Welcome back to part two of our series
So if He is easy to please ! Why do we try so hard to please Him?
Let’s recap from our last part !
We started with a remarkable scripture.
Let’s read it !
Psalms 136:1 (TPT)
Let everyone thank God, for he is good, and he is easy to please! His tender love for us continues on forever!
Which led us to ask some intriguing questions.
So if He is easy to please ! Why do we try so hard to please Him?
Are we trying to please Him out of our insecurities?
Or
Are we trying to please Him out of our own expectations ?
Both of the above will lead us to believe we do not have what it takes or cannot live up to the standards expected of our Heavenly Father. As the level is higher than we can achieve or even come close too.
At this point I shared my personal experience of this. How I spent a great deal of my life living up to expectations I had thought up or most likely suggested to me by satan. After all John 10:10 says: The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy and every test satan tried in the wilderness with Jesus. Was trying to make Jesus think differently about Himself ‘His True Identity’. Who His Father had just declared He was, as seen in Matthew 3:17 (NIV).
We finished with this question and thought !
I wonder how many self appointed expectations we have placed on ourselves ? Possibly justified them in our own minds, as being set by others or even the Lord Himself.
If you have not read part one of this series, here is a link to do so.
Today we will be looking at these three questions.
- What pleases the Father the most ?
- How to find, what His will is for you, for each day ?
- How do we stay focused on His will for us each day and what do we do, with everything else ?
So let’s get started, as each of these questions, are so vitally important to:
- How we see our Heavenly Father
- Our relationship with Heavenly Father.
- The fulfilment of His plan, will and purpose for our lives. (Why He created us).
If you look through the bible again and again, you will see, that the overall thing that pleases the Father, is obedience and Faith.
As both of these directly relate to our relationship with Him.
His original reason for creating us, was so He could have an intimate relationship with us.
Adam had this in the garden of Eden.
Genesis 2:19 (NKJV)
Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
I love this scripture as it reveals, what our relationship, can be like with our heavenly Father .
The Father brings every beast of the field and every bird of the air to His son Adam . Then asks him to name them all. Adam then names each one, which reveals both obedience and faith.
Then the scripture says, whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. This shows how faithful our Heavenly Father is.
This seems very simple right !
But I believe there was more behind the scene, than what we get to see, described in this scripture.
As how did Adam know, what to name the beasts and birds ?
This is where I believe the relationship between the Father and Adam, is very interesting.
I believe as part of the Father’s plan, purpose and will for Adam, was to name the animals. He planted within Adam , the ability to name all the animals.
So they actually did this beautiful thing together.
I believe this is the same for you and me. He created you for a unique plan and purpose on this earth, according to His will.
He has also planted with in you, all you will need for every moment, to achieve it and to succeed.
But this can only be done, within a right living relationship with Him.
As I was writing this, the Lord showed me a vision of a petrol engined car. He said I created it, but without the fuel, it will not move !
As it is with any plan and purpose, I have for your lives.
I think this is a great analogy.
The world would say the fuel is food for us right ?
But Jesus says something remarkably different, to satan in the wilderness !
It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4.
So what is this word ?
Jesus Himself according to John 1:1
So Jesus the word in our lives, is the fuel to seeing true success, in our lives.
But just as adding petrol to the car gives the fuel needed to move it. The car needs three more things for the journey to be successful.
- Someone to start it
- Someone to drive it
- Lastly a destination.
For without any of these, the car has no real purpose !
He will reveal the destination and provide everything needed to get there.
But starting the car (obedience) and driving the car ( faith ) He leaves for us to do .
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
This simple scripture in its essence, has contained in it everything we need to know, about what pleases the Lord. As it was the key to every successful person in the bible, including Jesus Himself.
I believe everyday there is a plan and purpose, He has prepared in advance for you. He has equipped you for it too. But so often we get tied up, on what we see as success. We see our big lists of things to do and judge our days success, by how much we get accomplished.
But sadly by doing this, we can miss the very thing or things . Which can make that day successful, from Heavens prospective.
Just as one of Adam’s days, was appointed by the Lord, for him to name the animals.
He has appointed a task, a mission or role for you, to do each day.
These things can be big or small. But the size of the task, has nothing to do, with what the outcome can be.
Just look at a mustard seed and the mighty tree it can become.
So let’s conclude today’s message by answering our last two questions for this week.
- So How do we find out what His will is for us , for each day ?
- How do we stay focused on His will for us each day and what do we do, with everything else ?
Both of these questions have the same answer.
By simply asking Him.
Let me explain in a practical way, with this week’s challenge.
- Each day find some space in the morning to worship and praise Him. To give Him thanks for the day you’re about to walk into.
- Then pray a prayer like: Father I ask that You would, reveal to me, the one thing or the things, that you want me to do today. amen.
- Write down what He says and this is your mission for the day. What He shows you might not make much sense at the time, He gives it to you. But at the right time it will.
- Now to keep you focused. Here is a prayer to pray:: Father help me to do today what you have called me to do today. Put off to tomorrow what you have not called me to do today. Lastly to give to You, what I am not called to do at all. ( This is a great prayer that will keep you focus on His will, plan and purpose for each day.
- Before you go to sleep at night. Take sometime to reflect and give Him thanks for all He provided, helped and did. In you and through you over the day. Maybe pray a prayer like: Father thank you for all you did today. How You used me. Thank You for trusting me with your will, according to your word amen.
- Lastly hand over anything you don’t understand, things that maybe did not work out the way you thought they would. Then ask Him for rest and sleep. A prayer like: Father I choose to hand to you. Things I don’t understand, as I know You are good and you are currently working on them, according to your word in Roman 8:28 amen.
Father would reveal in clarity to Your children. All Your plans, purpose and will for each day. Then help them to achieve all these things according to Your word amen
You may have noticed we have one more thing, to discuss from first part of this series. The importance of saying how proud we are of our children and how to do this. We will being looking at this in our next part of this series.
For those of you, who want to place an offering at the alter or plant a finical seed in the fertile ground of the Lord. Maybe you could contribute in someway towards His House, we are currently building. To equip the saints for ministry, then release His word through them, in a variety of ways.
Below is a link to a secure website, so you can do this safely online.
https://give.tithe.ly/?formId=87bf3759-ef4a-4ae2-ac5d-902b82587e44
Or our bank account details for New Zealand memebers,
Encounter Centre – 03-0481-0007448-000
If you require a receipt for tax purposes please email to info@encounterministries.org.nz
Craig Patten
Founding Pastor/Prophet
Encounter Centre & Ministries