This message will be the last message of 2022. This message won’t follow my usual format. I am led to share some of what the Holy Spirit had me share with you throughout the year. For the sake of time, I won’t be able to recap something from every month. But I grabbed something from January – May. I will share those highlights and then give you a few closing thoughts before I take my end-of-year break.
From January: About making progress.
Knowing that God wants you to experience progress does not mean you can sit back and idly wait for it to manifest.
— Some Christians use God’s providence as a license for laziness.
— Faith without works is dead.
— You can think about it or dream about it for years, but at some point, you will have to do something.
— Faith is an action word, and our God is a God of action. As you are led by God’s Spirit and guided by His Word, you must act in faith.
Faith pursues what God has already provided by grace.
— You can’t make things happen in God’s Kingdom, but you can receive what God has already provided when the right time comes.
— Faith is something you say, something you do, or a seed you sow based on what you believe God has already provided.
— There can be no faith where there is no grace.
— If the grace of God is not there, your faith is not faith. You are acting without God; you are doing things on your own, and you may call it faith, but it is not.
— Faith begins where the will of God is known.
True faith involves deliberate action (when the Holy Spirit releases you to move) that is intended to receive what God has ordained.
— When you discern that the time is right for you to launch out in faith, you must do so without hesitation or reservation.
— Delayed faith is disobedience.
— When God tells you to move, you must move, in faith, without wavering, without a doubt in your heart.
— Resisting fear, doubt, and unbelief is a critical aspect of faith.
When you are focused, intentional, purposeful, and prayerful with your faith-filled actions, you will make PROGRESS!
— God does all He does by grace (unearned, unmerited, and undeserved).
— But you must do all you do by faith.
— If you provide faith where God has provided grace, success is inevitable, and progress is undeniable.
From February: About purpose.
You bring glory to God in the earth by FINDING, FOLLOWING, and FINISHING your divine assignment.
In His prayer, Jesus said, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” Jesus was saying, “Father, I came to the earth, I did what You sent me here to do, and as a result, I brough glory to your name!” This is the mindset we are supposed to live with.
— Do you want to bring glory to God with your life and living? Do you want God to be pleased with what you accomplished during the years He gave you? If so, then your focus is simple: FIND, FOLLOW and attempt to FINISH your divine assignment by the grace of God before you die.
— In God’s eyes, you cannot achieve success any other way.
— When you stand before God, if He were to ask you, “Why should I let you into my heaven?” The only right answer is, “Becuase I accepted Your Son Jesus as my Lord.” That’s it. There is no other reason.
— After you get past that, if God were to ask you, “What did you do with the ONE LIFE I gave you?” He will not look for answers like how much money you made, how many degrees you earned, what you drove, or where you lived. He is going to be looking for purpose! Divine success is tied to divine purpose. It’s that simple. Either you did what God sent you to this planet to do, or you failed to do it. Jesus was clear, “I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.”
From March: About seeking validation and mental health.
Jesus did not seek His validation from men.
If you walk with God in earnest, learn to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, and seek to live a supernatural life, you will be misunderstood. Not only that, but you will face opposition. Sometimes the opposition will be so strong that it will cross over into rejection. The people in our text flat-out dismissed Jesus. When you are pouring your heart out for people and doing all you can do, and it is still not recognized and appreciated, it can hurt.
We all want some form of validation. We all want to know that others appreciate the efforts we pour our hearts into. I am sure this hurt Jesus as well, but at least we know that Jesus was seeking His validation from the Father and not from men. If you’re seeking the external validation of men, especially men who may not understand what God is saying to you, you’re setting yourself up to be disappointed.
— Mental health is a challenge for many today. One of the reasons why so many men and women struggle with being healthy on the inside is because they are looking for the validation of others. They are not at peace internally becuase someone did not provide them with what they wanted externally. Those who didn’t have a relationship with their parents often spend years looking for someone to fill that void. We all want to be validated. We all want to be appreciated. We all want to feel like we are valued. Jesus poured His heart out for these people, and they just dismissed Him like He did not even exist.
— I did not have a relationship with my father. My parents divorced when I was three years old. I saw my father a few times here and there growing up, but he was never truly in my life. I never heard my father say, “I love you.” I never heard my father say, “I’m proud of you.” I never got that validation from my father. So there was a time in my life when I was seeking it. That’s understandable. It’s human nature. Thankfully, the Lord has placed some men in my life that help me and help “validate” me in a way that ministers to me. But the greater validation comes from God.
— The Bible says that Jesus came to his own people. And they did not receive him. They rejected him. But it goes on to say that some people did receive Him. That’s how it will be with you. Some people will not see what God is doing in your life, they will not validate you, and they may flat-out disrespect you. But there will be others who can see it. God will put some people in your life that will honor you. You need some people in your life that can discern the anointing God has placed on you and who will respect you as a man and a woman that you are called me. Thank God for these people. Appreciate them. But just remember that the greater validation comes from God.
— The culture of God’s kingdom is a culture of honor. This is why the statement that I read this morning hurt so much. Jesus was a man of honor, and they dishonored him. They dismissed them to his face. This lack of honor, in God’s eyes, is very disrespectful. If you were going to maximize your purpose and potential, you have to come to grips with the fact that some people will not honor you. Appreciate those who do, but you cannot be moved by those who don’t.
From April: Dying to self and living for God.
When you know God loves you, you are willing to give up your plans for His.
— When God reveals His plans to you, they will most certainly exceed your plans, but regardless of how big or good they are, most humans will still have an issue with it because they are wed to the plans they came up with before God revealed His. This then puts us in a situation where we have to choose. We can choose God’s plans, by faith, without a clue as to HOW they will come to pass. Or we can choose to continue down the path we were already on, chasing our dreams and desires based on the plans we came up with. God wants you to choose His plans over yours, even though you don’t have all the details. This is hard. This requires faith. And this is why faith only works by love. You will NEVER WILLINGLY choose God’s plans over your own unless you are convinced that He loves you and that He will never hurt you. Faith requires trust. For you to give up your will for God’s will, you have to trust God, and you won’t trust Him with your whole heart unless you are convinced that He loves you!
— Jesus was so convinced that the Father loved Him that He trusted the Father enough to say, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” With those words, Jesus died to self in His heart, to the point where He willingly accepted the cross for us, trusting the Father’s plan, even though it caused Him much pain. Do you trust God enough to put His will above your own? Are you so convinced of God’s love for you that you willingly accept His will and pursue it by faith, even when it goes against what you want to do? And even when it may cause you pain? That, my friend, is living by faith, and this type of faith is based on God’s unending love.
— When you are convinced God wants to do what He wants to do in your life because He loves you, you are able to provide the faith that accesses His grace. Not only do you provide the faith to believe God’s will in the moment, but you also provide the faith to walk it out daily, no matter how long it takes until you see (IN YOUR HANDS) what you believe (IN YOUR HEART). This type of endurance is fueled by the fact that you are convinced of God’s love. So when your faith is rooted and grounded in God’s love, it will be strong, and you will be able to believe God for the long haul. You won’t give up along the way because God’s love for you will never fail. The Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us of God’s love. Therefore, our faith will remain strong.
From May: Accepting God’s plans.
You should WANT to die to your plans because God out-planned you before the world began.
Let’s say you plan out your ideal life. Let’s think about what that would look like:
— Imagine you got up every morning and put forth the maximum effort you can as a human.
— Imagine you did everything right and everything aligned perfectly with your plans.
— Imagine every person you need to help you accomplish your goals showed up for you on time and willing to help 100% of the time.
— Imagine you always had all the money and additional resources you needed to accomplish your goals and succeed in every endeavor.
— Imagine every panned out, every plot, plan, project, thought, scheme, and strategy. I mean absolutely everything you put your hands to do, PROSPERED!
Can you see it? Can you imagine it? Do you have a picture of what your perfect life would look like? If so, then Paul teaches us that GOD IS ABLE to do far beyond that! If we die to self and our plans and then accept the plans God made for us before the world began, God is able to, as Paul says, “… achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination!” Paul goes on to say, “God will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.”
God’s plans are greater than your plans. God’s ability far surpasses your human ability. You are finite and flawed. God is infinite and perfect. If you die to self and willingly allow God to live in you, with you, and through you, you will live a life far exceeding anything you could have ever imagined. I am a witness. That is already my reality! I pray it becomes yours!
That’s enough of a recap. Here are a few final thoughts:
— Today’s Word is a vehicle through which God is delivering His teaching to people all over the world in a format they can easily digest. I am very thankful to be the one God chose to do this. And I am thankful for you. Thank you for allowing me to share God’s Word with you daily.
— It takes a steady diet of God’s Word to remain focused, healthy (on the inside and out), and diligent for the long haul. I have seen far too many people burn out. I have seen people walk away from God and their assignments. I have seen people give up on their dreams. I have seen too much to know that we must meditate and medicate on God’s Word day and night. If not, we become susceptible to satan and his attacks.
— Last night, I was talking to someone with more money than he ever dreamed of, and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “Rick, I can throw a million dollars at anuy problem right now. But I have faced problems that money can’t buy. I needed to rededicate my life to Jesus!” Another reason why we must have a steady diet of God’s Word is so we don’t go astray. Like many, this person used to walk with God closely, but he has allowed the deceitfulness of riches and the things of this world to distract him. Thankfully, God is gracious, and I believe God will use this person mightily. But my point is that we must be careful not to allow ourselves to get derailed from our destiny.
Instead of closing out with a declaration, I want you to know that I am praying for you this morning. I ask you to do the same for me.
This is the last message until 2023. Please watch messages on https://www.youtube.com/rickpina during the break.
I love you, and God loves you more!
