As a child of God, do you take your responsibilities before God? We all want to be able to depend on God, but can He depend on you? Dependability should not be one-sided in your relationship with the Lord. God wants you to take the responsibility of being dependable to Him, so He can work through you at any time.

You have to know what your responsibilities are to God before you can fulfill them, and you can learn what they are by studying the Word. 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). God took the responsibility to see that you had the Holy Word to light your way; and it is your responsibility to take heed to it, so you can represent God in the right way.

God’s Word is full of promises, and He takes great responsibility to fulfill every promise He has ever made; but it is your responsibility to meet the conditions of those promises and trust God to perform them. I will hasten [hurry] my word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). God does not waste time in fulfilling His promises; any delay is caused by you.

One of God’s great promises is eternal life, and He is the only one who can give it to you; but you have to take responsibility to trust in that promise and meet the conditions of that promise by taking Jesus into your heart and living a holy life. Your responsibility is to use the name of Jesus to be saved. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Be a Soul Winner

Everyone wants to look at God as the one who is responsible for everything, but we have to fulfill our responsibilities before Him as well. We never have to worry about God fulfilling His part; we are the ones who fail when we don’t do our part before God.

When you come to God, your responsibility to Him is not over; it is just beginning, and there is no greater responsibility than being a soul winner. The Bible declares, He that winneth souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30). Jesus said, Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen (Matthew 28:19,20). You are responsible to teach the whole truth and not just a watered-down Gospel.

Every child of God must be a soul winner, and you must use what God serves you to do that. He gives you His love, and He wants you to be responsible and serve that love to others. When you do that, He promised to be with you wherever you go.

You may not travel to the mission field or preach in a pulpit, but it is your responsibility to help and support those who do. And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things (Romans 10:15)!

Give Praise and Be Thankful

Jesus is our example, and He told us to follow Him. Are you taking responsibility to do that no matter what others do? Peter seeing him [John] saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me (John 21:21,22). Don’t let what others do hinder you from following the Lord.

There may be times when you ask God for His help, yet you don’t take the responsibility to praise Him for what He is about to do or has already done for you. The Psalmist said, Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD (Psalm 150:6). I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high (Psalm 7:17). Some people can be so rude to God and even neglect Him. They are more responsible to their family and friends and their jobs than they are to God.

When you are asking for the Lord’s help, you must do it with thanksgiving. Paul said, Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Philippians 4:6). God knows what you need even before you ask, but it is your responsibility to ask in faith with no doubt.

Faith is not feelings, and you will never take responsibility towards God like you should if you live by your feelings because feelings are an enemy to responsibility. People who live by their feelings do not fulfill their responsibilities; and in many cases, they want others to take responsibility for them.

When God took responsibility to redeem the man and woman He had made, He didn’t do it through feelings but through love; and love is the greatest motivator of responsibility there is.

God’s Great Love

You have to shoulder your responsibilities to God if you want to overcome in this life. Adam and Eve did not do that, and the devil got to them. God made it their responsibility to stay away from the tree of death, but they failed and went to the forbidden tree.

When Adam and Eve sinned, God could have said, “My responsibility is over. I made man and woman and gave them everything they needed, and they failed.” But God didn’t do that. He loved man and woman so much that He took the responsibility to buy them back with His very own Son’s blood, and it took all of His love to be able to do that.

Jesus didn’t feel like leaving Heaven and coming to Earth to be crucified on a cruel Cross; but because He loved us so much, He fulfilled that responsibility. If you ever wonder how much God loves you, just look at the Cross.

Your feelings are not the ticket to receiving God’s promises because they will cause you to waver, and that will get you nowhere. The Bible says, Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23). God takes responsibility for that promise, but it is your responsibility to ask in faith believing. Only then will you receive. Jesus said, Be not afraid, only believe (Mark 5:36). God has given you all you need for soul, mind and body.

Love is your greatest responsibility to God, and faith works through love. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love (Galatians 5:6). Faith is a perfect gift from God, and it is your responsibility to use it.

Have Faith with No Doubt

You must keep a spirit of responsibility toward God, or you will be in trouble—not because God has failed in His responsibilities to you but because you have failed in your responsibilities to Him. When trouble comes, check to see if it is because you have failed God in any way.

Before the Crucifixion, Peter wouldn’t stay responsible to God. Jesus took His responsibility for Peter when He bid him to walk on the water to Him when the disciples were out on the sea in a boat in the midst of a terrible storm. When the disciples saw him [Jesus] walking [toward them] on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt (Matthew 14:26–31)?

Peter had the faith to step out of that ship onto the water in the midst of a storm; and as long as Peter believed, he did walk on the water. Sadly, he didn’t keep using his faith. When he looked at the waves rolling in around him instead of continuing to look at Jesus, he sank.

You are responsible to keep your faith in God no matter how things look. If you let your faith waver through feelings and because of what is going on around you, don’t expect to receive from God. 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 [or woman] think that he shall receive anything of the Lord (James 1:6,7). God can’t be responsible for you when you aren’t responsible to Him.

You don’t have to carry doubt and fear around in your spirit. Faith destroys doubt, and love destroys fear. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear (I John 4:18).

I say again, the relationship between Christ and His people cannot be one-sided. The Lord takes responsibility for every soul that comes to Him, but He can only continue to do that if the person keeps his or her responsibilities to Him. God gives everyone the faith, the grace and the love to come into that kind of relationship if they want to; but they must keep trusting, obeying and looking to Him.

Tithing Is a Responsibility

When you go to church, it is your responsibility to pray, worship the Lord and listen to the Word. Only then can you grow in the Lord and increase in faith. It is not your responsibility to look around and find fault with others throughout the service of the Lord. God wants you to mind your own business and serve Him with your whole heart.

It is also your responsibility to tithe and give to the Lord; and when you do, God promised He would pour out a blessing so great that you couldn’t receive it all. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10).

Tithing is giving the tenth of all you make or receive to the Lord, and it is a commandment of God for His children to do that. The tenth is holy before God, and you can’t receive God’s blessings without taking the responsibility to give the tenth to Him. The Bible says that you rob God when you don’t tithe. Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings (Malachi 3:8). God will pour out not just financial blessings but spiritual and physical blessings as well.

Continue to Be Responsible

You must keep a spirit of responsibility to the things Paul listed in his first letter to the Thessalonians: Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks. Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil (I Thessalonians 5:16–22). If you don’t measure up to each one of these, you must work at them until you do.

Jesus wants to carry your burdens for you, but you have to cast them upon Him. He said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). When you hold onto a burden thinking the Lord won’t really take care of it, then it will always remain yours. You must leave all your burdens with the Lord, except for the burden for lost souls. That is the only one you are to keep because winning the lost is our mission.

God will be responsible for you when you take the responsibility of trusting Him, but you tie His hands and hinder Him from moving for you when you don’t do that. The Lord is not responsible for anyone’s soul unless they trust Him for salvation, and He is not responsible to fulfill His promises in your life unless you trust Him to stand behind them.

God is responsible for everything you put into His hands and leave there. When you put your sins under the blood and leave them there, God is responsible to give you eternal life. When you put your sicknesses and diseases under the blood and leave them there, God is responsible to heal you, as long as you do your part and keep believing. The Bible says, Whosoever believeth in him [Jesus] should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:15). Every word in the English language that ends in “eth” means to continue on, so you must continue to believe.

The Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8). When Jesus came, He took responsibility for sin, sickness and every bondage the devil tries to place on you. What responsibility do you take to use divine faith, divine love and all the great things God has given you? Do you reach out to Him for His blessings and then hold on to them? If you are careless toward God, you can’t blame Him for not blessing you.

Never Be Selfish with God

Do you ever think about what you owe God? Some may say they don’t owe Him anything because He paid the price of redemption in full; but the Bible says, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (I Corinthians 6:19,20). Yes, you were bought with a great price; and now, it is time to take your responsibility towards God and glorify Him every day in your soul, mind and body.

Are you willing to deny yourself and follow Jesus? He said, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it (Mark 8:34,35). You can’t be disobedient to divinity.

You may think your responsibility to God is over once you ask Jesus into your heart, but would that kind of thinking work on your job? You may take the responsibility of going to work each day, but you can’t then decide your responsibility is over once you are there. You wouldn’t have a job very long with that philosophy, yet many people treat God that way.

You may expect God to bless you, but do you bless Him in return? Do you want people to bear your burdens, but you never bear the burdens of others? God told Abraham, And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee...and thou shalt be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). When you are blessed by the Lord, you are to use those blessings to go forth and bless others.

Serve Jesus to Others

The Bible says, Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). Do you ever pass by people who are carrying a heavy load without taking time to help them? You may not be as concerned about them as you should be, or you may be too busy with yourself to take any time with that little lamb. In God’s eyes, that little lamb is the same as Jesus.

You are responsible to God to speak His love language—words unto edification and not to destruction. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed (II Corinthians 10:8). God gives us divine power, but it is not to be used for the destruction of others.

Some people will destroy others with their tongue through gossip when the Bible says, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers (Ephesians 4:29). When you gossip, grumble and complain, you are not taking your responsibility to God to heart at all. Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man (Colossians 4:6).

God serves you His greatness through love, and you are responsible to serve others that same love. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another (Galatians 5:13). The divine love in your heart is flowed out to others by the Holy Ghost. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us (Romans 5:5). When God gives you love, you must serve that love to others. When He gives you courage, you must serve that courage to others; and on it goes.

Let People See God in You

You are responsible to be a living epistle of Christ. Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart (II Corinthians 3:2,3).

When people look at you, they should see Jesus in you. That is why it is your responsibility to shun anything contrary to the Word of God. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker [worm] (II Timothy 2:16,17). If you share things contrary to the Word, it will turn people away from the truth; and God will not be pleased. Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth (Titus 1:14).

God has taken responsibility to put His treasure of divinity in human vessels. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us (II Corinthians 4:7). You must take your responsibility to yield to the Lord and submit to Him so others can see His miraculous hands of power and greatness working through you. How will they see that? Paul said, We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed [because of God’s power]; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed (II Corinthians 4:8,9).

If you don’t take on God’s thinking, distress, despair and persecutions will take you over; and you will think God has forgotten you. Therefore, you must always remember that Christ died for you and take your responsibility to let His life manifest itself in your body. Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (II Corinthians 4:10).

Be Willing to Suffer

When you are pressed beyond your human strength, don’t faint on God. Take your responsibility to lean on Jesus and not worry. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day (II Corinthians 4:16). The outward man may feel tired and weary, but the inward man will be refreshed in the Spirit.

Children of God will have to suffer for Christ’s sake, but it is your responsibility to do that without grumbling or complaining. Paul knew what suffering for the sake of Christ was all about; and he said, For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake (Philippians 1:29). He also said, It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us (II Timothy 2:11,12). A lot of people want to reign with the Lord, but they aren’t willing to suffer for Him.

You hinder God when you don’t fulfill your responsibilities to Him with your whole heart. You make dead-end streets for God and then wonder why you aren’t getting anywhere. People will make excuses for not doing what God wants them to do and then wonder why God is not moving for them. Instead of asking God what He is going to do for you, you need to ask yourself what you are going to do for God.

If someone tells you that God doesn’t care, then they aren’t yielding to Him. God’s power and greatness are not being manifested through them because they have not given over to His sufficient grace. They want God to keep all of the promises He has made to them, but they are not concerned when they break a promise they have made to God.

Don’t let your days slip by without taking time to fulfill your responsibilities to God. You may be good at fulfilling your responsibilities toward family, friends, work and whatever is for your own good; but what about the things that are for God’s good? God fulfilling His responsibilities toward man and man fulfilling his responsibilities toward God make a glorious combination.

Choose God’s Will

The Lord takes responsibility to always meet with His people when they gather together in His name. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). However, it is your responsibility to go to church. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). Do you stay out of church when you could be there and still expect God to bless you as if you were there? That will not happen.

God does not force you to do His will. He will reveal it to you through the Word, but it is your responsibility to act on it. God did not force Adam and Eve to do His will. He gave them free choice because He wanted them to love Him enough to take on their responsibilities toward Him.

It is up to you to choose life or death, God’s divine will or His permissible will, God’s strength or your strength. You have choices today, but that may no longer be the case tomorrow. If the Lord would come between now and sunrise tomorrow, would you be ready to go?

God took on the responsibility of giving you His divine blood to use and His promises to claim, but you must take responsibility to use them to overcome through the blood of the Lamb. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony [the Word of God they used in their testimony]; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Revelation 12:11).

If you don’t use the blood to trample devils underfoot, the devil will defeat you. God gave you every piece of armor you will ever need to defeat the devil and his demons, but do you take the responsibility to put on that armor? Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).

Fulfill Your Responsibilities

If you are not fulfilling your responsibilities to God as you should be, say this prayer of dedication right now: Dear God, I confess my love for you. I want the Holy Ghost to go before me and guide me, and I will do my best to follow. I want to learn everything that pleases you, and I know the Holy Ghost will teach me because Jesus said so in the Word. I am going to be free and live free, God. Glory be to your name.

If you need to meet your responsibility of receiving salvation, pray this prayer with me now: Oh, God, save my soul. I am so sorry I sinned against you, but I have come home; and I’m going to serve you, Lord, for the rest of my life. I believe that Jesus died for me, and I will live for Him. I believe the blood of Jesus washes away all of my sins right now. Come into my heart, Jesus! Come on in, Jesus! If you meant that prayer, you can say, Hallelujah, Jesus has come! Hallelujah, Jesus is mine!

Now, you must go on to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost because you won’t make the Rapture without Him living within you. God took the responsibility of making the promise of the Holy Ghost available to all who would receive Him. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:39).

Your responsibility is to obey God and receive that promise. He said He would give the Holy Ghost to those who obey Him. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him (Acts 5:32).

Believe and Receive

If you or a loved is sick and afflicted today, get ready for God to move. The Lord is the healer. Lord, I bring the people to you. These supernatural gifts that you work through the life of this your humble servant will deliver the people. In the holy name of Jesus, I command the sick to be healed today of any sickness or disease they may have. Heal, in the holy name of the Lord! Heal, in the all-powerful name of Jesus!

Let God’s miracle power move for you, and watch you or your loved one get well in the name of Jesus. Notice every improvement daily and praise the Lord for each one. Remember that your responsibilities are to be obedient, to believe and to serve the Lord with your whole heart.

Always remember that Jesus said, Follow thou me! Therefore, you must take up your full responsibility and follow Jesus all the way.