Missions Update: Isabella and the team made it to Haiti safely. They had a great worship service yesterday and the Vacation Bible School will start today.
Today we continue our series entitled, “God Loves You”, under the overall theme for the year of, “Supernatural Manifestation.” In our last message we looked at the following two scriptures:
The Apostle John said:
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
(1 John 4:16, 17 KJV)
King Solomon said:
God has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.
(Ecc 3:11 AMP)
I made the following statement about these two scriptures:
“The Bible is clear that God made plans for us before the world began. The challenge for us, when we are born and begin to walk through life is to: (1) accept Jesus as Lord, because our journey begins with Jesus (2) receive the revelation of God’s plans through the Holy Spirit, (3) fight the urge to feel unworthy and to disqualify ourselves before we ever get started, (4) renew our minds to believe what God believes about us, (5) wait on God’s timing for the things He revealed to come to pass, and (6) launch out to experience what God revealed when the timing is right. Now, what I just said in these six points is much easier said than done, but the pursuit of it becomes the joy of the journey with Jesus.”
I have discussed points 1-3. Today I will discuss #4.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see.
1. You must renew your mind to get to the point where you believe what God believes about you. Allow me to give you some examples:
a) Abram the idol worshipper did nothing to earn to deserve his divine call. God chose to call him, to make his name great, and to bless all the families of the earth through him. This did not happen because Abram (later Abraham) came up with the idea. No, it was God’s idea before the world began. All Abraham did was accept his assignment, die to his old identity, and pursue his God-given call by faith.
b) David was a shepherd boy, minding his own business, hanging out with his father’s sheep, when he was pulled out of the field to be anointed as the next king of Israel. David’s life did not turn out the way he planned. He could have never imagined ‘in a hundred years’, while he was tending sheep, that he was going to wind-up as king. But it was God’s plan. It was God’s idea. It was God’s best for David. Birthed in the heart of God before the world began.
c) Joseph was the 11th son of his father. During his day being the 11th of 12 boys was not a setup for success. But God had other plans. God placed His dream in Joseph’s heart. God chose Joseph to be the person He would use to lead the Israelites into Egypt. Joseph was destined to be Prime Minister. But along the way Joseph had to endure the pit, Potiphar and prison phases of his life before he could enjoy the palace. Looking back, there is no way Joseph could have written his own story. This was God’s story, penned in God’s journal before the world began.
d) Gideon was a scared farmer when God called him a Mighty Man of Valor. Gideon saw himself as the weakest man from the weakest clan in all of Israel. God saw him as a military General. Gideon could have never come up with God’s plan for his life, but since he was willing to die to self, God converted him from a coward to a champion. By God’s grace Gideon led one of the most lopsided military victories in history. Gideon did it because God planned to do it before the world began.
e) I could go on and on with more examples, but the point is that you must get to the point where you believe what God believes about you.
2. God made plans for you before the world began. He made those plans by His unearned grace. You did nothing to earn them and you can do nothing to disqualify yourself from them. But you must renew your mind to accept and experience them!
3. The best idea you can ever have is to live your life based on God’s idea for you. God’s idea for your life was birthed in His heart before the world began.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. You thought about me before I was born. You planned for me before I arrived. You mapped out my success before I ever took one breath. You then patiently pursued me until I came to You through Your Son Jesus. Now that I am IN Jesus and Jesus is IN me, You reveal Your plans to me. I accept Your plans for my life. I believe and receive them in my heart. I renew my mind in order to walk them about. I believe what You believe about me! As Jesus is, so am I, in this world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
