No More Toiling!

Work, work hard, do this, don't do this, you gotta this, you gotta that, you gotta stop doing that ...these are all too familiar phrases in the world today. The world is all about performance, merit, working hard for what you want, and sadly, I see the mindset has infiltrated into the church also. When I say church, I am speaking of the body of Christ. Please understand me, I am not against working to pursue something, or to achieve a dream or goal, that's not what I am saying at all. I am speaking of toiling, laboring, working and performing in order to get God's blessings, His love, His favor, or His approval.

I woke up this morning with a heavy heart. I have been on Facebook for about a year or more, and throughout that time,  I have noticed some pretty interesting comments on it. One thing that I have noticed, is that people are struggling...I see people who are struggling in one way or another. Struggling financially, struggling in relationships, struggling with sickness and disease, and many of these persons are persons that I know personally, who love the Lord, and really want to live for Him.

What gives me the heavy heart is how much people are struggling at trying to earn the blessings of God, and His love, and how they are begging God to intervene in their situation. God loves people. He doesn't want us to be beggars. No one wants us to live a more blessed, prosperous, victorious, abundant life, more than God! God wants us to really LIVE! Jesus died so that we can really live, not survive, as in a struggle, but thrive and flourish in this life. I am saddened by the fact that so many have put off the blessed life until heaven. That is not what God has in mind for us. He wants us to have heaven on earth, we don't have to wait! He wants us to really live, and be blessed and victorious every day of our life!

Psalm 3:8-Salvation belongs to the LORD: thy blessing is upon thy people.
Psalm 103:2-6-Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not His benefits: Who forgives all thine iniquities, who heals ALL your diseases; Who redeems thy life from destruction, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The LORD executes righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed.
Ephesians 1:3-Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
1Cor. 2:12-13-Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but he spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in words which men's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual with spiritual.
These are only a few of the many verses in scripture that shows us that God wants us to have things, yes things, not just needs! that He wants us to live a good life, and God sent the Holy Spirit to teach us about what God wants us to have, and what He has already provided to us, in Christ. As part of salvation and redemption, God has given us so much.

The world is all about working, toiling, striving, earning, achieving, performing, to get things! How many people are working 2 or 3 jobs? The world says that you have to work hard for a promotion, you have to work overtime to impress your employer, to have to have perfect credit, you have to meet certain criteria...you have to have certain qualifications, performance, performance, performance! This is the spirit of the world. Sad to say, this spirit has infiltrated the church, as well! I know that some will be angry with me for saying this, but the church has presented a diluted gospel...Salvation is free, BUT...you have to come to church, you have to tithe, you have to work in the church, you have to get up every morning at a certain hour and pray, you have to stop wearing makeup, you have to stop dancing, you can't wear slacks, if you are a woman...the list goes on and on! Please hear me, I am not knocking these things. You should tithe and give if you are a christian, you should go to church, you should give of yourself and your gifts in the local church, we do it because we love God, and we do it because we are grateful to God, we don't do it to perform in order to get something from God! God freely blesses us! We don't have to perform for His favor, His love or His approval...Jesus did that for us!

God loves us! He has already blessed us, prospered us, healed us, favored us, approved us! He has freely given us all things. If something is free, I don't have to work for it, I don't have to deserve it or merit it, I don't have to earn it, I simply have to believe that God loves me soooo much, that He wants me to have it, that He has already provided it, and  simply receive the gifts!

John 16 tells us about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our life. One thing that the scripture says is that the Spirit would convict the world of sin, not the individual believer, but the world, those who are lost. The believer's sin has already been dealt with at Calvary! Past, present and future! Glory! How many times have you said, after you have done something that you know that you should not have done, "the Holy Spirit really convicted me". C'mon, you know that you have said that at least one time if you are a believer. But guess what, the Holy Spirit did not convict you, but your own spirit did! The Holy Spirit convicts the believer of righteousness-John 16:10. Why am I saying all of this, you might ask. I am saying it because the Holy Spirit is here for the believer, to convict us when we are NOT living and partaking of the blessings that are ours in Christ, when we just let trouble, problems, lack, sickness, satan hang around. The Holy Spirit is here to tell us what belongs to us now, as a child of God, and to convict us when we are not living the abundant life!


Ok, I just had to vent! I just hate to see people struggling, especially God's children. I want to see people KNOW what belongs to them, what they are entitled to because of Calvary, overcome and conquering! Slaying the giants that show up in life, and WIN! We have so much available for us! I am going to shut up now. Love you!
~Gayle