Control - What Have You Done for me Lately?

In 1986, Janet Jackson, the youngest of the Jackson clan released her her third album.  It was titled "Control."  The song itself and five other singles from that album were number one on the Billboard chat for weeks.  To date this album has sold over 14 million copies and is still selling and has made Miss Jackson an international pop-star.

The word control means to have the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.  In the eyes of the world Miss Jackson has control.  Miss Jackson, has control as far as the world standards are concerned.  She has wealth, influence, popularity, and recoginition.  It seems as if she has it all.  Does she?  Would you change places with her if you had to live the life she has lived as she has lived it? 

Those of use who love the Lord, and have received Jesus as our Savior, have given Him control over our lives.  This means that our behavior and actions are influenced by Him.  We have been studying the gospel of Mark.  It starts with Jesus' public ministry after he is baptized by his cousin John.  We learn more about John and his parents in the first book of the gospel of Luke.

John's parents were Zachariah and Elizabeth.  They were an elderly couple who had served the Lord faithfully their entire lives, but had no children.  One day while serving in the temple the angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah and told him he and his wife were going to have a child.  Of course this was shocking and Zachariah could not believe what he was hearing.  He was struck mute because of his disbelief.

Elizabeth did indeed become pregnant, and when Mary, her cousin, who had become pregnant with Jesus through the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth and the baby in her womb immediately became filled with, and contolled by the Holy Spirit.  The same thing happened to Zachariah on the day John was born.

There are those within the church that speak of, or ignore being filled with the Holy Spirit, but I have never heard anyone teach on being controlled by the Holy Spirit.  When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive the Holy Spirit.  We possess Him in our hearts, but how many of us truly allow the Holy Spirit to control us?  This may explain why so many in the body of Christ have so many issues and do not know how to deal with them, because they are not controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Oh, trouble is part of this life, but we make it worse for ourselves when we think we are in control and try to handle things on our own.

 God gives us the choice to rely on Him.  The word choice means an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities.  How many times have we decided to do things out of our own limited knowledge, strengh and power instead of being controlled by the Holy Spirit?  Too many.

Many bought Janet Jackson's album. They paid money for a lie. There are very few things in this life we have control over.  Just last week the Jackson family lost a wrongful death lawsuit concerning her brother, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

  When we love Jesus Christ we have choosen to give control of our lives to him.  Many of us sing the song "I Surrender All" and have no idea what surrender means or what we are singing.  Surrender means to cease resistance to an enemy or opponent and submit to their authority.  God is not our enemy, but our father and friend.  It's much easier said than done.  God knew us before he formed the world. Jesus was sent to die in our place.  We can chose to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, even if it is something we have to do several times a day.  It's the only way we can fufill our Godly purpose in this world.


"I Surrender All" link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ejmMz0WR7s

Bible Verse

Luke 1:41

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁴¹ And it occurred that when Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 1:67-69

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁶⁷ Now Zachariah his father was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸ and redemption to His people!

⁶⁹ And He has raised up a Horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Helper, the Author of salvation] for us in the house of David His servant—

What you do for Christ will last

The Gospel of Mark starts with John the Baptist.  John is telling the people the good news of the coming Messiah.  He didn't stop with the message of good news, but he told the people they needed to repent and be forgiven of their sins.  He even went so far as to have the people demonstrate their repentance by baptising them.

What was it about John the Baptist that people responded to?  He was strange at best.  He lived out in the wilderness alone, he didn't wear the latest fashions, or have any type of financial or political stature at all, but he had a tremendous impact on those who saw and heard him.

I believe John the Baptist was successful for two reasons.  The first is that he understood what God's purpose was for his life and he was fulfilling it, and second he knew the Word of God and he wasn't afraid to use it.

In verses 2-3 it states:
as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

 

How many times do we struggle with difficult issues?  We worry, we lose sleep, we stress ourselves out.  Why?  Because we don't know what to do, or what will happen.  Those of us who know God, know that God knows everything. All we have to do is turn our burdens over to him.  We don't because often we cannot let go, we fool ourselves into thinking we are in control.  Often we are operating and behaving outside the will of God for our lives.  Finally, we don't know the Word, or refer to it like we should.  We are often hindered because we do not take the time to study and understand all the power, grace, and mercy we have available to us. 

 

God's Word is living and it is powerful and it can change us, any situation, and anything else.  If we do not know that, if we are not in right fellowship with our Lord, then we miss out on all God has to offer us.

 

The Bible does not provide much personal information about John the Baptist.  We do not know if he had any other aspirations, dreams, or desires.  What we do know is that he highly valued the coming Messiah and wanted the people to be ready to receive him.  There is no account of if he totally comprehended that over 2000 years after his death and that of Jesus Christ, people would be reading about him and still repenting, and being baptised.

 

We may never receive the proper recognition or reward for what we do by humankind.  We may even be treated badly for speaking God's truth and living a righteous life, but one thing we do know is that what we do for Christ will last.