Self-Sufficiency
by Dr. Harold Sala
1 JOHN 2:15–16
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him 16 For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Don’t Fall For Wordly Success
God views success and achievement very differently from how the world views it. From His point of view success has nothing to do with fame or fortune, but instead with pursuing and doing God’s will in our lives. It is about submitting to the Holy Spirit, as He remakes our bodies into His temple, so that He can give us the power to live as God wants us to live. It has everything to do with allowing ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can become the person God designed us to be. This way, we can truly be the light our dark world needs.
But in the culture in which we live in, we are often so willing to barter the important things in Christ in exchange for getting us to the top of the world. These things serve as the cost of gaining achievements; it brings with it landmines of compromises that can eventually destroy us.
Integrity – Integrity is doing what we say we will do. Integrity is very important and it is never majored by a percentage. We either have integrity or do not have it.
Marriage and Family – Marriage and Family are given by God so that people can share life together, but some sacrifice marriage and family for the sake of becoming successful in business or in career.
Personal Health – Some people are so engrossed into achieving things to the point of neglecting and eventually destroying their health.
A Life Pleasing To God
How can we live a life that pleases God and succeed in command for all believers. It is not a super deluxe what He wants us to be and to do?
1. Turn your life and resources over to God. Seek out His plan and will.
God wants us to let Him be in charge of our lives. This is difficult to do because oftentimes we do not want to lose control of what we are doing. But when we turn everything over to God, we put ourselves in a position where God blesses us and shows us His greatness and His power.
2. Acknowledge that what you have belongs to the Lord. We should tithe for at least three reasons:
1) Simple obedience to God’s Word;
2) God’s blessings as a byproduct but not necessarily a motivation for giving;
3) The ministry of sharing to people the Good News about Jesus through evangelism and missions.
3. Present your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Scripture says we are not our own; we were bought for a price and the price was the very blood of Jesus Christ. We are awesome creations made in God’s image. Each morning is an opportunity for us to talk to God in prayer, to walk with Him, be guided and
” And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
“But when we turn everything over to God, we put ourselves in a position where God blesses us and shows us His greatness and His power.”
Be Filled With The Holy Spirit
A Spirit-filled life is a command for all believers. It is not a super deluxe edition of the Christian life that is reserved only for a few super Christians.
A Spirit-filled life is the key to spiritual power. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is not a destination but a regular occurrence and a lifestyle as we live and walk in Him. It is a lifestyle that can be seen by our family members and the people around us. The following are steps that we can take towards experiencing a Spirit-filled life:
1. Recognize your need to be filled with the Spirit (John 7:27-30). We need spiritual power to be on top of things and not be driven by the culture of the world.
2. Confess an known sin in your life (Hebrews 4:13,16). If we are to be Spirit-filled Christians, we need to forsake that which we know is wrong. God wants a clean vessel. So let us come clean with God if we desire Him to fill us with His Holy Spirit.
3. Give yourselves to God with complete and absolute dedication. This active commitment means that we hold nothing back. We yield our lives to God because we know He loves us and He wants the very best for us.
4. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:11-13). Be alone with God, get on your knees then tell God you desire the fullness of His Spirit in your life.
5. Accept filling of the Spirit by faith with with thanksgiving and begin walking on obedience to the Lord (Galatians 3:13-14). To be filled with the Holy Spirit is emptying ourselves, letting the Holy Spirit fill us, and presenting our bodies to the Lord that He may control, guide, and direct us. When we are filled with the fullness of the Lord, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is the incontrovertible evidence in our life, and we experience loving people radically.