Commitment & Devotion

What Jesus Has to Say at the Onset of the 21st Century about… …Commitment & Devotion

“What thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” – Proverbs 9:10 “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:13 People have to realize that in this life, a lot depends on them. A lot depends on them, when it comes to whether they will ever see the fulfillment of their dreams or not. How much are they willing to invest? How much elbow-grease are they willing to put into it? If your input is zero, that’s what you will reap. He that soweth sparingly, shall also reap sparingly. If you want something out of life, you’ve got to put something into it & not just sit back passively & wait for everything to just come along. A missionary is a man or woman who is utterly dedicated and yielded to Me, not holding anything back. Nothing else matters to them but to give, to pass on that which they have received from Me. They are compelled, driven by that force, that love unspeakable, peace that passeth the understanding of your mind, My supernatural Spirit. The ‘love of Christ constraineth’ them. ”The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mt.26:41). ”To will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Rom.7:18). You’ve got to ”will” a little harder & put your will so much on My side that the unwillingness of the flesh will be overcome. Your spirit, may be willing; but your flesh, your old man, may act quite “unwillingly.” But since what actually counts is what you do, not merely your intentions, how willing you really were is evidently seen in the physical manifestation, your works... Although you may consider yourself ”willing”, there is still more to give, more progress to be made, more willingness to be shown. Real willingness says, “Yes, Sir! What’s mine is Yours; what else can I give?” And the more you practice THAT kind of willingness, the easier it becomes, because THAT’S the kind of willingness that makes Me willing to pour out My blessings to you beyond measure... And in the process, you become more & more willing all the time! The quality of your performance depends on your dedication & what you put into it. Sometimes some rather unknown actor in a little, less significant side-role can take the audience’s breath away more than the main actors & characters, & by the grace of God you can be such a man, but it’s up to you, your willingness to put all you’ve got into it... If the motive is to inspire them & to help them make it, & to give your own life for another’s & forsake your own interests, then anything is possible. But if you just want to show off how much better you think you can do, you might as well forget it. The best is to be content with your little role & play it the best you know how & trust Me for it & just do what you can to make the best of it. You never know who might be chosen for different roles in a later cast... And there’s still lots of stories to be told, a lot of history to make & a lot of victories to be won that people are going to tell tales & write plays about for a long time to come. It’s in your hand to make Me proud of you! Half-heartedness doesn’t have to be your destiny! All I’m expecting is that you put yourself into a position of willingness & commitment to do My will. I’m expecting you to say “Yes,” & really apply yourself to obeying Me. Once you make the decision that you’re going to obey come what may, I do the rest for you & help you to put it into practice & into action. You’ve got to do the “wenting,” I’ll do the leading & all the rest. When I'm putting before you an option to do the absolutely radical, contrary-to-all-your-rationalreasoning thing, how radical are you? How sold out for Me are you? How willing to really say "Yes!" to Me without reservations?

Are you willing & ready & open for My very best? I will never let you be tempted above that you are able, but I still require you to say "yes" sometimes. If you say, "yes" you will open up relays in the spirit. Everything that's worth something costs something. The best warriors are the crazy warriors, who barge into the Enemy's territory with a wild roar and shout, the ones who get carried away by the rush of victory! This time right now might be the only time in history, the last chance left, before My return, to really burn free and let the chips fall where they may, to freely sow My seeds, to really let them have it! That's why I want you to pour it out without measure, not stingily, but generously, just pouring out your life, all you've got! Be enriched and strengthened to go forth to conquer and to conquer! You are My followers, and just as I have gone forth to conquer and to conquer, so must you. Be not fearful, be not hesitant, be not overly cautious, but be valiant, be courageous, be brave. Give it all, holding nothing back! Get ready for whatever comes & whenever it comes! Ready to give it your best and your all. Leave nothing to chance. Dedication and devotion is not quite the same as ambition, even though it may look the same. Ambition is when someone tries to zealously achieve something for themselves; they want to be successful, and that's their motivation. Dedication is that same zeal, but not for yourself, but for others, because you love them, and are determined to do the best you can for them. You are there to light their fire, not to reflect their warmth, or wait & see whether they have any warmth at all. Light their fire & get'em hot! Warfare isn't always beautifully organized. The signal sounds and you rush out onto the battle field, and you don't always look good in the mess that results out there. The only question that will remain is: have you done what you could? Will you have given it your all? The easy way out, the path of the least resistance, the comfortable path with the least possible effort required is a poor choice! You have the potential in you to become one of those crazy overcomers for whom it is never enough to give, one of those who just run on crazy faith that keeps them going forward for Me, no matter what the odds are against you. It's one thing to serve when you're forced to, but it's another thing to really learn to serve voluntarily from the heart, because you choose to. That is an important lesson to pass on to others, because if they only learn to serve because they have to, then they will always seek a way out of servitude as soon as they can. You must instill in them a desire to serve, to give, to be of service to others voluntarily, out of love. It’s nearly impossible to do in the flesh, which is why you need the help of My Spirit. It helps to have a convicting sample of someone faithfully serving that convicts others & motivates them to think & feel, "I should be like that, too." You've got to show that laziness & lethargy is a weakness, a sin, an enemy, which has to be fought. It's a choice they need to make. It's the choice between going through life with a "gimme, gimme" attitude of consumerism, seeking to enjoy all you can, to get all the input you can, and laying down your life for others. The latter defies the flesh & all that "makes sense" to you in terms of self-preservation, the so-called rules of "evolution," which is really just the philosophy of the Devil. Teaching somebody to serve out of love really requires love, and giving and living a loving sample yourself, first. It's got to be My Spirit moving in you, inspiring you to do what you can to help others & make them happy, bringing to birth in you the desire to do something good for others because you love them. How about an "anti-coolness campaign?" Get on fire for Me, and you'll see, people will start sharing your excitement once you show that you're making an effort to share theirs. "The real believers get excited and praise the Lord!" Are you a real believer? Here's another quality and trademark of a true believer: not only do they receive and drink in constantly from Me, but they also get excited about it. Life is too beautiful, too important, too significant, too precious to be wasting it in a state of mediocre "coolness" and lack of emotion, thrills, joy and excitement about anything. Get some heat into your life! Coolness is a manifestation of pride. It's the refusal to show participation, to be

willing to get excited along with someone else. Sharing excitement is an important ingredient & way of showing love. Share the excitement! Share the joy! If someone doesn't share the joy & refuses to get excited, that's no reason to let them drag you down to their level. Don't just remain "cool" or indifferent, but get excited. Spread some fire! I call that dedication to the job when someone is so willing to become whatever they're supposed to become, they forget about everything else. They're willing to do the humble thing, to play the lowly role; they're willing to not look so hot, or even downright ugly for the cause, the message coming across. The message is what counts, and all they consider themselves is a humble vessel to bring it across, nothing else. Taking for granted what you have, and wanting something different, the "grass on the other side" syndrome, prevents you from ever putting your whole heart into the situation you're in, from applying any elbow grease to it, and instead of being enthusiastic and on fire, you just passively wait for the day when things will change for the better, which might never happen, because I'm waiting for you to take the initiative to change things yourself! Learn to be a thermostat instead of a mere thermometer. You can only expect any garden or plot of land to yield its fruit after you've purged it from the rocks, weeds & brambles that might otherwise choke the tender sprouts of your fruit. It's work. It simply requires time and hard work. Go into every day as if it were a big day. Go in "giving-it-all-you're got" gear. Make it a habit to invest the same kind of energy & dedication into every day. It will bring a better equilibrium, a better balance in your life, treating your days with less partiality. If you treat every day the same & consider you're always on stage - My stage, & in My spotlight, you'll eventually render a better performance of your life. If you live each day as unto Me, then you'll know & can rest assured that I'll carry the responsibility for the outcome & you can float on My Spirit instead of having to crawl through your tasks in the flesh. If you always seek to accomplish the most you can - however, not in the energy of the flesh, but by availing yourself of My power - you'll up your productivity & pace in general. The things you do for Me have everlasting rewards. Show Me that you esteem My rewards more valuable than the lucre of the world. Seek not to be able to be proud of your own accomplishments & carnal achievements, leaving your mark among mortals, but make Me proud of you by investing all you've got into eternal rewards. Please Me by showing your faith in Me, & investing into My Realm accordingly. Make My plans more important to you than your own. A day where I rule the circumstances, and one of which you can truly say, "this is the day which the Lord hath made," is a day which is dedicated to My purpose, to the advance of My Kingdom, where all you've got is employed in order to bring forth fruit for Me. It requires the pouring out of the very essence of your life, your life-blood, just like I did. That's following in My footsteps. Devotion to the little things is what marks and distinguishes a great man. Treasure every moment, and live it fully. If you put the right kind and amount of energy and vision into the little things at home, the right amount of elbow-grease, attention, interest & umph, then those very little things are going to get you far. If you project your long-term vision into your short-term projects it can fuel them and get you a lot further than if you just go through your daily routines in a ho-hum kind of way. It’s got to be love that motivates you, it’s got to be the heart. When you pray, pray from the heart. When you speak, speak from the heart. When you sing, sing from the heart. Faith from the heart, that’s the flame you’ve got to tend, the power you’ve got to feed from and act from: that’s gotta be your motor, the hearth on which is to be done whatever you’re cooking up... where it’s got to be happening! That’s where you’ve got to find your answers, your motivations, your direction, your driving force that spurs you on….

Your life can take on a whole new meaning and outlook, your days can become much brighter, if you learn to seek not only what I can do for you, but what you can do for Me, and make that your primary incentive! May you discover the joy of what it means to really be able to say with your whole heart, "All I want to do is serve Him!" Seek the opportunities to do something good, to be a blessing to someone else with your whole heart, the same way you would seek Me, My face and My counsel, the way a blind man would desire sight! It's an effort you've got to make, a whole-hearted effort. You cannot just be passive or lukewarm about it. You ought to be desperate about making sure you did just what it took each day to make a difference in someone's life, to draw them closer to Me. That's what I'd call concern, dedication and (com-)passion! You know there's got to be some purpose why you're here today, there's got to be some good you can do today, and an important part of My plan that you can fulfill, so you're determined to find it. I want to be connected to your heart. My Kingdom must be based on more than mere intelligence or thought. It's got to be more than brainpower, but love power that moves you into action... emotion! Put your heart into it! If you try to figure it all out in your head & analyze it to pieces, it's going to look ugly. From a rational point of view, this life doesn't make a lot of sense; too much imperfection. It's not smooth enough for the mind. It's too rough, too many rough edges. That's why you're only really going to get through life successfully if you put your heart into it. Folks around you are never going to be completely convinced that you truly love them, unless you learn to dedicate yourself to them wholeheartedly, to listen to them as if they were the only thing that mattered at that moment. That's the way I talked to My disciples, and they knew that what I had to say mattered. Focus on people and their needs. Recognize them for what they are, pay attention to them! Give them your time! Give them your full attention, as if nothing else was more important, and - when it all comes down to it - nothing really is. Because you can only say in the end that you loved Me as much as you managed to love the least of these, your brethren. Dedicating your time to Me is an art that can be improved by the amount of energy and intensity you put into it. Committing the day into My hands in prayer is like drawing a rough sketch & a general outline that says, "here, Lord, make out of it the best you know how." But if you want to go into the details and make a fine art out of it, you say, "Lord, I dedicate this next hour to You, and I want to put my whole being into it! Take me, possess me to the full and help me to make the utmost possible out of it." It's like the difference between passively making love and being the one who takes the initiative. There's a time for both, but as you know, it's nice to have variety. Put some passion into it, some initiative, some more dedication. The amount you'll get out of it is determined by what you put into it. The more you are determined not to settle for anything less than the very best you can make and get out of each single day, the more wholeheartedly you pray, the greater the results are going to be. When I know you give Me your all, and there's nothing you're withholding from Me, then I also give My all to you. When there's nothing withheld, but all is given on both sides, that is utter surrender, total passion, that's when life has truly begun. By holding back you're just cheating yourself out of the greatest possible thrills you could ever experience. What the world needs now is not just another "cool" looking Christian. What they need is the fire to warm themselves by, they need to watch someone burn for Me, totally regardless of what anyone may think of them. I like to use people who don't give a damn about whether the whole world thinks they're nuts. Crazy times call for crazy measures. Look at it: the world's gone crazy. How do you think you're going to wake them up and reach them and speak their language? By acting all "normal?" They're just finding out there is no such thing. Sometimes the apparently easier way, chosen to make things easier on yourself, can turn out to be a detour instead of a shortcut. It's better to put your whole heart into something from the start, even if it means it will cost more effort and work, than to half-heartedly start something that's going to cost a lot more time later to fix and patch up.

Whatever a man sows, that will he also reap, and with the measure he metes, he shall also be met. You're going to get out of life, out of love, out of everything - the same amount you're putting into it, everything reflects on you with the same intensity that your own efforts originated in. Half-hearted prayers will only receive half-hearted answers; half-hearted works will only reap half-hearted rewards, fruits and results. You've got to put something into it, in order to get something worthwhile out of it, that's just the way it goes, one of the rules of the universe. The boomerang comes back to you with the same intensity that you flung it. So it pays to put a bit more umph and zest into it, doesn't it? If you want more, you've got to give more! If you want to receive more, you've got to send more. You've got to get serious about it, dedicated, devoted. You've got to develop some zest, some determination, some stick-to-it-iveness, gumption, perseverance, some do-or-die spirit. You can't always avoid all the ugly parts by just laying low and playing Mr. Nice-Guy. The battle is bloody and chaotic, and those involved don't exactly come across or strike anyone as "nice." I'm as close as you want Me! I can be as real to you now as you'd ever want Me to be! You don't have to wait until you're more mature or wiser or "ready," or until your faith is strong enough. You can have Me right now in all My fullness, without restrictions and limitations, as much as you can handle! How much of Me can you handle? How much of Me do you want right now? How badly do you want to see Me, feel Me, hear Me, touch Me, experience Me, live in Me? How badly do you desire Me? It's all up to you! The distance between Me and you is only determined by yourself and no other factor. You figure, "Why should I make a greater effort?" Because your effort could change everything! Your commitment can change the world! Your choice to put more into it, even though nobody else may be putting that much into it can change the world for better forever! Everything depends on you! As far as your life is concerned, whatever you want to make happen in it, depends on you, your initiative, your incentive, your vision, your guts, your faith! - Your determination not to allow yourself to get sidetracked or discouraged! - Your "yes-power." Sometimes I draw your attention to a needed change or improvement by showing you something better than what you have; a need to learn from someone else who has gone further than you. It's a way I use to spur you on to growth and progress. It has nothing to do with status, but it's all about the amount of dedication and commitment you have for My Cause. It's convicting when you find someone who's more serious about it all than you are, who puts more into it, who's more yielded and dedicated and thus brings forth more fruit. It's easy when others are giving less or seem to be somewhat weaker. But when you find someone who is stronger and ahead of you, and more dedicated than you are, then initially it may make you feel a bit small in comparison. If you have no one to look up to, then it can be a bit sad and lonely at times, up there on that lonely hill or pedestal... When you're face to face with another person, I would like you to devote and dedicate your attention fully to them. If you're in the middle of something else, it may be a test of your love, but I'd like you to make an effort to tear yourself loose from what you were doing and devote your full attention to that person. It's all about playing the role I gave you to play, and about doing a good job at it: to play the role I gave you to play with your whole heart and with heartfelt dedication, devotion, and getting into it to such an extent that it will leave the audience with their jaws wide open. You want them to recognize that something great and awesome has been happening there. God was here, and He blew on that person's life and lifted it from the miry clay into the sky, for all to see... People want a good show. They don't care so much about the title of the role you're playing. What matters is how you play it. If you're going to be a Christian, be one with your whole heart (because there's enough of them around already who play that part with a lukewarm, half-hearted attitude). If you determine that this is what you're going to stick to and follow through with, then you should not do it grudgingly, but wholeheartedly. Don't look at the half-heartedness of others. Just make sure you're not a half-heart yourself! After

all, there won't be any legitimate excuses for not having given your all, such as, "Well, they didn't give their all, so I didn't, either..." That sounds pretty lame, doesn't it? You never hear much about those who took the easy way out, who didn't dare to take the challenge. This reality, and this life, as paradox and irrational as it may seem, with all its contradictions and things that don't seem to make any sense, is, after all, the one real thing. This is it! You can and ought to really put your whole heart into it, because this is it. No use wondering what could have been or might have been in some other life or parallel world or universe or some other reality... No need to look for anything better somewhere out there. This is it, right here, the one and only, the best. You won't find anything better anywhere else. If you can fully trust that I'm only allowing the best possible option for you right now, here in this life, then who needs an endless amount of other variables and options to try out? There's a definite effort happening on My part and all those working alongside Me, both in the Spirit World and in the physical, including you, to make the best possible out of this. It's supposed to become a masterpiece, and not just one more random result of innumerable other trials and errors... The hard-working, all-giving, dedicated disciples may be somewhat of a minority. But you’ll have to decide what group you’re going to belong to: the on-fire minority, or the lukewarm majority. Everything that’s worth something costs something. How much are you willing to invest? The discipleship life is something you simply don’t manage half-heartedly! In order to achieve the ultimate results in your service and discipleship for Me, it sure helps to make that commitment and have the determination at the beginning of the day, that you’re going to give it your all for Me. It’s a mindset, or rather a “heart-set;” an inner attitude and determination of the heart. You know My Cause is worth living and dying for, and so, you’re simply willing to give all, even unto death… You must seek and search for Me with all your hearts. You can not go at the usual pace, not with half-hearted dedication and devotion; it won’t do. In order to make it through this next stretch of the way before you, you’re going to have to give more, you’re really wholeheartedly going to have to dedicate yourself to the Cause, no haphazardly, shrug-of-shoulder type of attitude is going to cut the cake. The time for “coolness” is over. What is urgently and desperately needed is the fire of devotion. Coolness isn’t going to bring you through the night, only the fire is; otherwise, you’re just going to freeze and starve to death. When I talk about professionalism I’m talking about professional engagement in bringing about and furthering the cause of My Kingdom on earth; commitment on a professional level. The only way you’re ever going to get people to roll up their sleeves and pitch in and help you with your work is if they see you really being dedicated about it yourself. You might be in this for a longer haul than you may have originally been hoping or preparing for. With a half-hearted attitude, it’s going to take longer to get the job done! I can’t let you off the hook before you get the job done. In My school, there is no graduating with bad grades! There isn’t any mention in My Book of anybody just having done a mediocre job for Me. Unless you give it all you’ve got, you’ll lose, either way! You can only win, if and providing you give your all. You are doomed to failure if you don’t, and just “hang in there” half-heartedly. If you’re going to hang in there, I need you to do it with a whole-hearted attitude. I don’t need more than a handful to win the battle in the decisive moment. The only question is, as far as you’re concerned: will you be in that number, and will you be there when we fight that battle? If you hate the Enemy enough, you will refuse to be sent home! You will insist on being there when I’ll bring an end to him, along with My few chosen ones. Let the rest of the cowards and half-hearts walk home, which is what they wanted to do all along, and go back to sleep. But you’re going to want to be in on that battle! That’s all that counts to Me: just a handful and a few determined, relentless ones, bent on fighting the Enemy to the death! The God of all flesh is just as alive and around as He used to be during the time of Gideon and all

His other ancient prophets. The scoffers may not believe it, because He never showed up to cater to their whims. But that is because the God of all flesh is not interested in those who only seek to be catered to. He doesn’t need another bunch of pampered brats, because He has seen enough of that already, as I’m sure you have, too. The only question is, will you have what it takes to make a difference and be one of those exceptions who won’t fall for any of the tricks of the Enemy to either scare you, or put you to sleep or distract or hypnotize you? If you cannot believe and trust Me for the tens of thousands you do see, trust Me for the 300 you may not be able to see, those that I will use in the end to win the battle with, and consider them a worthy cause to be rendering your resources, your life, your energies to. If you knew how much is at stake, you would be a lot more serious about the role you’re supposed to play. There are going to be vast differences in the rewards people will receive in My Kingdom. Another reason to pull your act together and take your job on earth seriously, and give it all you got and do all you can, in order not to be among those who will lament how much more they could have done… As you need to guard the flame of your connection with Me, the flame of My Spirit within you, you must also give special care to that which you might call your destiny, your calling, your job and purpose for Me, and strive everyday to achieve the highest marks and get closest to the highest score you could possibly attain. I need you to pay attention more wholeheartedly and dedicate even more of your time and efforts to My Cause, because you can’t win the battle half-heartedly. It’s time to give it your all and put everything you’ve got into this. I’m talking about what’s happening between you and Me, your relationship with Me and whatever I’m telling you to give and pass on to the world. I am the Real Thing, and the degree to which you become the real thing, too, is determined by how much your life truly revolves around Me. I can’t force anybody to give their all to Me. But whenever I see anybody close to that position, I will certainly encourage them, and fight to eradicate the circumstances and potential lures and distractions the Devil will send their way in order to make them just continue in their usual rut of keeping other things on the top of their list above Me.