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.
Scriptures we have been looking at all year:
(Proverbs 4:25 TPT)
Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions.
(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.
Focus for today:
Setting the Stage. This is based on 2 Samuel 7:1-10.
When things finally settled down for David, and he was no longer fighting his own men or foreign attackers, the King summoned Nathan, the prophet. David said to Nathan, “Look, I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of God is out there in a tent!” Nathan knew where David was going with this and replied, “Go ahead and do whatever you have in mind, for the LORD is with you.”
But Nathan spoke too soon. That same night, the LORD spoke to Nathan and said, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD has declared: Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? I have never lived in a house, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until this very day. I have always moved from one place to another with a tent and a Tabernacle as my dwelling. Yet no matter where I have gone with the Israelites, I have never once complained to Israel’s tribal leaders, the shepherds of my people Israel. I have never asked them, “Why haven’t you built me a beautiful cedar house?“‘ The Lord knew what was on David’s mind. He knows our thoughts before we think them.
The Lord went on to say to Nathan, “Now go and say to my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I took you from tending sheep in the pasture and selected you to be the leader of my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes. Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth! And I will provide a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure place where they will never be disturbed.” I had to stop at verse 10 for the sake of time.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. The Lord Took Credit for Selecting David for His Purpose.
The Lord said, “I took you from tending sheep in the pasture.” David was minding his own business, living his ordinary life, and tending his father’s sheep in the field when he was called out of the fields to be anointed to be the King of Israel. This was the Lord’s doing. David did not earn this assignment; it was given to him by the grace of God. Likewise, the Lord selected you for a purpose before the foundations of the world, and He did it by His grace. You are not a mistake. You were born when you were, and why you were for a reason.
How this applies to you:
— God emphasized to David that He personally selected him from the shepherding fields. This wasn’t a random occurrence or a lucky break. Just as God handpicked David, you were chosen by God for a specific purpose before you were born.
— David did nothing to earn his calling. It came to him by grace. The same can be said of your calling. You didn’t earn it and couldn’t have qualified for it.
— God selected you because He is good, not because you are good. This truth should liberate you to walk in your purpose without the pressure to perform.
— God chose you before the foundations of the world.
— Your purpose is a gift of grace, not a reward for performance.
— You don’t have to earn what God freely gave you.
— Understanding divine selection removes the pressure to prove yourself worthy.
2. The Lord Took Credit for Giving David His Assignment in Life.
The Lord said, “I selected you to be the leader of my people Israel.” This was a specific assignment, and it was established before the foundations of the world. David discovered his purpose, so he was able to maximize his purpose and potential. Have you discovered yours? Life takes on new meaning and clarity once you discover your purpose. But you can’t come up with it, because God came up with it before you were born. Purpose can’t be developed; it must be discovered. Your goal is to FIND, FOLLOW, and FINISH your purpose before you die.
How this applies to you:
— Like David, you have a unique assignment from God.
— Your assignment was established before you were born.
— You can’t create your purpose; you can only discover it.
— God’s assignment for your life is specific and unique to you.
— Your purpose gives your life meaning, direction, and fulfillment.
— Success comes from aligning your life with your divine assignment.
3. The Lord Took Credit for Protecting David for His Purpose.
David endured many challenging times in the space (about 20 years) between his selection as King and his ascension to the throne. But the Lord said, “I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before your eyes.” The Lord made it clear that He kept David for his purpose, and He will do the same for you.
Growing up in Brooklyn, I was shot at, I had knives placed to my throat, and I even had a .357 magnum placed to my head when I was just 11yrs. old, but none of the attacks against me succeeded because the Lord protected me for my purpose, even before I ever acknowledged Him as Lord.
How this applies to you:
— Divine purpose comes with divine protection. God protected David through countless battles, not because David was perfect, but because he was destined.
— God’s protection over your life is connected to His purpose for your life.
— You have survived attacks because God preserved you for your purpose.
— Divine protection operates even before you acknowledge God.
— God’s protection is not based on your performance but His purpose.
4. The Lord Took Credit (In Advance) For What He Was Going To Do in David’s Life.
After making it clear that He had been working throughout David’s past, the Lord said, “Now I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth!” With this statement, the Lord made it clear to David that He would also be involved in his future. The Lord did not bring him this far to leave him. The same can be said for you. The Lord has been good to you, but since you are still alive, God is not done with you. The Lord still wants to work in your life. He did not bring you this far to fail now. He brought you to this point, and since He is a God of progression and not regression, He is ready to take you even further.
How this applies to you:
— God doesn’t just work in our past and present; He’s already working in our future. He’s the God of continuous progression.
— When God starts something, He finishes it. He didn’t bring you this far to leave you (see Phil 1:6).
— God is actively working in your future while you’re living in your present.
— God doesn’t abandon His projects; He completes them.
— Your future is as secure as your past is proven.
5. The Lord Took Credit for Past, Present, and Future Provision and Protection.
When God promised Israel “a homeland” and “a secure place where they would never be disturbed,” He was demonstrating His comprehensive care across all time periods. Looking back, He protected them through Egypt and the wilderness. In the present, He was establishing them in the land. For the future, He promised ongoing security. This same God is working in your life – He was there in your past, He is with you in your present, and He has already prepared your future.
How this applies to you:
— God doesn’t just provide sporadically; He provides continuously.
— He doesn’t just protect occasionally; He guards you constantly.
— From the foundation of the world until the completion of your purpose, His provision and protection never cease.
— God’s provision and protection cover your entire life journey.
— Your past protection is evidence of His faithfulness for your future.
— God establishes secure environments for your purpose to flourish.
— Our God is the God of your past, present, and future; the God of your yesterday, today, and tomorrow; the God of your “already,” your “right now,” and your “not yet!” Say “AMEN” to that!
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for personally selecting me for Your divine purpose before time began.
You called me to Your purpose because You are good, not because I am. I was called by grace, not due to my performance.
You then protected me for the purpose You called me to.
You are not working in, with, and through my life, as I seek to die to sin, self, and selfishness, so I can live the life You planned before the world began.
I enter every day confidently, knowing You are actively working to manifest the future You planned, while also working in and through my present.
Just as You took credit for the life of David, I seek to live in a way where You will take credit for me!
I want you to look down and say, “That one is mine! I have been working in his/her life from eternity through time.”
I rest in the assurance that Your provision and protection span my past, present, and future.
I proclaim that You will complete the good work You started in me, for Your glory.
You are the God of my “already,” my “right now,” and my “not yet!”
Therefore, I can boldly declare: GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it, and prosper!
