Transitions... "Keep Building Your Boat!"

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In life we will run into things that throw us, things we cannot control that can get us off task.  Maybe a job that ends, a relationship, or even a dream that seems to be at wits end.  Typically, our current state is not the destination we are striving to reach, but these stepping stone jobs and places in life tend to cause us to TRIP.  We can stumble and  get off task because someone throws something in the mix that we didn’t plan for and now we find ourselves questioning whether we are even in the right place, or if the dream is just that... a dream.   Don’t be moved by the difficulties you may be facing now.  Remember that every path we take has purpose.  Every job, every relationship, every encounter has something that we can take with us as we continue to go forward.  Not all paths feel good, and not all are ordained by God, we may have just taken a wrong turn. Wrong turns can make the journey longer, harder and perhaps you may lose some things on the way, but God has promised to work even those things together for our good, so keep going forward!  

TRANSITIONS

When we endure difficult transitions in life, we must understand that God has a master plan.  His plan requires training and many times the experiences we endure in life is where that training comes from.   I recently watched a segment of a talk show where a man who had lost his job was wondering why he was unable to be hired in the same field.  The person speaking to him let him know that perhaps he should be pursuing what he is gifted at, not what he has been paid for in the past.  Some transitions are opportunities for change and a switch in our path can put us on the right track. Some of us are so faithful that we would not take a hint that it is time to move one, we have to be pushed out.  Where you have been may only be part of your training, it is time for your next step towards purpose. 

BUILD THE BOAT

I am reminded of Noah when he was building the ark.  I try to imagine him in the building process, it is taking a long time to complete it.  I imagine people standing around watching him, ridiculing him as he builds.  He could have been distracted, thrown off task, or even driven to stop the work altogether, but he kept building.   Life will cause our attention to be drawn way, to follow things that seem out of place, or things that warn us of the pending danger or even pending success, but don’t stop building.  Could you imagine if Noah felt a few raindrops and figured he better hurry up and finish?  What if he failed to finish patching the northeast side of the ark?  What problem could that have caused during the storm when there was no time for a patch job?   That is what we do sometimes, just because the promise starts happening, we stop building, we cut corners and sometimes feel we have done enough to accomplish the goal set. We must be able to continue to build and fight like Nehemiah did, regardless to the pending adversity or success, keep building!  

You may be in a really good place right now.  Keep building.

You may be discouraged or concerned about the outcome.  Keep building.

Perhaps you are almost done, and you are tempted to celebrate what has already been done, celebrate but don’t get ahead of God… Keep building.   

Whether It seems that the first glimpse of a cloud in the sky could be a distraction, or it could be a reminder that it is going to rain!   Don’t get anxious about people or the process.  When we are going through transitions in life, we must remind ourselves to stay focused on the task at hand and 

KEEP BUILDING THE BOAT!  

The Bridge Between Faith and Foolishness!

This Christian life is quite a journey.  Many days we will be on top of the world, other days we feel the world is on top of us.  Sometimes our finances, relationships or faith projects may pull on us in a way that looks foolish for us to decide different than what society thinks.   But the thing that is the most interesting to me, is that no matter where or what I am feeling, how things are going, God is a very present help to those who truly believe in Him.  Living this life will give you a backbone, it will teach you that every outcome is not about you, and it will have you looking and waiting to hear from God.  We are instructed to live by faith, but sometimes our faith can end up looking like foolishness.

FAITH

I have recently begun working on a faith project and this one will cost more than my previous ones.  As an analytical person, I can tell myself that I should pay attention to everything and don’t spend there, so you can do this, or don’t do that because then you can’t do this.   Honestly, that sounds like a lack of faith.   Lack will tell me to hold off in my spending, be careful in my giving, or to put a hold on my personal needs in order to do this faith project; wisdom may tell me to do the same, so is that really faith or is that just juggling what I already have?  As a Christian I must look at all of it in order to be a good steward of what God has entrusted me with.  Deciding that I cannot do one thing God has given me opportunity to do, in order to do another says that I don’t think God is ABLE to provide for both.  That thought throws me a bit, because I do believe He is able to do it all of it, … or do I?

FOOLISHNESS

It is foolish to spend all you have and to invest in things that do not produce!  It is foolish to live beyond your means and to work on one thing when your heart is in another.  It is foolish to assist people that have shown you that they are not trying as hard as you wish they would, and it is foolish to trust someone who has proven to be a liar.  We are taught a lot about what is foolish, but many times we miss it because we don’t  weigh it by God and what He has said.   Sometimes what God says for us to do, looks foolish.   Much like turning the other cheek, or if your enemy wants you to go one mile, you go two!  Nobody wants our faith to really be  foolishness, so how can we know the difference?!

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE

The bridge between FAITH and FOOLISHNESS is not determined by society or what the world thinks or feels should be done, it is determined by what God has said.  The thing about being a Christian is that God expects us to trust Him, to acknowledge Him in all our ways and He promises to direct our paths.  It is very easy to lean to our own understanding, to seek insight and counsel according to this world’s standards, but God has let us know that our ways are not His ways, our thoughts are not His thoughts.  So it is easy to assume, that what looks foolish to us, could very well be faith to Him.     

The plans I have right now could possibly leave me right back where I was in the sense of my financial state, I could look like I spent most of what I had to invest in a ‘faith project”.  But the thing that encourages me is this….  I am a faith project!  My life, how I live, what I trust God with, and how I lean on Him for my provision and plans is all part of my personal project.    It may not sound solid, because we are taught to plan for tomorrow, and I do… But I also plan to trust Him for today, knowing that He promised to take care of my tomorrow.  The only foolish thing about your faith is not asking God what to do.   Faith begins where the will of God is known.  That works in every area of your life, relationships, finances, job opportunities and more.   We are not required just to have faith, but to live by it.

If you are amid a difficult decision and it seems like you will be making a foolish choice by obeying God, remember that God requires your faith.  Sometimes He asks for things that people cannot understand… Stepping outside a boat in the middle of a lake sounds foolish too, but the key is knowing God, asking God and obeying God.  If you do that, you will never miss- in fact… you will WALK ON WATER!

Ask Seek Knock

Learning On Purpose #3 Yourself

We are concluding the topic about our purpose journey and what we learn on it.   We talked before about first learning GOD.  He is the most important one since we need to know Him for guidance, for help, for life, and for hope.  It is in Him we live, move and have our being, we need to learn God.  Next we need to learn OTHERS.  People are not our enemy, the sooner we understand that, the sooner we can deal better with the things that hurt us.  When we learn people, we realize that we are not called to everyone, some people will not receive from me, but they will from you.  We need to learn our audience, learn the benefits of haters, and learn to forgive people... they are not the enemy.   Today we will talk about learning YOURSELF!

LEARN YOURSELF

When I turned fifty, something interesting happened, I no longer cared whether or not people thought I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.  I was no longer bothered because I was not connecting with the "in group" or feeling like I needed to get out of my comfort zone and do all the things I hated.   Instead I began to use my time, talent and treasure according to what I believed God was instructing me to do, not what others thought I should do.   As a result I have grown more in the last seven years, than I have in the prior ones.  I am more comfortable with the gifts God placed in me, more sure of my connection with Him, and I am really ready for what He has planned!  As a bonus, I found out that  I don't just LIKE me, I LOVE me. 

We can go through life under the shadow of people that we respect, whether mentors, parents, pastors, or even friends we care about, and if we are not careful we will forget that we belong to God, and  He made us how He did for a purpose.   I have learned (and am still learning) what works for me and what doesn't.  I have found peace in who I am, I have learned how to question when I really do need to get out of a box, and when God's boundaries for me require I stay in.    These lessons come from years of working on jobs with differing personalities, being under good and bad authorities, family issues, self image issues,  relationship joys and hurts, and difficult days when you had to fight just to find joy.  You will learn about YOU on this journey.  How long this lessons lasts depends on whether or not we accept the lessons and implement them.  God wants us to be better, whole and ready for whatever happens today and in our future, before He promotes us.   Unlike our school system, God does not see a failure in Himself if we don't get the lessons taught, He keeps on working on us until we get them.    We have a promise that says:

Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:  Phil 1:6

LESSONS OUT OF SEQUENCE

I recently realized something God did with me on my journey;  I learned lesson number 1 and number 3.  Later I learned number 7 and then number 5.   When looking at these numbers you realize that there is something missing if we are counting from 1-10.   That is sometimes our journey.  God lets us learn forgiveness, then He tells us about  His love and plan for us, He may then let you see a talent you have, and later you get hurt and you learn to have joy in the midst.  As you continue, you may work on a job and learn patience and organization, then find yourself having a heart for the homeless volunteering at church.  None of these things may seem to connect but they all point towards the lessons of your purpose journey, and you will need every one of them one day.   

Recently I  began thinking about a new project I am working on, and my sister told me "You have everything you need to do it!"  After thinking it through, she was right.  All of a sudden the proper sequence  of my purpose journey fell into place.   1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.   I saw my life almost FLASH before me and all the things that seemed to be a sidebar in my life, were now needed for this faith project!   God will cause ALL THINGS to work for your good and His glory! 

In closing, be encouraged today.  Know that God really does have a plan, and He is working it every day in you.  Every lesson, every encounter, every talent and every heart string will be in place by the time the big thing hits!   You might be thinking... "Not every purpose thing is a BIG thing."  And that is true to an extend, but it is a BIG THING to walk in what God has called you do do!  So continue learning, continue listening , and continue to enjoy your purpose journey! 

Learning on Purpose #2 "Others!"

Last week we talked a bit about the purpose journey that everyone will make.  We talked about Joseph and how he learned God on his journey.  There comes a time that regardless to what happens in life, you have to know God is there.  We have to understand that our present circumstances or shortcomings on this journey has not moved HIM.  He knew us before He formed us, He is not surprised by our bad choices or slow adjustments.  God knows what it takes for us to fulfill the purpose He put in us, and He is committed to seeing us through. If we take care of first things first and seek to know and commit to Him, the journey will be better... not necessarily shorter,  easier or or without issues, just better since you know you are not on it alone.    So we learned last week, this journey will teach us about God.  Let's delve into the second lesson we will learn as we walk towards our purpose....

LEARN OTHERS

It is best to learn God before learning about people because people can cause you to give up quickly!  Understanding how people fit in your purpose journey is a key lesson if we want to have peace as we continue in it.  See some of most gifted and anointed people have been messed up by people.  

Moses missed the promise land because of people,  they frustrated him so bad that he disobeyed God.  Sampson didn't get the fullness of his anointing because of his yearning for strange women, ultimately it was a woman that gave away the secret to his power.   David had issues with Bathsheba, with Absalom his own son, as well as the King he served.   Elijah dealt this Jezebel and her husband King Ahab, they caused him depression and made him think he was alone in the fight...    So yes, we will have the haters, we will have the enemies, we will have those who want to see you fail; but don't forget you also have those who are waiting for you.    Moses had the slaves in bondage in Egypt who were  praying to be free,  David had the Children of Israel and his Mighty Men of Valor- who we once broke, depressed and discouraged.   All of us have a group of haters, (that unknowing to us test our knowledge of God) but we have a group that we are born to help.   If you mix them up, or if you allow people to discourage you to the point that you blame God, or step our of your place and walk away in disobedience, then you will prolong or miss the lesson.

The bible says in Jeremiah 1:5 says 

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart and I appointed you a prophet to the nations."   

Just like Jeremiah, God knows you, He formed you based on what He knows about you,  and He ordained you to do something.... and all of that is based on what God knows about you!   The people you are called to reach are based on who you were formed to be.  There is someone who will hear your voice, but they will not hear mine.   Someone who will respond to your teaching or preaching, but will not respond to others.   If we are true to who God made us to be, and if we are prayerful about who we are called to speak to, or minister to, we will find our sweet place that allows us to flourish in our purpose.   Our purpose journey helps us learn about people, but we first must learn about God to understand His heart about them.   Don't make every negative encounter personal, it isn't,  just learn and keep moving. 

If you have been on your purpose journey for a long time and still in the learning phase,  don't be discouraged;  we will always be in a learning phase.   But remember, the more you learn and the earlier you learn it , the sooner you can walk in your purpose and be successful at it.   Know that the sooner you recognize what you are good at, know what you are gifted to do, and who you are called to do it for, to sooner this journey flourishes!   Don't give up, learn about God, learn about People, and stay the course!

Next week, we will talk about the third thing we learn on our purpose journey!