Text:  Genesis 4:1-16
v.7 – If you do what is right will you not be accepted?

Accepted – (Hebrew) = An elevation in rank or character; elevation or cheerfulness, dignity, advanced, to lift and raise up.

There is a High Life in Christ, that God has provided for you (an utmost life).

It’s time to bring forth out of the invisible all acts of creative expression that God ordained for us to produce. It’s time for your dream to become a reality. No more delay to your destiny!

You hold in your heart God’s inheritance for you which is your piece of his great dream.  The life God put you in is bigger than the life you are living.  Challenge the status quo and Reject any self-imposed limitations.  Do not all unfounded fear of failure to prevent you from initiating the pursuit of you r purpose.
ELEVATE = ADVANCE = LIFE
Decide to go for it like in II Kings 7:3 Where the four lepers said, “Why must we sit here and die?”  Declare that you will be a proactive producer and stop making excuses.  If you want to find a way, you will.  If not you will find an excuse. Let’s go up in every area of life!  It’s time for your lifting.

v.7 If thou doest well, you and your life will be elevated (advanced, lifted and raised up)
To retrace his steps to consider his ways and find where he was wrong then amend his offering and his intension accordingly.

In order to see the path to what you want you must first see clearly what is holding you back.  You can’t conquer what you don’t confront and you can’t confront what you don’t identify.  Cain’s error was not simply in an offering but it was in an attitude towards his offering.

Matt 6:21 reveals that where your treasure is there your heart will be also.  This is a heart issue.  Your checkbook is a book of revelation as to where your heart is.  It reveals what is important to you and what you value. Remember the law of loving makes you giving. John 3:16 – For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten son. What you give to is a reflection of what you love, value or desire.  God didn’t want or need Cain’s offering, He wanted Cain.
All first things belong to God.. Ex 23:19 Bring the best of your first fruits of your soil to the house of the Lord your God.  Ex. 13:2 – Consecrate to me every first born male offspring of every womb man or animal – belongs to me. Gen. 3 – Adam and Eve were clearly and definitely instructed by God concerning the terms of approach with explicit requirements for worship.

Worship comes from 2 words:
Weorth = worth, value, respectc
Scype = to shape or build
Worship is to shape or build worth, value and respect.
Worship – is done out of an intimate relationship with God.  God declares in John 4:23 the time has come where true worshippers will worship the father in spirit and in truth.  Intimacy is freedom to share the real you with out rejection or abandonment.  This is the desire and design of God – to live with you; have habitation. Ps. 132:13&14 – for the Lord has chosen Zion (a people and place in Christ) he has desired it for his habitation.
v. 14 – This is my resting place for ever and ever; here will I dwell for I have desired it.

God is looking for a resting place (place of habitation)  Is there room in your life for him?  You will fill your life with something, something occupies your heart.  Follow the trail of your time, affection, energy, loyalty, thoughts, dreams and priorities and you will find what or who is sitting on the throne of your life or in your heart.

It was beyond question, Cain and Abel knew in order to come before God with acceptance there was a 1) place to worship 2) time to worship 3) a way to worship
By faith he was commended as a righteous man when God spoke well of his offering.
Abel – a man who made a decision by principle with execution.  God offers us the choice between a fruitful and prosperous life or one that leaves behind little or nothing of lasting value. 
Cain – gave what He wanted to give Abel – gave what God wanted.

Prov. 11:2 – When pride comes, then comes disgrace but with humility comes wisdom

Heb 11:4 – By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did (am much more full or complete sacrifice) 

It wasn’t the type of offering But is it was the order and attitude honor and obedience of the offering that distinguished Abel’s as superior to Cain.

Abel – brought first fruits and honored the order or divine and accurate arrangement of God.
Cain – offering or worship was done out of obligation under his own terms.
v.3 – Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. ( In part)
PARTIAL OBEDIENCE IS DISOBEDIENCE
When? “In the process of time”  At the end of day, when something has ended and now there is a 1st or a beginning.

There is a sacred time or appointment to bring God what belongs to him.  A way or means of worship in this case…

The key to enjoying and living an utmost life and empowered, abundant life of quality with provision and purpose is to honor God and his word with our life.  I John 3:12 – (warns us) be not like Cain from the evil one and slew his brother and why did he slay him? (Because his deeds activities, works, were wicked and malicious and his brothers were righteous.

Cain was: wroth (angry & jealous)  Jealous – hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage.  Your obedience will irritate those in opposition to the instruction and truth of God’s instruction; truth of God’s word. The condition of Cain’s heart was clearly revealed by his anger and actions.  When you position yourself and posture for the good life in God, HATERS COME OUT! God will bench haters.

Joseph – brothers wanted to kill him.
Peninah – starts producing children irritates Hannah
David – celebrated by the woman who said “Saul hath slain his thousands and David his ten of thousands.
Don’t waste your energy fighting the wrong opposition.  The person has No respect for God has no respect for others or for themselves.

II Cor. 13:5 – Examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith (the word) test yourselves – do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless of course you fail the test.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 – 9)The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? 10)  the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

God pleaded with Cain to retrace his steps and make amends; Cain was cognizant of what to do – of the quality of offering to give God.
As a result, Cain
1) Lost the presence of God
2) Lost connection from family
3) No fixed or secure residence
4) Ground was cursed so it would not yield adequate recompense
5) A fugitive, to waver and go up and down, a vagabond – always disappearing

God wants to heal your life of everything and to bring your heart to a place of wholeness.  God wants your heart/your love

First fruits is simply a response… your worship to your father.

Leviticus 27: 26-30 (NIV) No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the LORD; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the LORD’s. 27 If it is one of the unclean animals, he may buy it back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at its set value. But nothing that a man owns and devotes to the LORD -whether man or animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD. No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; he must be put to death. A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

Vs. 32 (KJV) And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

I. Prioritizing Our Life with the Presence of God
a. A tenth shall be holy to the Lord
i. Holy = (Hebrew) a sacred place or thing
b. The first sets the pattern and pace for the rest, it governs it
c. This month (January) sets the “tone” for the entire year
i. 2010 is not only a new year, but a new decade
d. We are in a ‘kairos’ moment
i. It’s a pivotal season in which something profound and significant is destined to take place
ii. The effectiveness of a ‘kairos’ moment (where God’s sovereignty meets mans destiny) is tied to whether or not we are “on time”
1. Have you ever missed an appointment?
2. Worse then missing a moment is you cannot seize a moment if first you do not know it has arrived

Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil

iii. When you discern you are in a divine moment (2010 = 10th is holy to the Lord) you are to redeem it, or buy it back
iv. Make a decision today that you will stop delaying your destiny
v. You will be a pro-active producer rather then a prosaic procrastinator

Luke 9:62 (MESG) Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.”

II. Today You Will Move Forward – A New Beginning
a. Move toward the fulfillment of prophecies over your life!
i. You can begin again!
ii. You are a pioneer!
iii. Do not bind others or yourself with the words…
1. “you always”
2. “you never”
iv. Give the gift of a “new beginning” and the grace to start over!
1. a brand new day
2. a new moment
3. a new year
4. a new season for your life
b. You can change the “predictable” into the “possible” when you recognize the “at-handedness” of your promised future

Mark 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel

Repent = (Greek) to think differently or afterwards, to reconsider
c. Repentance is a call forward
i. It’s a call into the things of God
1. into His principles
2. into His presence
3. into His patterns
d. When you walk in light, you leave darkness

John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life

John 3:20-21 (NIV) Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God

e. God s calling you forward and to abandon the stale and unproductive patterns of conduct holding you back

Matthew 6:33 (NIV) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well

III. Tell 2010…
a. “I am stepping into the full expression and manifestation of my God promise!”
i. #10 = the perfection of divine order
ii. Completeness of order
iii. Marking the entire round of anything = “full cycle”
1. Nothing wanting
2. The # and the order are perfect
3. The whole cycle is complete
b. The chaos and disorder around you in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 was a necessary mean to a “new beginning”
i. The natural messiness of the “birth process”

Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful

c. You have been commissioned to bring new things into old situations
d. You will walk in the expressions of a new order
i. The whole cycle is complete

IV. First Things First
a. You have to resist religious restraints that regulate and reduce God to a managed and monitored system and let your spiritual eyes and ears be opened to the word of the Lord in every place at all times and in all situations… to esteem His word and His ways higher then your necessary food, even…
i. if that is strange to your finite mind
ii. or inconveniences you or pulls you out of your comfort zone
1. God wants His promise as your priority
a. This wont always be convenient or comfortable
b. Remember the pattern of God is always and in all things “First Things First” or the principle of First Fruits
i. The accurate order and arrangement of things

Leviticus 27:28 Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.

b. Devoted things and first things have the exact same meaning
i. The irrevocable giving over to the Lord
ii. They are things that belong to God and God alone
1. to Devote = to commit by a solemn act, to give over, to give directly… such things as time, money or an effort
2. Devotion is the highest expression of dedication to God
3. It cannot be done without giving (which is the law of loving)
4. Devotion is proof of Gods presence being priority
5. All “first things’ are devoted things, they belong to God

Exodus 13:1-3 (NIV) The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.” Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast

Commemorate “remember” = (Hebrew) zakar – properly , to mark (so as to be recognized, as a male of man or animals of being most worthy) = First Fruits

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.

Wealth = (Hebrew) a force – whether of men, means or other resources. An army, wealth, virtue, valor, or strength

Vs. 18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day

V. Principles of First Things First
a. God Claims the right to everything first
i. Anytime something is a first thing, a first fruit, or a devoted thing, it belongs to God
b. God sees the first things as the root of governing all the rest
i. Romans 11:6
c. The first represents the total
i. Whatever the first portion is used for determines what happens to the rest. Exodus 22:29-30
• If a first thing is consecrated to the Lord then it sanctifies the rest, or covers it with His presence, endorsement and blessing
• A first thing is a fundamental principle or a basis supporting existence or determining essential structure or function
• It is the one thing that affects or governs everything that follows it, it sets the pace and pattern
• The first is so powerful that Adams fall dictated the entire pattern for all mankind

Romans 5:14-15 (NIV) Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
(a first fruit)

Vs. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

• Jesus set a new order, or pattern because He was the first born of God (a first fruit) … He could establish a new governing to mankind

1 Corinthians 15:22-23 (NIV) For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

VI. Jesus, as the First Fruit, Governs the Rest
a. You are the partaker of the divine nature of God
b. You are the shareholder in His authority
c. Because you are being conformed to His image, you will re-produce after your own kind (bringing many sons and daughters to glory)

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren

d. Christ set a new pattern for all mankind
i. Jesus, as the first fruits, now governs the rest

Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

e. When God looks at you, He sees the image of His son
f. As a joint heir with the one who has been given all authority and power in heaven and earth
g. Because the first sets the pattern and pace for the rest, when I bring “my first” to Him, He covers the rest!
h. There is a designated starting point to all new beginnings

Ezekiel 44:30 And the first of all the firstfruits of all things, and every oblation of all, of every sort of your oblations, shall be the priest’s: ye shall also give unto the priest the first of your dough, that he may cause the blessing to rest in thine house.

• When the man or woman of God receive the first fruit offering, that he/she may cause…
I. Blessing = (brakah) (Hebrew) prosperity
II. To rest = (Hebrew) to settle down, to dwell or stay
III. In thine “house” = (Hebrew) family, (root) builders, children = generations
• It’s your new beginning

Are you ready? Accept the new beginning in every area of your personal world, even if they challenge your comfort zones…

Are you ready? Honor the Lordship of Jesus as the highest priority in your life.

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you

“When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed, but increased…”
-C.S. Lewis

I. There is a High Calling
a. There is an utmost life
b. There is an “ascended life” in Christ that is a way of life available for you
i. A life of purpose, provision and the fullness of His presence
ii. To ascend = is to walk up, or step up

Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

(MESG) vs. 12-16 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

c. We must make His presence a priority

Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus

Made us sit together = (Greek) to give (or take) a seat in company with…

d. If God already gave me a seat…
i. In a “high place”
ii. In “ascended life”
iii. In a place “above”… then it’s time to “step it on up” and take my seat
1. God has a great quality of life for you, a unique destiny and purpose

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Abundantly = (Greek) in the sense of beyond, superabundant, quantity or superior in quality. By implication = Excessive

II. Preparing and Getting in Position
a. We want Gods best…
i. For our church
ii. For you
iii. For your family
iv. For your life
b. Therefore we must go back to the fundamentals
c. We must prepare and put into practice God’s principles and patterns

An all-star winning football team was being interviewed on why they were so good. They were asked, “What was the toughest game you have ever played?” and the answered, “PRACTICE. We never played a game tougher then coach made us practice”

d. Practice =
i. to carry out or apply
ii. a customary way of operation
iii. to learn by repetition
1. Great people practice regularly what average people do occasionally

Joshua 17:17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only

2. So as a ministry, we practice the patterns and principles of God that are so critical at the on-set of the year (or any new beginning or “first”)
a. 2010 is not just a new year, but a new decade

e. Patterns
i. The patterns of God (accurate order and arrangement of parts) is always in all things – First things First, or the principle of “First Fruits”

III. First Fruits
a. More then an offering
b. It is a foundational principle

Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

c. First Fruits = (Hebrew) reshiyth (ray-sheeth)
i. The first, in place, time, order or rank
ii. The beginning, chief, first or principle thing
iii. a captain or chief, excellent, forefront, principle, ruler, sum, top, summit, upper part, primary
1. First = the first occurrence or item of a kind
2. fundamental, basic essential
a. serving as a basis, supporting existence or determining essential structure or function
b. all things are supported by the basis

IV. God Wants to be First in Your Life
a. If we will gain Gods greatest blessings, we must embrace His highest purpose
b. He wants to be first…
i. In your life
ii. In the church
iii. In your business
iv. In your marriage
c. He wants His presence as your priority
i. When someone or something has priority, it has precedence, superiority in rank, position or privilege
ii. When we don’t set priorities, we tend to follow the path of least resistance, and that will not lead us to the “utmost” life

Exodus 20:3-5 No other gods, only me. No carved gods of any size, shape, or form of anything whatever, whether of things that fly or walk or swim. Don’t bow down to them and don’t serve them because I am GOD, your God, and I’m a most jealous God, punishing the children for any sins their parents pass on to them to the third, and yes, even to the fourth generation of those who hate me. But I’m unswervingly loyal to the thousands who love me and keep my commandments.

d. God is very serious about things and people being in proper order in our lives
e. When you don not put first things first, everything is out of order or in a state of chaos
i. Chaos = a state of extreme confusion and disorder

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints

Confusion = (Greek) akatastasis – instability, inconsistent and unstable

James 3:16 (NIV) For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

V. What You Practice in Your Life Becomes Your Habits
a. Habits are actions repeated so frequent without thought
b. If your practices are evil (fouled and flawed) out of instability and inconsistencies then…
i. Habits develop character
ii. Character determines destiny (a course of inevitable events)

James 1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Double minded = (Greek) two spirited or vacillating in opinion or purpose
Ways = (Greek) hodos – road, route, journey
It’s a life of faltering and fluctuations

c. To be unstable means = fickle, lack of control, not firm or fixed. Not steady in action or movement, wavering in purpose or intent
i. No one wants or enjoys a life driven from dysfunction
ii. When you are out of balance or alignment with Gods precepts, anything can become an external solution to calm the external chaos, but you don’t have to stay there!

d. All privileges are released through receiving and believing His word
i. The law of first things first has a fundamental impact on your life
ii. First fruits is a promise to come

Whatever you do with first fruit governs the rest and sets the pattern or promise to come for the rest of whatever you establish

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

e. Jesus was the first born, and thus, He was the First Fruit
f. God always lays claim to the first things

Exodus 13:11-13 And it shall be when the LORD shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee, That thou shalt set apart unto the LORD all that openeth the matrix, and every firstling that cometh of a beast which thou hast; the males shall be the LORD’s. And every firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb; and if thou wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt break his neck: and all the firstborn of man among thy children shalt thou redeem.

Exodus 22:29-30 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of thy ripe fruits, and of thy liquors: the firstborn of thy sons shalt thou give unto me. Likewise shalt thou do with thine oxen, and with thy sheep: seven days it shall be with his dam; on the eighth day thou shalt give it me.

g. Whenever something is a first, God lays claim to it because God sees the first thing as representing what comes after it
i. The principle is = God sees according to how the first things are treated

Romans 11:6 For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.

As we exit one year and enter the next, we make Gods presence our priority!

Revelation 3:7-8 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

I. God’s Declaration to You
a. “I have set before you an open door”
i. Set (Hebrew) = to give
1. when God gives you something, man cannot stop it
ii. An open (Hebrew) = to open up
iii. Door (Hebrew) = a portal or entrance

b. God is giving you entry into places that have been shut down or not accessible

Joshua 6:1 NIV Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

c. The Israelites (God’s people)
i. No one came out
ii. No one went in
1. There are some places and some people that have denied you access because of who you are (a child of God)
2. Some of the fight you have faced, doesn’t even make sense for where you are
3. The enemy is fighting you where God is taking you, not for where you have been
4. It’s the potential in you and the promise of God that has the enemy terrified
a. God said, He has set before you an open door and no man can shut it

Hebrews 6:15-16 (MESG) 13-18When God made his promise to Abraham, he backed it to the hilt, putting his own reputation on the line. He said, “I promise that I’ll bless you with everything I have—bless and bless and bless!” Abraham stuck it out and got everything that had been promised to him. When people make promises, they guarantee them by appeal to some authority above them so that if there is any question that they’ll make good on the promise, the authority will back them up. When God wanted to guarantee his promises, he gave his word, a rock-solid guarantee—God can’t break his word. And because his word cannot change, the promise is likewise unchangeable.

II. If God said it, That Settles It!
a. Promise = a divine assurance of good
i. God is the God of promise
ii. He keeps His word even when it seems impossible, even when all odds are against it
iii. Even when circumstances contradict it

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

b. God makes a promise
c. Faith believes and receives
d. Hope anticipates it
e. Patience quietly awaits it
i. You have to build your prophetic future on the promises of God

III. What is a Prophetic Future?
a. Prophetic = God’s exegesis… the name given to predictive spheres of supernatural communications, acts and influences from the spiritual world
i. The practice of revelatory ministry

b. Future = where I am going but have not been… a time yet to come, an expectation of advancement, progress and development
c. Prophetic Future = A time to come that is filled with expectation because of the communication that is given concerning it from God’s word and His anointed servants
d. When you build a prophetic future by what God has promised the answer to the problem you face is = “to prophesy”

Ezekiel 37:1-14 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest…

1. Can what was dead, come back to life?
2. Can the impossible become possible?
Vs 4 Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.
e. To prophesy = speak or sing by inspiration in prediction or simple discourse
i. inspiration = divine influence (in-spirit)
f. Prophecy is not given just to foretell events as much as it is to prepare you and invoke a response that will affect those events
i. Prophecy (NT) = not only to foretell but to “tell forth”
1. When you hear the word of the Lord, it is not hard to say the word of the Lord
2. God has given you an opening, an entry, a portal

“I have set before you an open door…” So how do you walk through it? Put first things first…

• Wouldn’t it be nice to know where your going in life?
- To have abundant means to get there?
- To enjoy the journey
- To live an empowered life?

• It is possible
• God has a perfect design and purpose for your life…with more than enough provision
• So the question becomes…How do I get there? And align my life with what has been defined by God…

A simple principle from God’s word holds your answer…(to transform your life)

Its imperative …critical…vital to understand…for it is fundamental….foundation

And that is = keep first things first and God will take care of the rest

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you…

C.S. Lewis: “When first things are put first…2nd things are not suppressed but increased

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get wisdom…and with all thy getting, get understanding

When you put God first by obeying His principle and following His divinely established pattern…= your life becomes aligned with His plan and promises for you…

A principle is (from the root word prince, meaning dominion or monarch) = a fundamental truth or law on which others are based…A rule of conduct. The method something operates.

It is a “prescribed way of living”

A pattern =  is an order or arrangement of parts… a model or design from which copies can be made

For every pattern = there is a design..and for every design =  there is a designer –
- ie = one who creates and executes plans for the project manufacturer

God has a plan and that plan is always working and you are a part of His plan

It’s not your job to design or develop but to discover and implement or put the decision and plan of god into effect

Patterns are established from concept…ie = the original intention, though or notion

God’s original intention is His final decision…that means God doesn’t change His mind

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever

He is consistent, constant, steady and stable

His word endures forever according to I Peter 1:25

His patterns are permanent…they were established long before man had a revelation or vision of them

All that God creates is perfect…including you

You were created with a God-intended position and purpose

That intention will not change!!! Period

In other words…as you live a yielded surrendered life to God…If its part of your destiny you cant loose it…if not you cant keep it

What a release from trying to make life happen or force something to fit…

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a mans heart, but it is the Lords purpose that prevails

Plans – (Hebrew) = contrivance of a mentally fabricated plot

What a waste of time, energy, resources, and life = when God’s ultimate intention will always succeed for a child of God

All you need to do is = flow with the determinations of God

You have been positioned or accurately arranged to walk out the pattern of your destiny thru Jesus…ie John 10:10 – an abundant life in Christ Jesus

Jesus declares…I am come that they (put your name here) might have life and that ehy might have it more abundantly

Abundantly (Greek) = in the sense of beyond superabundant in quantity or superior in quality. By implication, it means = excessive…

God has an excessive life for you

Are you ready to live it = 2010 is going to be your year of excess

You do so by implementing His principles

Life is governed by laws…they are working FOR and AGAINST you

When you implement a divine principle = you reap a divine result (or) reward

So what is God’s original intention for you? (found in Gen 1:27/28 – that you will live in His image…ie = complete and whole

That means = you will be fruitful…you will grow an increase in the abundance and anointing of God

You will be replenished… i.e. = full, overflow, satisfy and you will take dominion…ie = prevail against, reign, rule over and subdue = ie = conquer, keep under and bring into bondage

When you follow the pattern you see the manifestation of the promises from being in position…

You have great promises…according to II Peter 1:3-4
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. V.4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises so that through them you might participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

The precious and magnificent promises of God allow us to become more like Him and less like the world.

Through Christ…these promises give us everything we need…But without the true knowledge of His word…many of His promises go unrealized in your life

Its not so much doing wrong that nullifies the promises and provision of God…as it is not doing enough of what is right

Hosea 4:6 reminds us My people perish…lack of knowledge…note v. 3 says = there was no…no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land..

While you are looking for God to be faithful…He is looking for you to be faithful

Gods covenant is = His word

All covenant privileges / promises are released and received by believing and activating the Word of God…

God moves in order, principles and patterns to achieve His intentions

God has an arrangement for things in your life…when something is arranged = it is put into a proper systematic order

The pattern of God or = ie = the accurate order and arrangement of parts…is always in all tings

First Things First

It is the principle of Firstfruits…

Firstfruits is more than an offering…although it inclusive of that..) = it is the foundation principle

Firstfruits (heb) = ray-sheeth
- the 1st in place, time order or rank
- also means = the beginning, chiefest and principle thing

First = is defined as = the 1st occurrence or item of a kind = fundamental = basic essential…ie = serving as a basis supporting existence…or determining essential structure or function

So…all things that exist are supported by the basis…(ie = foundation)

Psalm 11:3..declares If the foundation be destroyed…what can the righteous do?

God is very serious about things being in order in our lives

That is why it is so critical to understand the principle of “First things First” “firstfruits”

When you do not put first things first = everything in your life is out of order = or confused

The Greek term for confusion = often means disorder

James 3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, (strife) there you find disorder (confusion) and every evil practice

KJV = says “strife” – a division, a faction, a pulling away

Where there is division there is confusion disorder which opens the door for every evil work and evil spirit

We are going to shut that door and get in order…How? By putting first things first…ie keeping the “main thing” the main thing and God is the main thing…

Again firstfruits means the first in place, order and rank…the beginning, chief or principle thing

God declares… all first things belong to him in order to establish redeeming covenant with everything that comes after

That means the first day of the week, first minutes of day, first month of year, first of your finances, talents, service, family…It is ALL firsts

Lev 27:28, Lev 23, Ex 23,  Ex 34:26, Num 28:26, Neh 10:35-37, Pr 3:9, Ez 20:40

Ex 22:29 – do not hold back offerings from your grainaries or your vats..you must give me the first born of your sons…do same with cattle and sheep

Ex 13:1-3 NIV - The Lord said to Moses, consecrate to me every first born male, the first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me whether man or animal.

Here are the principles:
1. Anytime something is a first thing…a first fruit (also called devoted thing) God always lays claim to it..
2. God sees the first thing = the first principle = as the root governing all the rest
Rom 11:16 – If the part of the dough offered as firstruits is holy, then the whole batch is Holy…if the root is holy…so are the branches
3. The first represents the total…

This means whatever the first portion is used for determines what happens to the rest…

All firsts belong to God

Remember a first is a fundamental principle or a basis supporting existence

Principles have policy…policy comes from the word “police”

Police = means a department that provides order..

It’s a governing agency…so the way you govern your life must be by the fundamental laws or truths of the word of God…in order to see or receive His rewards

Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first…His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added

Seek first = (gr) = chiefly, first of all…firstly (in time, place, order or importance

From 2 words – foremost in time, place, order or importance

It is a life of His presence as priority

When something’s has priority = precedence – superiority in rank, position or privilege

Seek first…the kingdom of god…what is the Kingdom of God = royalty, realm and rule…it is an extension of God’s rule or dominion in the earth…ie = the kings domain or an area or sphere in which one holds a preeminent position…

It denotes…God’s purpose (the extension of God’s rule

The church is the instrument, vehicle and means of the kingdom

A kingdom has…
1. A King - Jn 1:49 / Mt 28:18-20
2. Territory (Ps 2:8, 24:1, Mt 6:10, Acts 1:8
3. Subjects or citizens (Phil 3:20)
4. Laws or Principles of Living (Mt 5:1-8 / II Tim 2:5)
5. Glory or the lifestyle of the subjects (Is 60:1-5, Rom 8:18)

We are in the greatest display of god manifesting Himself in the earth

You have been brought to the kingdom for such a time as this…you are called to inherit

You are the remnant who are governed by His presence = which remained and were not removed by the shaking of His word

Only that which is part of this unshakable kingdom cannot and will not be moved

This kingdom is going to stand…because His presence, power and provision rules in it

You are going to stand because you have a foundation = First Things First

What you appreciate, appreciates… When you learn to appreciate more of what you already have, you will find yourself having more to appreciate.

Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

Faithful = (Greek) trustworthy, trustful

Matthew 25:28-29 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

I. What You Appreciate, Appreciates
a. According to the determining factor to having “abundance” is trustful or trustworthy
i. You can be trusted
ii. So is abundance is given to a vessel of “trust”, the implication is = “I am responsible for, and care for what I carry, possess or contain, based on my perceived value”
b. When we depreciate something, we devalue or diminish its worth
c. When we appreciate something or someone we give value with approval and praise
i. When we appreciate things, we “mean” to increase their worth
d. It’s impossible to feel grateful for something or someone that we do not value

Proverbs 31:10-11 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil

i. Gratitude = the feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
1. etymology = thankful and pleasing
2. Root = “gratus” or “grace”
3. God’s favor or help
a. Pleasing
b. Quality
c. Favor
d. Good will
e. Agreeable
f. It’s pie-base, giver meaning
i. To praise
ii. To welcome
iii. To sing
iv. To announce

ii. So being grateful is really to “praise”, to “welcome” and to “announce”
1. The only way I can praise or have an attitude of gratitude in all things, is by His grace
a. Kindness and favor
2. Therefore, without grace I cannot truly be appreciative and thankful
3. So when I am gracious…I am grateful
a. “enjoying favor”

II. Look for What is Right and Appreciate It
a. The word “appreciate” has several meanings
i. To be thankful or show gratitude
ii. To raise or increase in value
1. Think of everything you criticize regularly and you will see where you have failed to appreciate or find value
2. The moment you participate in the “depreciation” process (you stop valuing) and that is the moment you block your ability to experience gratefulness and ultimately abundance
b. The Law of Recognition
i. What you don’t recognize will eventually exit your life
ii. What you celebrate, appreciates
iii. Anything unrecognized remains uncelebrated
1. a gift
2. a miracle
3. a person
iv. What you respect, you attract
1. You can’t conquer what you don’t confront, and you can’t confront what you don’t identify
2. Familiarity can be fatal
a. It’s where you begin to take things for granted
b. It’s when you go through life unaware of the multitudes of blessings and gifts that are here each and every moment –

You must break any “entitlement fallacy” that you are “owed” something in life and begin to change an attitude of ingratitude by imagining how empty your life would be without the blessings of God given to you

3. Steps
a. Remind yourself that there are no ordinary moments
i. Resolve to cherish each and every day of your life
ii. Awareness causes you to embrace your life journey with gratitude, so how you travel your path is more important then reaching your ultimate destination
b. Complaining (obstacles)
i. Complainers remain and praisers get raised
ii. The complainer always feels shortchanged, deprived and picked on in life
iii. They consequently becomes envious and bitter towards those who seemed to have been blessed with what’s missing in their own life
iv. They suffer with secret resentment
1. Hannah and Pinninah (classic example)
a. Her blessing was salt in the wound of Hannah’s failure
c. Finding Fault = being judgmental
i. Gratitude is rooted in grace
ii. When grace is your case, you are “non judgmental
1. of yourself
2. of others
3. of events
4. of situations

Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved

III. Forgiveness
a. I must live the same patterns and practices of Jesus (to be non judgmental) and practice forgiveness
b. By walking in forgiveness you relieve yourself the burden of carrying the hurt, anger pain, isolation, and all that occurred as the result of an “act” against you

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive he who is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us…”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

c. Once you make compassion a higher priority then judgment, it makes sense to forgive it
i. So to be a person of non judgment means to be a person of grace
1. This doesn’t mean you have compromise and no conviction
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
ii. Fault finding is not a matter of what you observe in your world but when you choose a critical or angry point of view
1. Its what you do with what you see

IV. Cultivating and Attitude of Gratitude
a. Develop an awareness of yourself as a recipient, not a victim
b. Say, “Thank you”
c. Tell those around you how much you appreciate them
d. Cut off complaining and criticizing
e. Change your way of thinking to powerful and positive

Remember, it’s the nature of thought to increase. The more your thoughts center on what is missing, the more deficient you will feel…

Rarely are things as they first appear, not what happens but how we respond… Thank God no matter what happens… The challenge = Can you be grateful “in” all circumstances?

Verse 23 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

I. A Big God Doesn’t Live in Little Places
a. Its required for empowered and purposeful living
a. You are continually either growing into a bigger and better “Christ-like” person or shrinking into a little, bitter person
i. You are living “expanded” or “contracted”
b. God wants to be BIG in you and through you! John 10:10
i. However, you can’t go to a higher ground if you are living on a lower level
1. As long as you complain, you will remain
2. When you start to praise, you will get raised
a. Complainers remain
b. Praisers get raised
3. Begin to re-frame your life by adapting a “student” and not a “victim: mentality
4. Whatever life event you face , choose not to “waste” your trial, but turn your pain into purpose
a. It may not be God sent but it can be God used

“It isn’t the past which holds us back, it’s the future and how we undermined it today”,  -Viktor Frankl (he survived the concentration camps for 3 years)

Genesis 50:19-20 Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I’ll take care of you and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.

II. Developing and Attitude of Gratitude
a. God said “Give thanks (in) all things” Not (for) all things
i. Attitude is
1. A state of mind or feeling
2. A disposition
ii. Gratitude is
1. The feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
2. it etymology is = thankful and pleasing
3. from the root of “gratus” or “grace”
a. God’s favor or help
i. Pleasing, quality, favor, good will, agreeable
ii. It’s from the “pie base” “giver” = to praise, welcome, sing, announces

4. To be grateful is to praise
a. When I praise there is always provision by God’s presence
b. Whatever you appreciate, appreciates
i. This is where you build a life of value

Psalms 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

b. The only way I can “praise” or have an attitude of gratitude of gratitude “in” all things is by His grace (kindness and favor)

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

c. When “grace” is your case, you are non-judgmental of…
i. Yourself
ii. Others
iii. Events or situations

Romans 3:23-24 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus

III. Don’t Ever Underestimate the Power and Strength of Grace
a. Gratitude is rooted in grace
b. Without grace I cannot truly be appreciative and thankful
c. So, when I’m gracious (enjoying favor), I an=m grateful
i. Making conscious decisions to look for what is right and appreciating it
Gratefulness means experiencing “Great – Fullness” = feeling full in every moment, appreciating exactly what it is.
d. Happiness is not what makes us grateful, it is gratefulness that makes us happy
i. Attitudes effect atmospheres
ii. Atmospheres influence actions
1. Bad attitude = Bad atmosphere = Bad action

e. But, like the woman who came to worship with the Alabaster Box in Mark chapter 14
i. You can change an atmosphere with an attitude of gratitude
ii. She walked into a hostile environment with one purpose = to say, “Thank You” Mark 14:3-9
1. She had a purpose with her worship
2. She had not come to ask anything of him, but only to say one thing – “Thanks”

IV. Jesus Expresses with Clarity, How We are to Approach Him

Psalms 100:2-5 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

a. Verse 4 reveals the “right order” or approach for being received by God.
b. It’s our passage way or entry into the very throne room of God
c. As we draw near to Him through “true worship”, it is what moves the heart of God and touches Him
i. There is an “acceptable” approach” to God – to enter into Thanksgiving
d. Verse 4 also reveals 3 keys to accessing God
i. Enter His gates with thanksgiving
1. gates = (Hebrew) (shah-ar) an opening or portal
2. thanksgiving = thanks or gratitude offering, extension of hand
a. referred to as a “peace offering” or heave/wave
i. Deuteronomy 12:18, 16:11
ii. Jude 20 :26, 21:4
iii. In fellowship (agreement) this sacrifice is celebrated
1. covering of sin
2. forgiveness by God
3. restoration of a right meaningful relationship with God and life itself

V. 3 Kinds of Peace Offerings
a. Thank offerings in response to an unsolicited special divine blessing
b. Votive (vowed) offerings in pursuit of making a request or pledge to God
c. Freewill offerings spontaneously presented in worship and praise
i. In His courts with praise
1. praise = (Hebrew) (teh-hil-law) laudation – specifically a hymn
a. to be clear of sound
b. to make show
c. to boast
d. to be clamorously foolish
e. to rave
f. to celebrate
ii. Give thanks to Him and Bless His name
1. Be thankful = (Hebrew) (yadah)
a. to hold out the hand
b. to throw, especially to worship with extended hands
2. Bless = (Hebrew) (barah) to kneel as act of adoration
a. When you worship, you are prostrating yourself before God
b. You are submitting your sense of superiority to God

VI. God Never Asks You to Understand Him
a. He only asks to obey Him
b. It doesn’t say “You will understand the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind” Matthew 22:37 (Love)
c. We will never figure Him out because he dwells in unapproachable light and no mortal man can approach Him 1 Timothy 6:16
d. He discloses Himself to us when, where and how He chooses and when He doesn’t want us to see Him, He hides Himself in His glory. Jeremiah chapter 29
e. Our only choice He puts before us, “come and worship Me”
i. Worship = comes from anglo-saxon compound word (weorthscype)
1. weorth = worth, value or respect
2. scype = to shape or to build something
3. Both words together = weorthscype = to shape or build worth, value or respect
f. Every aspect of your being should frame the worth, value and respect due to His name and person
i. Worthship = denotes the worthiness of the one receiving special honor or devotion
ii. This enlightens and gives understanding to the magnitude of her worship (Mary)
1. it was a demonstration of His value in her life
2. another root of “ship” = when we offer worship to God, we literally become vessels or “ships” immersed in His infinite worth and value

VII. The Art of Altar Building
a. Years ago, potters used to put their earthenware vases in ovens to temper them
b. One major problem was they didn’t have the technical gear we have today, so they would “play it by ear”
i. No two pieces were made alike
ii. The potter would know when the piece was done when the heat would make it “sing”
iii. A noise would emanah from the tempered pottery in the heat of a furnace when it reached the proper heat point
1. the pottery would literally “sing in the furnace” and that’s how they knew when to remove it
iv. The affliction you go through is the environment God uses for you to excel Isaiah 48:10
v. David declares, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted” Psalms 119
vi. Adversity gives you the advantage
1. The more you are pressed, the more you are empowered
vii. This woman worshipped in an angry atmosphere. They were mad about her praise
1. Don’t let anyone shut you up- Praise Anyhow!
2. Obedience is your highest form of worship 1Samuel 15:22

Hebrews 5:8-9 (NIV) Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

VIII. Are You Singing Yet?
a. When you are in the heat of affliction, the only thing you can do that has any substance or value is WORSHIP!
i. Complainers remain
ii. Praisers are raised

Psalms 22:3 But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

b. God’s throne is as significant as you want to make it through your praise
c. Now, if He dwells in the midst of your praise, how much of a throne do you want Him to have?
i. As you praise Him, you are shaping a throne for God Almighty Himself, in your life
ii. When you worship Him, you are sacrificing your life and body on an altar of surrender as a living sacrifice
1. This says to God- “You are my Lord, I am confident you are sovereign and lean on you for all life”
a. Abraham (our father of faith) sets example or a pattern for us to worship as a lifestyle

Genesis 12:7-8 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.

Genesis 13:18 Then Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD.

b. Altar = (Hebrew) (mizbeach) describes a structure that has one function or reason for existence = The slaughter of sacrifices
i. Every time you worship, you are shaping, building and constructing something holy to the Lord
ii. You are building an altar, a meeting place for God

It is your attitude of gratitude that causes greatness to expand you. Everyday you either expand or shrink… Decide, “I’m tired of living little, I’m shifting today, by His Grace”…

Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

Hebrews 12:1 (MESG) Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

I. God Has a BIG LIFE for YOU!
a. He has designed a blessed and successful life for you to enjoy. One that has…
i. Peace and purpose
ii. Joy
iii. Goodness and wholeness
iv. Wealth and health

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Mayest prosper = succeed in reaching, have a successful journey
Be in health = (Greek) “be well” safe, sound and whole
Even as thy soul (spirit) = success is highly individualized

b. I want you to see it for a moment…
i. A big God being big in YOU and doing big through you!
ii. Where there is not a continual life of
1. worry
2. fear
3. anxiety
4. constant pressure
5. stress
6. confusion
iii. But a life of
1. vitality – energy and stamina
2. clarity
3. love and value
4. purpose and fulfillment
5. provision and supply

Jeremiah 32:27 (NIV) “I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?

II. Whatever has Caused you to be Barren Can be Broken with One God Moment
a. There are areas of our life that are not working
i. Ineffective
ii. Powerless
iii. Doing nothing and going nowhere

b. Faith does not dent the facts, it only changes them
c. When something breaks it means…
i. To separate into parts with suddenness
ii. To disrupt the normal
d. God is going to cause you to break forth and break out (Isaiah 54)
i. Break out = a violent, forceful break from a restraining condition or situation
ii. To emerge with suddenness and force

e. Whatever has restricted you is going to be removed from you

Job 22:29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humble person.

Lifting up = (Hebrew) exaltation
Lift = to raise, remove to a higher position, boost. Go up, elevate to a higher plane of thought

f. God is not going to let you down; He is going to life you up!
g. Something is shifting in you that knows you can not go to a higher ground if you are hanging on to a lower level

A “BIG” God doesn’t live in “little“ places, therefore, God does His part, and I must do my part. I have to lay aside every weight

Weight = (Greek) a mass (a bending or bulging by its load)
Burden / Hindrance = (root word) “a bend”

III. Everyone Has “a Bend”
a. A propensity
b. A tendency
i. “My bend” may not be “your bend” (and vice versa)
ii. But all of us have a “curve” somewhere and “the sin”
1. Which means everyone has the one tendency that causes them to miss the mark (mistaken identity, fall short of the character of Christ)
c. The bend in you might not bother me at all, but it could break you (and vice versa)
d. We are instructed to lay aside every weight and the sin
i. Don’t play with poison in your life

To be in harmony with the will of God and attain the highest state of purpose for your life, you must clear the clutter…

IV. Clear the Clutter
a. Clutter = a confused, crowded, disordered state or collection. To throw into disorder (chaos), to disarrange
i. God has an arrangement for things in your life
ii. When something is arranged, it is put into a proper or systematic order

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

b. True spirituality has a freedom and a flow
i. Clutter = is derived from an (old English word) = “clot” (as in blood clot)
1. which cuts off the “flow” of your blood (life) and can potentially kill you

c. Therefore you must make a conscious decision to get rid of what you do not want to make room for what you do want

Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

d. Spiritual Clutter are the…
i. The issues
ii. Mind sets
iii. Emotions
iv. Past history
v. And habits that you harbor and hold in your soul-self, which makes you unable to nurture and support your purpose in life
1. Example- When I go to the airport (my bag are too heavy) I always have to pay extra
2. Some of us are paying too high of a price for what we are carrying around
3. You must make a decision to get rid of the things you know are holding you back and weighing you down
e. Think how freeing your life would be without the excessive baggage

V. God’s Principle = “Leave and Cleave”
a. You cannot effectively cleave to “the Big Life” God has for you until you are willing to let go of “The Little”
i. The lesser things that have no real value or place in your purpose
b. I have discovered, that if you don’t make a problem real, the solution is meaningless
c. Most of us already know the provision

Luke 22:29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;

i. As a covenantal people, we are heirs with God and joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17 and Ephesians 5:31-32)

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

ii. So if provision has been made, it’s already available to us, then what is the problem?
iii. Why am I not living abundantly?
iv. What is restricting me and crowding my spirit and my life?
v. How do I clear the clutter?

VI. The Law of First Mention (Leave and Cleave) and Separation
a. God implemented the principle of “leave and cleave” in Genesis 2:24
b. He speaks to our Father of Faith, Abraham in Genesis 12:1
i. The first thing God tells him is… “Get out of your country and away from your kinfolk
ii. Here’s where we often get stuck and struggle, not receiving the fullness of what God has
1. Separate yourself – get up and get out
a. Separation brings revelation, (which always leads to worship) which brings exaltation

c. There are 7 separations Abraham will go through
i. He will have to make 7 critical decisions in his lifetime until he knows God as “Jehovah Jireh” = complete, unlimited provision without any further requirements
1. Country / Culture (Genesis 12:1)
2. Kindred (Genesis 12:1)
3. Egypt (Genesis 13:1)
4. Lot (Genesis 13:1)
5. A desire to get wealth (Genesis 14:21-24)
6. Ishmael (Genesis 17:18 and 21:9-14
7. Isaac (Genesis 22:1-4)
a. The ultimate test – worship in its purest sense

d. So why was this so difficult?
i. It takes Abraham 25 years from the time God makes the promise, before he starts to see anything take place
ii. When Abraham starts his journey and sets off for Canaan, he gets side tracked, settled in Haran.
1. Haran is the same name of his dead brother
a. He settled in a place of his past that has died. Hebrew 12:1 – lay aside every weight
iii. Abraham wasted 6 years of his life in Haran (a dead place) stuck between a past and a promise
iv. His dad died there and it takes a crisis for him to continue on course
1. That’s why you don’t’ curse your crisis. Opposition is working for you and pits are part of your journey
v. vs4: So Abraham departed as the Lord had spoken to him and Lot went with him…
1. The real issue was Lot was a leech
a. When Lot saw Abraham was going somewhere, he attached himself
b. When you discover that you are going somewhere, you have to watch for “stuff” that wants to go with you
c. Some things have to be separated – Clear the Clutter
2. It’s not a “Lot” issue
a. He’s always been a leech and he always will be
3. It’s an Abraham issue
a. He has no boundaries
b. No lines to tell him what his life consists of and what he is responsible for
c. He is anointed and appointed and chosen but he struggles with an issue

4. Lot is Abraham’s nephew (Haran’s son) the brother of Abraham who , Jewish tradition says was cast into Nimrod’s furnace for wavering during Abraham fiery trial

VII. Blurring of Boundaries, Lines, “a Bend”
a. Abraham probably feels a sense of false responsibility
i. Guilt
ii. Shame
b. He is a rescuer
c. His drive for approval and “let me fix” is what went wrong in life
d. Abraham is living an “imbalanced” life

When we are out of balance, anything can become an “external solution” to calm the “internal chaos”. Most often we try to heal the “symptoms” when we must get to the “root” of the problem…

e. There are 8 Common excesses (symptoms) that manifest in an imbalanced life
i. Remember, you are a spirit struggling with humanity, therefore most of these patterns are “normal”
ii. We are not perfect and we don’t have to be
iii. We are human being human
iv. It’s only engaged in these patterns (excesses) frequently and to our significant detriment that we are in danger = clutter
1. Eating too much – over eating, binge, mindless eating
2. Chemical Pleasures – drinking, smoking, drugs
3. Working – over working, career as identity, busy, busy, busy
4. Spending – over spending, excessive, hoarding, materialism
5. Rescuing People – emotional merging, being a savior, expecting too little
6. Putting up Walls – emotional distancing, persecuting, expecting too much
7. Too Much Thinking – obsessive thinking, avoiding feelings, analyze everything
8. People Pleasing – fear of rejection, approval seeking, being too good
f. Lot represents a certain mentality that would create habits driven from dysfunction
i. This is not a relationship
ii. Its not an entanglement, which is a snare and complication
iii. It produces…
1. controlling behavior
2. distrust
3. perfectionism
4. intimacy problems

VIII. What Lot Represents
a. Ungodly attachments
i. Any person, mid set, habit or attitude you hold against God’s word is an ungodly attachment
1. un-forgiveness
2. bitterness
3. malice
b. Disobedience
c. Distraction
i. Inappropriate distraction
ii. Lot means = a veil, covering, to wrap up, muffle, hidden, concealed, covert, black art, magic, sorcery, secret
iii. As long as Lot is in your life, you are stuck
iv. But if you will “clear the clutter” …. Vs14: And the Lord said unto Abraham after that Lot was separated from him. Lift up now thine eyes and look from the place where thou art
1. from = (Hebrew) Above

You can now see above your situation and circumstances with Lot gone. As long as he stays, your life is crowded, confused, has disorder and is full of clutter (and junk)

IX. Life is Like a Closet
a. When you open it, there is a bunch of junk in the inside
b. I’m sure there are valuable items, but they are hard to find and locate
i. Clutter = diminishes clarity
ii. Clutter – robs valuable time (James 4:14)
iii. Clutter drains energy and creativity

c. Your life becomes mismatched
i. It impedes movement and progress
ii. It detracts from efficiency and effectiveness
1. It “junk”. Anything that crowds your life from building, edifying and enriching your spirit has to go!

d. How do you move things?
i. It starts by believing what the “Big God” has for you is going to arrive
ii. Remember to leave and cleave
iii. Surrender your small for God’s Big
iv. Lay aside every weight, cast it off (Hebrews 12:1)

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

God has designed a blessed and successful life for you to enjoy.
Discovering “who you are” as a unique human being and living authentic tot hat maybe the healthiest definition of “success” in your life…

I. Success
a. Success is not simply a destination, it’s a journey
b. It’s the ongoing expansion and realization of your happiness and wellness by the attainment of any “state” with which you are content
c. It’s always evidenced by a “peace”, no matter what
i. In other words, when you are happy and content with your current sate of being = that is success

3 John 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
Mayest prosper = succeed in reaching, have a successful journey
Be in health = (Greek) “be well” safe, sound and whole
Even as thy soul (spirit) = success is highly individualized

The state of which you are content may not be the same as someone else’s. It all depends on your personal desires, values and purpose…

II. Your Purpose is Your Supreme Reason for Being
a. It is His divine prescription for your earthly existence
b. It defines your most meaningful direction in life
c. Being in harmony with the will of God for your life is the highest state of purpose you can attain

Proverbs 19:21 (NIV) Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

Proverbs 19:21 (KJV) There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

A device = (Hebrew) a contrivance from the idea of weaving or fabrication. Intention

d. Many times in our under-development…
i. Waiting
ii. Impatience
iii. Seeing in part
…we take matters into our own hands and devise or fabricate (form) our destiny in life
i. But it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails
a. Prevails = (Hebrew) to stand, to rise, to be clear, to succeed

III. God Has a Plan
a. His plan is always working and you are part of the plan of God

Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

b. When we align ourselves with what has already been defined by God, we find a fulfill the greatest single drive in human nature
i. our need for meaning and purpose

c. Life is continuously providing us with information or messages when we do not listen, the messages become lessons…

d. When we do not learn, the lessons become problems

e. When we don’t address the problems, they become crisis

f. When crisis is unresolved, it creates chaos in our lives

g. If the chaos is not cancelled, it creates cycles

When you consciously choose your responses to life, you purposefully create the life you desire and reclaim your birthright to design and engineer the life God has planned for you…
That’s an empowered life, “A Life on Purpose” and authentically successful;

IV. Purpose Starts by Taking Inventory
a. To identify your purpose, begin asking questions, such as…
i. What do I care about most deeply?
ii. What and who do I love?
iii. What am I deeply committed to?
iv. What do I stand for?
v. When am I at my best?
vi. What has given me my greatest feeling of importance (significance)?
vii. What is it that I definitely don’t want?
viii. What are the 3 things I value most in life?

b. When you commit to your purpose…
i. Make the best use of your gifting
ii. Do what you love
iii. Be who you were designed to be

Then your thoughts, words and actions will align with your supreme reason for being… that’s the life in “rhythm” not resistance…

Isaiah 54:1-6 1Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.  God has a life of purpose for you. It is His divine prescription for your earthly existence… It’s your “Supreme Reason” for being…

Ephesians 1:11-12 (MESSAGE) It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.

Your life purpose defies your most meaningful direction in life and when you are walking in it, there is a “flow”…a life that is fulfilling…
I. When You Live “In Purpose” = “You Produce” 
a. You make progress and advancement
b. You have a “flow” in your life
c. There is no disconnect conflict or dissonance that exists between your spirit, thoughts, your feelings and living
i. But rather, there is a harmony that resonates and produces “peace” no matter what
1. Peace is the “umpire” to the Child of God
ii. Being in harmony with God’s will is the highest state of purpose you can attain

Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

iii. Walk in “synchronization or “harmony” with God

I Corinthians 2:14 (NIV) The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: 16"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

II. Spirit vs. Mind
a. A Spiritual life does not grow in the soil of intellectual information gathering and reasoning
b. You cannot logic, deduce, induce, or cohere God and His methods to mans mode of thinking
c. He is illogical to your mind, the antithesis to your flesh

Isaiah 55:8 (NIV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

d. The mind works on material problems by interpreting sensory data
e. When turned toward spiritual matters, the “mind” attempts to come up with intellectual answers by using proofs, logics, theories and reasoning… “Figuring God out”…
f. It demands assurance and proof to establish tangible results
i. Example: “Show me” is the attitude of the mind
g. But to the spirit, logic is not needed, but faith is

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
h. There is “no form” in the realm of the spirit

So in order to manifest into the material world, what exists in the unseen (to the natural eye), world of the spirit, I must move in Faith which functions from my heart and not my head…

III. I Connect to God with My Heart

Romans 10:8 (NIV) But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming:

a. Heart = the center of anything, the middle, the thoughts or feelings. = The Heart is the seat of your soul
b. I must cultivate a harmony between my mind and my heart
i. This usually means terminating intellects domination
ii. My mind must surrender its role as “full time” judge and allow my heart to lead

Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed = (Greek) well off, happy
Pure = (Greek) Katharos = clean and clear
To See = to observe, appear, shew forth, gaze or to discern clearly
c. When I am clouded, blurred, confused and soiled in my soul (heart) I cannot discern or see God
i. Perhaps this is the problem in your life (but we are going to clear the clutter!)

IV. Sing O Barren

Isaiah 54:1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
a. Barrenness = (Hebrew) to hamstring = to make ineffective or powerless
i. This barrenness is a result of something
ii. You did not start this way
iii. Its an injury that occurred
1. an act that damages or hurt a person
2. a wound
3. an offense against a person’s feelings or dignity
4. a violation of another’s right

Example: Like Mephibosheth or Tamar ~
When an event occurs or doesn’t occur that causes you injury; you are wounded in your soul. When those who should love us, protect us, value, nurture and esteem us, instead, they violate us!

• They cause you to question attachment when you are not sure:
o Are they really there for you?
o Do they really care about you?
o They give no affirmation
o They cannot be counted on for love and protection

• When someone we love or we think should love us fails to provide our fundamental safety and security needs, we get injured

V. The Good News
a. You can give to yourself what others failed to provide
i. Injuries make you ineffective and powerless
1. You are doing nothing and going no where

No movement > No progress > No promotion > No production >
all leads to the feeling of “No Purpose”… But One God Moment and Movement can change EVERYTHING!!

b. Movement = the changing of position to go or pass to another place with a continuous motion
c. Movement + Moment = Momentum
i. A strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events
1. Faith does not dent facts, it just changes them

d. Some things are about to break in your life
i. Break = to separate into parts with suddenness
ii. To turn over the soil
iii. To disrupt the norm

e. You are being removed from the mundane and maintain into motion
i. Movement of the spirit

f. There is activation in you of what only the anointing can accentuate
i. “not by might, but by spirit”

g. You are entering 2010
i. #10 = the perfection of divine order
ii. Completeness of order
iii. Full cycle

h. This implies = Nothing Wanting and you are going to break forth from Barrenness!
i. Break forth = break out in a joyful sound or shout
1. Break Out = a violent, forceful break from a restraining condition or situation
a. To emerge with sudden force

VI. God is Going to Clear the Clutter
a. Whatever has restricted you and caused contraction is coming out of you
b. Clutter = a confused, crowded, disordered state or collection
i. To throw into disorder
ii. To disarrange
iii. Is derived from the Old English word “clot” as in “blood clot”
1. Like “blood clots’, clutter will cut off your “flow” and potentially kill the life in you

Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

c. Spiritual Clutter
i. The issues, mindsets, emotions, past history and habits that you harbor and hold in your soul-self, which makes you unable to nurture and support your purpose in life

Example:
When I go to the airport, my bags (luggage) are too heavy. I ALWAYS have to pay extra for “carrying too much”…

Some of us are paying too high of a price for what we are carrying around…

ii. You must make a decision to get rid of the things you know are holding you back and weighing you down

d. Clutter is junk:
i. It crowds your life
ii. It diminishes clarity
iii. It drains your energy
iv. It robs you of life
v. It impedes movement and progress

e. Something is shifting in you that knows you can not go to a higher ground if you are hanging on to a lower level

Heaven on earth is a choice that I must make, not a place that I find.

VII. A Big God Doesn’t Live in “Little Places”
a. God won’t co-habit ate with:
i. Un-forgiveness
ii. Bitterness
iii. Envy
iv. Jealousy

b. When you do surrender to let these things go, the result from braking out Isaiah 54:
i. Enlarge the place of thy tent
1. to broaden, to make room, to open

ii. Stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations
1. to bend, to extend beyond normal limits

iii. Spare not
1. do not refrain or refuse
2. do not hinder or hold back
3. stop observing

You are no longer a speculator in life = but a participator.

“There are 2 great days in a person’s life – the day we are born and the day we discover why.” William Barclay – Scottish Theologian

Jeremiah 29: 11-14 11 I know what I’m doing; I have it all planned out – plans to take care of you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12 When you call on Me, I’ll listen. 13 When you come looking for Me, you’ll find Me. 14 Yes, when you get serious about finding Me and want it more than anything else – I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. God’s decree!
Decree = decision, determination

God has a plan, that plan is ALWAYS working and you are part of His plan.

Proverb 16:4 Message declares “God made everything with a place and a purpose.”

God’s original intention is His final decision.

From the beginning of time, God designed the world to be a wonderful, fulfilling, prosperous place for His children:
a. Who would enjoy the benefits of a covenant with Him.
b. Those benefits are found in His Word.

He reveals Himself in and through His Word.

His Word is our path to all goodness and blessing in Him.

John 1:1-4 (NIV) 1 “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him, ALL things were made, without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life and that life was the light of men.

V14 …the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us!

Life is in God => God is in His Word

You cannot separate God from His Word == They are One

Psalm 33:4 reveals = For the Word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect, the Word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
Psalm 119:89 Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

Therefore, to discover and live a life of purpose and fulfillment, I must connect, navigate and direct my life by the Word of God.

Psalmist declared in Psalm 119:105 => Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

What you know => Determines HOW you live

When you know that God loves you with a deep, everlasting love…and desires ONLY the BEST for you =>
a) “An Abundant Life” through Christ (John 10:10)
b) He believes in you
c) He is always mindful (or) thinking about you (Psalm 115:12)
d) He watches over you (Psalm 121: 5-8)
e) He has a distinct, purposeful plan for your life

You cease struggling and begin to discover and define a life of significance => one that is secure and satisfying! = A LIFE ON PURPOSE

According to Psychologist (Edward Diener– University of Illinois):
One of the vital ingredients for happiness is – “Having a meaning in life and having goals embedded in your long-term values that you are working for…but also that you find enjoyable.”

“He who has the why to live for can bear almost any how.” Nietzsche

God has a life of purpose for you.

Ephesians 1:11-12 Message 11 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we a re living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got hopes up, He had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living. 12: Part of the overall purpose. He is working out in everything and everyone.

So the big question, “What is your purpose and how do you discover it?”

Contrary to popular belief, your purpose is not simply your job or profession. =
It’s not what you do! It’s much BIGGER than that.

Your life purpose => defines your most meaningful direction in life.

It’s your Supreme reason for “Being”

It reflects your principles and what you value most in life.

It’s an overarching intention to do what’s meaningful to you in life => It’s your “Being” fitting into form.

A person who knows their purpose has a guide for their thoughts and behavior, regardless of circumstances.

When you identify your purpose, you can integrate it into your everyday life… through your job, business, relationships, and community.

Your daily life will be a living reflection of your life purpose and you will be an image-bearer of God.

Romans 8:28-30 Amplified 28 We are assured and know that [God being a Partner in their labor} all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose. 29 For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness] that He might become the Firstborn among many brethren. 30 And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called and those He called, He also justified [acquitted, made righteous…

You are “CALLED” by God

As a child of God => you should bring a sense of purpose wherever you go and to whatever you do…
a) Recognizing the “call” you are answering as an image-bearer of God in the earth.
b) YOU HAVE PURPOSE!

Purpose (etymology) =From French word: Porpos => aim, intention, to put forth, to put or place or by design.

A design is to create, execute, fashion, or construct according to plan.

I love how Romans 9:10-11 (Message) makes this so clear to us (that God had a design or purpose to our life):

Romans 9:10-11 Message 9 And that’s not the only time. To Rebecca, also, a promise was made that took priority over genetics, when she became pregnant by our one-of-a-kind ancestor Isaac and her babies were still innocent in the womb, incapable of good or bad, she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that Hid purpose is NOT a hit-or-miss thing, dependant on what we do or don’t do; but a sure thing determined by His decision, flowing steadily from His initiative.

Tom O’Connor said:
“Your distress about life might mean that you have been living for the wrong reason, NOT that you have no reason for living.”

When you live in purpose => you produce…which means you make progress.

You have a “flow” in your life => there’s expansion

Science has proven => everything in life is ENERGY.

Everything you say, think or do, everything you are around => it all expands you or contracts you (it’s making you BIG or LITTLE).

When you are expanded, you are feeling:
➢ Happiness
➢ Love
➢ Optimism
➢ Acceptance
➢ Vitality
➢ And connected

This is a result of being connected to your purpose and living each moment inspired (in-spirit).

So the question is “where or how do I start? How do I love inspired by purpose?”

1) Purpose is found and functions at its fullest potential in the presence of God.
a. Psalm 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
b. When you are connected with God => One with Him thru His Son Jesus Christ, you can declare as the Psalmist did in Psalm 119:169 Message.
c. Psalm 119:169 Message Let me cry come right into your presence, God. Provide me with the insight that comes only from Your Word.

2) Find your passion –
a. Step out of your busy life and ask yourself:
i. What do I love to do?
ii. What do I care about the most?
iii. What truly matters to me?
b. The answers are your passions => they are like a bread crumb trail leading you to your purpose.
c. Passion – the intense emotion compelling action and a strong devotion to some object or someone.
i. The energy of your soul.
ii. Your energy comes from your passion.
iii. Why would you waste away in passivity instead of living with passion?
d. The path to fulfillment is making the things that matter most to you a priority in your life.
e. You must start making choices every day in favor of what you most care about => it is there, your soul will sing!

When you do this = choose over and over to do the things that matter to you – it leads you to express your unique purpose in ALL areas….creating your “BEST LIFE” IE => drawing more of what you uniquely desire in life.

3) Be led by Inspired Action.
a. When you are clear about your passions, you ignite purpose…which shows you WHAT to do in each moment…IE
b. You know what you want to do in life…but you may not know “HOW”
c. Inspiration will lead you to the “How”
d. When you are inspired, MOVE WITH IT!
e. You may not see the entire journey but you will know the next step.
f. Example: It’s like driving at night => the road is only lit by headlights 200 feet in front of you.  You can’t see your destination….just the lit portion that leads you to stay on the road until arriving where you are going.
g. Inspiration => is your “lighting”
h. Know that God will lead you by His Spirit!
i. Romans 8:14 Those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
j. Just like in Deuteronomy 1:30 Message “God, your God, is leading this way; He is fighting for you.”
k. Each day, “Ask God”:
i. What He would have you do
ii. Where He would have you go.

When you are led by His Spirit:
4) You will discover you are part of something bigger than yourself.
a. There is a Cause God has designed for you to be a contributor to.
b. When you discover what matters to you, your everyday actions can serve others and the world in large and small ways.
c. When you serve a purpose larger than yourself => it brings more meaning and joy to your life.
d. It is then that your life answers the question => “Can one person make a difference?”
e. Me -> inner city boys and girls really to heal myself turned into worldwide ministry.
f. Mother Teresa = called herself “God’s pencil”
g. She felt God wrote His story thru her and people like her.

She lived a “LIFE ON PURPOSE”

Job 22: 26-29 Message 26 You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One and look to Him joyfully, boldly. 27 You’ll pray to Him and He’ll listen, He’ll help you do what you’ve promised. 28 You’ll decide what you want and it will happen – your life will be bathed in light. 29 To those who feel low, you’ll say, “Chin up! Be brave” and God will save them. 30 Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God’s grace in your life.

KJV V28 “Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee and thy light shall shine upon thy ways -

(We learned) => To decree (Heb), to decide, to determine; an enactment, hence, an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or wage).

= It speaks of something prescribed such as a task or portion

= The verb denotes => something cut in or engraved

= (the primary root) => for decree – to cut down or off
(Decision => etymology: to cut)

It’s what you cut out or let go of in your mind (soul) that changes the quality of your life.

You can give yourself the “Best of Life” – i.e., what you want most in life (“the sweetest fruit”) or an abundant life in Christ (John 10:10)…by agreeing with the decrees of God!

For what we want most, turns out to be the touchstone of our development.

For getting what we most want brings us what we most need.

Reminds me of a little “Psalm for your psyche” => I read….

• I asked for Strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong
• I asked for Wisdom and God gave me problems to solve
• I asked for Prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work
• I asked for Courage and God gave me danger to overcome
• I asked for Love and God gave me troubled people to help
• I asked for Favors and God gave me opportunities
• I received nothing I wanted…but I received everything I needed!

I have discovered:
• The yearning on the inside of you for that “abundant life” you were created to live…
• The “inner-pull” that says “there is more to life than what I have been living”…
• Calls us and carries us to discover, define, and develop the powerful inner skills,
• Enabling us to reach the “Abundant Life” i.e. or => “A Life on Purpose.”

As we discovered in Jeremiah 1:5, God had already made a decision about you.

Paul confirms the same thing:

Galatians 1:5 But when it pleased God Who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace…
Separated = (Hebrew) => set off by boundary
Appoint – to decree, declare, determine and specify

“You were specified” i.e. => clearly intended, designed, destined, defined, determined, and decided upon.

A sovereign God KNEW:
➢ who your parents would be,
➢ all the struggles you would have,
➢ the mistakes you would make

He fashioned your package – Example => DNA: your personality, your when, your “who.”

A “pre-arranged moment: He released you into purpose –

His decree = is our personal destiny, our fore-ordained ministry and lifelong assignment.

It is the Divine Prescription for our earthly existence

On the day you were born, you had all the inherent strength, goodness and wisdom you would ever need – All that you required was the knowledge or tools to access it!

In our text (and focus tonight) = Job 22:29 says:
To those who feel low, you’ll say….”Chin up! Be brave! And God will save them.

Tonight, going to learn: “low places” often become the spring board of life to high places…receive some tools to getting there.

Have you ever hit low places in life?

Maybe you have a low day in the week…or “low week” in the month…or a “low year”….

However, that does not determine or define you to live a “low life”

Often the greatest joys in life come from going thru a crisis

Who and where (in terms of inner growth) you truly are as a person is best revealed by who you are during times of conflict and crisis.

It’s easy to be your highest-self when things are smooth…

But when they get “rocky”…

HOW you handle life’s setbacks and traumas reveals your authentic character

There’s an old saying that says:
A man can’t cover up all the infinite – stone-covered, jagged paths of this world with a layer of soft, cushy leather…
But a man CAN wear soft, cushy leather sandals on the soles of his feet to protect himself on the journey.

Jesus said it like this:

Matthew 7:24-27 24 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall because it had its foundation the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it fell with a great crash.

Life has ebbs and flows, it is rarely linear.
It has jagged edges, and zig zags on your journey

Being in spirit is a direction we take, rather than a destination we reach.

Galatians 5:16 “Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill (GR = to end or execute) the lust of the flesh –
Walk (Greek) = follow, tread around

The significance is NOT in the size of the storm…
but the substance of the foundation.

Jesus said – there are 2 categories to put people in:
#1) Those who hear His words and put them into practice (participators) - wise, rock foundation
#2) Those who hear His words and do not put them into practice (spectators) = foolish, sand foundation.

Which brings us to:
TOOL #1 for getting out of “low life living” or how to get out of “low places.”
TOOL #2: Adopt the mind-set of God instead of the opinion of man.
• God lives in the realms of => all things are possible
• Revelation / Not Limitations.
• Revelation = removes the veil from something…and is based on how God wants me to “see things” = His perspective.
• That’s why I must develop a certain thinking that will put God in the circumstances.

I Corinthians 2:16 But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart

You can choose to build (strength or weakness) – (Choose strength)

Life is all about choice (not chance)

Putting into practice the Words of Jesus is a choice you make

It will take conscious effort and discipline.

Remember to live an empowered and inspired (in-Spirit) life

You must cut out every thought that moved you in the wrong direction or away from God – “Spirit”

Make a “course correction” where your thoughts move away from His.

The mind is the seat of all spiritual and carnal conflict.

In, essence, what controls our mind, controls our life.

Carnal Mind = having the nature of flesh (sensual controlled by animal appetite)

Spiritual or Spirit Minded = (Greek) pneuma / (Hebrew) Ruuh = wind or breath that is spacious. “Air in motion” or the Holy Spirit = current of air, breath
A “spirit mind” = is connection and controlled by the spirit of Christ
Revelation comes as He (God) communicates to your mind through faith in the word

2 Keys Things to Remember:
a. Faith is based on knowledge
1. God’s word
2. His character

“We” cannot produce faith; it’s what God’s word produces in us.

You must REFRAME your life…
To BE a student and not a victim

Victor Frankl = a psychologist who survived 3 years in a concentration camp…wrote book Man’s Search for Meaning. Said:
“It isn’t the past which holds us back, it’s the future and how we undermine it today.”

He purports that those who find meaning in the “bad” and learn lessons in l ife = don’t just survive but thrive.

Romans 8:28 All things work together for the good to those who are the called of God.

TOOL #3: Accept and Receive God’s Forgiveness for You

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now NO condemnation to them, which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but the Spirit.
Condemnation => (GR = katakrima) => means to speak against your experiences - makes you feel negative about self in the midst of what God is doing during your struggle

God gives us an exercise in excellence and theology when religious people, drug or woman out of the very act of adultery (in John 8) and threw her before the crowd He was teaching and said “What are you going to do?”

Intro…

Often times, people live a life that is empty instead of empowered. They are frozen by fear instead of fueled by faith.

Fear stops you from where you are going and faith takes you there…

Reminds me of a story…

“Dope on a Rope”

This criminal had committed a crime. (Because hey, that’s what criminals do. That’s their job.) Anyway, he was sent to the king for his punishment. The king told him he had a choice. He could be hung by a rope or take the punishment behind the big, dark, scary steel door. The criminal quickly decided on the rope. As the noose was being slipped on him, he asked, “Out of courtesy, what’s behind that door?” The king laughed and said, “You know, it’s funny, I offer all you guys the same choice, and nearly all of you pick the rope.” “So,” said the criminal, “what’s behind the door? Obviously, I won’t tell anyone, “he said, pointing to the noose around his neck. The king paused, and then answered, “Freedom, but it seems most people are so afraid of the unknown that they immediately take the rope.”

…Stop living like a dope! Familiarity can be fatal to your future.

If you keep doing what you have always been doing, then you will keep getting what you’ve always been getting.

You can give yourself the” Best of Life” (A Life on Purpose) by Agreeing with the Decrees of God…

Job 22:26-30 (MESG) “You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One, and look to him joyfully, boldly. You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen; he’ll help you do what you’ve promised. You’ll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light. To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’ and God will save them. Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God’s grace in your life.”

Job 22: 28 (KJV) Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.

I. Decree
a. (Hebrew) = to decide
b. (Hebrew) = to determine
c. An enactment, hence an appointment of time, space, quantity, labor or use
d. It speaks of something prescribed, such as a task or portion
i. The verb form denotes “something cut in (or) engraved
ii. Decided
iii. Determined
iv. Decreed
1. primary root = to cut down or off
2. decision = to cut
e. It is what you cut out or let go of in your mind (soul) that changes your quality of life
f. Every moment you are given the opportunity to consciously choose how you will live your life
i. Life is = all about choice, not chance
ii. What you decide today is a preview of what you will live tomorrow
iii. Today’s decisions are tomorrow’s reality

II. Decision
a. To cut out or off
b. Therefore, to live an empowered and inspired (in spirit) life
c. You must cut out every thought that moves you in the wrong direction or away from the “spirit” (God)
i. Being “in spirit” is a direction we take, rather then a destination to be reached

III. Direction
a. Am I moving in the right direction? (this is a thought)

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

i. Fulfill (Greek) = to end or execute
ii. Walk (Greek) = follow, tread around

b. it’s vital that you assess the direction of your thoughts and behaviors in terms of moving toward or away from Spirit
c. Each day, determine if your thoughts align with His thoughts (His decrees)
i. If not, then make a “course correction”
ii. The Father’s Decree = His will, purpose and plan. His eternal, unchangeable, holy, wise and sovereign purpose
1. His official order, command

Psalms 110:4 The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Psalms 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

IV. The Fathers Decree, “An Everlasting Covenant”
a. Before the Father and Son created the…
i. Sun
ii. Moon
iii. Stars
iv. Trees
v. Animals
vi. Man
1. They made an “everlasting covenant”
b. Covenant =
i. Agreement
ii. League
iii. Compact
1. The inner workings of this inter-theistic covenant were simple…
a. The Father decreed
b. The Son agreed
2. When the Father declared these words over THE WORLD (the pattern son Jesus = the eternal logos) He spoke to you (the rhema word) who was in Him. Ephesians 1:4
3. Simply, the Father said to each one of us, “You are my child. I have something I want you to do for me”
4. His decree is =
a. Our personal destiny
b. Our foreordained ministry
c. Our lifelong assignment
d. It’s the divine prescription for our earthly existence

V. I Knew Thee

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

a. Formed (Hebrew) =
i. squeezed into shape
ii. to press
iii. to mold into a form
iv. to determine a form or resolution
b. Belly (Hebrew) = Womb
c. I knew thee =
i. (Hebrew) = to know = to ascertain by seeing
1. (God saw you “before)
ii. to observe
iii. to care
iv. to recognize
v. to creatively instruct
vi. to designate
vii. to appoint
viii. to mark

d. Before thou camest forth
i. (Hebrew) to go
ii. To bring out
iii. Direct
iv. Appear

e. Out of the womb, I sanctified thee
i. (Hebrew) = causatively = pronounced or observed or made clean
ii. Kept purified, dedicated wholly

Galatians 6:17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

f. marks
i. (Greek) = a mark incised for recognition of ownership
ii. Branded
g. A prophet unto the nations and I ordained thee
i. Ordained (Hebrew) =
1. ascribe
2. assign
3. charged
4. committed
5. distribute
6. put forth
7. send out
8. set forth

ii. Ordain = to order by decree

VI. God says, “I Determined, Purposed, Decreed You”
a. He made a decision about you!

Galatians 1:15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace.

b. Separated =
i. (Hebrew) = set off by boundary
ii. Appoint
iii. Declare
iv. Determine
v. Specify
1. You were “specified”
a. = clearly intended, designed, destined, defined, determined and decided upon!

c. A sovereign God KNEW…
i. who your parents were going to be
ii. All the mistakes you would make

d. He fashioned your package and at a pre-arranged moment, He released you into purpose!!
i. That which the Father spoke over you from the beginning
ii. God spoke over you, about yourself before He assigned you a body

Ephesians 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

iii. In (Greek) = denotes a fixed position (in place, time or state)
iv. Chosen = to be selected
1. While God handpicked you and engineered you for success, Satan came to sabotage you, your life and your purpose

On the day you were born, you had all the inherent strength, goodness and wisdom that you would ever need. Therefore all you required was the knowledge or tools to access it…

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

v. Destroy (Greek) = to utterly abolish, end or render useless
1. In essence, the enemy wants to steal you identity, so he can kill your authority to ultimately render you useless or destroy your chosen purpose
2. Satan operates in deception (Father of all Liars)
a. Lie = something that doesn’t exist
b. Sinners by nature, have to sin. Eph 2:3
i. Sin = a mistaken identity, to miss the mark
ii. Mark (Greek) = charagma (Character)
iii. To sin is to come short of the character of Christ

If you don’t know who you are (and were) in Christ we will never know what we have in Christ

VII. The Potential of “Who We Are” Struggles with the Reality of “Where We Are”
a. There is often a discrepancy between “who” we are and “how” we are behaving
i. Behavior comes out of belief
ii. Experience is not what happened to a man, rather it is what a man does with what happens to him
iii. You must reframe you life and begin to agree with the decrees of God
iv. An event does not define you
v. You are being sabotaged by Satan if you embrace a belief that was activated by an adverse event that now causes negative behavior not in alignment with you authentic self

Job 22:29-30 (MESG) You’ll take delight in God, the Mighty One, and look to him joyfully, boldly. You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen; he’ll help you do what you’ve promised. You’ll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light. To those who feel low you’ll say, ‘Chin up! Be brave!’ and God will save them. Yes, even the guilty will escape, escape through God’s grace in your life.”

VIII. God is Going to Speak Through Your Pain and Shame From His Perspective
a. In John Chapter 8 (remember His words are eternal)
i. Jesus is teaching an outdoor seminar on the Mount of Olives to His “would be” disciples, as the greatest preacher to ever live.
1. He is profound, prolific and He paralyzed theologians with His wisdom
ii. While He is in the midst of His discourse, the “disciples” and all those who would subsequently follow Christ, are about to get an exercise in excellence and theology.
1. This classroom setting these “religious” folks bring this woman caught in the very act of adultery (“an event”)
a. John 8:3 – they made her stand before the group
iii. Religious people drug this woman out of her bedroom (or back seat of a car ☺) and throw her before Jesus (who always has a crowd) and say to Him,
1. What are you going to do?”
a. This is the big question, “What does God have to say to me?” after I went through that “event” or did “this” act
i. Divorce
ii. Bankruptcy
iii. Got fired

2. The Bible says… Jesus answered not a word (He doesn’t have to answer your accusers) but that He stooped down and started writing…
a. I don’t know what He wrote, but I know why He wrote
i. To touch the dirty places in your life
ii. Yes, even the guilty will escape through God’s grace

3. He stooped down to…
a. Express divinity can “take on” humanity
b. Get down to you

So when the enemy manipulated your situation to embarrass the grace of God, remember what revelation told religion… “I don’t condemn you; go leave your life of sin. You are forgiven. Be free”. All you have to do is agree with His decree. God already made a decision.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (The Message) This is GOD’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. 13-14"When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” GOD’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—GOD’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Intro…
What does an “empowered life” look like to you?

If you could obtain your desires and they were available to you to live out your purpose, why would you choose to be powerless or live less then what God has created for you?

Reminds me of a short story I came across…

“Which came first: The Eagle or the Egg?

A little boy was wandering in the forest and came upon an eagle’s nest. He plucked an egg, brought it back to his farm, and giggling to himself, slid it under a mama-to-be chicken. Soon after, this chicken’s eggs hatched, and there among the chicklets was a female eaglet. This little eaglet grew up with her chicken peers, learning all sorts of chicken habits: how to walk like a chicken, squawk like a chicken, eat like a chicken. This eagle did it all. However, no matter how passionately she put her all into her chicken existence, she always felt something was missing. She didn’t know what, but she felt an inner emptiness. One day she looked up in the sky and saw a beautiful bird, soaring freely among the clouds. She felt this pang of awe mixed with a weird sense of connection. She longed to be up there flying, too. Suddenly, she had this flash of insight. She flapped her wings and to her surprise, she took off. That’s when she realized that all along there was more to her then mere chicken hood. She was meant to fly – as well as cash in on some other pretty nifty eagle perks.
…This eagle will now live a life of empowerment. Like this eagle, many of us have lived out a life that doesn’t belong to us.
(Existing like a chicken when we were created as an eagle)

You were created to be a” world changer” and a “history maker”,
engineered by God to succeed.

I. There are 3 Levels of Living
a. Almost (Natural)
i. An “utmost God” is not going to have an “almost” child
b. Most (Carnal)
i. Many are here
c. Utmost (Spiritual)
i. “extreme” of the greatest possible degree, extent or intensity
1. I believe that 2010 is the year of the church (God’s people)
2. The #10 means = the perfection of Divine Order
a. Completeness of order – “full cycle”
b. It implies that nothing is wanting
c. This is where you are living “A Life on Purpose”

II. A “Life on Purpose” = A Life of “Empowerment”
a. To empower is to give permission or power to do something
i. To enable
ii. To equip or supply with ability

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

b. Anointed (Greek) = to furnish what is needed
i. God will furnish, supply and equip you with all that you need to win or succeed in every area of your life
1. You have to be in position
a. Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.” (lost+ out of position or mis-positioned)
b. He came to position you for a life of empowerment
c. To put you back in line
d. To give you an advantage and enable you to do

2. You must realize God desires involvement in every aspect of human life.
a. Not just church on Sunday
b. He wants habitation, not just visitation

2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV) His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

The word of God powerfully and brilliantly combines things in heaven with things on earth (according to Ephesians 1:10) and encourages all believers to be released into their purpose (or their “why?” in life) ultimately to bring forth His plan.

III. My Definition of Frustration
a. To settle for less than your destiny
b. To never walk out your “why?” in life
i. Purpose = is something set up as an object or end to be attained, intention resolution or determination.

IV. Purpose

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Manifested = to render apparent or to appear
a. When you appear
i. You come into being
ii. You come into view
iii. You present yourself
1. The world is your stage. Waiting for you to act out (or live out) the script that has been written
2. Your appearance is for your purpose = His plan

b. Purpose come from the root word = propound
i. Propound means = to put before for consideration

c. Therefore, the purpose precedes the person
i. God was not waiting for you to arrive to find something for you to do!!

Psalms 139:16 (NIV) your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

d. Purpose gives life definition
i. It tells me why I exist
ii. It’s the reason of a thing
1. But I can’t discover it outside (or aside) from His presence (an intimate relationship with God)

Psalms 16:11 (NIV) You have made [a] known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Footnotes: Psalm 16:11 [a] Or You will make

e. When you are God connected you know that essentially you are a spirit being and God Almighty is the Father

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

V. You are One with God in Spirit
a. This is where you get inspired “a life on purpose”
b. When you get inspired, it’s because you’re “in-spirit”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP) He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds [a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working through the ages which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy], yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

c. We are essentially spirit beings, struggling with a human experience…
i. Therefore, often, the potential of “who we are” struggles with the reality of “where we are” (our current condition (or situation)
ii. So, when the kingdom of God is proclaimed through humanity, it is powerful because it evokes what already metaphysically exists in the hearts of ALL People
1. = our purpose and destiny

VI. Reformation

When the church (the body of Christ) grasps this, then the local congregations will begin to nurture the best and brightest (utmost) of the top mind- molders of society. We will penetrate culture because
we are “called”, pre-ordained for greatness out of God,
by Himself, for Himself

a. A conformed people for a transformed church to bring forth reformation
a. Reformation [a]
i. Reestablishing the original
ii. A realignment and adjustment to God’s original intent for your life and His church
iii. You are a reformer- you push to change the rules of religion
b. Religion
i. Comes from the Latin word = religare (to tie or bind)
ii. Religion restricts or binds you
iii. Relationship = frees or liberates you

c. Reformation
i. Reformation comes when people make a conscious decision to change the predictable outcome of their future
ii. Decree a thing (or) agree with His decree
1. Decree (Hebrew) =
a. to decide
b. to determine
c. to cut down or off
2. Decision =
a. to cut
b. Some things need to be cut. Stop nurturing what needs to be neutered
iii. And it shall be established (Hebrew = to rise)