Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Blessed Place vs The Guessed Place


The Blessed Place vs. The Guessed Place

Can you imagine a father who truly loves his son and daughter, leaving them to face life alone? A father who doesn’t support them, nor directs them towards a beautiful fulfilled life? A father who doesn’t leave an inheritance for his children? That’s hard to imagine right? Well, why do we feel the need to help God love and take care of us? He’s a true Father! One who has already established the BEST life for those who have been accepted into the Beloved.

STOP GUESSING ABOUT YOUR LIFE!
Grind, hustle, get money, team no sleep, think of a master plan, work 5 jobs,  network, work, work, work, and work! …only to do it all over again the next day, HOPING something good will happen. That’s a lot of guesswork, unsure of the true end to all of the hustle. How often do we see how others are supposedly prospering on social media, in our family, community, inner circle, covet what they have and WORK to try to exceed their achievements? If we’re honest with ourselves, at some point in our lives, we’ve compared ourselves to someone else because they looked as though they had it all together. Or we’ve condemned ourselves because we haven’t accomplished (by a certain age) what WE think we should have, so we end up trying new things in hope that things will work better.

The sad reality is, very few people are actually living the life they portray. Most are broke, pretenders, in debt, lonely, empty, and confused. Society has taught us that the more money we have, the more titles/degrees we own, and more people know us, the more successful we are. However, the church can’t fall into this way of thinking. Now before I go more in-depth, please understand that I am not condemning hard work, wealth, titles, nor promotions. God wants us wealthy and promoted. Why? To establish His covenant: But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day-Deuteronomy 8:18.

Merriam-Webster defines success as: the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame; the correct or desired result of an attempt. I submit that the first definition is the world’s view and the latter is God’s intention: The correct or desired result of an attempt. GOD DOESN’T MISS!! EVER!! Joshua 1:8 gives us a more in-debt look at success: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” His Word is the foundation of good success and following its instructions is our roadmap to His BEST life for us.

Good success? So is there such thing as bad success? Yes! Proverbs 10:22: The Blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and He adds no sorrow with it. It is possible to be successful in your own efforts but if it causes you to work to exhaustion, if you’re still unhappy, if you had to beg, borrow, and steal to get it, if it keeps you out of church, if it prevents you from spending time with the Lord, if it prevents you from spending time with your spouse and kids, and if it encourages prideful confidence in your self-effort, then it’s NOT good success. Bad success never fulfills. It always leaves a person wanting more, often driving them to ignore their moral compass to get it. Bad-success breeds pride, arrogance, and infamy. It always seems to destroy good relationships and attracts poor ones. In the end, bad success is never worth it. Choose the path of good success as it will always bring honor to God.

Friend, if Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life, you have been made the righteousness of God; not by your works but because of Jesus' finished work!  There’s nothing missing, nor anything broken in the salvation of the Lord. By accepting Jesus, you have also accepted a Father who loves you, will never leave you, knows what you need, and will direct you to the incredible life He has prepared just for you. “Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6.

What I love about God is his perfect timing and specific instructions regarding life. Most spend more time guessing about their lives than they do seeking God for direction. I was that person, constantly trying to do things in my will power. I ended up worn out, powerless, and defeated. See, God started from the end of our lives, worked His way to beginning, and then said, “In the beginning” (Genesis 1:1). He lived his purpose-filled life to pave the way for YOU, then said,  “It is Finished” (John 19:30)”: I declare the end from the beginning, and from long ago what is not yet done, saying: My plan will take place, and I will do all My will (Isaiah 49:10).

His directions are much like a roadmap. The “end” has already been declared. This must mean that God already knows every trap, every conflict, and every high and low place. But He also knows the solution to every circumstance because nothing surprises Him. He already traveled the road for you. Are you getting it yet?? ;) How powerful is that? We don’t go to church, pray, and read the Bible to get God to do things for us. Yet we do those things to learn of Him, KNOW Him (not just OF Him) and to gain insight on where the Blessed place is. That’s where we always want to be.  The Blessed place is one filled with surety, peace, provision, and promotion. What others struggle with, the anointing and favor of God makes easy for you.

God knows every intricate detail of our lives. He left NO stone unturned. He knows who He created for us to marry (How many wives did Adam have to choose from? Eve was his perfect fit even before creation time), He knows which college we’re supposed to attend to ensure financial aid is covered and to ensure professors give us favor, He knows which local body to place you in (I Corinthians 12:18), He knows what job we’re supposed to have, one that comes with multiple promotions, and the place where your gifts will be used to be a blessing, and the list goes on!

Every great man and woman in the Bible was successful because they were able to say, “And God said.” They heard the specific instructions of God. Consider Abraham, Moses, and Joshua! If they failed, it was only because they disobeyed God and chose to do what they wanted instead. Disobedience leads to failed marriages, poor health, boring jobs, a life of barely making it, headaches, confusion, and exhaustion. Disobedience also causes us to ultimately lose sight of what's important.

Yet our time sitting before our Pastor as they teach us the Word of God and our personal time with Jesus teaches us how to hear from God as well.
Friend, we don’t have to guess at life!! While God’s grace covers our poor decisions, the results of those decisions (guessing) leads to exhaustion and creates too many problems for us! We end up marrying too early, or the wrong person altogether. We end up taking jobs that don’t work out. We end up spending more money on bad investments and ideas only to find ourselves spinning our wheels. But to know our lives have already been laid out for us is a beautiful thing! The question then becomes, will we choose to hear from God to step into those Blessed places?

As believers, our lives no longer belong to us so we must be careful that we don’t fashion ourselves after a world that seeks to serve itself. We believers live a life to serve God and His people. If I decide to be a doctor but God created me to be a school teacher, then I have robbed the earth of the SPECIFIC purpose/function God created me to be. I, in turn, have handicapped my community because I am out of place. This is what selfish desires will do; handicap relationships, communities, etc. Has God given us the free will to choose? Absolutely!! But He’s also presented before us the options, then encourages us to choose the option that will optimize the BEST life He has for us. “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Deuteronomy 30:19.

One of the most out-of-context scriptures used is “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Most read this as, “If I take pleasure in the Lord, then He will give me what I want.” Instead, the scripture should read, “If I find satisfaction and great joy in the Lord, seek Him and trust Him in all things, then He will place His desires for my life, in my heart.” His desires lead us to His specific purpose and function for our lives. Friends, it’s not about us. It’s about what God can do through us! While our deeds may be “good”, are they right? Obedience is better than a sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22). Saul thought He was doing a good thing, but in the end, our obedience is what God takes delight in. Hustling, working 5 jobs to make ends meet may be a good thing but is it the right thing? The right thing is to work 1 job, spend time with your spouse, raise your children, plug into a local body, trust God with the 10th of your earning (yes tithes work!), and believe God for the supernatural increase.

Don’t take a job just because the money looks good. Don’t accept a gig just because you think it’ll put you on. STOP GUESSING and learn how to step in the BLESSED place that God has SPECIFICALLY for you! While you’re trying to figure it out, God worked it out 2000 years ago. Your responsibility? To obey His specific instructions. Stop chasing the money, but get into a quiet place, hear from God, and the money will chase you!

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS GOD’S WAY OF DOING THINGS. IT’S NOT POOR, BUT RICH! IT CONTAINS EVERYTHING YOU NEED, NOTHING MISSING OR BROKEN. IT WAS DESIGNED FOR THE BELIEVER TO PROSPER IN EVERY ASPECT OF LIFE. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Don’t miss God’s incredible life for you by trying to create one of your own. Slow down, rest in the finished works of the Lord, sleep at night and invest your energy in God’s perfect plan for YOUR life. Evaluate each aspect of your life and honestly determine if it’s God’s will or self-effort. Instead of making Him a part of your day, consider making Him your entire day. Resting doesn’t mean inactivity. It means that your work is unto the Lord, by His ordering, and in His grace. He cares for you and wants you to have His BEST for your life.

STOP GUESSING and step into your Blessed placed.

2015: The Year of Visitations, Manifestations, and Demonstrations!

-D. Riggins



I'm Free ...

Vision (Instagram)

Your God-led vision is amazing and it's uniquely designed for you to give to the world! ...don't ever let it die. Patience is the arm that brings your vision to perfection ...no premature births ...stay the course ...learn the lessons ...allow tests to cultivate your gift and character. Above all else ...IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PEOPLE THINK when their intentions are rooted in envy, evil, and discouragement. When you KNOW what God has promised, nothing will keep you from it! Just because you don't see it today, doesn't mean it won't happen ...we focus on the unseen!! Got a vision? Stay on the wall like Nehemiah and run with it!! ...#eagleshavegreatvision


I'm Free ...

Worship (Instagram)

Worship can be extended through everything we do in life. The way we live and "do" are indicative of our confidence in God. God and His Word are one in the same ...to know Him is to know His Word. No Word, no fellowship. Next level is beyond the shouting, hooping, and hollering, quoting popular scriptures, gigging, etc. Do we KNOW Him? The difference between knowing Him and knowing OF Him is fellowship. Worship time!!


I'm Free ...

The Gospel Offense (Instagram)

Just thinking ...the great lengths believers go through so as not to offend someone with the Gospel of Truth. My Pastor told me it's not our responsibility to make a decision for a person but we should at least extend the substance of grace to encourage a healthy choice. Hmm. I use to wonder what the disciples were teaching that warranted decapitations? Was their delivery wrong? or "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" ...Galatians 4:16. Since this Gospel requires one to deny themselves ...it will naturally create conflict amidst a self-serving society ...it will cause mothers/daughters, family members to become enemies ...because His Word was not sent to bring peace, but to rightly divide His Truth ...to draw a line in the sand ...to establish the highest authority ...to correct ...to discipline ...to train in holy living, in conformity to God's will in thought, purpose, and action ...II Timothy 3:16. This is why Jesus was/is hated by so many ...because His greatness made self-effort look small and insignificant ...His presence checked egos ...He deflected the glory and attention of the societal superstars. When Jesus became famous and the talk of the town, envy set it ...so He was rejected! 

A person's feedback or approval of our message are not our validation for sharing truth. Many will reject Him ...but many will come to know and love Him! Our validation is in the wisdom of God ...He knows the heart of His creation. IN CHRIST is the key! ...sharing the truth "in love" doesn't translate to "don't offend" or "always use a nice pleasant, non-offensive tone"...nor does telling someone the truth make one judgmental. It simply means that when our motives are pure ...to lead someone to Jesus because we genuinely want to see them prosperous, healthy, and whole vs proving our rightness, God will give us wisdom in our approach and words. The world needs to know the Good News! ...lives are a stake. #unashamed
I'm Free ...

You Are Worth It (Instagram)





I'm Free ...

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Working with Difficult People (Instagram)

It's easy to dismiss the unloveable and smile and show kindness to people we "like". But people matter and if we have been afforded the opportunity to be in their presence, we should aspire to be the difference-maker, the missing piece to the puzzle, the peacemaker! When we respond in anger and frustration (🙋), that leads to dissension ...ultimately, the issue isn't them, it's us ...our heart needs a tune-up. There's more than meets the eye! We may not know a person's story or defense mechanisms but ONE kind word could change their lives forever! 

I've learned to seek out the grumpy person at work or the "bad" kid at school to encourage what I want to see ..."please, thank you, you're really good at what you do, you did a great job today," and a SMILE/hi-five go a lonnggg way! ...when we find ourselves digging for gold instead of rocks, then we'll find the true treasure of a person! Let's cultivate God's greatness in people! Lord, help us to hold fast to patience and love! #helpmeJesus #sometimesiwanttogooff #butchangeme #helpmetoseewhatyousee

I'm Free ...

The Evidence Sin has been Forgiven (Instagram)

Sometimes I cry the ugly cry 😭😭😩😩 of joy when I think about where God has brought me from! Myyyy God!! When you see me, you're looking at a miracle! That's why I could neverrrr boast in myself, intelligence, nor accolades! This is why Jesus is all up and through my Instagram ...because He is truly my source. Without Him, I am a hot mess! ...I need Him daily! He reminds me of my present and acts as a shield of faith to protect me against the thoughts of my past. He reminds me that I'm loved, and an heir to His promises. So I'm grounded in this: Jesus is truly my everything!

I'm Free ...