You Are Not the Only One Ministries and Consulting Services Inc.

#THESTORY Is there hope for the world? This story says there is!   http://story4.us/URNOTTHEONLYONE English

#HeIsWasAndRemainsTheGodofLove #LoveOthersWithoutAnAgenda #PrayForOthersAsIPrayForMyself #ForgiveAsIAmForgiven

When I read this Scripture today it reminded me of the lady I met yesterday at the eye doctors office. She spoke some words to me and then tears were just flowing from her face. I kept thinking “Father, why is this happening! I am not special. Everything I am and everything I have has come from you. I am in fact an open book. There are times when I just know that I am not representing you and your love as I should. I know for sure that I have ticked at least one person off within the last 24 hours.  I just want to be you to others. I want to let folks know that your gentleness and faithfulness never ceased when Israel came out of the desert and began to take possession of the land that you promised them-Amen.”

This morning I went to visit with a neighbor whom I have not seen in years. She is 86 years old. The same thing happened with her too.  “I am thinking to myself “What message are you sending me Father? I have been having this battle in my mind about how to move forward in ministry and how to serve my neighbors!”

Friends hatred. self-righteousness and division are easy steps to take, publicize, and maintain, but loving others like our Father takes self-denial. It takes not wanting to put one’s self out into the forefront. It takes not wanting a personal following of thousands. Please don’t misunderstand me. Ministry takes money to function. In order for that to happen folks will partner with ministries as they present Christ and serve the needy. I am not and have never wanted to be a celebrity. Besides being an introvert I am sure that it would be counterproductive to my personal style.

Scripture directs our steps in this how to live a life that glorifies God and not self.

““Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.

If I need to go to the national news media to let them know what God is doing through me then I am being self-serving. His glory and honor will disappear as they magnify me.

Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. [If I need the accolades of men in order to serve my Good, Good, Father – then I am serving for the wrong reason!]

The following is the reason why the ministry’s Facebook Intercessory Prayer Page is a “Secret Page!”

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “

Have you ever been anywhere when no matter who prays from that specific organization each person says almost the exact same prayer, using the same words? Again, this is not written in condemnation. It is written to remind all of us that God knows who is in charge of what.  His ears are not stopped up that we have to say the exact same prayer over and over again. He wants to hear our heart. Even though He knows all that is in us He still wants us to say something similar to this.

Acknowledging who He is to us.

‘Our Father in heaven, [Acknowledging who and what He is to us and His unconditional love for us. This acknowledgement is followed by six specific requests coming from the petitioner.]

Request #1. “hallowed be your name,” [His name is “I AM!” Moses was told to ensure that he gave that response when asked by the Children of Israel who sent him to them Exo 3:14.]

Request #2 “your kingdom come,” Our recognition that we are not of this world and neither is His kingdom physical kingdom here. However, we are members of The Family of God and are enganged in Kingdom work. in Luke 17:21Christ answered the Pharisees questions about the “kingdom of God” by stating “the kingdom of God is within you” (Read the entire chapter for context.) It is the desire of every Christian for the permanent Kingdom of God to be established on this earth. Read Revelation 21.

Request # 3 “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” [God’s will is not for people to be hateful to each other. It is not a vengeful vindictive will. Note that the request ends with “as it is in heaven!” There is no fear or hatred in heaven. As we live our lives and submit out prayer request to The Almighty it must be within the framework of His will for our lives. Jesus also asked that “the Father’s will be done” in the moment of HIS highest need. Submission is a dirty word in our world. But submission to God gives us peace.

Request # 4 Give us today our daily bread. This request acknowledges that God is indeed our Jehovah Jireh. He provides our daily needs. We don’t have to panic and live in fear and dread. One is reminded that at this juncture someone will state “but Scripture said ” Man shall not live by bread alone, [however, in addition to bread for the nourishment of the spirit man must live by] every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God!” It is not an either or neither nor statement. We plea here for Him to provide nourishment for our bodies while also acknowledging that without His Word we are spiritually malnourished.

Request#5 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Strong’s concordance identifies the word “debt” as follows:

opheilémaopheiléma: that which is owed, a debt

Original Word: ὀφείλημα, ατος, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: opheiléma
Phonetic Spelling: (of-i’-lay-mah)
Short Definition: a debt, offense, sin
Definition: a debt, offense, sin.

So, we are asking for forgiveness of our sins and there is a connection between our forgiveness and how forgiving we are toward others. Matt 6:14 states “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” No this Scripture is not stating that when one initially comes to an understanding of who and what Christ is to them that He will not forgive them of their sins. Remember that this is the example of how a Christian should pray, not a sinner. An unforgiving spirit is not of God. It is contrary to His unconditional forgiveness and love for us. We are to live with others as He lives and loves us. That is not asking too much is it?” We-God’s people have forgotten that we live – for Him – as Him and have a directive from Him to be forgiving even of our enemies! Now that does not take human strength it takes the Holy Spirit! We cannot give what we do not have. We have to totally accept His forgiveness before we can give the same degree of forgiveness to others. For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins “(vs14-15).

Request # 6: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ” There are many exegesis of this statement. I will state the simpliest. The devil exists. He even attempted to tempt Christ. Christ being God was delivered from that temptation. We are human beings. The enemy will tempt us. He will..

1. Tempt us to hold people into contempt just becuase they are different from us.
2. Tempt us to negate others and live in fear of what they will do to and or against us when we know full well that God is our shield and buckler and our deliverer.
3. Tempt us to hate others because of the pain that they have caused us and maybe even our family members and or ancestors.
4. Tempt us to turn our backs on Christianity because of all of the atrocities that people have done in the name of “Christianity!”

We need deliverance from the evil one. We have that deliverance as long as we operate through the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. No, I am not stating that human beings who are “Christians” will not have sinful thoughts. What I am saying is that we will not take up residence in the arena of sinful thoughts, that lead to sinful actions and declare that it is because we are human and therefore too weak to resist. Thus, the need for this request in our prayers.

‭‭Taken from: Matthew‬ ‭6:9-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Finally, as we pray we are asking Our Father to investigate our intent and be merciful to us because He already knows all that there is to know about us and still loves us.