Today, we continue our series entitled “Laser Focus,” emphasizing living with a Laser Focus on the Fixed Purpose God established for us before the world began.
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
Scriptures for today:
(James 1:2-4 TPT)
2 My fellow believers, when it seems as though you are facing nothing but difficulties, see it as an invaluable opportunity to experience the greatest joy that you can!
3 For you know that when your faith is tested, it stirs up power within you to endure all things.
4 And then as your endurance grows even stronger it will release perfection into every part of your being until there is nothing missing and nothing lacking.
(Ecc 3:1 ERV)
There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time
Setting the Stage. (Based on 1 Samuel 17:41-47)
Yesterday, we left off the story of David and Goliath with a war of words that was waged before the physical battle started. When Goliath (the giant) saw David (the teenage shepherd boy who was more dressed for tending sheep with this shepherd’s staff) than for hand-to-hand combat, he asked, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?” Goliath went on to curse David by the names of his gods. However, Goliath had no idea that he had no power to curse what God (Jehovah) had already blessed. Goliath yelled, “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” This was an intimidation tactic, but David was unphased. Unlike Saul and his men, David did not allow Goliath’s threats to strike fear in his heart. David had his own arsenal of words. David replied, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
Goliath saw this as a battle between two mere men, or in this case, a grown man and a little kid. However, David saw this as a battle between one man without God and one man anointed by the only true God. David knew the grace of God was on his life, and since God was leading him, he was completely confident in the God who was leading him. David relied on His God for the victory. How do I know this? It is evident by David’s words.
Pay close attention to what David said. David declared, “Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head.” Think about that for a minute. David said the Lord would conquer Goliath, but he would kill him and cut his head off.
Goliath was a battle-tested Giant who was dressed for hand-to-hand combat, but that did not matter to David. David’s confidence was in God, and He knew that the Lord Himself would be involved in conquering Goliath. Now, David clearly had a part. David attributed the conquering to God, but he also said that he would be the one doing the killing and the cutting.
It’s interesting that David said he would cut Goliath’s cut off and did not even have a sword. So how could David say what he said with such confidence? I believe it is because the Lord had already revealed to David what was going to happen, and all David had to do was agree, on earth, with what heaven wanted to do. David’s part was to cooperate so that God could operate on the earth. David’s part was to manifest on earth what had been revealed to him from heaven.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. You have a part and God has a part.
If you have been following me for any length of time, you know by now that:
— You are not a mistake.
— God made plans for you before the world began.
— God sent you to this planet at just the right time.
— God loves you with unconditional love.
— God sent people to you to share His love with you so you could establish a relationship with Him.
— Once you have a relationship with Him, God does all He can to reveal His will to you so you can accept it and pursue it by faith.
— God does this so you can make the impact He sent you to this planet to make.
While God is doing all that, you also have a part. Your part is to cooperate with God so He can freely operate through you. This partnership between you and God is fundamental to living out your divine purpose. Just as David required the courage to walk into the valley to face Goliath, you must step out in faith and obedience to what God is calling you to do. However, like David, you can rest assured that it’s not all on your shoulders. God’s part is to provide the supernatural empowerment, wisdom, and favor needed to accomplish what He’s called you to do.
How this applies to you:
— Recognize that God doesn’t expect you to do everything on your own. He has already provided you with the grace you need to do what He called you to do.
— Your job is to step out in faith, knowing that God will meet you with His grace and power.
— Be willing to do your part, even when it seems small or insignificant.
— Trust that God’s part will far exceed what you can do in your own strength.
— Embrace the partnership with God, understanding that He wants to work through you.
— Enter into this day knowing that you are a human conduit of the divine. You are a God-carrier, taking God with you into every meeting, conversation, and activity.
2. There is no need to fear when you know His grace is on you.
When you are confident that you are doing what the Lord is leading you to do, you can trust that His grace is on you to experience the victory. Therefore, there is no need to fear. David’s confidence wasn’t in his own abilities. David’s confidence was in the God who called him. Similarly, when you’re walking in God’s will, you can face any giant in your life with the same boldness, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient for you.
How this applies to you:
— Meditate on the grace of God long enough to cultivate a deep assurance that God is always with you and that He has already equipped you to do what He expects you to do.
— Face challenges with fearless confidence and unwavering courage, knowing that God will work in and through you. His grace empowers you.
— Reject fear and embrace faith when confronted with seemingly insurmountable odds.
— Remember that God’s grace is not dependent on your perfection but on His faithfulness. This will help you reject condemnation and remain in faith, even when you make mistakes.
— Let God’s grace be your source of confidence in every situation you face.
3. Prayer is about the earth agreeing with heaven.
Prayer is not about you making up what you want and then asking God to bless it. No, prayer is about finding out what God, in heaven, wants to do on earth and then agreeing with Him to bring it to pass. That’s how you can see His Kingdom come and His will be done. Where? On earth! How? As it is in heaven! This principle of aligning earth with heaven through prayer is what Jesus taught in the Lord’s Prayer and what David demonstrated in his confrontation with Goliath.
How this applies to you:
— Approach prayer as a means of aligning your will with God’s, not the other way around.
— Seek God’s perspective and plans before presenting your requests.
— Use prayer to bring heaven’s reality into your earthly circumstances.
— Be open to God revealing His will to you during your prayer time.
— Pray with confidence, knowing you’re partnering with God to fulfill His purposes.
4. Speak what God reveals, even before you see it.
David declared he would cut off Goliath’s head before he even had a sword in his hand. He said this because God allowed him to see what was going to happen. David believed it, and David was convinced that he was willing to DECLARE IT before it happened. When you receive revelation from God about His plans for your life or a specific situation, don’t be afraid to declare it in faith, just as David did.
How this applies to you:
— Cultivate a sensitivity to God’s voice and the revelations He gives you. God has been to your future, and you are sensitive to His Spirit, He will reveal certain things to you about it.
— Boldly declare what God is leading you to say, even when circumstances seem contrary.
— Understand that your words of faith can help bring God’s will into manifestation.
— Don’t let what you see in the natural limit what you believe God can do.
— Use your words to agree with heaven daily. If you align with heaven, in faith, without a doubt, you will experience heaven on earth!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I partner with You to fulfill Your will on earth, stepping out in faith and obedience.
Your grace empowers me beyond my own abilities, giving me strength to face any challenge.
I reject fear, standing confident in the knowledge that Your grace is upon my life.
My prayers align with Your will, seeking first Your Kingdom and Your righteousness.
I boldly declare what Your Spirit reveals to me about my future. I say what You reveal until I see what You have revealed. And along the way, I refuse to allow what I see in the natural to cause me to change what I say!
I face my giants with fearless confidence and unwavering courage, because my confidence is in You. You have already attained the victory!
I am a human conduit of the divine. I am a God-carrier. I take You, Father, into every meeting, conversation, and activity I engage in today and this week.
My words agree with heaven. I speak words of faith from a believing heart. Your Kingdom has come. You will shall be done, on earth, as it is in heaven, in my life!
Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME, and I experience heaven on earth!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. AMEN!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
