He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
This was one of the most insightful observations made by John the Baptist, talking about Jesus. Christians must let the Lord be the Lord in life and ministry. In my office I have a desk plaque that says THE TOP PRIORITY IS TO KEEP THE TOP PRIORITY TOP PRIORITY. Letting go and allowing God to be great in our lives is top priority. He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble
(James 4:6/1 Peter 5:5). Until we learn to submit our will to God’s will, we’ll forever be struggling in frustration. 

But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’, and not do the things which I say? 
Luke 6:46

The body of Christ is full of believers who perfectly fit our Lord’s assessment here. From Adam until the return of Jesus, we’ve had, and always will have, multitudes of people giving lip service to God but living their lives any way they choose. This must change!  
As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord’. So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass – surely it will come – then they will know that a prophet has been among them.” Ezekiel 33:30-33

The Lord told the same things to Ezekiel that He told us when He was here in the flesh. Why are we here? What is the purpose for our existence – in the context of spiritual warfare raging on planet earth? It is to do exactly what John the Baptist said. With each passing day, we’re to let the Lord increase His control over every aspect of our lives. Like Paul, we must increasingly put down our flesh and keep it under control (1 Corinthians 9:26-27). For a season years ago, there was a popular slogan making the rounds in Christian circles: WWJD – what would Jesus do? The slogan promotion has run its course, but the importance of answering that question correctly hasn’t. 

The longer I serve the Lord as His bondservant (Romans 1:1), the more I want to let go of the reins and give Jesus command over my affairs. I want to follow in His footsteps, and you should to. Jesus said He came to do the will of His Father God. Repeatedly, He spoke about His desire to say and do only what His Heavenly Father dictated or desired. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. John 5:19

I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. 
John 5:30

Then Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught me, I speak these things. John 8:28.

Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. Hebrews 5:7-8
The more we decrease, the more we will increase. We’ll be increasing while decreasing. This is the way of the Kingdom of God. Letting God run the show is the ticket to success in life. The more we try to do things our way, ignoring the Lord and His Word, the more of a mess we make of our lives. We must let God be God in us and through us. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23). They’re not ordered by us! Let Him give the orders and let us follow in lockstep with God’s plan and purpose for our lives. 

To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. Colossians 1:29

If we’re smart, we’ll work (strive) according to His working, not our working. Why? Because His working is mighty, and ours isn’t. That’s called letting the Lord be Lord in our lives. 

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.  (Hebrews 4:9-11).

Look at how the King James Version renders Hebrews 4:11: let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.  
When we decide to chart our own course, do our own thing and ignore God altogether when doing so, we commit the same sin the Jews committed thousands of years ago. It’s the sin of unbelief. Believing we don’t need God’s input, counsel or guidance is unbelief. Choosing to go our own way without God’s leadership is unbelief. Making important decisions about the direction of our lives without first consulting God is unbelief. Sad to say most Christians today commit this sin over and over again. We must repent and make our adjustments accordingly.

In God’s kingdom we work to rest, but the work we work isn’t to gain brownie points with God because apart from His grace, our works are like filthy rags in His sight (Isaiah 64:6/1 Corinthians 15:10). It’s to enter into the only true rest available on earth – the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Only in God’s kingdom can people work (labor) to truly enter rest. How do we do that? By walking by faith and not by sight
(2 Corinthians 5:7). By resisting the temptation to make decisions apart from God’s guidance. By letting Him increase while we decrease. By understanding that God loves us, and wants to give us the best possible advice in life, if only we will let Him. Jeremiah 33:3 tells us to call upon the Lord, and when (not if) He answers, He will show us great and mighty things, which we don’t know. Romans 10:12 tells us that God is rich (not cheap) to all who call upon Him - and that doesn’t end with the born-again experience. In fact, that’s just the beginning. Jesus said He did what He did to give us life, and life abundantly (John 10:10). An abundant life covers everything that follows our decision to make Jesus Lord of our lives. It’s also why smart, mature Christians make the decision to cast all their cares over to God.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 
1 Peter 5:6-7

Why should we decrease and let God increase? Because He cares for us! Let that truth sink in. These days, everyone wants to tell everyone else how to walk, talk and live. And in most cases, these busy bodies have no real concern for our well-being. They just want to control you the way the devil controls them. For the Christian however, there should be only one voice that we hearken to, and that’s the voice of God through His Word. If others don’t like it, tough. Tell them to go somewhere else to torment someone else. We follow God. Jesus is our Lord, nobody else. Day by day, we must let Him chart our course, and what He says and what He wants from us is final authority for what we say and do. Period.  
This is Who We Are. This is What We Do.
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EXHAUSTED PURSUIT
When chasing the enemy who was attempting to escape, Judges 8:4 tells us that Gideon and his men were exhausted but still in pursuit. In spiritual combat today, this is a mindset that must be cultivated and protected whenever you set out to believe God and appropriate His blessings by faith. The devil will always do his best to block God’s flow of goodness in your life. He’s patient in his efforts, hoping to get you to the point where you decide to quit. As such, there will be times when exhaustion sets in, and the temptation to give up is great. It is then you must press on, stay steady and refuse to waver until you have what God has promised. In this 7-part teaching, Apostle Mike examines the need and the ways to maintain exhausted pursuit until the enemy is defeated and victory has been won.
 
This teaching is available in both CD discs and USB flash drives. Order yours today!  Go online at www.mkmi.org to order, or call our Tucson office to place your order directly. 
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