There are many aspects of studying Rapt's Word that have overturned my previous image of Christianity, but I think it is safe to say that what I am about to share with you was the most unexpected of them all.
Most Christians in this world offer mostly token prayers.
There are also many Christians who make little or no effort on their own, and who pray as if they are throwing everything to God.
However, the Lord hears the prayers of those who make the utmost effort in their own strength and then hang on with all their hearts to break through the limits that they cannot break through by their own strength.
The person who does not even try to do anything in his/her own strength, but only prays to the Lord to do it, the Lord will not hear his/her prayer, but rather will judge him/her as lazy and arrogant, because the Lord sees him/her as someone who gives instructions to the Lord and commands the Lord, rather than relying on the Lord.
I had a vague idea that becoming a Christian basically meant that I should pray every day, try not to sin, repent honestly when I did, purify my heart, believe in God, and live a life of love, and that would be enough.
In the early days of our faith, that may be fine,
But as I learned and felt the truth of the Word that Rapt conveys, I learned that the longer I have been in the faith, the more I need to be aware of God at each moment and make daily efforts to please Him.
I realized that God lovingly loves those who make the utmost effort for Him.
The following (purple box) is an excerpt from the Word of God.
He(Rapt) realized that he knows that if he does not make the utmost effort himself first, he will not be helped by me even if he depends on me, and that if he makes the utmost effort and sincerely calls out to me, I will gladly help him. He knows firsthand through experience that if he makes the utmost effort and sincerely calls out to me, I will be happy to help him.
He also knows that if he does not always live in this way, he will not be pleased with me.
During his 25 years of training, he has had this drilled into him to the point of disgust.
Even after 25 years of overcoming Hardship, Rapt is still do continuing to share his revelations from God for us on a daily basis.
We can live our lives of faith while studying the Word that Rapt has shared so much with us.
However, Rapt, even though he had a pastor who was his teacher,
I imagine that Rapt, without knowing clearly the contents of the Word of God that we now know, was going through a life of faith 25years by putting in the utmost effort, acquiring that ability, and receiving the utmost blessings from God as well.
And it must have been an unimaginable hard 25 years, which no ordinary person could have endured.
And that is why I believe that we are in a truly blessed state today, who are able to live a life of faith after receiving the Word of God from Rapt and knowing the various mechanisms of this world.
Once again, I am filled with joy and gratitude for God and Rapt.
You must not think that even if you pray to me, I will help you when you have made no effort or only a moderate effort.
You must realize that I am a God who will only extend a helping hand to you when you have made 100 percent, or even 1,000 percent effort.
Moreover, you must realize that when you pray, you are not just offering a perfunctory and token prayer, but when you sincerely ask for my help from the bottom of your heart, I will finally extend my helping hand for the first time.
I am God who is always running as fast as I can.
Yet, why would I want to extend a helping hand to you if you are going to be lazy?
Only then can God reach out to us and give us more power than we have, I believe.
There are things that you human beings can do with your human power and things that you cannot do with your human power.
I, as God, know the limit line, so when you human beings are trying to do the best you can by your own strength, I also think that this person is really doing well for me, and I sincerely want to help that person.
And if that person sincerely prays to me in humility and calls out to me with all his/her might, I will actually extend a helping hand to that person.
It may seem obvious to say, "First of all, do what you can do to the best of your ability to the best of your 100%", but this may seem difficult to do.
I feel that this is also due in no small part to the tendency created by the world to get in the way of "making an effort".
In Japan, I feel that there is a widespread tendency to say "as much as you can…", "it's okay if you can't do it", or "have fun", "try to gain", etc., as if it were "a way to win without overdoing it".
I feel that working hard is not smart, it is hot and in some cases, it has a nuance of not enjoying life and being uncool….
Therefore, I feel that many people have developed a disposition to give up immediately, saying that working hard is too hard, that it is impossible for us.
However, I have learned from this Word that God first recognizes those who work our hardest to the utmost for Him.
This is one of the great salvations for me.
Ofcourse it is not easy, but we cannot grow if we do not try.
I know we need to take a break from time to time, but to actually gain competence and live happily, we still need to make a steady effort.
The reason why it seems difficult is probably because we, the human race, have become so corrupted after all.
I have come to think that it is the original duty and grace of mankind, created by God, to put 100% of our heart and effort for God first.
You must understand that there is a division of responsibility between human beings and God.
I am the God who reaches out only to those areas in which you are unable to do your best and enables you to break through your limitations.
However, those who do not even try to make an effort until they hit the limit and throw everything to me from the beginning, I will not grant their prayers, rather I will judge them, because I see them as those who use me as a jaw-dropper, those who tell me what to do and command me.
I abhor to the utmost those who think they can achieve success without any effort.
You must fully understand this and be aware of it.
If you know this, make the utmost effort, and call on me to the utmost extent, I will gladly pitch in and help that person.
Thanks to the many God's Word that conveyed by Rapt, I am grateful that I realized that I must first make the utmost effort to feel that I have done all that I can do.
May we not live for ourselves, but for God, and may we run toward a life that will please God.
I pray that this Word of truth and love will reach people all over the world.
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
<Philippians 3 :12-14>
The text of the Word can be found here
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The Word of Truth and Love by Rapt is available here.