Approval From Heaven

I am sure all of us would agree that we desperately need a fresh touch from Heaven on our lives, families, local churches and our nation as a whole. As humans we are prone to begin to trust our own strength and leave God out of our life until a crisis occurs. We are taught in Scripture on multiple occasions of the necessity of trusting God in all things. Someone once said, "If the Holy Spirit was removed from our churches today, 90% of them would continue to run business as usual. However, if the Holy Spirit had been removed from the first century church, 90% of what they were doing would have had to cease." This statement causes us to stop and think about what we are doing and how we are doing it. Have we become religious institutions that are designed to run without any heavenly intervention? If so, we must repent and allow the Holy Spirit to redirect our hearts toward God's plan for His church. Jesus died for the church so that the church would seek to mold the world and not be molded by the world. Sadly, the opposite seems to be taking place. We must rise from our sleep and seek the approval of Heaven rather than the approval of man.

In my devotion this morning, Dr. Adam Dooley wrote, "You will never experience the abundance of God's strength until you yield completely to Him. God's commandments are not designed to rob us of blessings--they are meant to unleash them. He not only intends to demonstrate His power through you. He also longs to display it to you." As I read this statement this morning, I lifted my hands to Heaven and said, "Lord, I cannot be the man of God you have called me to be without receiving the abundance of Your strength. Lord, I must surrender myself totally and completely to your Lordship."

Friends, as you go about your daily duties today, be sure to yield yourself completely to the Lord Jesus. Love Him with all of your heart. Serve others with a pure heart and share the story of how He changed your heart. When we live in such a manner, we are free from the approval ratings of earth and we are focused on receiving the approval of our Holy God!

Pastor Brent
Proverbs 30:5