I need victory over "doing something"

Hi,i sometimes have the problem that i cannot enjoy the presence of god because i think that this is selfish and i have to go out and preach the gospel.somehow i am much too fixed on preaching the gospel.i cant enjoy a sunset with my best friends, i feelalways guilty when i take times for me and my lord or when i just sit and listen to nice music after a hard working day.i always have this sense of "doing something" .i cant give myself time for spiritual growth...i placed it in the lords hands..i know that this is wrong but the truth has to sinkfrom my understanding to my heart and that is the problem!please pray for me :)thank you very much for reading and sorry for the many I'si'm not that good in english!god bless youedit:i'd like to add..that i often feel that i could do something better than what i am doing right now.instead of asking you for help i could do this and withness to person x and person y..you understand?i am very fixed on the non christian and forgetting my brother who needs help

Hi Daniel,I believe we need to focus n our worship of God first and foremost and allow the ministry to flow from our relationship with God. We can burn ourselves completely out thinking we have to always be "doing something." I need to heed this message myself. Its OK to stop and smell the roses. We need to be refreshed in the Lord or we will become bitter and burnt out. Sometimes redeeming the time through ministry can be helpful in keeping us from temptations. But, we need to be balanced and understand what our priorities are. You simply cannot give out what you have not received. You can't pour from an empty vessel. Never have more machinery going in your life than you have oil for. Don't be afraid to say NO and don't allow the enemy to constantly be putting a trip on you that you need to be doing something 24/7. He don't care if you sit idle or run yourself off a cliff headlong as long as you are not balanced and refreshed in what God is calling you to do. Quantity is not always better than quality. God can do more with a man full of the Spirit in minutes than a person involved in a powerless activity for days. Pray the Lord would bring you into balance while at the same time keeping you from the evil.God Bless,-Robert

DanielHave you listened to Keith daniel's sermon "Abide in me"? I think that you would Appreciate it. we does a very good job of showing the inportence of not missing God for the work of God. :-) danp.s I'll pray for you.

Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back, Guilty of dust and sin.But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack From my first entrance in,Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning If I lack'd anything."A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here"; Love said, "You shall be he.""I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear, I cannot look on thee."Love took my hand and smiling did reply, "Who made the eyes but I?""Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame Go where it doth deserve.""And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?" "My dear, then I will serve.""You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat." So I did sit and eat. George Herbert 1593-1633

hi y'all, when i was a new christian i witnessed every night in the french quarter in N.O. la.one night i took off to go to a special church service of mostly worship and praise to the Lord. i was so blessed by the service but had great guilt on me for spending this time without witnessing. i prayed and asked God to help me with this and if possible give me an opportunity to share the gospel with someone on the way home. i got on the streetcar and sat down by the window and at the next stop a man got on and came over and sat next to me. he then asked me if i could help him because he was at the end of the rope and had messed his life up totally with sin and was at a breaking point. that night a made a new friend and the angels rejoiced in heaven. i am 41 years older and these incidents stilll occur. bro. ravenhill told me that bro tozer[the leader of a whole denomination] would stop every afternoon and lay across a mat on the floor for at least an hour, worshiping God for Who He is. this is where bro tozer recieved all of hiswasdom and knowledge. i now picture God wringing his hands over what i do or do not do and laugh out loud at myself.jimp

I went through this same thing and still do to a smaller degree, but my major breakthrough came when one night i was laying in bed thinking about all the disaster the devil was causing in some situations and everything in general and right before i fell asleep it just occured to me to say outloud "Ok Lord, I'm going to sleep now..it's your shift, hold down the fort, I'll be back in the morning"I laughed out loud at myself because that's exactly how i was acting! But saying it out loud showed me how silly i looked and sounded from Heavens vantage point. It was the beginning of major Freedom.If i catch myself worrying on my bed at night that's what i say now. Now perhaps this will be helpful:You dont have head knowledge that has to become heart knowledge, you have heart knowledge that you have to renew your mind too. There's a big difference. When you became born again all things because new. What things? Not your mind, your heart! Your desires are now the Lords desires. So it's not your heart brother it's your head. Wash your Brains. ;)So here are some things that helped me wash my brains:You have to CHOOSE to believe that God wants you first with Him and then for Him. "Mary Chose the better part" It's a choice."OK" you may ask "But WHY first with God then people, people need God but God doesnt need me"That was my question soMy wife put it this way:"If i gave you a glass of water but i was dehydrated, it would help you, and I would feel good that I was able to help you but it would do nothing for me personally i will still die of thirst. God flows though you that does not fill you, you need to let Him flow too you."Lady wisdom strikes again. If you believe that ministering in the Spirit fills the minister then just look at all the ministers that have fallen that walked in the Power of God. It doesnt. Only personal time with Jesus does that.To expand a little more: an unhealthy worker is a dangerous worker. I once worked loading semi trucks with a guy who didnt drink enough water,(tough guys dont drink water after all, especially tough new guys that have something to prove) and you should have seen him by the end of the day, he was literally covered in brusies he was sick and he had to go to the hospital! Dehydration kills. If nothing else it makes you bruise VERY easy. SO you are a liability to the Kingdom if you are not hydrated and healthy in your priorites but you are trying to work. You are guranteed to get hurt eaiser and you may even do so much damage to yourself that you will have to be hospitalized. Now what's cheaper on the company, a glass of water or a hospital bill? But it's easy to get the spiritual "tough guy" syndrome... Also, think about this: If you are bringing people into the Kingdom, they will become JUST like you brother! What will your life teach them? Or as Richard Crisco always used to say "You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are"You can tell them Jesus is most important till you are blue in the face but they will know better by you putting other things before Time with Him that you dont mean it. John Wesley (I believe it was him) once left the presence of a very famous person only after a few minutes of conversation saying "i have a very important appointment tomorrow morning ar 5 clock and i cant be late" the man said "At 5 o clock!? With whom?" Wesley said "With God."So...you ask yourself, do i want other people living like i do right now and feeling like i do right now? If not then you better decide that change is not an option because every copy will be just like the mold they are stamped from. That's why it's more important to spend time with Jesus than minister. Now when i saw this i realized that i HAD to spend time with Jesus just like i need food and water not because i always feel like eating or drinking but because if i dont I WILL DIE. Yes the "food" is first class and the water is full of life, but hey that's not MY fault, Jesus decided He wants to give me the best...who am I to argue? To argue would be Pride. You aske Jesus to die on the Cross for you He chose it. You didnt even chose Him He chose you. You accepted the offer.Now if you will accept having your sins forgiven which is the greatest blessing it seems unreasonable to refuse lesser blessings. You take His blood but blush at a sunset? "Do not fear little flock, it is the Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Only dont insult His goodness with suspision or unbelief. So I've got two words for you1. Soverignty 2. TrustGod is a good Captain of the Host, He always has enough soilders to give everyone a break long enough to eat and rest. Remember how Saul caused Israel to sin by forbidding them to eat snd rest so then they ate illegally? That's what your in danger of. Dont be ignorant of human nature: You WILL eat, if you dont feed on Christ your flesh will come up with another idea...Trust me i've made that mistake. Feast on Christ or you will fall for the devils delights.So while you rest and feast, realize that God is a wise commander and in His Soverignty He has set up before hand the nessecary "cover fire" for you to escape into His presence. Trust Him to take care of those people while i enjoy Him. He will, He cares for them more than you do. Lastly i had to make this basic choice since it is one we make every day with our time:Who is more important:God or people?If your answer is God then you are a Christian.if you answer is people then you are a Humanist.Hope this helps with perspective, it helped me

Dear Daniel,Is it selfish to ask the Lord for help? Is it selfish to enjoy the gifts God gives you?It seems to me that you are trying to work for the Lord. You feel guilty about not doing enough, because you are trying to work for the Lord. Do not work in Christ, rather, let Christ work in you. If Christ is truly working in you, then you would not feel guilt. You would not feel like there is more to do. Rather, you would respond to Christ and His calling, at the moment He calls you, and have immense peace and joy in your heart for doing that which the Lord asks of you. God's work is a privledge, not a requirement. God does not need anyone to preach. He could call the rocks to preach. He could use the angels to spread His word. He uses each of us so that we may take part. To be called into the service of God is a gift. God gives us gifts that we may delight and enjoy them. God appoints, assigns, and chooses each according to thier own task, not to burden them, but for us to enjoy. The word "enjoy" means "en-joy" or "with joy". It means to "take delight in." When we are filled with the Holy Spirit in the presence of God, we are filled "with joy." God wants us to enjoy Him. He wants us to delight in Him and all His gifts. If you gave me a brand new car for Christmas and I drove the car around banging it into everything, letting it get dirty, speeding everywhere, not getting oil changes and such, how would you feel? Would you think that I was thankful? What if I kept the car in a garage, never let anyone see it, and didn't drive it around at all. Would you think that I liked the car? If I was truly thankful for such a gift, I would use the car as you intended. I would drive keep it clean, take care of it. I wouldn't abuse it, but I would appreciate it. I would also share it with people in need. The same is true with all the gifts of God, from Jesus, to our body, to a beautiful sunset, to friends and family.Take delight and be thankful for all that God gives you. There is no better way to say "Thank you" to God then to enjoy the life gives you. Pleasure and joy are two different things. It is true we should be careful not to be selfish and let sin take control. Do not take pleasure in sin and wickedness. Rather, take joy in righteousness. Rejoice in Christ!! Give yourself to Jesus every day. Do not feel guilty about enjoying God. And if you do feel guilty in His presence, check yourself. To be in the presence of God and to feel guilt is a sure sign of sin in your heart. Are you truly giving yourself over to God? Are you truly submitting unto Christ? Or are you seeking Christ or your own way? God loves us. God wants to bless us. He wants to give and care for us. He wants us to rely and trust in Him like a Father. He wants us to have a personal and intimate relationship with Him. Embrace God's love. Let God love you. In love,Blake

To continue on this theme, here's a little wisdom from the Psalms...“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.” (Psa. 116:12-13, KJVS) and captured in a beautiful expository hymn by Charles Wesley...What shall I render to my GodFor all His mercy’s store?I’ll take the gifts He hath bestowed,And humbly ask for more.The sacred cup of saving graceI will with thanks receive,And all His promises embrace,And to His glory live.My vows I will to His great NameBefore His people pay,And all I have, and all I am,Upon His altar lay.Thy lawful servant, Lord, I oweTo Thee whate’er is mine,Born in Thy family below,And by redemption thine.Thy hands created me, Thy handsFrom sin have set me free,The mercy that hath loosed my bandsHath bound me fast to Thee.The God of all redeeming graceMy God I will proclaim,Offer the sacrifice of praise,And call upon His Name.Praise Him, ye saints, the God of love,Who hath my sins forgiven,Till, gathered to the church above,We sing the songs of Heaven.