Ecclesiastes 3 says, “To everything there is a season and a TIME for EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN!”

How often we forget!! How often we are tempted and tested and find it easy to forget…to become mindless of the fact that GOD HAS A TIME FOR ALL THINGS….INCLUDING HIS PURPOSES FOR OUR VERY LIVES!

I know at this writing that many of you have waited what seems like a lifetime for God to work some things out on your behalf. I know you have encountered frustration and at times, have wanted to bolt! I know many of you have felt that in your lives you have sacrificed, have given, have done all that you knew how to do to serve God and yet you are walking around Today still feeling unfulfilled.

Remember always that God warned us that the way would be “narrow”! Lest we forget…let me say that again….”The way is NARROW and DIFFICULT THAT LEADS TO LIFE AND THERE ARE FEW WHO FIND IT” .

These are the very words of JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF! No one knew better than Jesus how difficult the road would be. No one knew better than our Savior and Lord how narrow it would be!! He told us what He knew…He has warned us and left no stone uncovered in revealing the truth about our walk with Him.

Why do we expect things to be easy and smooth for us when we receive Jesus Christ? Were things easy and smooth for JESUS? NO! He had to break off relationships that meant a lot to him…even relationships with His own Earthly family in order to become WHO HE WAS: THE MESSIAH!

He had to turn His Face to His New Family: US!!!! The lost, depraved , the sick, and insane!!! WE….had to become His New Family and Jesus loved us! There was a precise moment of turning in the life of Jesus Christ, a moment when He laid down his carpenter’s tools, hung up his carpenter’s apron and broke away from the house of Joseph, his earthly “father.” By the time he was a mature man He knew deeply inside Himself WHO HE WAS. He knew who His Father truly was. He knew WHY He was here. He knew who HIS FAMILY MUST BE and He knew WHY.

The moment I am speaking of occurred in the scripture in Matthew 12:46-50. It was a decided turning point in the life of Jesus and in the life of the house of Joseph, his earthly family.

Jesus had begun preaching and there was talk about the possibility of His being the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for.

In verse 46 of Matthew 12, it says;

“While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said unto Him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You…”But He answered and said to them “ WHO IS MY MOTHER AND WHO ARE MY BROTHERS? FOR WHOEVER DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER IN HEAVEN IS MY BROTHER AND SISTER AND MOTHER.”

No response is given.

The very next chapter begins by speaking of his departing to sit by the sea. No doubt He was meditating and praying by the Sea, perhaps even for His earthly family! He loved them, no doubt. He interceded for them, no doubt. He had grown up with them and knew them and they knew Him.

But the Father had a special TIME. ….To EVERYTHING there is a SEASON!!! And it was HIS SEASON!!! The time and SEASON in which HIS FULL AND TRUE IDENTITY MUST BE KNOWN!!!….He knew everything was changing. He knew the Father’s purposes were being set in motion. He KNEW His mother and brothers were concerned, and probably even afraid, but as much as He loved them all, He could not open the door to them at that moment!! He could not allow any affections to take the place in His Heart of Hearts that was owned only by His Father in Heaven. He had to guard and protect that Heart of Hearts within Himself. He had to be strong and overcome every dealing of the enemy to give ANY place, ANY place at ALL to ANYTHING that was not His Father’s Will.

How important was that?

TOTALLY IMPORTANT!! So important, that it meant the difference between being in the Family of God and NOT being in the Family of God.

You see, being in the Family of God is not just about KNOWING WHO JESUS IS!!! The word of God says “Even the demons know and tremble”..!! It is about DOING THE WILL OF GOD!!!

This is the part that separates the wheat from the tares.

This is the part that will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ!

Have we DONE THE WILL OF GOD….Have we OBEYED THE FATHER’S WILL??? ARE WE LEGITIMATE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF THE LIVING GOD???? OR DO WE JUST KNOW ABOUT JESUS AND BELIEVE HE IS REAL!!!!

His word says that “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD.”

What does “dead” mean?

It means “lacking in power”, “Lifeless”, “extinguished” (like a fire that has been put out) “cold”, “non producing” “stalled”, “incapable of being effective” (Websters’ Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition)

It means that those people who do not put their Faith into Action in following through with the WILL OF GOD are NOT ACTUALLY INCLUDED IN THE FAMILY OF GOD!!!!

Selah. Selah. Selah.

Think about that for a moment.

It is NOT enough to simply KNOW there is a JESUS….to KNOW there is a God or even to Believe that He is real.. We must Believe in our HEARTS!!! (Not just our heads)…What is the difference??? If we believe in our heads, it is just head knowledge!! If we believe in our HEARTS….it produces ACTION because we are CONNECTED AT THE HEART!!!! Heart faith is DEEP AND TRUSTING FAITH!!! Head knowledge doesn’t get past analysis!!!

Jesus Christ cannot be ANALYZED!!! He cannot be placed in a box. Why? Because He was a DUAL NATURED BEING!

He was BOTH THE SON OF GOD and A COMPLETE MAN ALL AT ONCE!! Man’s finite brain and mental system CANNOT ANALYZE THIS!! Jesus was BORN OF WOMAN but GOD WAS HIS FATHER!!

This cannot be analyzed. This is a fact beyond our understanding and our ability to dissect . We MUST receive this fact by FAITH in our HEARTS and not by ideological configurations of human thought because our thoughts are polluted to start with and we are unable to receive Faith in our thought life until it has been implanted in our HEARTS.

Romans 10:10 says “ For WITH THE HEART one BELIEVES unto righteousness, and with the MOUTH confession is made unto Salvation! Romans 10:9 says “That if you CONFESS with your MOUTH and BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART that GOD HAS RAISE HIM FROM THE DEAD, you WILL BE SAVED.”

Make it sure that your faith and your believing is IN YOUR HEART….and not simply in your brain. Faith is a Heart thing. Faith in Christ Jesus produces REAL CHANGE in your life because it is a LIVING FAITH and so it produces REAL LIFE.

It is time for a Heart Checkup….just like it happens with a physical heart in the physical doctor’s office! But it is time now for a Heart Checkup with Jesus Christ!

He is making HIS list and checking it twice….

He is giving us the time and the opportunity because of God’s Great Grace to re evaluate our lives, possibly our ministries, our relationships, our standards, and our values right now.

Just as we are able to “delete” something off our computer which was a mistake, we are able now, at this time, to “delete” and to “edit” things out of our lives that are not profitable to our walk with Jesus Christ.

Whatever it is…right now I believe God is offering us a deep Grace: a time of getting our lives in order, deleting and tearing off that which is not pleasing to Him. He is offering us a time set aside for coming closer to Him than we’ve ever been: a time of re evaluating our conversion experience and what it has meant in our lives, a time of looking back and scanning over our lives to set things in order for the days that are quickly advancing upon us.

He is opening the door wide to Himself. He is offering Himself Once Again at the altars of repentance to those of us who need to repent and to get things set straight with the Lord of the Universe, Jesus Christ. He is once again, manifesting His Great Grace for salvation and deliverance, and offering us New Beginnings no matter how badly we have messed up our first chances.

Soon and very soon we are going to see the King.

He will either say “Welcome Home, good and faithful servant, or He will say “depart from me. I never knew you.”

We need to become the true family of God. Anything in our lives that has become an Idol to us needs to be “deleted” so that the TRUE AND LIVING GOD can take His TRUE AND RIGHTFUL PLACE UPON THE THRONE OF OUR HEARTS.

Prayer: Father, forgive us for times in which we have turned away from intimacy with you. Forgive us Father for taking your salvation and your Grace too lightly. Forgive us Father for our rebellions and our slackness in responding to the truth that you are. We ask in Jesus name that you would RESTORE us to sanity in the body of Christ. We ask that you would move in our midst. We ask humbly that you would, once again, bring the River of God, to “make us glad” in our Hearts of Knowing you as never before. We submit all to you this hour and ask for your guidance. We want to be included in your family, whatever branch of that family you choose for us. We give you thanksgiving and praise for including us each one who would bow our hearts to your will, in Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Article is copyrighted by Sondra Stallman.
May not reprint without permission from author.