Group 7 – Section 3

… (Your name), I delight that [my adequacy], [my glory], [my reassurance], [my security], [the justification of my value], [my eternal significance]…

…is not from how well I feed the sheep with my insights. I am turning my heart to shepherd people to the Lord so that they can feed on and drink from God’s radiant presence (Ezek. 34).

…is not from the backing I get from leaders or the people in the church. I repent of resentment toward them when they don’t understand. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not from how many people look to me for direction and spiritual guidance. I repent of trying to elevate my value before them. I set my heart to stay before You, Lord, and drink from You like a sponge.

…is not from pride because of the spiritual power that God gives. I repent of exalting or honoring myself as the healer. I set my heart to stay open and keep receiving Your Presence, Lord.

…is not from “my ministry” at all! God says, “…From Me comes your fruit” (Hos. 14:8). So, when I enter the Holy Place with my physical body, by receiving Heaven around me so I can stand before the Lord, here, He is before me here, and all ministry becomes something that Jesus is doing; “…God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Cor 6:16).

…is not from how well I minister to people or whether I am allowed to minister to them. I repent of feeding myself with the sheep (Ezek. 34). God is the one who saves, not me. I turn away from pride in myself as the savior! Jesus Christ is the Messiah—not me.

…is not from the importance that church people place on my ministry. I repent of pushing to impress people to gain a place of greater authority and influence in ministry.

…is not from the results I get in helping people grow in the Lord. I repent of priding myself on how well I help them. I grab my soul and turn it from faith and praise toward me because the nearness of the Holy Spirit in and around us causes growth.

…is not from “ministry” that I do! Since I am giving God a place for Him to dwell, the ministry that happens best is the result of what Jesus is doing! Lord, I love that by receiving the kingdom, I am making it easier for You to minister to people because I am giving you a way to be here more fully.

…is not from acknowledgment by the church leadership. I repent of pushing to establish myself in ministry. I am turning my heart to trust that God will lift me up at the perfect time: “…humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time” (1 Pet. 5:6).

… (Your name), I delight that [my adequacy], [my glory], [my reassurance], [my security], [the justification of my value], [my eternal significance]…

…is not from the power of my human influence. I turn to stand before the Lord of hosts. My influence is from how well I turn away from fear and toward childlike faith that lets me open up to the radiance around God so I can drink from God and receive His presence and kingdom around me here. (pause to hear, believe, and love this as the truth!)

…is not from how well I get people to need me. God is what they need.

…is not from the value that (a person’s name) places on my ministry.

…is not from pride because of how much I help people. The Holy Spirit is the Helper. I repent of pride from their praise… (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not in my ministry to people. My most important ministry is to You, Lord. God has made me a kingdom priest (Rev. 5:10), and as a priest, He says to me, “My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers…” (2 Chron. 29:11).

…is not from how well I manipulate, control, or use emotional hype to get them to value me and my ministry.

…is not from pride in the spiritual things I tell people. I drink from God, and the Holy Spirit helps them. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not from how well I force my ministry on people. I repent and turn away from faith in myself. My faith is in God.

…is not from my being the savior and messiah they need. I repent and turn away from wanting to be their savior and messiah. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not from how well I protect the people I minister to. Their protection is in standing before the Lord and staying in His presence here with them.

…is not from how much they appreciate and show excitement for my ministry. Heart, it is far better to love God than to love how people feel about what I do or teach. I love You, Lord. I turn my heart to find the nourishment I need from faith that You see and value my faith, ministry, and love.

…is not from the results I see in them. My fruit is from God, and I turn my heart to keep feeding on Your nearness, Lord. Like King David, I am determined to drink from God and satisfy myself with the greatness of God’s power and glory while trusting with gratitude I am in His heavenly Sanctuary here (Ps. 63:1-2, 5; Heb. 12:22-24, 28).

…Heart, rejoice that when I abided in the throne room before the Lord, Jesus is here doing HIS ministry. His role is to do the work. My role is to enter the kingdom by receiving it around me like a child while enjoying and loving that Jesus is with me here (1 Chron. 29:11). (pause to let yourself feel confident because of the truth!)

…Heart, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13); “Be strong and let your heart take courage…hope in the Lord” (Psa. 31:24); “…it is Heaven that rules.” (Dan. 4:26).

…I reject ministry as a way to feed my pride. My fruit comes from God—I will feed on Him and not on results from me. God is their Shepherd, their Savior. I will lead them to You, Lord, and not to myself. Heart, Jesus said, “…he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). So, effectiveness in ministry is because of how well I abide inside God’s presence and kingdom around me here. When God is with me, HE is doing His ministry.

…I am declaring to my heart that “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” (Psa. 56:3,4); “Guard my soul…for I take refuge in You” (Psa. 25:20); “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul.” (Psa. 54:4). (let yourself feel confident from faith that the closeness of God’s power and glory is greater than any earthly glory)

…Heart hear this! “…the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers…” (2 Chron. 29:11); So, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…” (James 4:8); because I am to enter the “holy place” with faith (Heb. 10:19-22) and receive the kingdom of Heaven with “gratitude” (Heb. 12:22-24, 28), I “…have boldness and confident access through faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12); “for through Him we…have our access in one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:18).

…Heart, it is right for me to stay before the Lord like King David where he said, “I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken…my heart is glad and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will dwell securely.” (Psa. 16:8,9).

…Heart, as a competent servant-minister of the new covenant (2 Cor. 3:6), my aim is to help people draw near to God so they can drink from Him and not from the world or sin. I repent of shepherding people in ways that make them more dependent on me, instead of helping them depend on God.

…Heart, hear this: “…the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished” (1 Chron. 28:20); “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies” (Rom. 10:33); “…my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” (Psa. 13:5 NIV); “…I have hope in Him.” (Lam. 3:24).

…Heart, it is God that I love—not what I accomplish in other people’s lives. Loving God above ministry helps me have greater effectiveness.

…Heart, Jesus says, the “…Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8), so I set my heart to “…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mat. 6:33); “…be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 2:1); “…Freely you received, freely give” (Mat. 10:8).

…It says to “…glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). I turn my heart to find courage by keeping the internal flow of praise going toward God instead of letting it come toward myself: “Through Him…then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Heb. 13:15).

…Heart, the presence of God, and His kingdom around me are my glory. When I am not sure of my motive, I repent of holding back from actions intended to honor God because it says to “…Be strong and courageous, and act…” (1 Chron. 28:20); by faith, I will trust I can “…do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31).

…Jesus said, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” (John 14:10). So, I set my heart to open up to God and trust that the kingdom of Heaven is coming down upon and around me here. By this, God is holiness for my humanity, and I can abide IN Him with an open Heaven above and all around me here.

…Heart, the Lord says to me, “My Spirit is abiding in your midst; do not fear!” (Hag. 2:5). When it says He is abiding this way, He is in me because of salvation and around me because Jesus promised He would send the Helper to us. So, “…Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.” (Eph. 6:10); “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Deut. 31:6).

…I set God before me (Psa. 16:8-9), not the results of my ministry! Soul, keep feeding on God and not on the fruit! It is God’s truth that sets people free—not me. Shepherds lead sheep to where they can eat and drink. Heart, God who feeds them. I can only lead them to Him. I set my heart on continuing to receive the kingdom of God so that HE can more effectively minister to them here.

…I repent and reject my ministry as a way to feed my pride. My fruit comes from God—I will feed on Him and not on results that come from me. God is their Shepherd and Savior. I will lead them to You, Lord, and not to myself. The effectiveness of my ministry flows out of the quality of my abiding before the Lord.

…Thank You, “O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary…God…gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God” (Psa. 68:35)! I repent of expecting people to feed themselves with what I give them of myself. Thank You, God, that I can help people satisfy themselves by drinking from You: Lord, “…You are my God…My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You…Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory…My soul is satisfied…” (Psa. 63:1,2,5).

…Heart, hear that even when I do wrong, God’s word to me is, “…Do not fear. You have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (1 Sam. 12:20). Thank You, God, for the power of Your cleansing when I trust I am walking in the Light of Your presence that pours out from all around You (1 John 1:5, 7; John 7:39).

…Heart, “…the Lord has chosen you to stand before Him, to minister to Him, and to be His ministers…” (2 Chron. 29:11); “Do not fear…rejoice and be glad, for the Lord has done great things” (Joel 2:21); “…You shall not fear man, for the judgement is God’s…” (Deut. 1:17); “…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mat. 6:33).

…Heart, embrace this truth: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him” (Psa. 28:7).

…Heart, because I am directing my heart into the place of making “…the Lord…even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:9-10); “…the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Isa. 30:15); “…O Lord God, You are my confidence…” (Psa. 71:5).

…Heart, God is their Shepherd and their Savior. I will lead them to You, Lord, and not to myself (Ezek. 34). I repent of feeding myself with Your sheep, God! Heart, I don’t want to be in a place where God has to tear the sheep out of my mouth because I am feeding myself with them (Ezek. 34:10). To avoid that, I am making declarations of repentance and faith that turn my heart toward freedom and faith that lets me feed on You, God. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…God says to us, “My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” (Ezek. 37:27). So, my ministry goal is to help people live with faith about these things! And, I am confident about being successful because “…the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord…” (Hab. 2:14). (let yourself feel confident from the closeness of God’s power and glory!)

Heart, “…the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Isa. 30:15), and, I am determined to believe that.

…Heart, “Be strong and let your heart take courage…hope in the Lord” (Psa. 31:24); the more my ministry helps people turn away from idolatry and toward faith about receiving the kingdom, standing before the Lord, and drinking from Him, the more I will be doing my part so that “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace…The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this” (Isa. 9:7). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)

…Thank You, God, that I can trust Your presence on me and around me as my “holy array” (1 Chron. 16:28-29). Thank You, God, that I CAN put on the armor of Light by making declarations that build my faith about Your coming to me and being upon and around me here (Rom. 13:12, 14).

…Heart, “…we…receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” (Gal 3:14); so, I “…must believe…that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6), or, I won’t be able to receive! So, “… let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; And He will come to us like the rain…” (Hos. 6:3); my declarations are to “Break up your fallow ground, / For it is time to seek the Lord / Until He comes to rain righteousness on you” (Hos. 10:12).

…Heart, hear this and embrace it as the truth! The more my declarations 1) help me repent of fear and pride about not deserving God’s presence and kingdom, AND 2) the more I can humble my soul and align my heart with the truth until I feel playfully joyful, delighted, and have freedom and the faith of a child about the abundance of His coming to me, the more He comes!

…I repent of making declarations as self-effort that achieves belief and surface joy as a means to performing well and finding pride that earns God’s kingdom and presence! Hear this again! The more I can humble myself from pride and align my heart and faith with the truth that it is reasonable and proper to feel playfully joyful and delighted about the abundance of God coming to me, the more His presence and kingdom will come!

…I will not be afraid because “…God…has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Cor. 4:6,7).

…Heart, hear all of this! “…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood…so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Pet. 2:9). So, “…put on the armor of light…put on the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Rom. 13:12 and 14), because “…as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too…walk in newness of life.” (Rom. 6:4).

…I am making declarations that help me apply the Scriptures so that I can trust that it is with me, the same as what Jesus said of Himself: “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:11).

…I set my heart to hear and believe my declarations that ascribe greater glory and power to the nearness of God. I am determined to let my faith grow into alignment with the truth about God’s greatness near me. Heart, I am intentionally letting my faith expand to closer match the truth about the nature of God’s power and glory, being far beyond and more extreme than any earthly glory and power I could ever know. To make God my God, I am letting myself feel reassured and confident because of how transcendently great His nearness is to me!

…Heart, because God is their Shepherd and Savior, I will lead them to You, Lord, and not toward greater dependence on me (Eze. 34). The most fruitful ministry happens because of my abiding in Christ, where God and His kingdom with angels are upon and around me (Heb. 12:22-24, 28), where the radiance of God’s Spirit that pours out from the glorified Jesus (John 7:39) is upon and flowing out from me here.

…Heart, Jesus said He would work along with me: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mat. 11:28,29); and, Jesus says to me, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:11). So, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). When I receive the kingdom of Heaven around me here, I am presenting my body clean and acceptable to God and am abiding IN Him, here.

…Heart, I reject and renounce my ministry as a way to feel pride and a sense of well-being. My fruit comes from God (Hos. 14:8). Heart, “…the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:15); and he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). So, I set my heart to receive the kingdom of Heaven around me so I can feed on God’s radiant presence upon and around me, and not on results from me.

…I am directing my heart (1 Sam. 7:3) to love and enjoy that by receiving the kingdom with the gratitude of a child at Christmas time (Mark 10:15; Heb. 12:22-24, 28), I am removing obstacles (Isa. 57:14) and making a highway for God (Isa. 40:3-5) to minister to people around me because I am opening the gates (Ps. 24:6-8) above me and giving Him a way to be with us more fully.

…I repent of doubting the greatness of what God wants to do through me. All that God plans for me shall come to pass. I will not doubt or fear, and by standing before the Lord, I trust I am presenting those things before the Lord so that the radiance of His holiness upon them can burn the fear and doubt off and away from me.

…Heart, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?” (Psa. 56:3,4); and when necessary I will argue with my disbelief by directing my heart back into strong trust and faith.

…I repent of forgetting my own need for God when other people’s needs seem more important at the time. Heart, I will never minister to people in the greatest way possible unless I am abiding IN God’s presence and kingdom with me here. So, I turn from feeding myself with how well I nurture others spiritually. I set my heart to love the presence of God! I am directing my heart to treasure God’s closeness above all else. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…I am declaring to my heart that it is safe to trust God to come because I am saying to Him, “Guard my soul…for I take refuge in You.” (Psa. 25:20); “Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul” (Psa. 54:4).

…Heart, “…it is Heaven that rules.” (Dan. 4:26). But because we live in a world with evil in the air around us, I must also “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Cor. 16:13); “Be strong and let your heart take courage…hope in the Lord” (Psa. 31:24). Thank You, God, that I can “…put on the armor of Light…” (Rom. 13:12, 14), and that YOU are my strength!

…Heart, “…Do not fear or be dismayed because…the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chron. 20:15); “…You shall not fear [their] gods, nor bow down yourselves to them…” (2 Kings 17:35).

…Heart, hear this! “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him” (Psa. 28:7); “…the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished” (1Chron. 28:20); “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies;” (Rom. 10:33).

…Heart, “On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God” (Psa. 62:7); so, “…repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

…My repentance is by listening intently to myself as I make joyous declarations where “I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!’” (Psa. 91:2); Lord, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You” (Psa. 56:3). I will put my trust in God and His kingdom coming to me so that I can take refuge in Him.

…Heart, the mountain of God, is where God in Heaven dwells but He also wants to dwell with us here, “For thus says the high and exalted One… ‘I dwell on a high and holy place, / And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit…’” (Isa. 57:15); and, “he who takes refuge in Me…will possess My holy mountain” (Isa. 57:13); “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

…Heart, when I enter the holy place “in full assurance of faith,” I enter by receiving Heaven upon and around me, and God washes my conscience and physical body as He comes (Heb. 10:19-22). From my perspective, my faith is applied to receiving the kingdom of Heaven with the faith of a child (Mark 10:15). Thank You, God, that as an adequate minister of the New Covenant I can help others to find their adequacy in You (2 Cor. 3:4-6).

…Heart, when I enter the holy place, my faith is applied to receiving Heaven here, so I can take refuge in the Lord instead of the things of this world: “How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light” (Ps 36:7-9). Hear again where it says, “he who takes refuge in Me…will possess My holy mountain” (Isa. 57:13) and, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

…Heart, “…whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31); I am turning my heart to enjoy that when I trust what I am doing is glorifying God, He is pleased and I am energized with motivation because of how well I let myself believe and enjoy that He is pleased. So heart, “…Do not fear or be dismayed because…the battle is not yours but God’s” (2 Chron. 20:15).

…When I draw near to God, my faith is applied to His drawing near to me so that He can cleanse my hands and my heart (James 4:8). But from God’s perspective, the way He sees my entering, I am coming to Him by faith that I am receiving the kingdom of Heaven with gratitude: “…you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus…Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude…” (Heb. 12:22-24, 28). Thank You, Lord, that it is right and proper for me to trust You in this way!

…Heart, embrace and enjoy the eternal significance of trusting Heaven to come because that is how I do my part in making a highway for God’s will to be done in the earth: “…seek first His kingdom and His righteousness…” (Matt. 6:33); “Your kingdom come. / Your will be done, / On earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10); and again, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). Thank You, God, that I am receiving the kingdom of Heaven upon and around me even now.

…Heart, “…we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor. 5:9); and I set my heart to enjoy that the motivation and drive I need can come from how well I let myself believe the significance of being able to cause God to be pleased. Heart, God is pleased when I turn my heart from idolatry and depend on Him to draw near so that He can be God to me and I don’t have to turn away from Him to depend on something else.

…Heart, “…do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom. 6:13). Thank You, God, that by faith that I am receiving Heaven here, I can present my body, “acceptable” and washed clean (1 John 1:5, 7) before You: “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1). (pause to hear, believe, and love the God who is close!)

…I CAN become one of God’s holy “dwelling places” because, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, / The holy dwelling places of the Most High” (Psalm 46:4). So, I repent and turn my heart from feeding myself with pride because of the “ministry” that I do! Since my declarations are helping me become a place for God to dwell, any ministry that happens is because Jesus is here doing! Lord, I love that by receiving the kingdom, You are here walking with me and doing Your work (Heb. 12:22-24, 28).

…Heart, be thankful for salvation and embrace this truth with active faith that believes God is doing what this verse says, “…God said, ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Cor. 6:16). By aligning my life with my joyous and bold declarations of repentance and faith, I am making it easier for God to “walk among us” and minister to the people I am trying to minister to. Thank You, God, that I don’t have to depend on myself for the results. My only task is to receive Heaven here so I can abide before You here.

…Heart, Jesus said of His own abiding, “…He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him” (Joh. 8:29); and, “…whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight” (1Jo. 3:22). So, thank You, God, that it pleases You when I depend on You to draw near so that You can be my God and their messiah. By this, I don’t have to depend on myself for fruitfulness when ministering to people (Hos. 14:8). Thank You, God, that in my ministry, I can enjoy that You feel pleasure and honor because of my childlike dependence on Your nearness to add effectiveness, influence, and power as I do my part to minister to them.

… (Your name), I delight that [my adequacy], [my glory], [my reassurance], [my security], [the justification of my value], [my eternal significance]…

…is not from the people or the church leaders wanting to listen to me. I turn my heart from setting my hope on people… (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not from how well they accept what I say. God causes their growth. My eyes are on You and I am trusting You, Lord to help me lead them to Yourself so YOU can feed them.

…is not from pride because of daydreams about the future of my ministry. I turn from human pride because of what God has promised to do through me in ministry. Worshiping the fruit of my ministry with self-directed praise is idolatry. The Lord is my God and my glory.

…is not from “my ministry” at all! When I stand before the Lord of hosts, and He is before me here, and by this, all ministry belongs to the Lord, and not to me at all.

…is not from how well I impress church leadership with my value to the kingdom of God. I turn my heart away from resentment toward people when they don’t understand.

…is not from how well I save people. Jesus Christ is the Messiah, not me! I turn away from prideful daydreams about human glory to faith in God and the greater glory that I ascribe to His nearness: “…Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name…come before Him; / Worship the Lord in holy array” (1 Chron. 16:28-29).

…is not from the validation they give. God is the one who justifies me. I set my affections on God.

…is not from how well they advertise for me and tell others about my ministry. I turn away from wanting fame as my glory. (pause to hear, believe, and love it as the truth!)

…is not from miracles or from people being healed. Miracles are what God does, not me.

…is not from “ministry” that I do! Since I am giving God a place for Him to dwell, any ministry that happens is all ministry that Jesus is doing!