so.

Listen.  FATHER’S Thoughts are higher than ours so we must be intent as we listen for a Word from HIM.

If we are not a peace, one of these facets will be a problem and we must deal with whatever is preventing us from hearing.  Jesus spent much time with FATHER isolated from the others.  This prepared Him for the next day of ministry as He heard instruction from FATHER.  In Deuteronomy chapter 32, THE SPIRIT gave us the Song of Moses including:

11 As an eagle stirs up its nest,Hovers over its young,Spreading out its wings, taking them up,Carrying them on its wings,

12 So the LORD alone led him,And there was no foreign god with him.

It is my desire to have no foreign god directing my footsteps.  Such gods include greed, lusts, logic. goods, signs, lying wonders, etc. and all of these are of a temporary nature for they are all of man’s invention and have no place in The Kingdom.

Those who oppose or fail to seek out FATHER’S Divine Intent effectively place themselves on their own thrones as though they are gods.  Let’s face it, man’s ego is at the top of the list of offenders.  The ego’s needs and desires will become the guiding force of those who walk away from FATHER’S Throne and they will only find death and destruction as a result.  The inward rule over our lives is always greater than the outward rule by others.

No one is stationary in his spiritual walk.  You are always on the move.  Let each of us be established in The Word so that we will always be in an upward motion toward Spiritual maturity.

Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 16:

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 

25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 

26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 

27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”

What are we asked to deny?  My “self”, my soulish life.  What will replace it?  Love of FATHER for mankind.  The primary issue to making this commitment is fear, uncertainty, and doubt of the trustworthiness of what Jesus calls “My sake”.  The word sake means cause, for the purpose of; in the interest of; in order to achieve or preserve.  Jesus told His disciples that His cause was the pathway to life and the glory of FATHER.  In essence, Jesus provided us cause and effect of either taking our own path or following Him.
What is my cross to take up?  It is very specific to my own history thus none of us can create a set of generic steps to address specific histories of sin and lawlessness each of us has been exposed to in our upbringing.

The ego will sacrifice the long term for the short term every time it has a say in our decision-making.  “Self” wants no denial in its way and will sabotage our decisions if given the opportunity.

What will help me discern when my ego is losing ground?  Look at the fruit of your decisions and how you look at others.  Are you seeing them from the eyes of Love or disdain?  Are you drawn to help others or is your sole focus on your own situation?

Finding a quiet, silent place where there is no distraction will allow you to open your ears to what FATHER wants to reveal to you today.  Once we begin to quiet our soul, our spirit can hear what FATHER wants to show us today according to HIS priorities.  There are issues in our soul which must be resolved, especially in the area of unforgiving.   Our initial trust to be nurtured by our family may have been damaged by their actions or lack thereof.  Childhood traumas certainly impact the soul of an immature and impressionable child.  These acts by others require us to root out hurts from the depths of our soul and finally forgive them for they know not what they do.

As we follow in the footsteps of Jesus and take up our cross, we will finally confront the past hurts and forgive those who have wronged us.  As we listen to FATHER and ask HIM to expose those past hurts, HE will cause those remembrances to surface allowing us to finally forgive those acts against us.  It may be like peeling an onion but the result will be to jettison those issues from preventing our spiritual walk of fully expressing Love toward others.

“Self” wants to hold on to those deep-seated hurts but we must nail them to our cross once and for all.