This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with a mini-series within it entitled “Focusing on the Word”. We are walking our way through the first half of the first psalm. Let’s get back to it. The Bible says:
(Psalm 1:1-3 KJV) “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
(Psalm 1:1-3 ERV) “Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.”
Today we will continue to focus in on the line: “bringeth forth his fruit in his season”, or “a tree that produces fruit when it should.” Yesterday I focused in “times” and “seasons”. I will continue to flow in that same vein today. I want to make it clear that while the picture of the tree planted by the rivers of water is a picture of divine prosperity and favor, it also does NOT mean that divine success will happen overnight. The tree the psalmist describes produces fruit, but the fruit does not come until the proper season.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God made plans for you before the world began.
a. God developed your purpose by His unearned and amazing grace (Jer 1:5, Gal 1:15, Eph 2:10).
b. When you were Born-Again God made you a new person in Christ Jesus. Once you are a new person, the Father expects you to discover, develop in, and then deploy into your divine purpose; a purpose He planned for you before the world began.
c. You are not saved BY work, but you are certainly saved FOR work. This is work God already planned for you to do (Eph 2:10).
d. Your purpose has a timing component. Just because God called you to do it, it does not mean you will be doing it today or tomorrow. For you to walk in the will of God in its fullness, you must also be in synch with the timing of God.
e. Living by faith is not about you manipulating God to give you what you want when you want it. Living by faith is about you getting to the point where you believe, accept and walk in what God wants, when HE wants it.”
2. Discerning God’s timing is critical.
a. Knowing your purpose, understanding God’s grace, meditating God’s Word and building up your faith are all important, but if you don’t understand God’s timing you will get frustrated.
b. God can reveal something to you that may not happen for years, but since God always speaks from the position of the “Eternal NOW”, He will communicate to you like it’s already done. Actually for Him, speaking from the position of eternity, it IS already done. But for you, living in the earth, it is a matter of time. So if you don’t understand God’s timing is it very easy to get frustrated.
c. The right thing at the wrong time becomes the wrong thing. God will NOT release His harvest before its time.
d. In order to live by faith with a high level of peace, you must set your watch to God’s clock.
e. God operates in times and seasons. Times shift and seasons change, but God’s purpose for your life remains the same.
f. You must develop the ability to discern the time and season you are in.
g. If you try to hold on to something God told you to do after the season for it has come and gone, you will be behind God, living in yesterday and holding on to dead stuff! If you try to jump out into your next season too early you will be ahead of God, and you won’t have the grace to do it. This will lead to certain failure and it will be frustrating, because you will fail doing what you believe God told you to do. It is the right thing, but the wrong time.
h. Divine success requires synchronization with God. When you are in synch with God your faith will tap into His grace and you will bring forth YOUR FRUIT IN YOUR SEASON. This is how heaven is manifested on earth in your life.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016 by giving my attention to Your Word. I meditate and medicate on Your Word day and night. I discover, develop in and deploy into my divine purpose. By doing so I am able to bring forth MY FRUIT in MY SEASON. I am walking in divine purpose, by faith, and with Your grace. All that is left to discern is Your timing. By faith I declare that my watch is set to Your clock. I do the right things at the right times and I experience divine results. I am not behind You, holding on to the past. I am not ahead of You, jumping too far into the future. I am in my sweet spot. I am doing what You want me to do in this season and heaven has my back. I experience heaven on earth today and every day because I am walking out my purpose, by faith, with Your grace, in synch with Your timing. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
