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 ...
