Ozzone 11-10 > Do your aims and ideas get in the way of what God is doing through you?

 

So, if God tells us what He is doing in our lives, it is because He trusts us to not go running off and doing things in our own strength. Otherwise, He doesn't trust us, which is a pretty safe place to be.

#Ozzone 11-5> We must experience the sufferings of Christ, or we are of little use to Him

 

In the seeking of temporal rewards, avoiding identifying in the sufferings of Christ, we limit our rewards in Eternity. Some will have great rewards; some will have much less so. You can have many of your rewards here and now if you insist and refuse Christ’s sufferings, but you may not see them in Eternity. The things God could have done with you may not get done, or He may have to equip someone else to do them.

#Ozzone 11-1 > Are you merrily driving down the Freeway of Life, or are you of value to God?

 

As a Christian, are you on the Freeway of Life like most of the traffic? God wants you to take the next exit, to get out on the byways and the back roads where real people live. People die on freeways, but nobody lives on one. Get out onto the dirt roads through the mountains and valleys. God has people there for you to meet and reveal Himself to. It might not be the most pleasant drive; you may even break down at times. But God will be with you, and you will be of use to Him and to others.

Ozzone 10-26> Don’t judge your ministry by the results but by your obedience to the call of God

 

Ozzone 10-24 > Have you fixed it in your mind that you are caught up in the train of Christ’s victories?

 

Ozzone 10-21> Are you impulsive? Stop it! Impulsiveness is fine in a child but disastrous in an adult

 

Ozzone 10-11 > Do you have a friend whom you are comfortable with even in long periods of silence?

 

Larry King once interviewed Mother Theresa and asked her what she said when she prayed. She responded, “I don’t say anything, I just listen.”

King then asked what God said to her when she prayed. She stated, “He doesn’t say anything either, He just listens. And if you can’t understand that, I can’t explain it to you.”

God doesn’t listen to your words, but to your heart, we should try to emulate Him during some of our prayer time. To just be with Him.

Ozzone 10-4 > It is in the valley that we prove our faith, whether we are willing to be battered into shape and use by the Lord.

 

Ozzone 10-3 > The power of the saint lies in the coming down from the mountain and in the living down in humility

 

Ozzone 9-30 > How much are you willing to suffer for God? Are you willing to identify with His cross?

 

And it will benefit God’s Kingdom, and will ultimately benefit you. Have you so surrendered your right to yourself to God that you will allow Him to make you into broken bread and poured-out wine? He will knead you, put you on the back burner until you rise, and then throw you into the oven. After all that, He will pull you apart like Jesus was pulled apart on the Cross. Are you willing to endure the pain?

Ozzone 9-27 > > God is not gentle when it comes to that which can hurt you or Him

 

‘Christ has no tenderness toward that which would ultimately ruin someone in His service’! That is likely true for both this world and Eternity. When, 26 years ago I shook my fist at God, He was not the least bit gentle in His rebuke. But I soon realized how arrogant I was to think God had anything other than His kingdom and my good character in mind. He is using me now and preparing me for Eternity. And I praise Him for it.

Ozzone 9-24 > Have you surrendered your right to yourself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? That's what He wants.

 

Ozzone 9-23 > Are you willing to go up to your Jerusalem with Jesus? Do you know what it means?

 

About 15 years ago I wrote a worship song with the line “Let me walk with you, Lord”, at the beginning and end of the chorus. Only now has it struck me what that actually means. It’s not just being in the Presence of the Lord, but it means following Him wherever He goes, and, inevitably, He went up to Jerusalem and His Gethsemane, His scourging, and His crucifixion. Am I prepared to go through those trials in my life? Should I expect anything less? We evangelicals like to take the easiest path, like to accept the suffering of Jesus as all that’s needed to save me. But we are called upon to identify with Jesus Christ in His sufferings, and how can we do anything less? Philippians 3:10.

Ozzone 9-21 > Jesus demands absolute virtue and honor from His disciples. How are you doing with that?

 

Ozzone 9-19 > Will you follow The Lord through the difficult times? Can you hear His voice?

 

John 6:66 > Remember, these were not just followers, they were disciples who turned their backs on Jesus when He spoke a hard thing. And there were many of them.

25 years ago I had been suffering for a few months. Unbelievably, I got angry at the Lord and shook my fist at Him. His response was immediate and hairraising – “You have not yet resisted unto blood in your struggle against sin.”

I knew immediately that I was in for a long struggle and a quarter century later it is not yet complete. But I walk with God!

The last two sentences are fascinating! We Christians follow the Bible if we know what’s good for us, but Ozzie seems to be saying here that there may come a time when God will take us into new areas that the Bible might not prepare us for. Then we have to listen to His voice and follow His Spirit. It will never contradict the Bible, but it may require us to make a judgment that is not spelled out in Scripture.

Ozzone 9-18 > Understanding temptation on a whole new level – Part 2

 

Ozzone 9-16 > If Jesus Christ has been formed in us, He will change our attitude to the things about which we pray

 

Ozzone 9-13 > “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.”

 

Giving up your right to yourself is no more than accepting the fact that Jesus is Lord of every aspect of your life. Have you done that? If you don’t, it will cost you in the end.

Ozzone 9-10 > Are you locked and loaded, ready for the crisis? The workshop of missionary munitions is the hidden, personal, worshipping life of the saint!

 

Ozzone 9-5 > Are you still watching for Jesus, or have you reached the point of watching with Him?