Selfishness is not a very nice topic…
But it’s one that needs to be discussed…
Selfishness is at the root of why we are sinful – by nature – as human beings…
Without selfishness there would never have been a “fall”…
There would not be sin in this world…
We would not be now living the lives which we live…
We would not have fallen short of God’s Glory…
What is the Glory of God?
It is His Nature…
His Character…
What defines Him as who He is…
This never changes…
He is – along with other things – Love…
Love – 1 Corinthians 13 tells us – “is not self seeking” (NIV)…
Think about that for a moment…
Love is not self seeking…
There is nothing in Love which seeks to benefit itself…
Nothing…
Nothing…
Nothing at all…
It only seeks to benefit others…
What can we say we have ever done to benefit others with no thought of what we can “get out of it” ourselves?
Whatever we can think of has been “wrought” in us by God…
It is utterly “other” for us to think that way, we are incapable of thinking that way, only the Holy Spirit within us can think that way…
God hates selfishness…
He hates self absorbed people…
He hates people who think only about themselves…
He calls them “fools”…
He calls them “deceived”…
He calls them “haters of God”…
He calls them “lovers of self”…
He says “their god is their stomach and their glory is in their shame”…
He says “their eyes are on earthly things”…
He says that “His soul hates” all those who do evil…
He cannot stand them…
Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: (Habakkuk 1:13a KJV)
He hates them because they are not according to His Image…
All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. (Jeremiah 51:17 NASB)
Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men. We roar all like bears, and mourn sore like doves: we look for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us. For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them; In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood. And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter. Yea, truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment. And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever. (Isaiah 59 KJV)
They are nothing, they have nothing to offer Him, they have no use in His Universe – “What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?” (Roman 9:22 NASB) – and yet out of the same Heart He still Loves them and while they were still sinners He died for them – all of them – “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 NASB) – all of us – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 NIV)”…
Wow! How’s that for other-centred Love…
What was there that He got out of that “exchange”?
He got a whole lot of snivelling babies who needed their diapers changing for the rest of their lives :-)…
That’s what He got out of it…
He landed Himself a never ending job “wiping our bottoms” and cleaning up after us as we “train wreck” our way through life making a complete mess of everything we touch – that’s the reality of the situation :-)…
Did He know when He chose to save us that it would be like this? Didn’t He think He’d “get something out of it”?
He knew that He would be making “all the moves”, He knew that He would be “carrying us from of old” – “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9 NASB) – He knew that we would never respond in Love towards Him without Him first putting this Love in our hearts, He knew that we would be incapable of responding to His Love in a way that would make it worthwhile or “make it up to Him” for Loving us in the first place – did that stop Him?
No…
Why is that?
Because He Loves us…
He is other-centred…
Even amongst Himself He is Other-Centred…
Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing…
Jesus volunteered to save us because He saw that was what was in the Father’s Heart…
The Holy Spirit takes of Jesus’ and gives it to us…
The Holy Spirit Glorifies Jesus…
Jesus Glorifies the Father…
Jesus said that if anyone ever spoke a word against the Holy Spirit that He would never be forgiven not in this life or the next…
The Father said, “This is My Beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” and in another place said, “Hear ye Him”…
The Father gave Jesus a Name that is “above every name” that “at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father…
It is the Father’s Glory to Exalt Jesus…
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. (Luke 14:11 NASB)
You see how They Each Jealously Guard Each Other…
They Love Each Other – with Other-Centred Love…
Wow! What if the world were filled with people who loved each other with other-centred love – who refused to be selfish no matter what provocation they came under to “turn back to the dark side” :-)?
What if?
Wouldn’t that end in the scenario which Jesus painted in John 17 where His Church actually did this and the whole world believed that the Father had sent Jesus?
Wouldn’t it?
I think it would…
I think this is prophesied by no less than the Greatest Prophet to have ever lived – who is still living today – Jesus Christ Himself…
The world will know that the Father sent Jesus when they see us – the Church – Loving each other other-centredly…
They will…
I make a line in the sand tonight in my own life…
I am not perfect in this – but I make a line in the sand and I challenge all who read this blog to do likewise…
Let’s make a decision – no matter how long it takes – that we will not be selfish any longer…
That we will live for the good of others – as led by the Lord – and that we will live – in accordance with His Word – in other-centred love towards everyone whom we come across…
This might be an expensive business, this might mean we give our lunch away to someone on the street, this might mean we give our car away to someone whom the Lord shows us has a need, this will mean that we will lose control of our lives, we might even need to give our possessions away to whomever the Lord tells us to, we might even need to lay our lives down to save someone in danger or in a burning building, who knows…
It will definitely be the end of us…
There is no control and no limit to other-centred living…
It’s impossible to control it…
It’s pure abandonment and pure faith…
It’s pure trust that as we seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness all the things we need to live this other-centred life will be given to us by the God who owns all things…
Why has so little been achieved by the Church down through the ages?
Because we have not been other-centred in our love…
It’s all been for us…
For our comfort…
To build a kingdom for ourselves…
For our own glory…
And the world has looked on and blasphemed the Name of God because they have not seen His Image displayed by those who say they belong to Him…
It’s time that this stopped…
I’m drawing a line in the sand tonight – I know that I will be tested in this – but I’m drawing a line in the sand tonight – and I’m deciding that I’ll trust the Lord to live in this other-centred way and that I’ll trust Him for the provision to keep doing this for the rest of my life until the day I die…
I’m putting this out there and encouraging others to do the same – let’s “crack open” the power of God – He has promised to be with us, He has promised that “these signs will accompany those who believe in My Name” and they will – because His Power flows to the lowest place…
Join me on this adventure…
We will experience the Power of God…
We will experience all the destitution which the Apostle Paul experienced and all the persecutions which he experienced as the enemy doesn’t like other-centred love – but it will be worth it…
Let’s lay down our lives and begin to learn what it is to be other-centred…
Only the Lord can do this in us – but He is much more than willing to do it…
I know this – I feel this as I type – He is “super-willing” to enable us to be other-centred because it is in His Plan for us to be this – His Plan which culminates with His Whole Church on earth being like this to the extent that the world believes that He sent Jesus…
Hallelujah Father…
I give myself to You for You to work Your Other-Centred Love in me…
Jesus Christ, God in Human Form, Equal with God let go of His “rights” and took the form of a servant (while remaining God) even to the point of becoming lower than the angels (for a time) and taking on the suffering of death (how can the Immortal die?) – He did this to show us the vastness of the Other-Centred, the Unconditional Love of God Almighty – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit – “Three in One” – Holy – They are Holy – They are Holy – and They are so Worthy of all the Love we can give them – nothing of self…
Nothing of self can get into the Presence of Almighty God…
Nothing of self stands in His Presence…
He is altogether Holy and He sees right through us…
Humble ourselves before the Mighty Hand of God and He will lift us up…
We need to humble ourselves before His Mighty Hand – we need to give up trying and surrender to Him destroying us (our old selves) and perfecting holiness in us – the practice of the Other-Centred Love of Almighty God…
This is Pleasing in the Sight of God our Saviour who would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth…
There is no unwillingness in God…
He is ready to save…
He is Mighty to save…
He is standing pleading for all to come to Him…
He is ready – He has made preparation for all…
Come to Him, experience His Other-Centred Love for you…
He will change You into His Likeness as you surrender yourself to Him…
Only He can do this for You…
No one else can…
Only He can prepare You to meet Him in heaven…
No one else can…
You cannot meet Him and expect to enter His heaven without Him forgiving your sins and giving you a new heart which seeks to please Him…
If you do not have this new heart you cannot enter His heaven…
You need this and you need to ask Him – to seek Him – for it…
If you seek Him with all your heart you will find Him – you will find His Pure, Other-Centred, Unconditional, All Loving Nature which accepts you “in the Beloved” and credits you with the Righteousness of His Son Jesus Christ…
Which blots out your sin, past, present and future, blots it out, and readies you for heaven…
He will transform you into His Image – from Glory to Glory – and for eternity you will live with Him – getting to know Him better and better which is what you were created for – to know Him and experience His Love for you…
He has thought of everything, no provision is lacking, come to Him and be blessed…
Be forgiven, be healed, be covered, be made whole…
You need Him, He Loves you, He will not leave your sin unpunished either you will pay the penalty for it for eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone or He will pay it for you during those three hours on the cross where He took upon Him God’s wrath for your sin and not yours only but for the sin of the entire world – where He made propitiation (atoning sacrifice – the Holy Spirit will illuminate this meaning to you) for your sin…
Choose Him, Choose Him now if you hear Him calling to you through this word, choose Him now…
Before the offer is no longer valid – before it is too late – where you find yourself standing before Him and hearing Him say to you, “Depart from Me, I never knew you”, please choose Him now – if you hear His Voice speaking to you through this post – choose Him now…
He is calling out for you – He wants you back…
He wants you back to His Heart…
a house of prayer for the nations 
I was talking to the Lord as I biked to work this morning…
He was asking me questions about what I was giving up and why…
I was following on a line of thought which went something like this…
“If I just keep giving up everything I like, every desire I have, eventually I’ll get to the point where I don’t have any desires and I’ll be free, right?”
And He asked me why I was giving up these desires…
Immediately as He asked me I had to admit – it came straight to mind – that I was giving up all these desires to get Revival, i.e. to get what I wanted…
He said to me – after that revelation had dawned – “What are you doing things for now?”
And I responded, “I’m doing everything to know You”…
He said, “You will know Me, through fire and through suffering you will know Me”…
I saw as He said that, that “giving up stuff” didn’t actually achieve anything…
If I still wanted those things but felt, “I’ve given all this up for You” but still really wanted to do those things, i.e. was “hacked off” that I couldn’t do them, then what was the point…
I could spend all day and all night focusing on my wife, my children and my grandchildren, for example, but in the middle of the night when I woke up to say spend some time on this blog or looking at other Revival material if one of them woke up and came and wanted to spend time with me then I’d be “hacked off” that they were interrupting “my time”…
“After all the time I’ve been spending with you, can’t you leave me alone” would be the kind of thought that would “go through” my mind…
“Where does it end?” would be another…
All these thoughts are still selfish but if I’m not doing these thing to “get”, i.e. I do this, God gives me Revival, i.e. it’s still about me “using God” but instead I give my life to know Him, then I’m free…
I saw clearly that I just didn’t have it to just know Him, I knew I couldn’t do it – I’ve never been able to do it in the past but I received it – I’m trusting Him to do it…
I also saw that when I was in that place – of just knowing Him – that He would tell me to spend time with my wife and He would minister to her through me – His Love would flow through me towards her, the same with my little daughter or with either of my sons, these were the examples He gave…
I saw that I could do anything I wanted when all I wanted was to know Him because everything I did would be in obedience to His Specific Direction…
In that I am fulfilling His Law to Love my neighbour as myself…
I am fulfilling it and whether others around me feel that I’m fulfilling it or not is irrelevant but He will know that I’m fulfilling it as a by-product of knowing Him…
That’s all I want – to know Him…
He has done something in me…
He was dealing with the Queen of Heaven again this morning as I biked in to work – that song which Robbie Williams sung “I’m loving angels instead” was going round and round in my head this morning – the chorus part – I couldn’t get it out of my head – and I asked Him what was going on…
That’s when this whole “knowing Him” thing kicked in…
Neediness, I need to feel fulfilled, even if it’s in thinking about Revival and thinking that when it happens it going to be because of me and taking some “pleasure” in that or thinking that it will make my life “fulfilled” or “worth living” is just another lie…
It won’t…
Only knowing Him will make my life worthwhile…
Even in our most noble duties or noble pursuits – I should say, even in my most noble duties or noble pursuits I (the old me) is still guilty of idolatry – making it “about me” – only the Lord is capable of making it “about Him”…
I feel free in the sense that as I seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness, i.e. Seeking Him, i.e. Knowing Him – then He will make everything else fall into place…
I can’t just “programme in” “letting go” of everything – He needs to be in control of that too…
As I let go of everything to know Him I am free – this is what I feel as I type – freedom…
I know that I am in that state – I know that I’ll give to whomever whenever He tells me to – I know I don’t have to “introspect” myself about my priorities and how much time I’m spending with anyone in particular in terms of giving them “their quota” of attention or love or whatever – that is now “out of my hands”…
I am to be obedient to the Lord in knowing Him I am free…
I am not “serving Him” as such in this manner although I definitely am serving Him but I’m more set free to come into His Presence and Know Him – what freedom – everything He asks me to do from here is freedom – He’s not sending me “out of His Presence” but instructing me to do something which will enable me to see Him even more clearly…
I feel free…
There is something further which the Lord wants me to share on this topic…
He brought me to it over the long weekend we had away as a family in Hamner Springs…
I’d been talking to the Lord a lot about a certain desire which I had…
It was not a desire which I believe to be sinful it was just a desire which I had…
I was pouring out my heart to Him regarding this desire (as I’d done many times before – I’m persistent like that – or the Lord has made me persistent like that – as I used to bottle up all these desires and emotions and not express them to the Lord because I thought they were wrong 🙂 ) and all of a sudden something changed – my new heart “engaged” and I found myself understanding that wanting God’s Purpose to be fulfilled in everyone’s life on the planet was actually the place of fulfilment and protection for me…
I saw that selfishness was broken in that place and I started to rejoice…
And that “pain” that thing which had continually “pulled me down” and made me feel “anxious” and “depressed” – it depressed my spirit – was no longer there (I am laughing on the inside as it’s still not there as I type) – Praise You Jesus…
This is the victory…
This morning after I posted what I posted on the “Personal Prophetic Word” thread as I was driving to work the Lord told me that I’d overcome the world – now I know that I’m not practically perfect but the Lord told me this a number of times and it was to do with what He’d shown me about selfishness…
He treats this very seriously…
Wanting the best for others – that God’s Purpose would be fulfilled in their lives is so freeing…
It is so full of joy – I now realise as I heard myself saying this morning as I had my shower – that Jesus was the happiest Man to ever live (sure He was also a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief but He was the happiest Man to ever live) cos He knew this secret – this was His desire for every person on the planet – now at the end of the day it is the Father who decides who gets what but to pray for His Purpose in each life is submission to His Sovereignty…
I am very happy to be able to share this…
I did nothing to get this breakthrough I just walked honestly sharing my pain and my desires with the Lord – as He’d enabled me to believe that He accepted me completely and I could come boldly to the Throne of Grace with my petitions and enabled me to believe that I would have a breakthrough regarding this perturbing issue which had been troubling me for quite some time…
I hope my testimony encourages others (I believe it will – by the joy of the Lord within me 🙂 )
Love in the Lord,
Andrew