The True Nature of God Part 6

Most Christians think, "Well, brother, that's not pride - that's something else." No, in its simplest terms pride is self-centered-ness. And whether you're self-centered by thinking, "I'm better than everybody else," or you're self-centered by thinking, "I'm worse than everybody else," you're still self-centered. And self-centeredness is pride.

You can get more self-centered through thinking you're the sc.u.m of the earth than you ever could by thinking you're better than everybody else. This is because it's a lot easier to relate to being worse than everybody else than it is to being better than everybody else.

It's easy to a.s.sume that eventually somebody better than you is going to come along, but if you are really down on yourself, you can believe n.o.body worse will ever come along! Or at least you won't know somebody is worse than you, because you think you know yourself better than you know the other person!

How to Lose Self-Centcredness to Lose Self-Centcredness .

Instead of dying to self, I was actually resurrecting and glorifying self by focusing attention on myself. The way you die to self is to get your attention so much on someone else that you forget about yourself - like when you fall in love.

When you fall in love with a person, you get so conscious of them that you totally forget about yourself. You'll say and do things you would never do under normal circ.u.mstances. When you are in love, you can get so conscious of the other person that you actually forget about yourself.

I used to pour cement before I became a minister. My boss was a Christian and my best friend was on the crew. We probably led an average of one person a day to the Lord - cement truck drivers, people who sold us refreshments, and others. But most of the workers on the crew were not saved, and we were constantly witnessing to them. They just couldn't get over how much of a "Puritan" I was, and they were always trying to find something wrong with me. They were always trying to give me a hard time.

When my wife Jamie and I were first going together and engaged to be married, they just couldn't believe I was keeping myself honest and pure through the whole relations.h.i.+p. They would give me a hard time every day at work and say, "Uh-huh, you were out playing licky-face last night!" They were always accusing me, poking fun at me, and trying to get me mad at them.

The truth was that Jamie and I were engaged to be married before we ever even held hands. It was amazing how G.o.d put us together, and I was so obviously in love with her that the guys on the crew continuously razzed me. So I avoided the subject and tried not to mention or talk about Jamie on the job at all.

One day it was really hot and I was troweling the concrete where a bay window would be installed. As I worked, the water was floating to the top of the cement until I could see my reflection in it. As I was sitting there working, I realized I was saying, "Jamie, I love you," over and over. I was saying it out loud. I was thinking it at first and then I had started actually saying, "Jamie, I love you." Then I looked down into the water and saw not only my own face, but all these other faces around me! They really really gave me a hard time after that! gave me a hard time after that!

I would have never been saying something like that if I had been self-conscious. But I was so into thinking about Jamie that I literally lost consciousness of myself. Do you know that's how it should be with the Lord in your life? The way you die to yourself isn't by thinking, "You sorry thing," and focusing your attention on yourself. The way to die to yourself is to get your mind so on G.o.d and about who G.o.d is that you literally lose consciousness of yourself.

You can lose your self-consciousness in G.o.d. On March 23, 1968, I had an experience with the Lord, and through it G.o.d changed my life. I became so consumed with how much G.o.d loved me that I honestly just lost conscious contact with the world. It was four-and-a-half months later before I remembered that there was a television or a radio. I didn't even have any knowledge about what I was doing. I became totally oblivious to myself.

I'm an introvert by nature. When I was in high school, someone would say "Good morning!" to me and it would be two blocks later before I could manage to say "Good morning!" back. I just couldn't talk to people or relate to people because I was so introverted. Yet when I saw how much G.o.d loved me, I became so consumed with G.o.d's love and what He had done for me that I didn't even think about myself.

I changed to the point where I would grab people coming out of the convenience stores if they had a pack of cigarettes or a case of beer and say, "You're going to h.e.l.l and you need Jesus!" I would do that right in front of everybody present. Now, that's not the best way to witness, and G.o.d has given me wisdom since then, but what I am saying is that there was a total transformation in me. I totally forgot about myself by recognizing how much G.o.d loved me. G.o.d's love transformed my life.

The Old Testament Law never did that. The Law never changed me. The Law only made me conscious of how much of a sinner I was because it was an administration of death and condemnation. The Law kept me from engaging in some sins, but I was still totally self-centered. And being trapped in self-centeredness is bondage.

G.o.d set me free by revealing His unconditional love for me. Love did not encourage me to live in sin. In fact, I started living an even holier life than I did before. I lived a holier life, but the difference was that now I was doing it out of love for G.o.d instead of doing it to try to earn the blessings of G.o.d.

G.o.d's Love Love .

If you understand what I'm talking about, then you will understand that getting out from under the Old Testament Law is not going to free you to to sin - it will free you sin - it will free you from from sin. The sins you have committed won't weigh you down or make you feel defeated and negative anymore. G.o.d's love will throw all that sin behind you. G.o.d's love will break the dominion of that sin over you so you can start seeking and pursuing His will for your life. Praise the Lord! sin. The sins you have committed won't weigh you down or make you feel defeated and negative anymore. G.o.d's love will throw all that sin behind you. G.o.d's love will break the dominion of that sin over you so you can start seeking and pursuing His will for your life. Praise the Lord!

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to G.o.d, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living G.o.d?Hebrews 9:11-14 Jesus entered once once into the holy place. He didn't enter many times, but once, and He obtained eternal redemption for us. That's important. Then verse 13 talks about the Old Testament administration. Those sacrifices could atone for the sins of the Old Testament believers, but they couldn't purify their spirits. into the holy place. He didn't enter many times, but once, and He obtained eternal redemption for us. That's important. Then verse 13 talks about the Old Testament administration. Those sacrifices could atone for the sins of the Old Testament believers, but they couldn't purify their spirits.

To be G.o.d-centered instead of self-centered, you've got to have your conscience purged from dead works, from feelings of guilt, condemnation, and inadequacy. Only the sacrifice of Jesus is fully capable of doing that.

In the flesh, I recognize I'm inadequate, but in the spirit man within, G.o.d has equipped me and I've got all Jesus provided. Christians walk in varying degrees of that power, but all believers have the standard equipment. G.o.d doesn't have stripped-down models.

All of us came with full provision for everything through Jesus. Because of that, we can and should have our consciences purged from dead works. We should be purged from sin-consciousness and self-consciousness and be totally G.o.d-conscious.

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the wors.h.i.+ppers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

Hebrews 10:1,2 If the Old Testament sacrifices could have really done what they were picturing, then they would have ceased to be offered. The picture that was given through the Old Testament sacrifices was a cleansing of sin. If those sacrifices had really worked, then they would have ceased to be offered because the wors.h.i.+ppers would have been purged and would have had no more consciousness of their sin. If the Old Testament sacrifices could have really done what they were picturing, then they would have ceased to be offered. The picture that was given through the Old Testament sacrifices was a cleansing of sin. If those sacrifices had really worked, then they would have ceased to be offered because the wors.h.i.+ppers would have been purged and would have had no more consciousness of their sin.

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O G.o.d.Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O G.o.d. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.Hebrews 10:3-9 To summarize this pa.s.sage of Scripture, what the Old Testament sacrifices couldn't do, Jesus did do! If the Old Testament sacrifices could have worked, they would have purged your conscience to such a degree that you would have had no more consciousness or awareness of sin. The Old Testament sacrifices couldn't do it, but the New Testament sacrifice of Jesus did.

Your inheritance through Jesus is that you can be so G.o.d-conscious, so loved, so forgiven, and so cleansed of your sin, that you are able to approach G.o.d without any awareness of sin.

Some people might say, "Aw, brother, I just can't relate to that. I believe when we come before G.o.d we've got to start confessing our sin." Do you know why prayer is drudgery for most people? Because instead of coming to fellows.h.i.+p with G.o.d and to wors.h.i.+p Him for Who He is, we come in and immediately start telling Him who we are and what we've done wrong - dragging up all of this old trash and reminding ourselves how rotten and unworthy we are. As a result, our prayer time is not that pleasant. After a little bit of that, it's going to be drudgery.

Anybody would rather watch a football game than go into prayer and remember how rotten they are all the time. Maybe you've got something you need to pray about, but you watch a ball game instead. Why? Because between every play the commentators don't say, "You sorry thing. You've sinned against G.o.d. You haven't paid your t.i.thes this week. You haven't been living right.

You haven't been treating your wife the way you should or spending time with your kids."

If sports commentators started telling you every rotten thing about you between every play, you would turn the game off. And the commercials minister to you also. They try to tell you whatever makes you feel good so you'll buy their products. They usually make you laugh and feel good, so you would rather escape into TV TV than hear how rotten you are in prayer. than hear how rotten you are in prayer.

Sometimes it's necessary to confess your sins, but it never feels good. And I guarantee you, if your relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d always revolves around coming before Him and telling Him how sorry you are, then you're not going to enjoy spending time with Him.

G.o.d doesn't desire that, but that's the way most of us have been conditioned to think. If that's the att.i.tude you've adopted, the devil doesn't have to condemn you because you're already doing such a good job of condemning yourself!

Most of us have been so religiously taught that we'll come in to pray, lay ourselves down like a rug, walk all over ourselves, spit on ourselves, and talk about how terrible and rotten we are. Then we wonder why we don't enjoy the presence of G.o.d any more than we do!

If you haven't already, why not come into His presence, let Him love you, and just start praising Him for Who He is right now? You're His child and He loves you - no matter what has gone on since your last prayer time!

Conclusion .

What I've presented is really very simple and every Christian deserves to know it. It is sad to say, but I think not more than one out of a thousand Christians has this accurate concept of the nature of G.o.d.

Most of us approached G.o.d without recognizing our redemption and what Jesus really did for us. We were in a constant mode of trying to perform. And as soon as Satan pointed out something we did wrong, we started condemning ourselves and saying, "G.o.d, I know why it wasn't working." We've been putting faith in what we did instead of putting faith in what Jesus did.

Do you know why it was so easy for you to get born again? Because you were told that it was totally based on what Jesus had done for you - it wasn't your goodness, Bible study, prayer, church attendance, or t.i.thes that qualified you to receive salvation. It was totally based on what Jesus did, on His merits and His goodness alone. So you were able to put your faith in Jesus, regardless of how bad you were, and receive the greatest miracle that could ever happen.

But when it comes to healing, prosperity, or deliverance, we tend to look at what we've done and say, "G.o.d, I've been doing the best I can, is it enough?" No, it's not enough and it never will be!

We have been studying the Word, praying in tongues, and doing all kinds of spiritual things we ought to do. But we need to do them to build ourselves ourselves up and know Him better, not to try to make Him want to bless us or to give Him a better impression of us. We should do these things to stay strong and finish strong in this spiritual race. The reason I confess the Word of G.o.d or pray in tongues is not to move G.o.d, up and know Him better, not to try to make Him want to bless us or to give Him a better impression of us. We should do these things to stay strong and finish strong in this spiritual race. The reason I confess the Word of G.o.d or pray in tongues is not to move G.o.d, but to move myself closer to Him. but to move myself closer to Him. Holiness doesn't change G.o.d's att.i.tude towards me, but it changes my att.i.tude towards Him. Holiness doesn't change G.o.d's att.i.tude towards me, but it changes my att.i.tude towards Him.

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.Revelation 12:11 I overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of my testimony (or profession of faith in that blood). I don't overcome the devil because I have impressed G.o.d with my works. I'm not twisting G.o.d's arm with my prayers and G.o.d is not impressed with my great ability to confess His Word. I've known some people who didn't even know how to confess the Word of G.o.d but they saw miracles happen because their hearts were right. Receiving from G.o.d will work better if your heart is right and and you confess the Word of G.o.d, but G.o.d looks on the heart. you confess the Word of G.o.d, but G.o.d looks on the heart.

The reason people are able to receive things from G.o.d at salvation so easily is because their faith is totally in Jesus. But after we are born again, we tend to start trusting ourselves, and that's bondage. I'm convinced that even though people have committed their lives to the Lord, are born again, and know G.o.d loves them, they aren't experiencing that love because they are walking in what they have done instead of walking in G.o.d's love towards them.

Does that describe you? Do you see Jesus loving you unconditionally? Or, do you feel Jesus loves you in proportion to what you "deserve"? If you feel you don't deserve much, then you won't open yourself up to let G.o.d really love you.

G.o.d wants to call us into a secret place of close, intimate communion with Him. He longs for it. G.o.d longs for you, but perhaps you haven't allowed yourself to approach G.o.d because you don't feel worthy. You may believe if you really got that close, you would be like a hypocrite coming before Him and He would chastise you, scold you, and say, "How dare you think you have the right to enter into My presence, you sorry worm?"

You may not put it in exactly those words, but perhaps that is your concept. Hear this: G.o.d is looking on your heart. G.o.d is looking on your spirit man within you. And in your spirit man, you are righteous, holy, and pure! You can come and prop your feet up before G.o.d and say, "Papa, Father" or "Abba, Father." You can relate to Him in an intimate, personal way.

G.o.d loves you, and many of us have been kept out of that intimate relations.h.i.+p because of a sin-consciousness - our conscience has been remembering and is obsessed with our sin. We've been looking at ourselves as sinners when the Bible makes it clear that if we really understood redemption, we should have no more consciousness of sin.

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne ofgrace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace tohelp in time of need.Hebrews 4:16 You can come boldly before the throne of grace to obtain mercy and help in your time of need, not just when you're perfect and everything's going right, but even in the time when you've blown it and you're in trouble. It's the throne of grace, grace, not the throne of not the throne of works works or the throne of or the throne of perfect performance. perfect performance. You can do that right now and let G.o.d begin to love you. You can do that right now and let G.o.d begin to love you.

You may need to humble yourself before G.o.d, saying something like, "Father, I'm sorry. I have done everything in my own effort. I've misunderstood You. I thought I had to earn Your blessings. I've been trying to perform. I thought You only gave me things I deserved and I haven't been depending on Jesus. I've been trying to approach You on my own merit."

Confess it to G.o.d, fall before Him, and repent, saying, "Father, I'm sorry." Start speaking what G.o.d's Word says to yourself. "Father, I thank You that You do love me, that You see me clean, pure, and holy."

Sometimes I look in a mirror, eyeball to eyeball with myself, and I point to myself and say, "Andrew, G.o.d loves you. You're holy. You're pure, just as if you never sinned." It's possible that when you first say that, the hair will stand up on the back of your neck because you're thinking, "Oh, G.o.d, don't strike me dead for saying this." But after awhile, as you keep saying it by faith, knowing it's G.o.d's Word, it will minister to you and you will begin to believe it. You'll begin to believe G.o.d really loves you and you'll get to the point where you can't wait to go right into His throne room!

If an angel stood in your way and said, "What makes you think you're worthy to come in here?" You could rebuke him and tell him, "Get out of my way! Through the blood of Jesus I'm righteous, I'm holy, and I'm pure, and I'm G.o.d's child. You have no right to stop me."

When you come into the presence of G.o.d, thank Him that you are who He says you are. Focus on Him and let Him minister to you. Then you'll begin to be like Him and have no desire to live in sin. You'll start reflecting holiness and end up living closer to Him.

Suddenly, instead of it being drudgery to try to separate yourself from the TV TV to spend time with G.o.d, you'll say, "Who needs the to spend time with G.o.d, you'll say, "Who needs the TV?" TV?" You'll find those carnal things will just fall by the wayside. You'll find it won't be hard to spend time studying the Word and praying, because you are spending time with Him. You'll find those carnal things will just fall by the wayside. You'll find it won't be hard to spend time studying the Word and praying, because you are spending time with Him.

I read a story about an older man who lived in the 1800s. He told his servant to come get him in fifteen minutes when supper was going to be ready. The older man said, "I'm going to be praying in the parlor, so come get me when fifteen minutes is up."

Three and a half hours later, the servant finally forced himself to go in and interrupt this man. The food had been ready for hours, but the man was praying so intensely on his knees, with his hands up wors.h.i.+pping G.o.d, that the servant felt it would be a mockery to interrupt him.

Finally, the servant went in and tapped the older man on the shoulder. The man turned around and said, "Oh, is fifteen minutes up? My, time goes so fast when you're in the presence of G.o.d."

For most of us, however, praying fifteen minutes can seem like three and a half hours! It is because we haven't really tapped into the love of G.o.d. Our wrong thinking about G.o.d has kept us from understanding His love, and our religious traditions and incorrect concepts of G.o.d have kept us at arm's length from Him.

If you understand what I have presented in this book, it will help you to enter boldly into the Holy of Holies by a new and living way G.o.d provided for us through Jesus. It will give you boldness. And as you begin to pray and fellows.h.i.+p with G.o.d, you'll find that praising G.o.d for an hour or more is not a drudgery, but a pleasure. It's a pleasure because you know what G.o.d has done for you. I know G.o.d wants to draw you unto Himself right now as you are reading these words.

We have been learning about having a relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d, abiding in Him, and coming to really know Him. I may have approached it in a way that seemed strange to you, but I firmly believe when you really know what G.o.d is like - His nature, character, and person - you will love Him.

I believe the only reason you or I haven't loved Him more is because G.o.d has been misrepresented and we have misunderstood Him. Because of that, we haven't entered into that loving, close relations.h.i.+p He desires to have with us. If we can receive what is presented in this book, I know it will set us free to enjoy a fulfilling and totally satisfying relations.h.i.+p with our Father G.o.d.

About the Author.

Andrew Wommack was brought up in a Christian home in Arlington, Texas, and made a total commitment of his life to the Lord at a very early age. But it was not until he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a teenager that he began to experience the power of G.o.d in his life. Wommack was brought up in a Christian home in Arlington, Texas, and made a total commitment of his life to the Lord at a very early age. But it was not until he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a teenager that he began to experience the power of G.o.d in his life.

Since that time, he has served as pastor of three churches in progressive steps to the ministry G.o.d has called him to fulfill: teaching the entire body of Christ the good news of our New Testament relations.h.i.+p with Jesus Christ.

Andrew is fulfilling this calling as he travels throughout the world sharing the simple truths of G.o.d's Word with people of various backgrounds. He is heard on radio stations across America and has distributed over 2,500,000 ca.s.sette tapes free of charge.