Your
opportunity-of-a-lifetime only takes place during the
lifetime-of-the-opportunity. In other words, your God given assignment
has a definite shelf life. In light of this, David prayed fervently,
“Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” (Psalm
90:12) “Carpe diem,” a Latin phrase coined by the poet Horace, literally
means “seize the day.” This classic truth teaches as much about our need
for FOCUS, as it does about the overall impact of TIMING.
As Kingdom Kids, it is
an indispensable mandate to seize our GOD-GIVEN MOMENT (our vision, our
assignment, our anointing) while it is OUR SEASON. The Word declares that
a blessed man “shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings
forth fruit IN HIS SEASON.” (Psalm 1:3) In all matters of life, TIMING IS
KEY! Even though GOD IS ETERNAL, i.e. from “everlasting to everlasting,”
He works out His perfect will for us within the context and framework of TIME.
(Psalm 90:2) So I repeat, TIMING IS KEY!
What is the practical
application here? We should avoid becoming stagnant and stuck in any adverse
situation, or even in any degree of success. Quite obviously, we should
not get mired in our failures, i.e. endlessly reliving them and becoming bogged
down by ‘the paralysis of analysis.’ But neither should we become stuck
on and in our successes. It is possible to complete a specific Kingdom
assignment and then fail to move forward to the next – all due to our natural
sense of comfort in things that seem easy and familiar.
To wit, GOD OFTEN CALLS US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES.
God never changes; however, His seasons
for us do change. Whenever God’s clarion call is trumpeted and a clear
command ensues to ‘move the camp,’ those who are trapped in ‘failures’ or
‘familiars’ may be left behind. That is, the natural human resistance to CHANGE results in a spiritual
resistance to RHEMA (a
fresh ‘NOW WORD’ from
God), and causes one to miss out on the present day move of God and/or the
unveiling of future plans. (Jeremiah 29:11) Let s/he who has ears, hear
what the Spirit is saying to the
church. (Revelation 2:7)
During the course of
my personal walk with God, I have observed that The Creator has ingenuously
imbedded spiritual truth within nature. Allow me to offer one
example. Sir Isaac Newton’s FIRST
LAW OF MOTION informs us that objects at rest tend to stay at rest,
while objects in motion tend to stay in motion. [Gosh, golly, gee…and I
thought I would never use those physics classes in real life]! This law
is often referred to as the LAW OF
INERTIA or the LAW OF
MOMENTUM. It explains why it might be difficult ‘starting
something’ and why it seems relatively easier to ‘keep it going’ once it is
started. Think about it.
As a student of church
history, it is clear to me that it is challenging for us to ‘START’ moving in the direction of
God’s perfect will if we become acclimated to the status quo and (once we are moving)
it is just as difficult to change our course should The Divine Navigator set
forth new compass settings. For example, every major denomination in the
history of the Christian Church seemed to start off on ‘the good foot.’
Typically, crystal clear vision was present, i.e. a sharp discernment of God’s
will and way, along with profound dedication to living under the sovereignty of
God. But typically, by the third or fourth generation of adherents, there
is a pattern of shifting and drifting from the original plan and purpose of
God. This is not due to Heaven’s silence. God is always speaking to
us, whether we are listening or not. But all too often we turn deaf ears
to His voice (to His Word) since we have become acclimated and comfortable with
our own word, will and way.
Historically, God
chooses human agents to give voice to fresh revelation and direction. It
reminds me of an old movie entitled “Field of Dreams.” It’s not a perfect
parallel since I am not an avid proponent of ghosts-and-such, as portrayed in
that film’s screenplay. Albeit, Kevin Costner plays the main character
who loves baseball with all his heart and desperately wants to experience in
rural America what was solely available in urban areas: to watch live
professional baseball games. But there is no baseball diamond; there is no FIELD OF DREAMS on which any
baseball competition could ever be conducted. While contemplating the
unlikely possibility for changing his limited rural circumstance, an
otherworldly voice whispers to him: “If you build it…they will come.”
Right now, I find
myself wondering if anyone reading this devotional has heard the inner voice of
the Holy Spirit speaking to you in a silent and similar way: “IF YOU BUILD
IT…THEY WILL COME.” If so, how did He speak uniquely and clearly to your life-situation,
causing you, unquestionably, to hear Him? And, how have you since
responded? Most importantly, was it a response calibrated by fear
or characterized by faith? Stay
tuned…more to come on tomorrow.
Sisters and brothers,
be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO
MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!
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