Order Gives Fulfillment

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Sep 202010
 

Alright, so here is a very well known scripture- but one we must remind our self of constantly.

1 Corinthians 14:40
Let all things be done decently and in order.
KJV

How many successful businesses do you know of that are in complete disorder when it comes to their bookkeeping, inventory, staffing, tax filing or other important areas. I’m not talking about “John’s Peaches” on the side of some random road. I’m talking about a proven business that has went through the ups and downs of the market and has sustained profitable results through these trying times. Probably zero or very few… and of the few they are most likely borderline bankrupt. It just doesn’t happen.

One of the greatest feelings in life is going to work or your place of business and fulfilling a needed duty for which you receive compensation in the form of green paper. That little green paper is earned for providing a service or skill that benefited others. When at work most of us enjoy that feeling of doing something important while earning those monetary notes- But there is also something we may not realize or be constantly aware of while doing our jobs that is a reward in and of itself, and that is the order of our environment. We often don’t give much thought at work about where to find a pen, pad of paper, find a proper place to work on a laptop, or other trivial necessity. We need a pen, it’s in the desk- need a pad of paper, on the left side of the desk… For some reason it just isn’t as smooth at home all the time. I don’t know how many times I have found myself yelling to my wife in desperation “Where’s a pen!?! I need a pen !?! …oh thanks… Where something to write on?!?”

I cannot always control where things are in the house, as there is usually more than one hand on them in any given day, but something far more important I can control is my time. God is a God of order and we being His creation in His image should realize we need to act in like manner. If we’re His children, why do we think we can go without having order in our life and expect successful results? I mean… He’s GOD! He does everything decently and in order. He does everything in proper time. Even Jesus came “when the time had fully come”.

Just so there is no confusion, I am not talking about scheduling every minute of a service down to the final 2 minute warning with prayer before the buzzer and we all leave and go eat chicken. No, no, no- that’s programming God out of our service and that’s another writing for another day.

But God does expect us to make the best use of our time as His citizens.

Hebrews 9:27
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

KJV

Judging from this scripture, I have so much time on earth while I am in this body. I know I have purpose to fulfill and I need to be about my work and getting things done. I don’t have a “heavenly slot machine” by which I can win life tokens for extra years, I don’t have a pause button for life, and God doesn’t plan on rewinding what has passed just so I can get a do-over for time wasted. So I have to do the best with what I have. But how many times do we come home from our orderly jobs, with our tightly knit agendas that use every ounce of time to its fullest, only to sit down on the couch and think about all the things we need to get done but become tired just thinking about it? Uncompleted tasks, projects, potential ideas keep piling up… but the only thing we succeed at is FAILING TO ACT! Sometimes we try, but we start one thing only to get scatter brained while thinking about the other things we need to do… and we often go to bed thinking “I just can’t get caught up around here.”

Well remember who you are- you were made in His image AND in His likeness. It is not natural for you to be disorderly. You cannot run a company like this, so why do you think you can get positive results in your life without order? I had someone recently tell me “I just can’t find time to read… I’m too busy” The reason we can’t find time to read is the same reason we can’t find time to pray, we don’t make time. We have to appoint times and bring order to our life. Prayer is the most important thing a citizen of the kingdom can do each day… yet it is often neglected… and we wonder where is God and why can I not get anything done. Because your life is out of order.

King David was bringing the Ark of the Covenant to his place and decided to have it brought on a cart, which was not the way God had told them to transport it. When the ark began to fall, Uzza tried to stop it and touched the ark and he died. After a few months of leaving the ark at Obededom’s, David acted differently in his approach to this task…

1 Chronicles 15: 12-13
12) And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
13) For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.
KJV

Sometimes God will allow affliction to come on you, because it’s the only way to get His stubborn children in line with His plan. So prayer is a daily necessity in bringing complete satisfactory order to our day. Notice I did not say just “order” but “satisfactory order”. That’s because you may get results because of a well structured plan, but you’ll be missing a key component to your personal satisfaction and any results can only be sustained temporarily with a “no prayer agenda”. And yes, you need to assign times for prayer. I love God with all my heart and have seen great and mighty things, but I have yet to have the Holy Spirit in the form of a cloud pick me up out of my bed, float me out of my room to a solitary place, wake me up gently and say “Please pray…” I have times He gets my attention but the majority of the time it is a discipline… and one we definitely need to work on.

So make time be what you want it to be, grab a hold of it and bring order to it. Assign tasks to your morning and evening and you will see great rewarding results and feel accomplished at the end of the day. I am convinced that the primary reason for this feeling of accomplishment is because you are in right standing with the kingdom and in the King’s favor when you dominate your life. (Genesis 1:26). You’re acting just like your Daddy… in Heaven.

Start today, get a pad of paper and assign what you will do each day. It doesn’t have to be perfect- AND don’t just “think” what you want to do because that’s why we’re doing this exercise in the first place. Your mental agenda has a way of rescheduling indefinitely. So WRITE IT DOWN, and you can adjust as needed after a few days. An example would be…

6:00AM: Wake up / Pray
6:30AM: Get Ready
7:00AM: Leave for Work – School – Etc
–Blah–Blah–Blah–
6:00PM Arrive Home – Relax
6:30PM: Cook
7:00PM: Exercise – Shower
8:00PM: Read Book
8:30PM: Study Bible
9:00PM: Free Time

This is just an example and time durations for certain things will vary but- TRY IT! Write it down, commit to it, and follow through for 21 days so it becomes a habit. If you don’t like it, you can always go back to procrastinating- it will welcome you with slothful arms.

But kingdom citizens are not lazy, they ACT, and their diligence brings reward.

For The Kingdom!

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Kings and Javelins

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May 262010
 

We often get the misconception that to be in God’s favor means we are not in a storm at that time in our life. But this would imply that we are in God’s favor in the good times but during the bad times God has removed his favor. The enemy actually gets us on this reverse thinking- but it’s not true!

When your child comes home and has an “F” on his report card- do you not love him anymore? Of course you love him. It’s a process- you go through those times with them. You spend more time with them, work with them on their homework, encourage them- WHY? Because you are not looking at that moment when they bring that report card home as eternal. You see their future, what they will become. You push them to achieve greater! Your favor is always on your children. God is the same way, but He’s even better- after all “we being evil…”

So God’s favor is always on His people, you just have to make sure you’re His people.

I was going through a little storm myself, wondering why I was facing some of the things that I was when I am in God’s favor. I mean why are unfavorable things happening when I am in His favor this seems contradictory. But the Lord spoke to me and reminded me, as He always does, of His word. He said…

“Even David was anointed to be king, but had javelins thrown at him.”

This thought God impressed upon me was enough to change how I was feeling. I had never thought about it and compared it to my life. Samuel had anointed David king. Saul had already been rejected. Yet Saul still sat in a position of authority and threw javelins at the true anointed king of Israel. David played the harp for him and then had to flee on several occasions to escape death. I mean can you imagine? Here you are- you’re supposed to be king. (That’s what this old renowned prophet said!) But you are having to play music for a rejected king and then you get attacked. You have to run from the very person who has your position… and HIDE! It just doesn’t make sense to us. But look at Saul’s perspective in this situation.

1 Samuel 18
12) And Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and was departed from Saul.

I LOVE IT! The enemy wants you to feel like those coming against you ‘know’ they have power over you. He wants you to feel destitute. But remember God’s favor has not parted. God is hostage by His own word. What He has said He will perform. He is an AWESOME God! Don’t let the devil fool you. Don’t get caught up in what you ‘think’ others are thinking about you or toward you. They are afraid- because the LORD is with YOU!

I love this part…

1 Samuel 18
13) Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

David got a promotion! Saul wasn’t trying to bless him. He was just afraid of him. Before he was over the men of war, but now he’s the king’s captain over a thousand. God was providing David with his own army. But here is the key…

1 Samuel 18
14) And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.
15) Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

DON’T YOU LOSE YOUR SELF CONTROL! I know that this is going to speak to somebody. You might want to quit, you might want to wish something bad upon them, you might want to disrespect them, you might have thought to get revenge- BUT DON’T DO IT! This is the KEY! David behaved himself wisely in ALL his ways- and so the LORD was with him. I cannot express how important this is. Our flesh wants to bring resolve in ways that God will not honor. Your ultimate goal is ‘respect’ from that person- look at what David’s behavior brought. When Saul saw David was behaving wisely- he was afraid! See by yourself, you are just like them, what do they have to fear? – but if the Lord is with you…

We all have positions and places in life that are determined for us to go. We have been predestined to be kings in the earth and to have dominion over the earth. (Genesis 1:26) So why do we think we must defend that? Why do we think we need to respond to others disbelief in us and of where we are going? If it is to be… it will just be! David was wise. David knew- if God is God then He owns the country, he owns the place of authority, he even owns Saul. So I will run away from the very kingdom I have been promised because, after all, it’s already been determined that I am the king of Israel. Now moving along with this analogy- Don’t fret what others say to you, or how they treat you, or what they say you’re going to become, or what position they try to stick you in, or even if they fire you- after all it’s already been determined. Imagine the one who is coming against you. They may seem to be blocking you from your promise- your success- your goal. Now imagine them throwing a javelin at you to kill you. (Makes you smile thinking about this actually happening right?- But it actually happened to David.) Now- you have a decision. You can pick the javelin up and throw it back at them…  or you can trust the Lord’s favor and promises. If you trust Him- why fight?… you’ve already won! The end is determined, you just have to stay steady and behave yourself wisely. Stay in His favor, stay in right standing with the kingdom.

The Saul’s of our lives may think there is only one path to succession. A standard process to be king- but remember who made them king… THE KING OF KINGS!

Trust the Lord, the Owner!

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If They Only Knew

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May 212010
 

Who are you supposed to be?

What’s keeping you from becoming?

What’s stopping you from being?

Sometimes we think people decide who we are, or at least we act that way. We don’t take risk because of the fear of criticism. Because if we fail at trying, then maybe it would mean we are not who we thought we were. But that’s not true.

The enemy doesn’t want you to realize who you are. If you realize then you might discover something that would save millions of lives and that would be more purposes that could be fulfilled. You might discover some new way to grow crops that is healthy and causes people to live longer lives and the devil would have to deal with them on the earth that much longer. But being successful is the product of many failures. It’s diligence and perseverance that brings the fruit. Look at this scripture the Lord brought to me this morning.

1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

If they had known who He was they would not have treated Him the way they did.

So don’t worry about those around you- what they say, or how they treat you. If they knew what you were going to become they wouldn’t do it. If they knew who you were they’d follow you for the leader that you are going to become. Jesus didn’t let them persuade Him. He knew who He was and what He was here to do. Find out your purpose- you have one! We all do.

So I challenge you- seek purpose everyday until you find it. Then once you have vision, TAKE IT! You might have to hear some things you don’t want to hear, you may have to push on even though the balance is tipped against you- but be diligent.

When the odds seems against you, your coworkers are negative, or even if family and friends seem doubtful, just remind yourself with this saying-

“It’s OK, If they only knew who I was… -But they’ll find out”

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