Spot On With The Word

The most valuable act is obedience. There are incidents in scripture, far too numerous to mention, where God honored a heart of obedience even when the action was incorrect. Obedience is an outward signal of an inward honor. It is a demonstration of respect. It is a mark of esteem. Scripture teaches us that poverty and shame come to those who disobey instruction. Throughout the Bible, before a miracle took place, it was usually preceded by a simple instruction. Typically, it appeared to be outwardly ridiculous. For example, Naman was a man of great stature and valor. He was a war hero, a general and a great leader. Under his armor however, he was racked with the disease of leprosy that he had no ability to heal. Like him, we spend a great deal of time polishing our exterior. There will always be some hidden things that we will be unable to fix in our own strength, or with any of our personal resources. Naman sought counsel from the prophet and was told to wash in the Jordan River seven times. He had the sense to obey and follow the instruction. It was after this act of obedience that his healing occurred. If we will just obey the simplest of instructions, we too can stand back and watch God do what only He can do!

If we want to see powerful transformation in our lives, knowledge can’t be the end game. Knowledge is the key that reveals our part. It is simple. When you know, then you must go. There is no substitute for obedience. There is no exception made for disobedience. You will never live beyond your last place of disobedience. If you are not experiencing true progress in your life, you may want to check your obedience to the last instruction that you were given by The Lord. How much further would we be if in our Christian experience we did whatever The Lord told us to do? An obedient spirit is priceless. We were never instructed to try to understand the instruction before obeying. It doesn’t matter if we can understand it or explain it. That is why it is called faith. This is why we must trust in The Lord with ALL our hearts and lean not on our own understanding. That is our part. We walk by faith and not by sight! What if God is waiting for us to step out and walk on the water? If we obey the instructions, that action will release His power into any situation. Do not ever minimize the art and the act of obedience!

There are so many blessings in the New Covenant that were meant for us as believers, which are never activated in our lives. What are the instructions? Have we disobeyed and then felt frustrated with God when the results did not pan out the way we expected? Is it time to take a personal inventory? Perhaps it is time to become more intimate with God. There is more to this spiritual walk than just knowing about God. We want to grow in wisdom and understanding. What can we do to accelerate the reality of the Kingdom of God in our everyday lives? Unfortunately our current Christian culture is more concerned with trying to explain God than we are experiencing Him. We have made knowledge the end result. Knowledge is not the door. It is the key. It is not what you know. It is what we do with what we know, that makes the difference in our lives. We can have all information and all the facts, but if there is no application, there is no benefit. If there is research without any practice, there will be no difference in our experience. There will be no difference between you and the person who knows nothing at all. What are you willing to activate in your life? Knowledge is the key for change.

What can we do to unlock the blessings that God has for us? There are blessings that are to be more than in principle but in reality as well. We do have a part to play. Christians never were supposed to live miserably. There is more to the spirit filled life than just waiting to go to heaven. Jesus said for us to occupy until He comes. We were never supposed to just sit back and wait for God to do everything for us. We are supposed to be about kingdom business. It is not enough to just have powerful beliefs and powerful persuasions. We need to see powerful demonstrations of those beliefs and persuasions, in our lives. Jesus said the disciples would receive power when The Holy Spirit came upon them. In order for this to happen, they needed to position themselves. He gave them a specific instruction to go to a specific place, for this particular visitation. They were to be obedient and go THERE. Is there an instruction that God has given you? Have you picked the appropriate key for the door to the manifestation of your blessing? Options create anxiety. Obsession creates clarity. Become obsessed with everything God has for you and it will create accuracy and clarity. Accuracy is more important than sincerity. It is possible to be sincere, but sincerely mistaken. God may be waiting on you to activate His presence. Position yourself. The Promised Land is only a promise that is meant to become personal. Cooperate with God.

Jesus told the disciples that He would give them the keys to the kingdom. Whatsoever things you bind will be bound and whatsoever things you loose will be loosed. There will always be a specific key that will unlock a particular door. You have to have the right key for the right door. There may be things we might be doing where our motivation is sincere, but we are inaccurate. We may have the right objective, but the wrong approach. If we are believing for a harvest, you need to plant seed. If you want to have friends, you need to be a friend. Scripture teaches that there are specific keys to answer specific needs. There will be an action required of us. Prayer is not the answer for everything. If you want to unlock specific doors in your life, you need to study and understand which keys will unlock the doors to the promises He has given, and then use them. Are you exhausted trying to unlock doors that are closed? Is it possible that you are using the wrong keys?

As co laborers with Christ, what is our part to play? There is a difference between forgiveness and transformation. There is a difference between having a salvation experience and truly experiencing change. Most people like the idea of change. The problem is, you have to actually make changes in order to see the manifestation. Change is a great concept. Salvation comes from the Lord, but transformation requires our submission to the process. I may be forgiven and yet remain ignorant of the blessings and promises that God has provided. If I am ignorant of His promises, then I will never access the power of the promises. If there is a huge deposit given to me in my bank account, but I never withdraw the funds, it will be as though the funds were never there. I will live beneath the blessing. It is possible that I do not know that funds are there, or I believe it is too good to be true. I may believe that I am not worthy. My worth has very little to do with Christ’s finished work. It is all about Him being worthy. Since Jesus did His part, I want to know what part I now play. The reason many Christians may be weak in their faith is because they thought salvation was the finish line. Salvation is only the beginning of the journey. It is a new day. As I set my mind on the things of God, the transformation process is manifested in my life. The process produces progress.

Is there something we can do in participation with God, that will accelerate the manifestation of His will in our lives? If so, then what would it be? Everything concerning the Kingdom of God in the earth is His to give and ours to manage. Over one quarter of Jesus teachings as outlined in scripture had to do with investment, stewardship and responsibility. It dealt with the investment of time management, seed time and harvest and financial accountability with resources. Stewardship is an uncommon word today. A steward owns nothing but has access to everything. When it comes to salvation, mankind can take no ownership in that. Had Christ not come, and died for our collective sins, we would still be outside of the Covenant. It is all Christ. No man can claim the credit. While it is true that we have been saved from so much, we have simultaneously been saved for a purpose in this life. We are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings. It is to be emphasized that we are saved by grace and not of works, it is a gift. It is of the Lord. It was his idea. We have been forgiven, but is there something we can do with our lives? Is there more to our lives now? Jesus provided for our salvation, but there are things we can do that will aid in our transformation. Romans 12 tells us that we are to be renewed in our minds and our hearts. We are not to be conformed to this world. He has done the work on Calvary that we were unable to do for ourselves. What is our response to so awesome a gift? What do we do with the lives that he gave us?

What part do we play as it pertains to our ability to experience all that God has for us in this life? Among many well-meaning, believing Christians, there appears to be a growing distance between what we say we believe and those things that we put into practice. We may may be sincere in our belief system, but there will be no fruit until those beliefs are put into practice. A seed will eventually produce a mature plant, but it must be planted. Any healthy lifestyle plan will have to be followed by physical discipline in order to be beneficial. If we save more money than we spend then investment will work, but if we never make a deposit into savings, we will never be able to make a withdrawal. If we are out of balance and consistently just “wait on God” and never participate with Him, there will be no manifestation of His power to achieve and overcome in our lives. Typically, people are not just waiting on The Lord, they are waiting for Him to do something. They live as though their entire life depends on Him alone. God has already equipped us with everything we need. He has given us His Spirit, His discernment and all things that pertain to righteousness. The Holy Spirit is within us as believers. He sets before us doors of life and doors of death. Although He is Sovereign, He will not make the choice for us. Eventually, we will have to put our faith where our belief system lies. What will you choose to do today, with the help of God? Maybe He is waiting on you!

It is important that we reiterate that you cannot do anything to earn your salvation. You are saved by grace and through faith. Jesus paid it ALL! You don’t have to work for your salvation. You can’t do enough to be forgiven. It is a debt that a human being cannot pay. There is a difference between a Christian who is forgiven and one who is actively seeking the blessing and favor of The Lord. There are over three hundred promises in the Bible that contain the word, “If”. It is the law of sewing and reaping. The word “if”, is actually contained within the word “life.” Scripture teaches us in Psalms chapter 1, that those who delight in the law of The Lord will see whatever they do prosper, but they must believe in His word and act on it, in order to see it manifested. The wise man is the one who hears the word of the Lord and does it. The foolish man hears the word and does nothing with it. It is not enough to just believe in the words of Jesus, but we must put into practice the principles of Jesus. We must cooperate with God in the earth in order to see what God has decreed in heaven. Don’t fall into the trap of spiritual paralysis. We can believe but not see anything happening in our lives unless we act on what we say we believe. If God has given us a promise, there will also be an instruction. If it is followed, in response God will do what only He can do. He will always do exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond, all that we can ask or think!

Do we have a part to play when it comes to the execution of our spiritual belief system? The answer is yes! Our confusion occurs when we try to do what only God can do. When it comes to salvation, there is nothing we can do to secure our forgiveness. It is by grace and through faith. It is a gift that only God could give. Our position is secured. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world, so that we could become the righteousness of God. When He said on the cross,” It is finished!” He meant it. Now that we are the recipients of this grace and mercy so freely given, is there something that God has given us to do? Are there instructions that I can follow which will bring some of heaven’s blessings into my current life experience? We do not have to wait to get to heaven to experience the goodness of God. There are some manifestations of God that we will need in the earth that will not be needed in heaven. We pray for healing in this life. We will not need to access healing in heaven because there will be no sickness. We need a healer NOW! We need God’s provision NOW! Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “…Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven…” There is a difference in the person of Jesus and the principles of Jesus. If we don’t walk in the principles of Jesus, then we will never walk in the power of Jesus. The person of Jesus secures my future, and the principles of Jesus secure my present. The person of Jesus brings peace and the principles of Jesus bring prosperity. The person of Jesus brings healing, but if I walk in the principles of Jesus I can experience health. The person of Jesus can take care of all the things that I did in my past, but the principles of Jesus empower me to choose the best right now!