Confronting Your Future As If It Were Now
INTRODUCTION
IN THIS DAY AND HOUR THAT WE ARE IN; THE PROPHETIC WORD IS; "PROCESS." WHICH ARE THE STEPS OR GRADATIONS OF GOING TO OR UP. AS ONE OF THE GREAT THEOLOGIANS HAVE SAID, "NEVER LOOK AT WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH BUT RATHER LOOK AT WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO."
PAULS PURPOSE HERE IN THE TEXT THAT WE MAKE OUR ARGUMENT OUT OF WAS AND IS TO REVOLUTIONIZE THE CHURCH AS IS AND WAS, BY MAKING AN IMFACTIC STATEMENT TO THEM TO GET THEM BACK TO THEIR RIGHTFUL POSITION, WHICH IS THE POSITION OF PROMISE SO THAT EVERYTHING THAT THEY DO OR SAY WILL LINE UP WITH THE WILL OF GOD. NOT SO MUCH AS TO DEGRADE THE JEWS BUT THROUGH ILLUSTRATION OF ABRAHAM AND HIS FAITH, THAT THEY MAY BE RAISED UP INTO A KINGDOM MENTALITY.
DEFINITIONS
KINGDOM – (MALKUH) – DOMINION- TO RULE, BE MASTER
KINGDOM MINDSET
PAUL HERE CHALLENGES THEM TO GET THEM INTO A KINGDOME MINDSET, TO THINK NEXT THOUGHTS IN THE MIDST OF THEIR NOW CIRCUMSTANCES.
IT WOULD BE FAIR TO SAY THAT PAUL USES THE SAME INTENSITY THAT HE USED TO PERSECUTE THE CHURCH, AND AGAIN TO GET THEM IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND THAT THEY COULD GET INTO TRUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
THE RELATIONSHIP DEALS MORESO WITH THE UNSEEN TREASURES OF THE HEART OF MAN THAN IT DOES WITH THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION.
OFTEN TIMES WE GET SO CAUGHT UP IN OUTWARD EXPRESSION (EMOTIONALISM) THAT WE MISS OUR DEVINE ASSIGNMENT, BECAUSE WE ARE SELF-INVOLVED MANIPULATORS.
WE COME WITH A HIDDEN AGENDA THAT WE MAY TRY TO PULL FROM GOD, THAT WHICH HE HAS ALREADY PROMISED US.
IF ANYONE KNOWS GOD HE CAN NOT BE MANIPULATED. ALL WE HAVE TO DO TO GET WHERE WE’RE TRYING TO GET, IS FUNCTION IN PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLE.
I BELIEVE THAT RELATIONSHIP IS RELATIVELY DOWN PLAYED BECAUSE WE HAVE NOT MASTERED THE ESSENSE OF ITS OBJECTIVE.
THE OBJECTIVE OF RELATIONSHIP SERVES AS A CONNECTIVE TO GOD, THAT WHEN IT IS NECESSARY TO WITHDRAW FROM GOD THAT WHICH HE HAS DEPOSITED INTO US THAT WE MAY SPEAK A LIFE CHANGING WORD IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE OPPERATING IN THEIR NOW CIRCUMSTANCES, THAT THEY MAY BE ABLE TO SEE THEIR NEXT PROMISE AND FROM THAT THEY MAY WELL BE ABLE TO BEGIN CONVERSATING WITH THEIR FUTURE.
LET ME PAUSE HERE PARENTHETICALLY, AND SAY "THE REASON WHY WE DO NOT HAVE WHAT WE WANT IS BECAUSE WE ARE NOT SAYING ANYTHING." BUT RATHER SPEAKING DEATH OVER OUR DESTINATION (BLESSINGS).
FAITH
FAITH – IN THE GREEK - PISTIS – CONVICTION OR PERSUASION WITH CORRESPONDING ACTIONS - ALLOWS YOUR I SHALL TO MEET YOUR RIGHT NOW.
FAITH DEALS NOT SO MUCH IN WHAT YOU HAVE LOST BUT RATHER IN WHAT YOU’RE RECOVERING. WE ALL HAVE LOST SOMETHING OF GREAT VALUE TO US AND ALL WE EVER SAW IT AS WAS A LOST. I’M HERE TO TELL YOU WHAT YOU LOST IS ONLY A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE. IF YOU PERCEIVE IT TO BE A LOST THAN IT WILL BE SO, ON THE CONTRARY, IF YOU PERCEIVE IT TO BE A RECOVERY THEN IT WILL BE JUST AS YOU SEE IT,A RECOVERY. YOUR FAITH IS HINGED UPON WHAT YOU’RE RECOVERING NOT ALL THAT YOU LOST.
OUR TRUST IN THE LORD DEFINES THE AMOUNT OF FAITH THAT WE HAVE IN THE LORD. WE DON’T DEFINE FAITH; FAITH DEFINES US. IN OUR CHRISTIAN "STRUGGLE;" YES STRUGGLE; BECAUSE WE ARE IN A CONSTANT FIGHT WITH THE ENEMY WHO HAS COME TO KILL, STILL AND DESTROY. THEREFORE OUR SUCCESS IS ESSENTIALLY TIED TO OUR FAITH AND THE STRUGGLE IS ONLY FOR A SEASON TO SEE IF YOU CAN LOOK FURTHER THAN WHERE YOU ARE AND SEE WHERE YOU ARE GOING.
IF I MAY ADD, FAITH IS LIKE THE VINE THAT CLIMBS THE WALL OF DOUBT. SO, TO SAY THAT OUR MERE CHRISTIAN EXISTENCE IS HENGED UPON OUR FAITH WOULD BE A MATTER OF FACT.
IF I MAY PAUSE FOR A MOMENT: GOD EMPOWERS US TO DO CAN LIVING IN THE MIDST OF OUR CAN’T CIRCUMSTANCES.
CONFRONTING YOUR FUTURE AS IF IT WERE NOW
THE SOLICITATION THAT IS SPOKEN; IS THE PRAYER; WHICH IS COMMUNICATION WITH GOD, WHICH IN ESSENSE TAKES ME TO GOD BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO SOLICIT GOD FOR HIS WILL NOT FOR OUR WANTS.
THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT: ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE, SEEK AND YE SHALL FIND, KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED UNTO YOU, MOREOVER; SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ALL THESE THINGS SHALL BE ADDED UNTO YOU.
CONFRONTING YOUR FUTURE AS IF IT WERE NOW
SIX WORDS TO DEAL WITH RELATED TO FAITH
1) SOLICITATION = PRAYER
2) SUCCLUSION = TO ISOLATE OR KEEP APART = SET APART
3) SUBMISSION – THE CONDITION OF BEING SUBMISSIVE, HUMBLE OR COMPLIANT = COMING INTO COVENANT
4) JUSTIFICATION – AQUITTAL, VINDICATION = JUST AS IT NEVER HAPPENED.
5) NOW - THE PRESENT OR IMMEDIATE = TODAY
6)CONVERSATION = ORAL EXCHANGE,TALK = CONFRONT
SOLICITATION
FOR THE THINGS THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO SEE OR CONCIEVE ARE THE VERY THINGS THAT GOD WANTS TO PERFORM IN YOUR LIFE BUT FOR US TO RECEIVE THE RELEASE OF BLESSING FROM GOD
1) WE MUST BECOME ANIMATE OF THE MOST ESSENTIAL THINGS IN OUR EVERYDAY LIFE WHICH IS PRAYER. CONVERSATING WITH GOD ABOUT OUR FUTURE THE LATTER OF THE TEXT SAYS "CALLETH THOSE THINGS WHICH BE NOT AS THOUGH THEY WERE."
SUCCLUSION
SUCCLUSION DEALS WITH THE FACT THAT WHEN WE ARE DESIRING THE BLESSINGS OF THE LORD WE MUST PRACTICE SUCCLUSION AS JOB DID WHO SHUN THE VERY PRESENCENSE OF EVIL.
SUBMISSION
IN SUBMISSION THERE IS MORE TO SUBMISSION THAN MEETS THE EYE SUBMISSION SHOWS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND GOD, AS WE CAN FAKE HUMBLE WE CAN’T FAKE SUBMITTED BECAUSE SUBMISSION REQUIRES A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD, SUBMISSION AVAILS YOU TO WORSHIP GOD FROM VICTORIES AND NOT YOUR WOUNDS. THIS IS THE COVENANT RELATIOSHIP THAT WE HAVE WITH GOD WHEN WE SUBMIT OURSELVES TO HIM.
THE BIBLE SAYS SUBMIT YOURSELF TO THE LORD RESIST THE DEVIL AND HE SHALL FLEE. THIS DEPICTS THE INTIMANT RELATIONSHIP THAT YOU HAVE WITH THE SON BECAUSE HE SHOWS UP TO BE YOUR INTERCESSOR, TO BE THE SPOKE PERSON ON OUR BEHALF.
JUSTIFICATION
THE JUST AS IT NEVER HAPPENED ABRAHAM WAS JUSTIFIED MERELY BY HIS FAITH IN GOD. DOES THIS TEXT DEAL WITH THE CONTEXT OF JUSTIFICATION WE ARE SPEAKING OF YES.
NOW
TODAY
CONVERSATION
THE WORD CONVERSATION CAN BE SO TRANSLATED INTO CONFRONTATION WHICH IS TO FACE OFF WITH YOUR FUTURE IN THE VERY PRESENT WHICH IS PART OF YOUR FAITH.
I HAVE CONVERSTAIONS WITH MY FUTURE IN MY RIGHT NOW CIRCUMSTANCE.
GOD HAS MADE PROVISION OF MY FUTURE ALTHOUGH I HAVE NOT ATTAINED WHAT IT IS THAT GOD HAS DONE FOR ME I YET WALK IN IT RIGHT NOW THIS IS WHERE MY "I SHALL" MEETS MY "RIGHT NOW."
RIGHT NOW;
I AM NOT A PASTOR
BUT I SHALL WALK IN GOD’S INTENDED PURPOSE AS IF IT WERE NOW, THAT IS TO SAY "I WILL EMULATE THE BLESSINGS OF GOD IN MY RIGHT NOW UNTIL MY BLESSINGS ARRIVES."
THAT’S BECAUSE I AM HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY FUTURE.
KNOW THAT GOD WILL ALLOW YOU TO GET A GLIMPS OF WHERE IT IS THAT YOU ARE HEADED. GOD KNOWS THAT WHEN YOU SEE IT YOU WILL BEGIN TO CONVERSTAE ABOUT IT.
YOU WILL BEGAN TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR NEXT IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR NOW EXPERIENCES.
CLOSING
GOD GIVES YOU VISION OF WHAT HIS WILL IS AND A CONCEPT TO FULFIL IT.
