And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are—northward, southward, eastward, and westward; for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. Gen. 13:14-15 (NKJV)
Power Principle # 21 was about developing a God centric mindest, which is really the only way to understand the Bible and to be properly positioned to receive His instructions for success.
Let’s look at the story of Abraham and his nephew Lot.
You might say that Abraham had already made the switch from being self centric to being God centric. To become God centric has to do with worship. Worship is not about music! Christians, please get this once and for all! Worship has to do with positioning yourself permanently in submission to God. Read this again: worship has to do with positioning yourself permanently in submission to God.
Abraham came from a tribe which worshiped God. Many years ago I heard a preacher say that Abraham came from a moon worshiping nation, namely Ur of the Chaldeans. I have done extensive study on this subject and found out this: Abraham actually came from a tribe which resided in Ur of the Chaldeans but in fact was a tribe, which worshiped Yahweh, the true God. One of the reasons the Lord called Tara to leave Ur of the Chaldeans was probably because idolatry and the moon worship cult was threatening this minority tribe and they needed an exit strategy in order to get to a new place, to a new land where they'll be able to establish a permanent altar to Yahweh.
Abraham did not invent the idea of building an altar to God. This was a well established custom in his family and in the tribe he came from. Worship has to do with acknowledging the superior position God has in relationship to man and man's willingness to follow the patterns of God. Singing songs and making music which praises God is only one of the many expressions of our worship. Unfortunately in today's Christianity most people are taught that worship is about music.
Back to our story.
Abraham is in transition. He has arrived in the promised land but his authority hasn't been established yet. It's not only what God wants to give you, it's what you accept and act on that makes the difference.
The strife between the shepherds is very telling of the condition of the Church today. As soon as some people get some success in ministry, business or otherwise, they become arrogant -- Christians and non-Christians alike. Success can be deceptive and make one believe that it's the ultimate legitimizing of who we are as a person, our methods and so on. It isn't! You can actually become successful for a time and begin to believe yourself and the lies people tell you of how great you are. The true definition of success is not only about how high you reach but also how long you get to stay in that place. History teaches us that it's very possible for certain individuals, people groups, nations and even civilizations to arise and reach great heights of success for a period of time. True greatness has to do with how long they get to stay in that place and how well success can be transferred from generation to generation.
It seems to me Abraham needed a breakthrough. So God calls him to a higher place, to a place from which he could show him the big picture, the long-term strategy and plan. He tells Abraham that he will give him all the land which Abraham sees.
The Lord had already determined what he wants to give to Abraham but it was now time for Abraham personally to see the land and embrace God's plan. In other words it's what you see and embrace and identify with that makes difference not only what God has planned and prepared for you.
One of the most frustrating mindsets in the Church today is this: if it's God's will, it will happen.
This mindset stems from the subtle but well-established hyper Calvinistic understanding of predestination. In simple terms, it’s the belief that whatever God has determined to happen, it will happen, regardless of what I want or do. You and I can't afford to tolerate such subtle deception if we are to succeed in our Kingdom mission.
This is not the time and the place for me to get into a lengthy theological discussion. Sometimes powerful truths are communicated in a simple way. Imagine yourself standing on the verge of a cliff one step away from falling down to your death. All you need is for someone to give you a simple warning which might sound something like: step back!
Likewise, through this teaching I want you to grasp a very simple premise: it's not only what God wants for you, it's what you get to see and embrace that makes all the difference in how your life will unfold.
As a parent I might be seeing some incredible gifts and talents in my children. And they indeed are all very gifted in many different areas. But their breakthrough will come from what each one of them gets to see and decides to act on. They’ll have to see themselves as successful before they even engage in pursing God’s will. They’ll have to apply discipline and effort to release God’s ability in them.
Has the Lord called you to start your own business? Now you must see yourself as a business owner, you must embrace what the Lord is showing you and ultimately in the right timing you must act on it in order for God's plan to unfold for you. It will come with responsibilities, risk, failure and many opportunities. But you hold the key to activating it all.
Has the Lord called you to gather people and minister to them in some way? You must see yourself doing it, embrace your role as a gatherer and act on it in the right time. The Lord will do his part and his provision will align accordingly.
Has the Lord called you to the area of arts and entertainment? Same applies here.
You can go on and on and apply this principle to every area of life -- career, family and other creative pursuits which might serve as vehicles of influence.
In real life things don't work as simple and as automated as we would like them to. Even when you accept God's will for your life and embrace your calling, circumstances, Satan and other factors might still work against you. However, we will emerge victorious because the Lord is on our side when we plug into his strategy and embrace our role in it.
What are some of the factors hindering people from seeing and embracing what the Lord already has planned for them?
- Not pursuing by faith, but pursuing God out of carnal, selfish desperation.
- Low self-esteem.
- Fear of man.
- Lack of discipline.
- Toxic environment -- relationally and culturally.
- Theological misconceptions.
- Disconnectedness.
You and I are responsible to tackle each and every one of these factors and become vessels of honor prepared in suitable for the service of the King.
George Bakalov (c) 2009 www.georgebakalov.com
Comments
Post has no comments.