When Jesus was on Earth, He said, He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him (John 8:29). Jesus found great joy, strength and contentment in pleasing the Father; and you can, too.

For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches [disgraces] of them that reproached thee fell on me (Romans 15:3). When you are walking hand in hand with Jesus, you must be willing for any reproach that falls on Christ and the work of God to fall on you as well.

We are not on this Earth to please ourselves; we are here to please the Father and become His sons and daughters. But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons [or daughters] of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:12,13).

Pleasing the Father does not mean that nothing will go wrong in your life. Sin brought about the civilization we live in today, so bad things will happen; but many people blame God for those things and fail to give Him credit for the good things. The Bible says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17).

You must glorify and praise God for all the good things and know that He can take even bad situations and make them good. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Persecution Will Come

You will suffer much in this life for Christ’s sake, but you must praise the Father for every trial and let Him work them out His way. Paul did that; and he said, Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong (II Corinthians 12:10). When God’s desires become your desires, you won’t be afraid to set self aside and bear the reproaches of the Lord.

Paul knew he was enduring all things for the glory of God; and he did it gladly saying, And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you (II Corinthians 12:15). Paul also knew that deliverance would always come. He told Timothy, What persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me (II Timothy 3:11). He then told the Hebrews, Cast not away therefore your confidence [in Christ], which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise (Hebrews 10:35,36).

Patience comes through enduring persecution; and when you learn to use divine patience, you can receive anything God has promised you. Unfortunately, some people talk about their troubles and sicknesses more than they ever talk about deliverance, healings or miracles; so they will never rise above those things. The Bible says, For as he [a person] thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7).

Go and Tell

Jesus was not pleasing Himself when He took the sins of a lost world upon Himself. Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses (Matthew 8:17). You will not be able to please yourself either as you separate from the world and go forth to tell others about Jesus and His saving grace. You always have to keep self out of the way and stay humble before God so you can show Jesus and not yourself to people.

The Lord has invited all people to come to Him, but so many are refusing His invitation and making excuses. That is why He is sending us to the ends of the Earth to find those who will accept His invitation. The Lord is longsuffering, but He will take only so much; and He is now angry with those who continue to reject Him. That is why there are so many catastrophes, killings and destructive acts of nature taking place today.

It pleases the Father when you help take the Gospel and deliverance of Christ to the world. Jesus said, And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14). The Gospel must be preached with signs, wonders, miracles and healings because those things show the Word being confirmed; and they bring people to God. You must do all you can in these last days to bring in the lost. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16).

Love One Another

It pleases the Lord when a true child of God will give of himself to help others. Paul said, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification (Romans 15:1,2).

Most people are always working to please themselves, but we must work to show others the Bible way and please God; and Jesus showed us how to do that. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in [divine] love (Ephesians 4:2). You have to deal with people with the same love Jesus did. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another (I John 4:11).

You must also forgive others for the wrong things they do to you. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). We all must turn our enemies over to the Lord and let God take care of them. The Bible says, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (Romans 12:19).

God can repay your enemies in ways you never could, so forgive them and then turn them over to Him. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye (Colossians 3:13).

Never Act Like the World

Envy, vainglory and seeking the praise of men for the purpose of pleasing yourself bring sorrow to God. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another (Galatians 5:26). You should be glad when God blesses others and never envy them.

When you are a true child of God, your brothers and sisters in Christ are to be a part of you; so you should be happy when God moves for them. Then you must pray that God will supply all your needs and theirs, too. If you don’t do that, take heed to Paul’s warning: But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another (Galatians 5:15). Gossip and envy will destroy you and others, so you must never make room for them in your life.

Is it hard for you to stop pleasing only yourself? Do you care too much about what the world thinks of you and not enough about what God thinks of you? The world loves its own; so if those in the world love you, you are in trouble. You can’t be a part of the world, and you must be happy to always please the Father. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (Psalm 1:1,2).

If you endorse the sins of the world, you are not in the family of God. The Bible says, Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4). We are living in the last hour, and Paul told about how full of sin people of this day would be. This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away (II Timothy 3:1–5). You can find people who fit those descriptions all over the world today.

Study the Word

You must realize that true joy does not come from the world; it comes from hearing the Word and doing it. Thou wilt shew me the path of life [through the Word]: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).

Only the Word brings real life. Jesus said, It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63).

The Lord has let me know that everything in the Word is now uncovered for us to understand. When you study the Word through the Holy Spirit, He will light it up and guide you all the way through because He is to be your teacher. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come (John 16:13).

The Word is amazing; and when you hunger for truth, you will not be able to get enough of it. O taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8). We will be dining on the Word for all eternity. The word of the Lord endureth forever (I Peter 1:25).

Work for the Lord

This is the last hour, and there is no time to please yourself. You must please the Father and be working in the Lord’s harvest field of lost souls because the laborers are few. Then saith he [Jesus] unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest (Matthew 9:37,38).

There is much work to do today in the Lord’s vineyard, so you must give Him your all. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25). Your reward will be eternal life, and you must offer that same reward to as many souls as possible. Paul said, Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved (I Corinthians 10:33).

You will suffer in the flesh when you seek to please the Father, but God will always be with you; and He will show you how to arm yourself as Christ did. Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (I Peter 4:1,2).

You can’t let anything stop you from pleasing God and doing His whole will. When you submit yourself to the Lord as He wants you to, the devil will have to run. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). The Lord gives you the power to trample the devil underfoot. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you (Luke 10:19).

Salvation Pleases the Lord

Surely, you now see the importance of always pleasing the Father, and it all begins with giving your heart to the Lord. You will never be able to please God unless you are cleansed of all your sins because the Bible says, The soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4). Jesus gave His life so we could live with Him in Heaven for eternity, so don’t let His great sacrifice go to waste.

If you need salvation, lift your hands and pray this prayer with me right now: Oh, God, save my soul! I know you paid for my salvation, and I am giving my heart to you today. You said that if I would confess my sins, you would forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe your divine blood washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in, Jesus!

If you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours. Now, you must pray, fast and live in the Word; and if you will be obedient to the Lord in this last hour, you can expect anything to happen. The Bible says, Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Psalm 103:2–5).

Expect Healing Today

Don’t let trials or sicknesses get you down; rise up and do battle in the name of the Lord. If you are sick and afflicted today, the Bible says, And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up (James 5:15).

Lord, I bring the people to you. It doesn’t matter what diseases they have because you paid at the whipping post so that all diseases and deformities could go from the bodies of mankind. That includes AIDS, heart trouble, diabetes, lung disease, cancer, deformities in little children and all other afflictions. I curse all diseases and deformities in the people’s bodies. In the name of Jesus, I command the people to be made whole! In the blood name of Jesus, heal!

The healing power of the Lord is now flowing, so lift up holy hands and be made well. The miracles belong to God, so you must always give Him the glory for everything you receive. Then write or email and tell us what God did for you today, and we too will give Him the glory for your miracle.

You must go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost so you will be ready to go when Jesus comes. Until that great day, I pray all of you will walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10).

Our God Is Not a Man

By Chris Machamer

The Bible says, God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good (Numbers 23:19)? If people would embrace this one scripture in their innermost being, believe it and act on it every day, they would never again struggle with doubt and fear. Yet, in spite of what God has said and regardless of His spotless record in their life, they react to troubles and trials as if God is nothing more than a man.

The Bible plainly states that God is not a man, so why do people treat Him as such and act as if He is? Some expect God to keep His promises like most people keep promises; and unfortunately, the word of most people is usually weak and unreliable.

God Is the Great Creator

Consider this: Can a man mold and make another man out of the dust of the Earth and breathe life into him? Can a man give that molded clay an eternal soul? The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7).

Can a man speak a sun or a moon into existence or put billions of stars in the galaxy? God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night…And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also (Genesis 1:14,16).

Can a man hang the Earth upon nothing? He [God] stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing (Job 26:7).

Can a man create the millions of living creatures that walk on the Earth, fly in the air and swim in the sea? God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind…And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so (Genesis 1:21,24). Can a man do any of the things God has done? I ask these questions today to stir up your pure minds and your faith in God.

Only God Can Heal

If you purchase a product and it malfunctions, is it not reasonable to send it back to the manufacturer so it can be replaced or repaired? Of course it is, and it is the same with our human bodies. There are people who don’t believe God can or will heal our human bodies; but always remember that He is the one who created us; so no one knows how our bodies should function better than He does.

When God created man, He made him holy and in perfection; but when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin contaminated the human race, and God placed a curse upon the human body. That is why our bodies can malfunction at times and become afflicted or deformed. Sin caused the soul, mind and body to become contaminated with death; and God’s perfect product became defective.

Man was helpless to remedy his situation, so God sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to become a sacrifice for sin. But he [Jesus] was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).

Jesus is the remedy for the sin curse, and He is the cure for all sickness. Through the divine blood Jesus spilled at the whipping post, you can go boldly before the maker of the human body; and He can create or re-create whatever sin has destroyed. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). God has the answer for whatever your need is.

Jesus showed us that it was the Father’s will to heal people when He spent most of His time ministering to those who were sick and afflicted. Many times, Jesus would ask a person, Wilt thou be made whole (John 5:6)? What He was really asking was, “Will you let me fix not just one or two of your problems but every single problem in this defective product of yours?”

Claim the Promises

God is not a man; but through a lack of faith, many act as if God’s Word is no more reliable than the words of some people. They will promise to do something, but they may or may not follow through. God is not like that, and His Word is as strong as God Himself. He said, For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass (Ezekiel 12:25).

When God does not answer some people’s prayers, they get confused and think that God does not keep all His promises; but God does keep every one of His promises when the conditions of those promises are met. God’s Word is full of promises for soul, mind and body as well as for spiritual, physical and financial blessings. God has given us promises to meet every need we could possibly have in this life; however, there are conditions that must be met for God to fulfil those promises.

Too many people miss it by trying to claim a promise of God without meeting its condition, and then the promise remains unfulfilled in their life. Before coming to God for help, you must take time to study what He has said about your issue and what He has said you can have. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (II Timothy 2:15).

You must know God’s promises and the conditions that must be met in order for those promises to be fulfilled. Then you have to put complete trust in those promises and obey all of the conditions God has laid out for them. If you make the effort to meet the conditions of God’s promises, then God is obligated to fulfill them. The Bible says that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

Use Divine Love and Faith

Remember all the mighty works God did before man was created. All of that was possible because God had complete liberty to do whatever He desired. He would speak, and the most incredible manifestations would take place; but that all changed when man came on the scene.

God gave man the power of free choice, and that has limited God again and again for the past 6000 years. People can choose whether to believe God or doubt Him, to trust God or rely on self and others, to yield to divine love or be bound in fear. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord (James 1:6,7). It is up to each person to decide what they want to do.

If you want God to move for you, don’t see Him as a man. Know He is Lord God Almighty and respect Him as such. Know He loves you with an unending love because He proved that love at Calvary. Then let that Calvary love purge you of all fear, doubt and unbelief because those things will hinder God from moving for you. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

When Calvary love begins to churn inside you, it will operate the measure of divine faith that is given to all. God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). The Bible also says that faith…worketh by love (Galatians 5:6).

Trust God Completely

Our God is not a man; and He invites His children to unload all of their cares, troubles and trials upon Him. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (I Peter 5:7). But some people prefer to unload everything on others.

When you are facing trouble or have a great burden, the first one you run to usually indicates who you trust the most. Unfortunately, many people run to family, friends or even a psychiatrist without ever thinking about going to God; but what can a man do that God can’t do? People can’t take your burdens; and besides, most people have plenty of their own. If they do listen to you, chances are they are only doing it to be polite or because they feel sorry for you; but there is no help in those things.

A psychiatrist will gladly listen to you for the right price, but all you do when you are there is vomit up your past troubles and then try to analyze the mess. You may get temporary relief from that, but that is not a remedy. The Bible says, Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before (Philippians 3:13). The Lord will gladly take your burdens any time of the day or night and give you a song of peace, joy and happiness; and He will do it free of charge.

Some people trust the Lord enough to take their burdens to Him, but they don’t trust Him enough to leave them there. The Bible says, Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own [weak and foolish] understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (Proverbs 3:5,6). When you obey the Lord in everything, He will direct your paths; and because He is not a man, you can put all your confidence in Him and trust Him to work things out for you. He has never let you down, and He never will.

God Cares

Jesus came to Earth to introduce us to the heavenly Father, and the Sermon on the Mount is a great introduction. In it, Jesus gives great insight into how much the Father cares for His children, and He tells us not to be troubled with the daily cares of life. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment (Matthew 6:25)?

Jesus reminds us of all the birds His Father made and of how He provides for them every day. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they (Matthew 6:26)?

Jesus points out that the Father even takes care of the lilies of the field. Consider the lilies of the field…even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith (Matthew 6:28–30)?

Jesus went on to say, What man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him (Matthew 7:9–11)?

No matter what the Bible says, some people believe it is the will of God for them or a loved one to be sick and afflicted, declaring that it keeps them humble before the Lord. People who make such claims do not know God, His ways or His promises; and their belief contradicts the Word of God which says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning (James 1:17). Have you ever seen a perfect gift of cancer or heart trouble, or a perfect deformity in a child? All trouble in the body comes from Satan and the curse of sin.

God is the great God of the universe. He holds all your tomorrows in His hands, and He has your best interest at heart. That is why Jesus proclaimed, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

Wait on the Lord

Our God has all power, all wisdom and all knowledge; so never pray to Him wanting your own way. That just tells God that you think you know what to do better than He does when the Bible plainly says, As for God, his way is perfect (Psalm 18:30).

You should never be disappointed in God’s will for your life or with His answers to your prayers…and don’t become impatient and fearful if He doesn’t move or answer your prayers when you think He should. God is not a man, and He knows exactly when to move. Wait upon Him in patience and with trust in His promises. The Bible says, Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all (Psalm 34:19). Notice that it says all of your afflictions, not just one or a few of them.

When you make a request to the Lord, immediately start praising Him even before the answer comes. Then patiently wait for the manifestation of deliverance. But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:31).

When waiting upon the Lord for a miracle, never let false symptoms take the place of God’s promises. The devil tries to be sneaky and use those symptoms to make you think you didn’t receive deliverance, but Jesus said the devil is a thief and a robber (John 10:1). The devil can rob you of what God gives you if you are not careful.

The Bible says, They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy (Jonah 2:8). “Lying vanities” refer to false symptoms and troubling thoughts that are contrary to the promises of God, and those promises are His mercies towards humanity. So if you pay attention to false symptoms and troubling thoughts more than the promises of God, you forsake your mercy from God in those promises.

Never Limit God

Our God is not a man, and He is truly faithful. Keep that before you the next time you face a great trial, a deep valley or the devil tries to lay an affliction upon you. When you see that some people seem to be receiving from God more than others, it is because those who are receiving have learned not to tie God’s hands and limit Him in their life.

So many people today tie God’s hands through sin and disobedience or through grumbling, complaining, gossiping and sharing their opinions. They tie His hands through doubt, fear and unbelief rather than embracing the all-powerful Word of God. You must never tie His hands in your life, and you must never forget that God is not a man. Jesus said, With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). He also said, All things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:23).