This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with an emphasis on “Focusing on God’s Finished Work”. So far in this mini-series we have looked at the lives of Abraham, Jeremiah, David, Joseph, Gideon, Peter and Paul. For the last couple of days we have been looking at things David said about God’s plans for his life. These were things I am sure David never imagined while he was a shepherd boy, tending his father’s sheep. But the bottom like is that in all these cases, like David said in Psalm 139, God had already mapped out their lives and their success. Once again, David said, “Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16).
For the message this morning I want to take a step back from any one person’s life and look at two things that apply to every person I mentioned and every person alive today who wants to be used of God. The two things are: 1) Believe what God believes about you, and 2) Have confidence in God and what He already planned for your life.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see.
1. Believe what God believes about you.
a) Abraham, Jeremiah, David, Joseph, Gideon, Peter and Paul are all glaring examples of what can happen in a man’s life when they believe what God believes about them.
b) Some people don’t have a problem believing God. They believe God exists and they believe God has all power. Their problem is that they don’t believe what God believes about them.
c) When you believe what God believes about you, you are able to pursue and experience a life that is far greater than anything you could have ever imagined on your own. Because at that point you will not be relying on you, your strength or your ability. At that point you will be totally relying on God and His endless power.
d) When you actually believe what God believes about you, it changes your self-image, your self-worth, the way you look at life, the way you approach your future, and even the way you deal with others. Everything changes the day your opinion of you lines up with God’s opinion of you!
2. Have confidence in God and what God has already done.
a) Faith is not you convincing God to agree with your plans. Faith is what happens when God convinces you to accept and align with the plans He made for you before the world began.
b) When your confidence is in God and what he has already done, you don’t take on any pressure to perform, you don’t rely on your humanity at all, and you can actually feel the weight/pressure fall off of you as you enter into God’s rest.
c) You can either live your life based on the confidence you have in your ability to perform or you can live your life based on the confidence you have in God’s ability perform (through you) everything He planned before the world began.
d) When you know God is ON you, IN you, WITH you, and FOR you, and all your confidence is in Him and His ability, you enter every day ready to change the world! Because you know you will not be the one doing it. It will be the Father, living in You, He will give you the words and He will perform the work. That’s how you WORK and REST at the same time.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016. I believe what You believe about me. I see myself the way You see me. I can do what You say I can do. I will go everywhere You planned for me to go. I will have the influence You destined me to walk in. I will change the world. Because I am NOT the one doing it. My confidence is NOT in me. My confidence is solely in You and Your ability to perform through me. So as I enter this day, I declare that it is You Father, living in me, that will give me the words and perform the work. Living this way I am able to work and rest at the same time! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
