Don’t Sell Out! (Purpose vs. Provision)

"For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." -Col 3:3

In life, there is a great temptation to go for the next big thing:  the next big business, the next big degree, the next big job opportunity.  But in the kingdom, things are different.  God works quite differently than we do, His ways are higher than our ways.  (Is 55:9) Sometimes the thing that looks the best may not be the best for us - the best that God has in mind.

Sometimes we can get stuck seeking provision first, instead of seeking our Provider.  Sometimes we can get stuck seeking out approval or affirmation from people, instead of going to God first and experiencing His love. Other times we’ll see our value in our accomplishments, instead of seeing that God created us with value, before we ever did anything to deserve it.  Our value is built upon His love for us.

We can so easily sell out and miss our purpose by seeking other things before God’s will in our lives.  What is He doing? What is He saying?  Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing - nothing more, nothing less.  (John 5:19)

Are we seeking God's kingdom first? (Matt 6:33) Are we putting His purposes first before seeking out provision?  God will make sure our needs are met when we put His kingdom first.  God has all the answers we need for our business, our ministry, our relationships, our finances, and our personal lives.

Today, avoid "selling out" in your calling by putting Him first.  We will experience so much peace and life by keeping Him at the center of our lives, fulfilling the purpose He gave us to do.

The Work Behind the Scenes

"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." -Matthew 6:5&6

 

J. John, a gifted and creative Christian speaker told a story once about preparing the way for a sermon he was going to preach. He felt the Lord impress upon him to pray fervently the night before the meeting. In the morning, as he began to think about what he would share, the Lord told him, "The work is already done." 

"How could the work already have been done?" he asked God. But as he got up to speak, he only needed to speak several words that the Holy Spirit had impressed upon his heart, and the entire place was completely overtaken by the power of the Holy Spirit. Because he had been obedient in prayer in the secret place, God moved mightily in the meeting, with many coming to repentance that day. 

Banning Liebscher, a youth preacher for Bethel Church and Jesus Culture music, describes the importance of meeting with God in the "secret place": 

"The first call on our life is to be with Jesus. The foundation of a leader is intimacy. It is the 'secret place' lifestyle. You're called to give yourself to a life of prayer; to a secret place lifestyle that no one else knows about... What you put in at the beginning greatly impacts what comes out at the end." 

Sharon Gerlach, intercessor for Divine Exchanges prayer ministries describes this phenomena as being like an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg is the ministry we see. But the other 80-90% of the iceberg, the part beneath the surface, is the spiritual work in prayer that makes a big difference. 

Are you engaging in your worship, prayer, reading God's word, and building your relationship with Him behind the scenes? This is the first call on our lives. The quality of everything else in our lives rests on this. We need to be sure we are building our relationship with Him in the secret place, so that we might have maximum impact in the world.

Use Your Gifts!

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." -1 Peter 4:9-11

What is your gift? The Bible calls us to use the gifts that God has given us to serve others and to minister to Him. The Bible also says His gifts and His call are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29) Through the discovery of our gifts, we can bless others through the "various forms of grace" that God has given to us.
 
"...so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach..." -Romans 12:5-7
 
Often we may not know what our gifts are. There are many great self-assessments and tools you can use that will help you discover your gifts and talents. One I have taken is The Call. Sometimes a leader or friend can see your gifts in you. There are many spiritual gifts which include prophecy, teaching, healing, helping, discernment, and miracles, but also "natural" gifts that God has given as well. (See 1 Corinthians 12:27-29)
 
Sometimes, we might be in a place where we're afraid to use our gifts and talents.  Nonetheless, God instructs us to. Sometimes we might think another person has a greater gift than us, so we are ashamed of our gift. But God doesn't feel that way about it. He gave us our gifts for a reason. He had a purpose in mind. There is no hierarchy in gifts, and in order to operate as Christ's body, everything must be working! God will give us grace for the things He's called us to.
 
We should use the gifts God has given us so we can be a blessing to others. But we will also find that when we serve in alignment with the way God has gifted us, we will experience joy as a result, because we are being used by God in the ways that He created us. In this, we discover our purpose to be uniquely used by Him to further His kingdom.
 
Are you using your gifts?

Waiting on God

"Be still and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation.  I will be honored throughout the world." -Ps 46:10

We humans don't like to wait on God.  We are naturally impatient.  We want everything to happen - right now!  But sometimes our walk of faith requires patience.  In fact, most of the time, it does.

You might have already noticed, God's timing is very different than ours.  He doesn't work by our standards.   Did you know it took 15 years for Sarah to have a baby after God's promise to Abraham?  When God told Abraham the first time he would have a son he was 86 years old.  But when Sarah actually had Isaac Abraham was 100!  God's timing is definitely different than ours.

When I think of people who have inspired me in my faith, it's not necessarily those ones who are busy doing lots of things for God.  It's those people who take the time to really hear His voice, and get His anointing and presence on their lives. This is what truly changes us, and those around us.

To know God's timing we must wait on Him.  Sometimes when we don't know what to do the best thing is just be still and listen.  The answer may not come right away, but God's presence, grace and peace can get us through just about anything.  

Have you waited on God today?