Simply put, a lust for ministry is when you have a desire for ministry for the wrong reasons. What would be the wrong reason you might ask? Anything, that is not motivated by a love for God and people.
Yesterday we began the series by teaching what it means to be hollow. It means you are missing something. Though all may seem well on the outside, internally there is a void; the life of Christ is missing.
As I thought on these things the Lord, showed me how a lust for ministry helps to both develop and maintain hollowness. When one lusts for ministry, they give no regard to the spiritual protocol necessary for true ministry (i.e, holiness, love, etc), instead, they only focus on those things that will allow them to seem like a spiritual person.
Their faithfulness to their platforms of ministry is used as a spiritual cloak for everyone else to see. However, their concern is only that people see the cloak, as opposed to their true heart.
All who have a lust for ministry, have a desire to be seen as spiritual, without actually being it. So ministry is used as a platform to get them the clout they desire, yet their life will be void of the character of Christ.
Do you have a lust for ministry? Examine your heart today.
JOTTINGS FROM THE LORD
The Lord began to speak to me showing me how a lust for ministry will help to develop or maintain hollowness.
- Ministry is being used to either fill a void or to exalt the individual. The blind efforts given to the fulfillment of that void (or the self-exaltation), causes the individual to excuse themselves from actually fulfilling the righteousness of the word they are ministering.
- In actuality, their pursuit is not after righteousness, but praise. The praise of being seen as spiritual becomes a comfort to the soul, and that comfort is then constantly and consistently sought after.
- When true righteousness is considered it is seen as being unfulfilling. It is seen as that thing which starves you of your wants. Moreover, righteousness is manifested in secret, in the heart unto the Father. This means no person might ever sing your praise.
- It takes an individual giving up their lust for recognition, in order to finally regard the word. They have to replace their want, with a desire to please God in secret. It is this private holiness and intimacy that will develop that substance that was missing in the hollow vessel.
- The pursuit for recognition, becomes an obsession that is a stumbling block to true righteousness. That recognition can be defined as being seen as a spiritual person. This could mean, that, because you are spiritual you get to fit into a particular group. It could also mean that because you are spiritual you stand out among other ministers. Or it could be that you are finally seen as a mighty man/woman of God, worthy of praise and accolades.
- Anything that seeks to hinder this pursuit for recognition is seen as an enemy. Thus, when the pursuit is confronted, the obsessed one will either respond defensively, in rage, in blindness to what you are saying, or in a high-mindedness that seeks to belittle or “teach” you where God really is.
- Their satisfaction is in the praise they receive, so there is no real urgency to be actually holy.
- A lust for ministry stems from low self-esteem, that says, what am I without this recognition.
Kareem Flowers
Sunrise with Jesus
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so powerful.