“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,
‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’ (Revelation 2:1-7)“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16)
Too often, I think, we tend to ask ourselves, “How am I doing in my Christian walk?” instead of, “Jesus, how are things between you and me?” Is our goal to grow in the things of whatever standards we may have set for ourselves or the standards of the Christianized culture around us? Or is our prayer, “Father, what would you have me do? Today, tomorrow, short-term, long term? Is there something that needs improvement? Is there some way I need to change my behavior for the sake of other people? Is there a particular goal You have in mind for me, somewhere You want me to go, someone You want me to talk to? Jesus, I pray You’d lead me past the hesitation.”
If we are born-again believers, that means we are not improving our “Christian lifestyle” but are growing in our relationship with Jesus, and from there, with His people. We can’t “improve ourselves,” only grow closer to God. If we merely try to improve ourselves, we’ll start to compare ourselves to other people, by other people, rather than God and His expectations. If we grow in the secret place with our Father, and dare to pray dangerous prayers, we come closer to Him, learn to trust Him, lean on Him, communicate with Him.
While we’re on the subject of “dangerous prayers,” I’d like to put this topic in perspective. Think of how many times Satan has tried to end our lives, even before they began! I mean, think of it, abortion has been on the rise since the 1960s, before then sickness threatened young lives all the time, and Satan tries to steal the children’s hearts in no time at all! He’s tried to take all of our lives physically, but he also tries to get us distracted with our own dreams and ambitions before we seek God’s counsel; he tries to get us discouraged and depressed so we can’t see the potential God’s placed in us; he does everything he can think of to stop us, because he knows God’s plan for us! But think of it, if that’s what Satan is trying to do, that means God has much in store for those who are His children! Not only that, it means that He believes that we can do it! That sounds like good news to me!
If this is the case, dear friends, let’s not take these gifts of breath in vain! Let’s live for Him who died for us! If He promises to uphold us, how then shall we fail? If He believes in us, how then can we fear? Yet when we doubt, He gives us the word we need to grab hold of faith, and when we trip, He lifts us up again.
We must remember from whence we came, at what price we were bought. I have found it helpful to every day think about the day the Lord intervened in my life and everything changed. It helps to remember how helpless you are on your own, and how everything changed when the Holy Spirit filled you and how He sustains you by His grace through the gift of faith. Lord help me to never forget the prayer I prayed that day: “Father, teach me to love.” Wasn’t it love the Ephesian church needed to keep it’s lamp? Though it did all the right stuff and had all the right theology, it forgot from whence it came and forgot to love, the fire it needed to burn.
I would challenge you, if your desire is to shine like a lamp on a stand, to be salt in the earth, to pray dangerous prayers. If you pray for love, you will be continually put in situations outside of your control where you need to decide to sacrifice, even if no one will pay you back, even if you pour yourself out to do it. If you pray for patience, it will be tested and stretched. If you pray for a field, it will be given to you in a form you never imagined. If you pray for justice, you will be fought and pressured by the accuser. If you pray for strength, your greatest weaknesses will rise up. If you pray for victory, you will stare defeat in the face… until it backs down. My Mom was saying recently that the time is so short. For this reason, brethren, don’t let your prayers be limited to the supply of your daily bread. Don’t let your searches be for the passing knowledge of the world. Don’t let your behavior be merely about being good enough. If you’re surrounded by standards you know aren’t God’s, here’s another challenge:
Decide this: I will be different. I will not meet the standards of the world, I will exceed them, simply because I strive for the upward call of Christ. I will be different. I will not be satisfied with the ordinary or the comfortable. I will give when no one sees, love when no one notices, pray when no one knows, serve even if I’m alone. I will fight if I have too, but not for me. To exceed, I will humble myself. His will is my will. When the mountains shake, I will be still. Every care, everything I thought I had to figure out, I will leave up to God. I will seek out those who need to hear God’s word, not so I can minister to them, but just because God asks me to. For I, too, have been bought with a price.
Okay, that’s not a standard I’m suggesting to improve your Christian walk. 
This is a basic summary of the humble servant’s heart that God values, something every one of us should strive for not to better ourselves but just to please our Master, because we love Him! Dangerous prayers lead us into tight places, but they make this short stay on earth worth it, because we are here to be different. We are not here to “get our theology straight” or to live good lives. We MUST shine with the love of Christ! The love of Christ compels us! Remember what love it was that saved you! Reflect the image in the mirror; it’s gonna be in little baby steps, but God is not measuring the length of our steps or the quality, He’s just asking that we take them!
Remember, love is greater than all knowledge, miracles, tongues, prophecy, faith; love is the fulfillment of the law! And only by the Spirit can we fulfill the law!
Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God’s throne! So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won’t get discouraged and give up. (Hebrews 12:1-3, CEV)
Don’t leave this place discouraged, leave encouraged, because God has given you the potential to fulfill His calling! But don’t seek out your own idea of what that calling is; love God and follow His instructions one thing at a time, His way is perfect! Pass the news on!
