Believer…ADVANCE!
Have you ever watched a tv series from the beginning to the end? You know, back in the day, when you had to wait a week between episodes then a year till the next series? Now that binge watching and streaming tv shows is the done thing I personally think we have lost something. There used to something about a long running tv series that doesn’t happen in this new era.
When I was a teenager and into my 20s we needed dedication to watch tv. In between episodes there was time. I remember watching ER weekly passionately every week waiting to see the next episode. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Friends, and many more shows that required a constant tuning in and if you missed an episode you couldn’t go login and find it over again. If you wanted to make sure you didn’t miss the show you had to rely on a VHS video machine and getting the timing right!
One series I remember that required total dedication was the tv show ‘Lost’. If you haven’t per chance seen it yet I really wouldn’t recommend it at all. The ending is so confusing that you really do feel like you wasted how ever many hours and years you watch it for!! That show took dedication! You never knew what was coming, you never understood it and it never made sense yet we all watched it, talked about it and got hooked by it’s story telling.
Dedication. Commitment. Stickability.
We all invest in something; a tv show, a sports team or maybe DIY project. The question I need to ask: Is that same dedication we demonstrate in worldly things reflected in the Kingdom of God?
When you and I made Jesus our Lord and Saviour we entered into more than just a family. We entered into a Kingdom. The Kingdom we entered is an occupying force in a hostile land. There is an enemy who is wants it’s subjects removed from the face of the planet. There is an enemy who wants you personally removed and if the enemy can’t remove you he want to shut you up and cripple your influence.
As a believer you have been placed on a path. That path and journey that you are on does not lead to defeat, depression or destruction. That path is ordered of the Lord. That path is a path of provision and success. That path takes your dreams and desires and gives you direction and focus to bring them to pass.
The path in front of you is a glorious one but…whatever path is before you will need dedication and much more to walk it out.
I am not sure dedication is what you want to hear today as you read this. Grit. Persistence. Grind. Words that penetrate the lazy soul. Hard work. Moving forward no matter what. Not looking at the circumstances to see if it is working. Not trying to feel whether what you are doing is worth it. The path may feel uneven, small and even a little scary.
Remember this, we said it before, the path you walk on as a believer, someone who is righteous, is ordered of the Lord. You are required to be dedicated and focussed as you walk it, run it and complete it. You are the believer He chose from the beginning of time.
The path can be seen as your assignment. Your race. The vision or direction that God has given you lies before you has been laid out.
Jesse Duplantis says it this way, “the only Word for the believer is…advance!”
Move forward. Advance. Inch by inch. Mile by mile.
You have inside you the dream. You have inside you the wisdom to achieve that dream. You have inside you the capacity to complete your race. If you feel squashed, boxed in and under pressure now is the time to hear this message.
Your advancement in the Kingdom is a result of a quality decision that leads to a complete yielding to the plan that He has for you. As you yield you become God inside minded and then you begin to dig deep. Digging deep expands your inner man. The stretching of your faith muscle allows hope to fuel you. Your determination cements inside you a victory in the faith realm that cannot be shaken!!
You build on the foundation of God’s Word and you operate with a fire in your belly that comes direct from heaven! Holy Ghost fire that burns within. You are the victorious one. You are the one who never quits or gives up!
Jesus is cheering you on and you have a cloud of witnesses that have gone before you and you inherit the promises of God!
“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.” But we are not like those who turn away from God to their own destruction. We are the faithful ones, whose souls will be saved.”
Hebrews 10:35-39 NLT
Glory to God!!
