1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petition that we have asked of Him.
George Muller cared for 10,024 orphans in his lifetime, started 117 schools, and offered Christian education to 120,000 children many of whom were orphans. Driven by his compassion for the children he saw, George sought the will of God and felt God calling him to open an orphanage.
George consecrated his life to God and knew that it was God’s will for him to start the orphanage. If God calls, He will provide for everything. George prayed, asking God to provide a building, people to oversee it, furniture, and money, and God answered his prayers. Although he met tremendous challenges, he overcame them by faith in God.
All of us are in full-time ministry whether we work in the corporate world or in a church because we belong to the same master craftsman. If it worked for George, we should also be able to apply the same kind of faith in the circumstances that we face as we consecrate our lives to God.
We must pray through each major decision so that we have the blessings of God. If Jesus is the Lord of our lives, it should be evident in the different aspects of our lives. If we look back at the timeline, some recurring challenges in our lives that we faced as Christians could be a lesson on faith, but also due to lack of consecration or sanctification. They reveal our character as well as the depth of our relationship with God.
The life of sanctification and consecration is a lifelong process, and it is dependent on our willingness to die to our flesh and submit to the Lordship of Christ. If we do not renew our minds on these two aspects of our lives, we are likely to remain as spiritual infants.
Today, there are few Christians who talk about living a life of consecration and dedication because it is all about the big “I”. We want God to answer our prayers based on what we want rather than what He wants. But there is always a price to pay when we strive for success and affluence without God.
The Kingdom of God defines success holistically, which means spiritually, emotionally, physically, and doing well in our expertise. When God blesses us, He will not add sorrow to it.
Whenever we are faced with a challenge in life, what will enable us to stand with a firm footing is the Word of God. Therefore, it is important that we consecrate our plan or will to God so that we will be able to face the challenges in faith rather than crumbling under the circumstances because we lack a promise to stand on.
Sermon Series: Walking on Water
将生命分别为圣归于神
约翰一书5:14-15我们若照他的旨意求什么，他就听我们。这是我们向他所存坦然无惧的心。既然知道他听我们一切所求的，就知道我们所求于他的无不得着。
乔治·穆勒一生照顾了一万二十四名孤儿，创办了一百一十七所学校，并为十二万名儿童提供基督教教育，其中许多是孤儿。 出于对所看到的孩子们的同情心，乔治寻求神的旨意，并感受到神呼召他开设一家孤儿院。
乔治将自己的生命分别为圣献给神，并知道神的旨意是要他创办孤儿院。 如果神呼召，祂会供应一切。 乔治祈祷，请求神提供一座建筑物、有看守的人、家具和金钱，神回应了他的祷告。 尽管他遇到了巨大的挑战，但他靠着对神的信心克服了这些挑战。
无论我们在企业还是在教会工作，我们所有人都是在全职事奉，因为我们属于同一位伟大的工匠。 如果这对乔治有效，那么当我们将生命分别为圣献给神时，我们也能够将同样的信心应用在所面临的环境中。
我们必须在做每一个重大决定的时候祷告，这样我们才能得到神的祝福。 如果耶稣是我们生命的主，那么应该在我们生活的各个方面表现出来。 如果我们回顾时间轴，我们在基督徒生命中遇到的一些反复出现的挑战可能是信心的功课，但也可能是由于缺乏分别为圣或成圣而导致的。 它们揭示了我们的品格以及我们与神的关系的深度。
成圣和分别为圣的生活是一个终生的过程，它取决于我们是否愿意向肉体死并顺服基督的主权。 如果我们不在生活的这两方面更新我们的思想，我们很可能仍然是属灵的婴儿。
现今很少有基督徒谈论分别为圣和和奉献的生活，因为这一切都与大写的“我”有关。 我们希望神根据我们想要的而不是祂想要的来回应我们的祷告。 但是，当我们在没有神的情况下努力追求成功和财富时，总是需要付出代价的。
神的国度对成功的定义是全面的，它包括在属灵、情感、身体和我们的专业领域上都做的很好。 当神赐福给我们的时候，祂不会加上忧虑。
每当我们在面对人生的挑战时，能让我们站稳脚跟的就是神的话语。 因此，将我们的计划或意志交托给神是很重要的，这样我们才能以信心面对挑战，而不是因为缺乏能依靠的应许而在面对的情况中崩溃。
讲章系列：行在水面上