This morning we continue our series entitled, “Power of Fellowship.” Yesterday I shared a few stories where I heard the voice of God, but I did not obey they way I should have. Thankfully I learned from those mistakes and God did not hold them against me. The point of this series is to drive home the importance of having a true and intimate relationship with God.
As you should know by now, I like to teach by both precept and example. Today I want to take a brief look at the lives of three people in scripture that God used mightily. As we consider their lives, we will see that their destiny was birthed in the heart of God and it became a reality, in this world, because they were willing to have a relationship with God. This has nothing to do with religion. This is all about relationship.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s see.
1. Abraham. God approached a man named Abram who was married to a lady named Sarai. He was 75, she was 65, and they were not able to have children. They lived in Ur of the Chaldeans as idol worshippers. God revealed to them that He had special plans for them. God told Abram that he would make his name great, He would bless anyone who blessed him, curse anyone who cursed him, and cause all the families of the earth to be blessed through him. This was all God’s idea and it was all revealed to them by God. God spoke to Abraham, he believed what God said, and he launched out in faith to become the man God planned.
— The entire thing was God’s idea.
— Abraham did nothing to work for or earn God’s plan. He simply had to believe God. The same is true with us.
— Like Abraham, God has plans for your life and He wants you to spend time with Him so you can find out what those plans are, so you can become the person you are destined to be, and so you can do what you were born to do.
— This is why you must spend time with God in fellowship.
2. David. David was the 8th and youngest son in his household. He was charged with tending to his father’s sheep. He spent countless days out in the fields with no one around. It was just David and his sheep. One time he had to fight off a bear. He killed the bear with his bare hands. He did the same to a lion. He was just a teenager while he was having these experiences out in the fields with his sheep. I am sure he thought no one was watching, but God was watching! One day David was called out of the fields. When he entered his home his father was there, his seven brothers were there, and there was a stranger in the house. The stranger was a prophet sent by God to anoint David to the next king of Israel.
— This was not David’s plan.
— This was not David’s idea.
— I am sure this is ‘above and beyond’ anything David would have ever imagined for his life.
— But it was what God imagined and David submitted to it.
— David went through an amazing journey to become the man he was destined to be, but he did it because he was willing to have experiences with God. You must be willing to do the same. That’s what fellowship with God is all about.
— It won’t happen overnight and it may not be easy. But if you keep walking with God and allow Him to keep walking with you, you will become the person you were born to be.
3. Joseph. Joseph was the 11th son born to Jacob. He was also the firstborn of his true love, Rachel. Because of this, Jacob loved Joseph tremendously and he gave the young boy favor above his brothers. But the story of Joseph is not really one connected to his natural father. Joseph’s true story is one birthed in the heart of his Heavenly Father. One day God gave Joseph a dream. In the dream his brothers were bowing down to him. Later the Lord gave Joseph another dream that revealed that he would even be elevated above his parents. These dreams would define his life.
— The dreams were God’s idea.
— The dream’s were God’s plans.
— The origin of the dreams had nothing to do with Joseph. He was still a young boy and he did nothing to work for or earn God’s favor.
— The dreams were God’s plan, birthed in God’s heart, before the world began.
— Joseph had the faith to believe God would do what He put in the dreams.
— Joseph was so convinced that he took his dreams public.
— This did not go over well at home. His brothers were so angry that they almost killed him. They wound up throwing him in a pit and then selling him off as a slave.
— Joseph went through a PIT phase, a POTIPHAR phase, and a PRISON phase, all before he got to experience his PALACE phase. When the fullness of time came, Joseph was promoted from PRISONER to PRIME MINISTER in ONE DAY! It took over 20 years, but Joseph’s dreams finally came to pass.
— The dreams came to pass because Joseph never stopped believing and he never stopped walking with God. No matter how bad things got, Joseph maintained his relationship with God. This is how we are supposed to live.
4. Like Abraham, David and Joseph, God already planned out your success. He has a dream for your life that was birthed in His heart before the world began. As you spend time with Him in fellowship, He will reveal to you what He planned.
5. Like Abraham, David and Joseph, God’s dream for your life and the grace to perform it is already mapped out. This does not mean you will not face opposition. It may mean you face more opposition than you ever dreamed of, but that’s okay, because God has already provided you the grace to overcome everything you will face on the path to your purpose. You just can’t ever stop spending time with Him. It is your relationship with God — a relationship you maintain in fellowship — that will keep you from giving up or giving in. Your relationship with God will empower you to keep going long enough to see (in your hands) what God already revealed (in your heart).
Declaration of Faith:
Father, You are a completely purposeful God. Everything You do, You do on purpose and with a purpose. You brought me to this planet on purpose. I was born when I was born, and where I was born, because of WHY I was born. I am not a mistake. You made plans for me before the world began. I now spend time with You daily to discover and develop those plans, so I can deploy into my purpose. I am determined to do what I was born to do. I am convinced that I will arrive at Your overall expected end for my life. Not because I have religion. But because I have a relationship with You! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
