Glorifying Jesus

@ International House of Prayer   Hit Message Tab-----> Stephen Venable: Glorifying Jesus 12/31/2010
I listened to this message by Stephen Venable twice.  First time, I couldn't get into it I was just not open to listening.  But I've been listening to IHOP's posted praise worship...  and I can't believe how music created by God can be soooo beautiful...  I've been so blessed that I purchased their CD.  anywhoo, I haven't been able to pray or read the bible for a long time now... so I've been singing praise songs as my prayer ... because singing I want to do.. Still going back and forth  Spiritual battle...

Sat and listened to this Message and I just started bawling and crying....  Without the word of God, how easily it is to be swept away with lies ... and become so lost so quickly...

how I keep wanting Jesus to meet my needs... How I use Jesus to be my life coach, my sugar daddy, my therapist, my mascot,my genie in the bottle...  and when He takes away, I feel angry bitter and resentful.

The lie: I tell myself is... Jesus wants me to be happy and comfortable because he loves me, right?  If the world sees, how successful, how wonderful, how gifted, how comfortable my life  then they would see that believing in Jesus is the way to go...  I'm giving into this prosperity gospel..

Stephen Venable says that the bible tells us tha t "jesus, wants us to HATE our life."  He asks, " Is the gospel there to  affirm us and give us stuff? " NO!  then I struggle... isn't that harsh... isn't that what love is... if God gives me what I want isn't that love 

Then Venable  shoots out bible verse after bible verse... we can not refute the bible... it is truth.. 

We are to conform to Jesus... We are to follow Jesus...  It is not about us... We are here to glorify God.  

And when we reduce Jesus to being there for us so that we can be comfortable and for our "self-preservation" we are shifting towards depravity of man we are dimming the light on what we are suppose to be shining.  The gospel becomes worth less. There will be a great falling away.

The bible says if we take up our cross and follow him... WE WILL SUFFER... THERE WILL BE SACRIFICES... just as Christ did.  We are to imitate Christ...   because of what He has ALREADY done for me.  He is the creator, sustainer, of life He took on flesh for us to suffer and die.  He rose again and He's in heaven ruling over us... He set us free.   And He created us for His glory.  and if I need  to hate my life and suffer the loss of all things my flesh holds dear  to bring Him glory then I want to.

I keep wanting to go with the grain to think I can have self-preservation  and self-ambition   while bringing Glory to God that I can balance my life with the things my flesh holds dear with serving God but I see plainly that is not what the word of God says.  We need a violent allegiance to Jesus  a love that is fierce and consuming... non-doubting. To see those who serve God exceptionally and radically is normal because that is following Christ and not to think it strange or believe that that is a higher calling.   but as a believer of Jesus Christ to see this exceptional and radical faith as being normal... that is what we should be.  VENABLE reminded me that the gate to heaven is narrow...  I want to go through that gate...  I don't want to lose my way...