Proverbs 16:26 The person who labors, labors for himself, For his hungry mouth drives him on. (NIV)
If you want to kill a believer, just take away their hunger and thirst for God. The moment a believer loses the desire, hunger, thirst and drive for the things of God, all that is left of them is pure religion without life.
This was the state of the church of Ephesus; they were people who had programmed themselves to do the right thing but their hearts were not there. This is an empty place for a believer and the Lord detests such a place. (Revelation 2:2-5, Isaiah 29:13)
True fellowship and communion with the Lord involve not only your activities but also your heart. God is not moved by external activities, He is moved by the internal- the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)
Matthew 5:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A man who is poor in spirit recognizes their deficiencies; without God, their lives are nothing, and they can do nothing without Him. This consciousness is what keeps a man seeking, leaning and looking to God because they know how bankrupt they are without Him.
How do you know that a man is poor in the Spirit? You will look at their secret life; and how much time they spend in the presence of God. Does the secret place mean anything to them or are they just there for the sake of religious duty?
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
Most of the spiritual activities amongst Christians today (prayer, fasting, giving, etc) have a form of godliness without power because our practices do not stem from a knowing that ‘without God, we are nothing.’ it is this knowing that keeps a man seeking God day and night because they know that is life.
Unfortunately, many begin on this foundation but as they receive the blessing of the Lord and begin to accumulate wealth, they start walking away from this place of spiritual poverty. All the compromises and decadences we see in the church today stem from this place. (1 Samuel 15:17)
Job 42:5-6
The more you know God, the lesser you become; realizing that you are nothing. Moses, whom the bible says in Acts 7 was mighty in speech, when he met God, realised how poor he was in speech. He told God, ‘I do not know how to speak.’ You cannot meet God and hold onto anything representing a natural advantage.
2 Corinthians 4:7
No matter how much God uses us, we must know that we are spirit and clay. We are as good as other creatures, what makes us different is the Image of God in us. Let us sustain the right attitude and grow in our spiritual poverty so that we may know Him more.
Pray that you will continually stay poor in spirit and that the kingdom of heaven may find expression through your life.
Further Study
Isaiah 6
Genesis 18:27
Romans 3:4
1 John 5:21
STAY BLESSED AND HIGHLY FAVORED, WE LOVE YOU.
PASTOR BEN OCHOLA.