Chapter 6
“PRIORITIES”
Before we continue, may we suggest something that may be very helpful to you? We would like to recommend that you take a moment, and make a list of those things in your life that are very important in your life, in their approximate order of priority. Please try t~ make a list for you as an individual, and a separate list for you as a spouse or marriage partner.
AS A PERSON
Once again, we recommend the book, HOW TO RULE THE WORW, as a companion to this book. It may be ordered from Great Commission Ministries 9473 County Rd.D Webster, WI, 54893.
It is a full scale treatise on PRIORITIES, and demonstrates that all of us, each one of us, every one of us, you and I will all stand before the Mighty Judge of All the Universe at the Judgment Seat of Christ and be judged for two things: 1. The extent that we fulfilled the plan, purpose, destiny, and blueprint of God for our life, and 2. The extent that we fulfilled
this blueprint with a right spirit. Jesus said, “Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food, clothing, and shelter, etc.) shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:3 3) Yet, so many of us have spent a lifetime in a grand exercise of futility on things that are low on God’s priority list. Bill Bright says that we are like picture straighteners in a burning building! The will, plan and blueprint of God must come first!!! But on most people’s list of important things in their lives, often the Kingdom Of God or His will are not considered
LIST OF PERSONAL PRIORITIES FIRST PERSONAL PRIORITY
To Be “Born Again”? In the Bible, Jesus speaks to this first and total importance of being born again as a matter of life and death. Jesus declared, in John 3: “Unless a person is born again, one cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” And He also said, “What shall it profit a person if one gains the whole world, but loses one’s own soul in hell?”
HOW TO RE “BORN-AGAIN”!
The need to be born-again is literally a matter of life and death - ETERNAL LIFE OR ETERNAL DEATH!!! But God has made it very simple for us.
Have you seen that picture of Christ as He is knocking on the door of the cottage? Notice that there is no door handle on the outside of the door. That picture is an illustration of the Bible Verse in the Book of Revelation, chapter 3, verse 20 where Jesus says, “Look, I’m standing at the door of your life, and I’m knocking asking to come In and take over completely. If any one of you will open! the door of your heart and life and will invite Me to come in to become your Saviour, Lord, Leader and Life, then I will come in to your life, and we will have fantastic fellowship together.” (My paraphrase)
Pastor Charles E. “Chuck” Dodge puts it so well. He says “When we invite Jesus in, He comes to be our Savior - to cleanse us from all our sins. When we open the door of our heart, we are also inviting Him to be our Lord and Master. The Great Exchange takes place. Everything we have and are, we give to him for all He has and is. He exchanges our weakness for His Strength (indeed, He BECOMES our Strength), our ideas for His Mind, our fear for His Love, our life for His Life. He BECOMES our Salvation, Lord, Master, Director, Protector, Provider!”
This all sounds too GREAT to pass up, doesn’t it? Let us pray. Let us take some time, slowly and sincerely and pray this prayer~
“Jesus Christ invite You to Come in to my life and take over completely as my Salvation, my Master, my Lifer and my All we myself to You completely without reserve. I give You my whole l I admit that I have displeased You many times and have sinned, I receive Your whole Life in exchange for mine and receive you as my Salvation, My Lord, My Life, My Righteousness etc. Mighty Creator King I give you everything I have and am, or shall ever have or be ,in exchange for all that you have and are! I give to You, Dear Lord Jesus, all my sins for Your forgiveness, my ideas for Your Mind my weakness for Your Strength, my life for Your Life, my all for Your ALL ’Please, now, be all that Your are, in me. I ask YQU, Heavenly Father, to fill me with Your Holy Spirit of love Always Thank you, Father, for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ to take the penalty of my sins for me by dying my death on the cross I choose to obey You from now on, and to walk close to You, read Your Wor4 obey You and talk to You often. In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ I pray. AMEN”
Feel better? You’re on your way! John 1:12 is interesting. “But as many as received Him [Christ Jesus], to them [you] He gave the power to become the children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.” So the potential to make it big in God is yours.
SECOND PERSONAL PRIORITY
The second priority is really a part of the first and we have already partly covered it. Here it is: ABSOLUTE, TOTAL AND IRR~VOCABL~ COMMITMENT TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AT ALL TIMES AND IN EVERYTHING!!!
To become a member of the Kingdom of God is extremely simple. It’s easy, that is, if a person really wants to walk with God, but it is difficult to the extent one does not. For example, Jesus said, “My yoke is easy, My burden is light.” But “The way of the transgressor is hard”, and “It is a difficult thing to kick against the ox goad.” Our life becomes much more difficult, if we resist God, because He will gently stay out of those areas of our life where He is not welcome. I’ve often told folks if were to swap all my theology for a totally selfish one, I wouldn’t change a thing! Look at these promises from the Bible to a man that is committed to do the will of God:
1— “Joy unspeakable and full of glory” I Pet. 1:Sb (KD.
2— “In Thy presence is fullness of joy; and at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” Ps. 16:11 (KJ).
3— “Life abundantly” John 10:10 (KJ).
4—”My joy in you and your joy full” John 15:11.
5— “[The over comers shall rule over the nations with a rod of iron” Rev. 2:26,27 (KJ)
6— “God giveth us richly all things to enjoy” I Tim. 6:17 (KJ).
7— “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing” Eph. 1:3
- - -and infinitely more! Tell me, would you trade any of this for an eternity in bell? But there is something that you can invest!!! Jesus Christ asked the question, “What will a man give in exchange for his own soul?” and “What will it profit a man if be gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25)
Look at the positive side. You want to walk with God. Here’s how: First, as we explained, be born
again. In John 3:3,5,7, Jesus promises that unless you are born again, you cannot see, or enter into, the Kingdom Of God.
The KINGDOM OF GOD
The Bible describes the Kingdom of God as being whatever God is the King of. This means that your life is a part of the Kingdom of God IF Jesus is King in your life, and of your words, thoughts, and actions
In Ephesians 2:8-10, God says that the gift of salvation is free. Then He goes on to say that the REASON we are brought into God’s Kingdom is so that we can DO THE THINGS HE HAS PLANNED FOR US AND FULFILL HIS BLUEPRINT, PLAN, AND DESTINY FOR OUR Lives!!! –
The Word of God uses some of the following words to describe a Kingdom citizen: disciples, Sons, friends, brothers of Christ ,mothers & sister, of Christ. One must make an investment of his life in order to remain a disciple or member or citizen of God’s Kingdom. The cot is: EVERYTHING YOU ARE AND HAVE IN EXCHANGE FOR EVERYTHING GOD HAS AND IS. The only thing that’s really required is that one become and DO the will of the Lord. That’s the Kingdom of God, simply doing. and being what the King wants—the Lordship of Christ.
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of God. Rom. 8:14 (KJ). “Not everyone that saith unto Me, ~Lord’, ‘Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that Day, ‘Lord’, ‘Lord, ‘have we not prophesied in Thy Name? and in Thy Name have cast out devils? and in Thy Name done many wonderful works?’ And then I will profess unto them, ‘I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity’ “Matt 7:21-23 . (KJ) Jesus asked, “Why call ye Me, ‘Lord’, ’Lord” and do not the things which I say?” Luke 6:46 (KJ). Dear one, ITS NOT ENOUGH to claim to be saved or born again or spirit filled or a church member of anything, if you claim Christ Jesus as your Lord but do not DO what He wants or says.-.
A CITIZEN OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS ONE WHO (is born again, but who also) DOES WHAT THE KING OF KINGS, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST WANTS. Let’s look at three verses in Luke 14 regarding those who CANNOT be a Kingdom citizen: Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them He said “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE”
Luke 142&27. What this means simply is that THE WILL OF God) MUST COME FIRST - ahead of the will, wishes, desires, threats, opinions, commands, or intimidations of your parents, children, spouse, friends, enemies, church members, and those whose opinions you respect the most. MOST OF ALL, the will and desire of God must be surely more important to you than your own will or desire. You MUST carry your cross! But remember, Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light”. Mat 11:30 (KJ).
~your yoke, Satan’s yoke, your burden, your friend’s burden, or Christ’s easy yoke AND His light burden?
Jesus states in Luke. 14:33,”So therefore, NO ONE OF YOU CAN BE MY DISCIPLE WHO DOES NOT GIVE UP ALL HIS OWN POSSESSIONS”!!! If you want to be His disciple, then you must give up ownership and legal title to EVERYTHING you own--give it to the King of the Kingdom, Jesus Christ and the Father, so that He retains title and ownership to ALL that you have and are! your life! your will! your time! your worship! your children! your spouse! your money! your future! your possessions! your opinions! your plans! your reputation! your career! your sins! your ideas! your religious ruts! your stubbornness! YOURSELF! Unless you are willing to forsake ALL of these things you CANNOT be His disciple!!! It’s impossible for you to call Christ Jesus your Lord and do not DO what He wants!!! The Kingdom of God is what God is King of. And if God is not allowed to be your Absolute Master or your King in some area of your life, then it’s not the Kingdom of God and you are NOT His brother or disciple or Kingdom citizen or friend. “Ye are my friends IF ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:14), and, “Why call ye Me, ‘Lord’, ‘Lord’, and do not the things which I say?”! Luke 646 (KJ).
Jesus said, “NOT everyone that saith unto Me, ‘Lord’, ‘Lord’, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that DOETH the will of My Father which is in heaven?’ Matt. 7:21 (sec above). Perhaps you are thinking, “This is impossible.” Do you remember Matthew 19:23-26? “Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Truly I say to you’, [or, ‘I tell you the truth], ‘it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.’ [It still is ‘Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye if a needle than for rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’ Think about that!] And when the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’
Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men this is impossible, but WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.”’
What about it, amigo? Do you want to change the Scriptures to mean, “With God SOME things are possible?”, “My God will supply SOME of my needs?”, “I can do SOME things through Christ?” But we here are only fulfilling the Great Commission when we are teaching you to OBEY “ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I [Jesus] have commanded you” Matt. 28:20 (KJ).
Lord, I repent of my unbelief I choose to believe in You. I not only seek Your Kingdom first but also I seek Your righteousness Teach me, Lord Jesus what seeking first Your righteousness is. In Jesus’ Name~ Amen - And by the way Lord, I now hereby give You Everything I have and am, my life, my will my time, my worship, my children, my spouse, my money, my future; my possession my opinions my plan my reputation, my career; my sins, my ideas, my religious rids, my stubbornness, my self and everything l ever will have or be - NO W’ for all time -I give it all to you, forever. In Jesus name., Amen
So, the second priority is, and we state it here again for emphasis:
TOTAL AND IRREVOCABLE COMMITMENT TO JESUS CHRIST IN EVERYTHING AND AT ALL TIMES!!!
THIRD PERSONAL PRIORITY
To have Jesus Christ as your Life. We cover this in depth in the chapter “The King’s Greatest Secret”.
But in brief, it is so necessary to have Jesus Christ as your Life, that He is living His glorious Life through you, being All that He is in and through you.
FOURTH PERSONAL PRIORITY
To BE FULL OF GOD’S HOLY SPIRIT!!! Bible
says that God “gives the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him”. All of those who are born again have the Holy Spirit in measure, but everyone needs for God the Holy Spirit to be theirs in FULLNESS! The meaning the Apostle Paul in Ephesians is: “Be ye being filled with the Holy Spirit.” The question is not so much “Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?” The important question is: “Are you full of God’s Holy Spirit right NOW!!!”
FIFTH PERSONAL PRIORITY
To follow the LEADING of the Holy Spirit This is really the all-encompassing~ FIRST priority, but in order to be led by the Holy Spirit consistently, one must first HAVE the Holy Spirit. This makes necessary the preceding priorities for this one to be consistent. Romans 8 in the Bible says that “Those that are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God.” So what if we are not led by the Spirit of God? Then I believe we cannot claim to be “Sons” of God in it’s fullest sense. 
Again all of these points are covered in the book, HOW TO RULE The WORLD - SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD suffice it here to say~ that the greatest single ingredient to knowing the will of God is a deep gut level commitment to do the will of God. As God says, “If any man is willing to do His will, he SHALL KNOW of the teaching, whether it is of God...” John 7:17.
PRIORITIES AS A MARRIAGE PARTNER
But we are here interested in your list of priorities as a marriage partner, spouse, and mate. If you have not already done so, would you please now take a pencil and paper and make a list of reasons or purposes for marriage.
Perhaps you have made a list something like this:
- To have companionship
- To have someone provide for me
- To have someone protect me
- To have someone love me
- To have children
*To have someone clean my dirty dishes, to clean my dirty clothes, my dirty house, my dirty kids, their dirty diapers, etc.
Can you think of anything else??
But we would ask you now to look again at your list and ask yourself this question: “How many of the above things, or things on your list could be legitimately HIRED done or done WITHOUT being married, and still have God’s approval? For example, one can have love and companionship without being married. Non-married people can become foster parents and can adopt. One can hire a body guard for protection. One can hire a house cleaner to do the “dirty work”. In short, there is only one thing that we can think of that cannot be legitimately “hired” done in the approval of God: And that is — the sexual ministry!
SANCTIFIED CELIBACY
Would you be willing to consider a section of Scripture with me? The Apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, tells us that the state of being single and celibate, (unless a person is “called”
to be married), is really greater in the eyes of God than to be married!!! The Bible gives some reasons for this: He explains that a single person can concentrate his or her focus entirely to a life devoted to pleasing God, but that a married person MUST BE legitimately
preoccupied with the business of “pleasing his or he spouse” Here are some Scriptural arguments for celibacy: (I Corinthians 7 Paul says this by permission.)
“It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” (v. 1) “For I would that all men were even as I myself...” (v. 7)
“I say therefore to the unmarried and the widows, ‘it is good for them if they abide even as I’.” (v.8)
“It is good for a man so to be (single).” (vs. 25 &26) “Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife.” (v. 27)
“If thou marry...ye shall have much trouble in the flesh but spare you.” (v. 28)
“He that is unmarried, CARETH FOR THE THINGS THAT BELONG TO THE LORD,
HOW HE MAY PLEASE THE LORD.” (v. 32)
The Bible then goes onto give ONLY ONE REASON FOR MARRIAGE!:.
“Nevertheless, TO AVOID FORNICATION, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” (v.2)
“... LEST SATAN TEMPT YOU, through your own incontinency (lack of restraint of sexual desire -[AMP]).” (v.5)
“But IF THEY CANNOT CONTAIN, let them marry...” (v.9)
“For IT IS BETTER TO MARRY THAN TO BURN (be aflame with passion and tortured continually with ungratified desire. (AMP) (v.9)
IS THIS THE ONLY REASON YOU MARRIED ME?
It is extremely important that you understand this point. Will you try? We will present the idea again. If you listed as many reasons as you possibly could for being married, isn’t it true that every single thing on your list would be something that COULD BE done with God’s approval, outside of marriage, EXCEPT those things related to sex? God would approve of companionship, baby sitting, raising children, (Many widowed or single people do), fellowship, cooking meals, cleaning house, washing clothes, without being married. Yet, the Lord makes it really clear that it is absolutely NECESSARY, MANDATORY, REQUIRED, COMMANDED, DEMANDED, AND ESSENTIAL, that one be married to one with whom one has intercourse. But if your mate asks you, “Is this the reason you married me?” The answer may be an enthusiastic, “Of course!”
One may answer, with integrity: “If I had wanted only companionship, we could have joined a Christian community. I could have adopted children, or raised foster ones. I could have supported myself, or gone on welfare. I could have hired a maid, eaten at a restaurant, or washed my clothes at a laundry. But, God would not have approved of my having sex, without being married, so I asked Him who I should marry, and He gave me you!!!”
Question: “How close to the top of your priority list was your sexual ministry to your partner?” “How important have you considered it?” Was it even ON your list?
YOURE THE ONLY ONE FOR ME
Here is yet another point that we would like to lovingly ask you to consider. Out of all of the more than 5 billion people on the face of the globe or in the whole universe, or of the billions of people that have ever lived, YOU ARE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WHO CAN LEGITIMATELY MINISTER SEXUALLY TO YOUR SPOUSE - The ONLY person !!!!!!! This means then that your spouse is completely at your mercy if he or she is to be legitimately ministered to sexually. God will not approve, sanction or countenance any one else to minister to your mate sexually. You are the only one. See how important you are?!. Yet where did you have that ministry’s importance on your list of priorities?
Tell me, would it be making too extreme a point if one were to make the statement that A WOMAN’S VALUE AS A WIFE (not as a companion, or as a friend, or as a person, or as a mother, or as a Christian, or as a woman, but as a wife) CAN BE MEASURED IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO THE QUALITY OF HER SEXUAL MINISTRY??? or A MAN’S VALUE AS A HUSBAND (not as a prophet, or as a person, or as a father, or as a citizen or as a man ,but as a husband,) CAN BE DIRECTLY EVALUATED IN DIRECT PROPORTION TO THE EXTENT THAT HE PROVIDES FOR HIS WIFE’S NEED: SPIRITUALLY, EMOTIONALLY, ROMANTI- CALLY, FINANCIALLY, AND SEXUALLY.
Let’s see if you got the point. The average husband neglects his wife’s romantic needs, having allowed “more important” things to crowd his life. (See the chapter on “For Husband’s Only”) The average wife has left the sexual ministry off her priority list, or else it was too far down on the list to count! What does she consider more important? The children? the house? the food preparation? the clothes? It’s easy to see what we consider important. One considers important what one spends one’s time and energy and thoughts on. Too many husbands and wives are so preoccupied with other things that there is too little time left for each other. “Not now, I’m busy dear, doing something more important than being with you or ministering to you.” Even the excuse “I’m too tired”, leaves the question, “What more important things or people were you NOT too tired for???
We were at a conference recently when we heard a prophecy come to us from the Lord. It went like this: “‘BUSY’, ‘BUSY’, ‘BUSY’, SAITH THE ONE WHOM MY SOUL LOVES!” Do you remember the story in the Gospels of Mary and Martha? Martha was busy getting the food ready for Christ Who came to visit with them, and she asked Jesus to scold Mary for not helping her instead of sitting at Jesus’ feet in worship and fellowship. Jesus said, “Mary has chosen the better part!” And we must have our priorities straight also! Remember, on the Great Day soon coming, we must all give a sober accounting for the extent that we concentrated on priorities, and the extent that we fulfilled them with a right heart attitude!
Let us take a moment to consider what we believe to be THE GREATEST PRIORITY of all for the dear ones that have become born-again. We have come to call it
“THE KING’S GREATEST SECRET”
REVIEW — CHAPTER 6
- Which is easier — to walk with God, or satan?
- What two things are required in order for a person to be called a Kingdom citizen?
- Jesus said in Luke 14:33 that we cannot be HIs disciple unless we do what?
- What does Matthew 7:21 say?
- Are you full of God right now? Giver you self a percentage 1 - 100.
- For Christians, the single most important ingredient to knowing the Will of God is —.
- True or False: Every thing in the marriage relationship can be righteously “hired done”, except the sexual (Please explain.)
- How close to the top of your priority list was your ministry to your spouse, romantically? sexually?
- Your mate is completely at your mercy when it comes to the amount of romantic and sexual ministry he or she receives? (True or False?)
- A woman’s value as a wife can be determined in direct proportion to
- How can we determine what a person’s priorities are?
- What two things will be held accountable for when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ?
