FIRST THINGS FIRST | What is the Love of God

You can´t do the second thing til you do the first thing!

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CHEPE HAS A NEW YOUNGER SISTER

1rstThings1rst

Matthew 7:7 7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye. shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth;

People have told me that they tried to pray once, but that ‘God stuff didn’t work’. Their naivety would be kind of amusing if it wasn´t so tragic. I always remember a time at my cousin Kevin’s house. Kevin had all the great toys. One day his dad bought him a mini bike. He let me drive it, but the throttle stuck and I crashed into a fence. I have never touched a motorbike or motorcycle since. I tried once, but that ‘motorbike thing didn’t work’. I didn’t try to figure out what went wrong. It was horrifying and embarrassing. It was easier to just walk away permanently.

Sincere Christians, read this Matthew 7 verse and go to town. They tell everyone. They confess it, ask God for it, claim it and proclaim it from the rooftops. Most of the time, unfortunately, they end up with egg on their face. Why? Because they aren´t doing first things first. They haven´t read the Bible, the parts leading up to that verse. Then they go back to the Bible and read stuff like:

James 4:2. Ye have not, because ye ask not

Sometimes people just give up because they keep reading and believing isolated phrases and it doesn’t work. They hang their heads in shame and give up. If a verse isn’t in context, it’s pretext. Asking for something else comes after the first thing. If they had read the whole Bible they would know that. 1rst Things 1rst,,, always. Especially in Godly matters because God is an orderly God.

We are to ask things according to God’s will, so the first thing is knowing what that is.

John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

There are two ways to look at God’s will. The most important way I feel is God’s will of how we should be as His followers. God wants us to be like His Son Jesus, to be conformed to His image. Is it possible? Yes! God told us to. That is His will. Are you there yet? No one that I know of as of yet, but we’re working on it.

Romans12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

God gave us free will. He wants us to live a life of freedom in Him. Not bound by ‘have to’s’ but rather ‘get to’s’. I ‘get to’ minister to children in Nicaragua. God guides us through the desires of our hearts. God has given me a love for ‘the least of these’ and for Nicaragua. Following God´s will is a joy, not a burden. It´s absolutely delightful.

This brings me to the other way to look at God’s will. He has given us all different gifts and callings, to do specific things. In Exodus it says that He even anoints carpenters and metal workers. God also want to bless us with good things. He wants us to have fullfilled lives, and wants us to have what we ask Him for. That is His will too: But we have to follow the order. 1rst thing is following God’s will. Seeking God’s will and knowledge of whatever it is precedes us asking. Satan knows that as well, ergo people always questioning what is God’s will. Check out the Lord´s prayer…

Matthew 6:10 Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Once you follow the first step of following God’s will (and knowing it) then we can ask to receive things, such as food, because God wants His kids to eat.

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

God wants us to be saved, walking a Holy, happy, healthy and prosperous life. He doesn’t want us miserable and going to hell. What kind of testimony would that be about Him? If He wanted us sick, why go to the doctor? If He wanted us poor, why work? God´s will is for good, not for bad. Who would want what we have if we were sick, poor, miserable, unhappy, and not very holy? We are here to show people the way to eternal life in Jesus,

John 10:10 : I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

So. God wants us to be blessed. He wants us to have an abundant life and everlasting life. So why don’t we get what we ask for? As the title states, 1rst Things 1rst. Bars are filled with people crying in their beers because of the age old excuse ‘I asked God for something and He didn’t answer me’. Many homes are not left on Sunday mornings because of the same feeble excuse. People quit God because they ignored what the Bible told them to do. Seek the will of God first, through His Word and through His Spirit talking to you, in your spirit. When you get a chance, get alone with God and ask Him what He wants you to do, or stop doing, in order to be in His will. Don’t just say flowery romantic things like ‘I’ll go to the deepest darkest place to serve You’. Most wouldn’t go, and if they did they wouldn’t last a week. Get quiet and let Him talk to you. Maybe he wants you to go to a place where you have to walk 7 miles a day with lots of mosquitos and very inconsistent water and electricity, but probably not. What does God want? Find out, through the Word of God and His Spirit, and pray according to that desire that God has for you, in faith that He will answer. The key is knowing what God wants before you pray.

Ephesians 5:17, KJV: “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”

I like the NIV way of putting it better.

Ephesians 5:17, NIV: “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

The Bible tells us to KNOW God’s will. People ask me stuff about my missions like ‘1. why birthday parties for all those kids? 2. Why Nicaragua? The government doesn’t like Americans! You are needed in America! 3. Why are you down there while your grown kids are in the states? 4.Why don’t you build a church building, why don’t you hook up with this or that ministry?’

My answer is always the same, because ‘that is what God wants me to do or that is not what God wants me to do’.

We find out what God’s will is the moment we decide to do anything to do His will, to be in the middle of His will for our lives. That we are ready to stop dreaming for anything that God tells us is NOT in His will, no matter how much we want it. God writes our orders. We follow them, to His glory and our personal joy. Most Christians are NOT in the middle of God’s will for their lives. They’ve compromised somewhere. That’s ok. God will use them once they decide to put His will over theirs. Look at me! He’s using even someone like me and I know He had so many better things planned for my life. But I blew it. So here I am. I just figured out God’s will about 10 years ago and I am just going to grow where I am planted and give it all to Him now. I just want to finish well. I can’t change the past, but I can change the furtue (which is all that counts), because I will do, or not do, whatever God wants.

John 7:17, NIV: “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out

I want to do your will Lord is my daily prayer, because I have choices to make evey day. Go to Africa? Nope, called here. Go home and retire and play golf? No way Jose! Jesus is coming back! Take the vaccine or not. NOPE! Not led. Makes sense, but I don´t feel led for now. Become an expert in current events? nope! not interested. Ho Hum. Do what God leads you to do, and don´t worry, you won´t have the time to be bored. But God won’t show you His will until you are willing to do His will. He knows your heart. You have to decide to do His will before He shows you what to do.

It took me a half a century to actually understand that and to decide to do God’s will no matter how good or bad it may seem. Now at 63, I am still pushing for an orphanage/old folks home combination on a sustainable green farm (3 days without water and 2 without electricity have reconfirmed the need for green). Been fighting with the government for 10 years for an orphanage (they have been wanting to close all existing orphanages since we´ve returned) We built and ran 2 others in the past. I will continue to push for the next ten years, becauset I know it’s coming because it’s God’s will. The old folks home as well. I ask God for it because I know it´s His will, so I know it’s coming. Just like pastors I know planting new churches. God wants it, they want it, so it’s coming. I might not ever live to see it but I know it’s coming. God doesn’t have us on performance based commission pay packages. He just wants us to be faithful to His will along the way. In the meantime I get to meet a bunch of difficult government officials and property owners along the way and gain them as friends and possibly as future Christian brothers and sisters. Trust the process.

After reading this you may ask yourself, why pray at all then? If it’s God’s will, why do you have to ask for it? Because God wants us to pray about all things, to pray without ceasing. That’s His will as well. Many things I pray for thinking it’s God’s will and I still miss the mark.. I pray for some people and the get healed. Most people don’t, at least not in the way I would like to see it. Many even die. Praying for an orphanage/old folks home, and nothing yet. Praying for America and Israel. How’s that working for me so far? But God tells us to pray…. With faith, not waiverring, according to His will, so I will keep doing so, expecting to receive, even though I don’t see it yet. That’s why they call it faith.

God doesn’t expect us to be 100% correct and always have successful outcomes. He wants us to be 100% right as in righteous in our hearts. He wants us to ‘trust the process’. Maybe we pray missing God’s will. Maybe we pray without faith. Maybe we pray and the person we’re praying for doesn’t have the faith. Maybe we mess the whole thing up, maybe God answers our prayer but we don’t see the results we wanted to see. Just pray, in faith, asking to receive, expecting to receive. If it doesn’t work, do it again. Trust the process! Seek God’s will:

In our personal walk
Where we fellowship
Who we intercede for
What we do for a career
What we want and ask Him for
Who we marry
Who are closest friends should be
What direction do we go with our ministries
How and where to invest time and money
10.Who to marry, what to buy, (be ready to obey a firm NO!)
Without waiver or doubt.

And the list goes on… for it to be God´s will,, all of these will be in line with each other, the Bible, with His Holy Spirit, and with the criteria of God´s will in your personal life, attitudes, relations, and callings.. if it´s not consistant, there´s something wrong.

Interesting side note…. To be able to honestly sing Frank Sinatra’s song ‘I did it my way’ is not a good thing. We need to do it God’s way

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Not only are we to do the will of God, but it is an offering unacceptable if we are not thrilled to do it for Him. Coming to Nicaragua and serving the ‘whomsoevers’ is absolutely delightful. We are to delight in doing God’s will.

Psalm 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God:

With much love in Jesus
Dean and Winnie Peters
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Managua Nicaragua
www.whatistheloveofGod.com
www.PureHeartChildren.org

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Pure Heart Children’s Fund
Pure Heart C/O Grace Life Outreach
190 Seminole Ln Apt 302
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931-3394

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