This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with an emphasis on “Focusing on God’s Finished Work”. Yesterday I shared Ecclesiastes 3:15 with you. This verse lines up perfectly with what I have been teaching you on God’s Finished Work. But the concept God shares through Solomon in this verse is a lot to digest. So I want to go back to it today. This is what the Lord said through Solomon:
“That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by [so that history repeats itself].”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. You were not born as an afterthought. You were God’s forethought.
2. You were not born as a mistake. Even if your parents did not plan for you, God did.
3. The ruler by which you measure your life’s success was prepared before you ever lived one day. When God looks at you, He measures your life against the ruler of His plans. If you “measure up”, if you live out your divine purpose, you are successful. Success has nothing to do with money, houses or cars. Success has everything to do with purpose. Here’s the good news: God will not measure me by your ruler, nor will He measure you by mine. Your purpose is tailor-made for you. Only you can be YOU! So stop measuring yourself by others. Seek God, discover your divine purpose, and measure your progress by the plan God already mapped out for you.
4. Along with the plan and purpose, divine provision has already been stored up for you! Everything you need to accomplish your divine assignment has already been prepared. The challenge comes when you pursue the wrong things. If you pursue the wrong things, you will need things God did not prepare for you. But when you pursue God’s divine purpose, your faith is able to receive what God’s grace has already provided.
5. God’s will for your day and the rest of your days is already mapped out. God is not looking for you to “make it happen”. God is looking for you to seek Him, to pray, to receive divine discernment, and to then align your life with what He has already designed and assigned to you do.
6. As a Born-Again believer the Father expects you to live your life from the inside-out, discerning what to do and how to do it, where to go and what to do when you get there. Living this way you get to live your life based on Spiritual vision and not human sight.
7. The opposite of faith is not doubt. The opposite of faith is human sight (2 Cor 5:7). Mere humans live their lives by what they can see with their natural eyes; validating their decisions with sense-realm evidence (what they can see, touch, taste, hear and smell). Born-Again believers are called to live our lives by what we can SEE in the Spirit, even when it is contrary to what we see in this world. We validate our decisions with Spirit-realm evidence – what they can hear and see in their Spirit. This is how we walk and live by faith; and this is the life God expects us to live!
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I have brought my life into focus in 2016. I develop my ability to SEE in the Spirit. You made plans for me before the world began. You now reveal Your plans to me by Your Spirit. I am born from above. Your Spirit lives IN me. I am no longer limited to operating as a mere man. I am a God-man. Therefore, I don’t live by what I see in the natural. I don’t live my life based on human information alone. I don’t live my life based on what I can only validate in this world. I live my life based on divine revelation and insight. I live my life based on what I can validate in the Spirit. I am able to peer into eternity, from time, and then come back to live out what I saw. I am able to peer into heaven, from the earth, and then come back and experience heaven on earth! I declare that You enable me to SEE in the Spirit with clarity and focus and I have the faith to live out what You reveal! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
