No More, No Less

No less than what God asks, no more than what God asks.

This is part of the narrow road of the leadership of God.

If you are saved at all, you were saved into the leadership of God. There is no path of salvation offered except the reconnection back into the vine of Jesus' leadership:

John 15:1-8 NKJV — “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

This abiding = hearing Jesus in faith by His Spirit and obeying. That is the only gospel, or good news, the Bible offers: to have the Spirit inside to lead us again. This is what Adam lost and Jesus bought back. Apart from learning to abide, or listen and obey, there is no heaven for you. Heaven will not be lawless.

What Jesus asks and requires is easy and light.

Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV — “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Your flesh hates this. Your natural thoughts, emotions, and will either wants to do everything, or give up and do nothing.

To do the light and easy is something the Spirit invites us into and the flesh resists. The flesh wants to be God, or to die. It's the narrow road of a child being led by a father that Jesus invites us into. That is what His leadership is like.

We tend to see John the Baptist, David, Daniel, Moses, Elijah, etc... And we see the amazing things GOD did through them, which He did by this light and easy way, and in the arrogance of the flesh we naturally want to try and strive our lives into this same reality.

Once we decide there is something God wants to make of us, Hell's next strategy is to get that desire into the flesh. It is tempting to study, serve, learn, teach, perform, impact, and even pray (yes, you can strive in the flesh in fasting and prayers! Read Is 58) in the flesh instead of get yoked to Jesus' light and easy... no more, no less... way like those weak and broken Bible heros that were weak and available to God day by day.

To strive in the flesh to do what only God can do is anti-Christ. We have to come out of the world's way of saving itself and into the supernatural way God will. To give up all together because our part is so small is to stay dead in the flesh. God wants to make something of our lives, but He requires our yes to His way!

God is raising up witnesses... Elijah's... All over the earth right now!

God doesn't want you to be an Elijah any other way than Elijah was an Elijah!

James 5:16-18 NKJV — Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

It was Elijah's weakness, Moses' weakness, the small things Daniel did... And the big things God did... That made these lives noteworthy, or followable.

What is the step God is leading me to take into humility, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, or self control today?

It is only found in asking, Iistening, and obeying, or what the Bible calls "prayer."

Maybe it is showing up at a meeting, just going across town to stir up myself and others? Maybe it is a simple act of service? Maybe it's 15 mins of alone with God time trying to hear Him whether I do or not? Maybe it's 2 hours of intense wrestling with God... Who knows? Whatever it is, it is no more, or no less than the daily bread God has for today. It's light and easy for today, for me, with God.

If it always has to be something big, or nothing, I'll never be leadable. If it is just the doable thing God is inviting me to today, and I am willing, then I am like clay in the hands of a potter. He WILL make something great out of me. I won't, He will!

John 13:5-16 NKJV — After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, “Lord, are You washing my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.” For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. “Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.

Peter's trouble was pride. Peter's pride caused him to not see Jesus' glory. Jesus' glory was in doing only what the Father led Him to do, no more, no less.

If washing feet was what the Father said to do, Jesus' glory was found in hearing and obeying. No more, no less. Jesus could have done anything. He did the one thing required.

Adam and Eve could have done so much the day they fell. They did the one thing they shouldn't and broke everything. One thing is broken, that means one thing is required. That one thing is abiding in Jesus...

Right now, the pressure in the world is tempting the church to all or nothing... Fixing the world, or just sitting back and waiting to see what happens.

Jesus is inviting us to one thing right now. That one thing will, in time, make space for God to change everything.

Psalm 27:1-6 NKJV — A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the strength of my life;

Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me

To eat up my flesh,

My enemies and foes,

They stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the LORD,

That will I seek:

That I may dwell in the house of the LORD

All the days of my life,

To behold the beauty of the LORD,

And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble

He shall hide me in His pavilion;

In the secret place of His tabernacle

He shall hide me;

He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me;

Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;

I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the LORD.