Have you ever thought about why you do the things that you do? Why do you spend the bulk of your time working at the job / career or ministry that you are at? Why did you marry or divorce the person that you did? Why do you do what you do in your leisure time? Why do you eat the foods that you do and not eat other foods? Why do you exercise or not exercise each week? Why do you read the Bible or don’t read the Bible? Most in the world simply try to get through one day in order to get to the next day but rarely think about why they do the things they do each day. They usually justify that the reason they work at an unfulfilling job is because they need to make money so they can buy things to live or provide for their family.
When I think about why I do the ministry that I do (trying to help people get healed from their past soul wounds and delivered) – it is because I lived through some personal pain that was deep and want to help others to be aware of how they can actually get freed so they don’t have to endure the same pain. I want to save marriages from strife because I had to endure a great deal of arguments and it was really hard to live each month with constant friction. And the ministry cost me everything – I have no home of my own or apartment as I travel around the country and live with other people or stay in hotels. I cannot ask people for money but must trust the Lord to provide for everything and that others will donate or purchase books to help them grow spiritually. I want to see millions have their soul wounds cleansed and to be delivered from their demons that torment them to torment others.
God knows our hearts and what motivates us to do what we do each day. He knows if we are motivated negatively by greed, sexual perversity, fear, anger, vengeance, jealousy, selfishness, bitterness or if we are motivated positively through love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control. Saul became king because the people demanded that they have a king but his motivations of his heart ultimately were not what they should have been so God’s anointing left Saul and came upon David.
1 Samuel 13:10-14 NKJV
10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.
11 And Samuel said, “What have you done?”
Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
1 Samuel 16:7 NKJV
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
David had a heart after God’s own heart which means that he would do what the Lord wanted. Yes, he messed up when he lusted after Bathsheba and then compounded the problems by having her husband killed in battle to try and cover up their sexual indiscretion but when he was confronted by Nathan he admitted it and repented and endured the consequences. Many who do not have the Lord’s heart will not do what the Lord wants if it costs them much. God is looking for men and women who are willing to sacrifice their own selfish and prideful wants and desires in favor of doing what He wants. It is never easy to give up your own wants in favor of the Lord but your eternal blessings and rewards will be well worth it in the end.
Why do you do what you do? Most of the time it is because of what happened to us in childhood. Many who become pastors or counselors or psychologists is because they were hurt growing up and they want to help other people to get healed and freed. Unfortunately if they are not trained to understand that wounds lead to demons tormenting them then they are not able to get to the underlying root issue to get people truly healed and delivered. Also if they have not been delivered themselves then they will have pride of desiring to control other people which makes them feel good about themselves but does little to truly help others get healed and restored.
Some people are in jobs because they decided to help those less fortunate to be loved on as their previous jobs were only about making the most money they could make yet they felt totally unfulfilled. When you are able to find a job / ministry that you are able to truly make a positive impact and improve the lives or marriages of people then count it an honor as unto the Lord. Most pursue careers that will pay them the most money they could make but they often have to compromise their godly values. Some are blessed with kingdom jobs or careers where they can make larger amounts of finances while still being able to help others.
Many people do what they do because of the pride and esteem they feel from other people. Many are in ministry operating out of a desire to have their image stroked to appear to look good when in reality their hearts are puffed up with pride and the only reason they are wanting to help others is to get more people to think how important they are but unfortunately it is all self-motivated. If you are doing anything other than out of a pure and loving heart – then often the Lord cannot bless it and you will be doing it out of a prideful spirit and ultimately it will fail.
Galatians 5:22-26 NKJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
If you do not consistently have the fruit of the spirit in your life then you will be motived with selfish and prideful desires. You need to pursue inner healing and deliverance in order to be set freed from the wounds of your past so that you will have godly intentions and desires in doing what you do. Ask the Lord why do you do what you do and He will tell you. It may hurt but is always worth it to do a self-assessment with the Lord.