Excuses, Excuses

The Lord has convicted me heavily concerning the commitments and responsibilities we have made before man, but most importantly, to Him. Dear brothers and sisters, the body of Christ is suffering both locally and worldwide because of the lack of gifts and callings that we are supposed to be using. We have never-ending reasons why we cannot commit to our duties. Our excuses are going to or already have done a lot of damage in the body of believers. Where are the evangelists, the exhorters, and the intercessors? Where are the teachers and administrators? Where are the believers?

What will our answers to these questions be when we can not figure out why the Lord is allowing everything to go downhill and the needs are not being met?

• What did you do for Me?
• Where were you when everyone else was proclaiming My name?
• Where were you when your brother needed prayer?
• Why did you not obey Me when I told you to go?

Here are just a few excuses that many of us will and have tried to use:

• I couldn't pray, because I had a late night.
• I didn't come to service because my kids were still sleeping.
• I was waiting for Jane to get here first before I could start.
• I needed to get housework done first.
• I have no money.
• I didn't know how.
• I'm too tired.
• I don't want to.
• I won't go if so and so is going.
• I'm too illiterate.
• I can't read properly.
• I didn't know.
• I'm sick.
• I have to help my friend.

Notice the first word used is, "I". Until we can lay ourselves down, we will always consider, "Me, myself and I". We quickly forget that we were brought with a price. A very high price. Blood, tears and agony were sacrificed for us. Jesus paid the price for you and I. In His obedience and willingness, He laid down Himself to fulfill the will of the Lord. He did not do it kicking and screaming like most of us do. He did it with His own free will. 

He did what God had called Him to do and through it we were saved. He willingly gave Himself completely and selflessly as the nails pierced through His hands and His limbs slowly ripped apart from hanging on that tree. He submitted unto the Lord voluntarily, even as they drove the crown of thorns through His head and the spear through His side.

For 3 days the Lord keep saying to me, "You do your job, and I'll do Mine". At first I did not understand until my husband told me, "Before I do anything, make sure I get the weekly encouragement done for this website". As soon as he said that, I was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I realized the damage and repented for not encouraging my brothers and sisters in the Lord. The weekly encouragement was a commitment I made before the Lord and as a sister in the Lord; I have an obligation and a responsibility to do it. If I do not, I will stand accountable for all those people who needed the encouragement. If I do not do my duty, the Lord can bless someone else with it and I will have missed the blessing of the Lord. It is the same with prayer. My husband and I are intercessors. Many people have missed out because the intercessors are not interceding. There have been many accidents and much division and hurt because the intercessors have not prayed in intercession for the brothers and sisters and the state of the church.

One of my gifts is the gift of mercy. I confess before you and the Lord that far too many times I misuse this gift. When someone is hurting, the merciful will either feel sorry for them or tell them everything they want to hear or out of love and concern, encourage them, listen and speak ONLY if the Lord gives them something to say.

How can the Lord bless the work of our hands, if we do not stop and ask the Lord what he wants us to do? We find ourselves working and working and it seems like we are not getting anything done or we get worn out because what we think we should be doing is not what the Lord wants us to do. We tend to prioritize what we think needs to be done first. The Lord tells us to "Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you." Jesus prayed, "Your kingdom come, YOUR WILL BE DONE on earth as it is in heaven."

Dear brothers and sisters, I encourage you this week to pray before you do anything. When you wake up in the morning, be sure to ask the Lord what His will is for you first. If the house needs cleaning, leave it alone. If the car needs repairing, save it for later. I encourage you to pray and ask the Lord what He wants you to do, because I can guarantee that if the Lord comes first, everything else will fall into place. Stop worrying about the bills, the car payments, the dress code, the kids and friends.

I encourage you also to go through and think about the commitments you have made before the Lord. If they are not in the will of the Father, repent and ask the Lord what He wants you to do. Find out what your gifts are and what your calling is as an individual (if you are not married), as a husband and wife and as a body of Christ. We are all called to go into the world and proclaim Christ. That is the will of the Father, but we have all been given gifts that work together. A body cannot work without the bodily functions. Our gifts and callings are the body parts. There are many parts that are not functioning. Find your part and walk in it.

Wives encourage your husbands. Don't tell them what to do or how they should be doing it. Trust that they hear from the Lord and that they are making the right decisions for you and your family. If you do not know what you are supposed to be doing, ask your husbands. As the priest of the home the Lord will give him the wisdom and the direction for you.

Get rid of the excuses and let your yes be yes and your no be no. Instead of using the words, "But I...", try using the words, "Yes, I will." The greatest example I can use is from the movie, "Star Wars." My husband told me to watch this movie because it had so much ministry in it. Luke said to Yoda, "You are asking the impossible, I can't do it." Yoda in reply said, "Ah, yes, and that is why you fail". Luke said he would try. Yoda then told him, "Don't try, DO!!!"

We need to stop the procrastinating and the excuses and just do it. Join me. We can do it. We can do anything we put our minds to if it is the will of the Lord. Last but not least, don't let fear stop you from doing the Father's will. It will only lead to the gates of hell. Fear is the essence on which the enemy feeds. But that is another encouragement for another time. So stay tuned for the weeks ahead.

Please feel free to contact us with any questions about this article.