Matthew 10:29-31

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The Incredible Security Of The Child Of God

Do you want an idea of just how much Almighty God knows about you, then look at Matthew 10:30 – And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Yes, admittedly for some of us this count is easier for the Lord to keep track of than for others of us, but stay with me now, Jesus then goes on to tell us once again how important His children are to Him by referring back to the lowly sparrow–a small bird that his audience deemed quite unimportant. Please look very carefully at the words of the Creator of the universe in verse 31; if you’ve given your life to Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then He is talking to you. Matthew 10:31 – So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Now let’s put this all together as it relates to the subject of the God’s lifeline of prayer, which is talking with, and listening to God–just as you do with others you love and have a relationship with. If the Lord God Almighty, Who is in absolute and total control of every nanosecond of every event in the entire universe takes the time to care for the lowly little sparrows, then how much more will He listen to, and respond to, His precious sons and daughters that Jesus engraved on His palms at His crucifixion! (see–Isaiah 49:16)

Let’s also keep in mind at this point that God transcends any emotion we could possibly have by infinity. As such then, let’s look at this incredible bit of comfort; if we as fallen; depraved; degenerate; corrupt, and evil creatures care for and love our own children, here Jesus is saying: Then how much more will your perfectly loving Father in Heaven care for you, no matter what your situation might look like at the moment. That’s the incredible security of the children of God! There is nothing that is happening to you that He is not ultimately in control of–the Lord is saying to you: So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

The Truth From Experience

I will admit, though I don’t always enjoy it, I’ve had the opportunity to learn much of this first hand. Since the Lord chose to raise up my ministry outside of the traditional religious “system,” many times I personally have been treated as a “sparrow.” However, I can truthfully tell you that God has always taken care of me, even when I may have let Him down on occasion. No one is worthy of the calling Jesus has made for our lives, but in Christ our loving and merciful God tells us we are worthy to answer His call in our lives.

Now, since our King is at war, all of us Christians are called join in His fight. And if I as one of His soldiers am not willing to follow Jesus–my sovereign Commander–even if it means discomfort, then what kind of soldier would I be? I’d be a deserter; it humbles us to realize that for too many in the Body of Christ, this is exactly what they are. And when a soldier deserts under combat, he leaves someone else to do his job. No one likes to suffer, but if a Christian is willing to persevere, in Christ’s power, through trials, it a most powerful testimony to God’s faithfulness–and to His reality. Persevering through trials and spiritual warfare allows the Christian to tell others about Jesus with more authority. That’s because “actions speak louder than words”; it is one thing to tell others about Jesus, it’s quite another to do your best to live the sacrificial life that the Lord Himself led.

If you are a Christian, I hope you’ll remember that God does not ask anything of us that He was not willing to do Himself. Hebrews chapter 5 and verses 7 and 8 – During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death [God the Father], and He was heard – and why did God the Father hear Jesus – because of His reverent submission. Although [Jesus is God the Son], He – just like you and I – learned obedience by what He suffered. Christian, do you love the Lord enough to be willing to sacrifice your pleasure in this world, if He told you that’s what it’ll take for a loved one to come to Jesus because they need to see the reality of God’s love for them by what you are willing to endure for the sake of Christ?

It’s easy to argue with words, but how can they argue with the power of God in your life, when time after time those close to you see satanic forces knock you down-though they will not know it is adversity from the evil one. But as your unsaved loved ones see you appear to be beaten down, yet again you rise to keep serving your Lord, in spite of your trials, Christ’s power becomes even more evident in your life. We become like spiritual Rocky Balboas; and many a person has come into the Kingdom of God by the powerful testimonies of suffering Christians, like the great Apostle Paul-author of the vast majority of the New Testament-who wrote in Romans 8:18, For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (KJV).

And the lifeline of a close, intimate relationship to God through prayer is the key to getting your focus off this dying world, and to setting your priorities straight about your service to your Commander and King-laboring in this spiritual war for the souls of your loved ones. Ah, here is where “the rubber hits the road,” the heart of the matter; do you really love those around you enough to sacrifice your life for theirs? Listen to our sovereign Commander in Chief of the Army of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, as He addresses His troops-all of us who are Christians-in John 15:12-13 – My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. Wasn’t our Master crucified for us? Then, if we are not willing to give our lives to Him-and that is what He asks-then what kind of soldiers are we?

Godly Wisdom from the Great Awakening

We are to walk with Jesus by faith, but you don’t need to fear this as He’ll supply the power. However, if we are not willing to join with those in the Army of the Lord who do make sacrifices-when He asks-if we are not willing to try and give our all like Jesus did, then who do we love more, God, or ourselves? John Wesley, who founded the Methodist movement of Christianity, was converted to Christ in 1730, and preached in a time in the American Church known as the Great Awakening. Now even though we don’t agree with everything he taught, for his time Wesley would certainly have to be considered a Major General in God’s Army.

In talking about Luke 9:23, which reads: Then [Jesus] said to them all: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me”, Major General Wesley wrote:

Denying ourselves and taking up our cross isn’t a little side issue–it is absolutely necessary to becoming or continuing to be a disciple of Jesus. If we don’t practice self-denial, we aren’t His disciples. It’s useless to try to follow the One who was crucified without taking up our own cross daily. Unless we deny ourselves it will be impossible not to deny the Lord… Those who love the world hate the very sound of it… [People] don’t seem to know much about this central doctrine of Christianity. Some are as ignorant about it as if there wasn’t one word about it in the Bible. But self-denial is something that their Master insists on… What is self-denial? Self denial is simply denying or refusing to follow our own will, from a conviction that the will of God is the only right way.

Now do you see now why Satan tries to roll out every type of attack at you to keep you from developing a sacrificial, dedicated, and disciplined prayer life with Jesus? The idea of self-denial appears too difficult until you realize this simple truth: the Master doesn’t expect you to just suddenly go from the place where you are in your spiritual life right now, to the level of devotion He had with the Father. God doesn’t measure you against others, so don’t you do it either, for that is a trap from the Devil.

Try this, decide to devote to the Lord an extra number of minutes each day above what you spend with God right now–whatever feels comfortable to you–and then just watch what happens to your walk with Jesus. You will feel His Presence and strength more and more as time goes on, and I tell you in the Lord, you will see the time you spend with Him will just increase naturally. Test wout what I tell you and see for yourself. But you must be determined to stick it out as Satan knows all too well what happens when the Christian spends quality time in the Presence of the Lord and will do all he can to get you to stop.

You must never forget that his entire doomed demonic empire trembles at the thought of you finally discovering that the key to your living above whatever your situation or even suffering might be, is to keep your thoughts and desires focused on doing the will of the Lord in a prayerful relationship with God. Psalm 37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. The more time you spend in the Presence of God Almighty, reading His Word, the Bible–where are His thoughts are written down–the more you’ll learn to think as He does.

The more time you devote to spending quality time with the Lord in prayer–talking with and listening to Him–the more you will start to become like Christ. When you are building this type of love relationship with God, the less you will fall short of His will for your life because you will be in the very Presence of the Lord Himself! And how great is that!

You might ask: Pastor Ken, are you trying to tell me that it is actually possible to communicate with God, and that a person can really know Him personally? You can bet all those vacuous “self-help” books I am! For today I tell you in the Lord, it would be best to burn most of those useless books–showing up in increasing numbers at your local “Christian” bookstores–filled with the wishful musings of lost souls in need of Christ themselves, and turn to the only One who can really help you–the mighty Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit of God says – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.