There's Only Now: Part 11

With everything that is going on in the world around us, this message is for now. We must remember – There is only now. Don’t allow distractions to make you ineffective now. God is always talking to us about what we should be doing presently. We are not to presume on tomorrow. We should maximize the present. We have to remember that we will have to answer to God for the decisions that we make. This helps us to see whether what we are doing now is a waste or not. We should have reverential fear of God. We want to give a good account to God when the time comes, so we must examine our lives and ask ourselves: What will last? God tells us what will last. God’s wisdom and His counsel are eternal (Proverbs 19:21 NKJV). Therefore, we should try to get God’s wisdom and counsel in all that we do so that we can build our lives on a rock, which is the Lord Himself.

First, we have to examine our thoughts. We must renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). With respect to your thoughts, you must ask: Will they last? Are they in line with God’s counsel? If they are not, then you have the power to bring them in line with God’s counsel. Second, we have to examine our words or conversation. Are you talking about things that will last or about things that are inconsequential, temporary and subject to change? Conversation is fuel for thoughts. Everything must build upon that which will last. With all of the chaos in the world, God’s word is still eternally established. We have to learn to line our lives up with what is eternal. Third, we must examine our time (Romans 13: 11-14). The only thing that matters is right now – we must get this because it enables God to be in control right now. If we really trust God in everything, then He is responsible for everything that happens to us. This is the eternal truth. Satan tries to get us out of the present. God does not have a moment ago or a tomorrow. He is eternal. Once we are in Christ, we also are eternal. Our lives are nothing but a vapor (James 4:14). What are we doing with the short time that we have here? Fourth, we must ask if what we are doing with our money is going to last. People in the world are fearful now about what they think won’t happen in the future about their money. Believers must look to God. You must be diligent and get before God and ask Him whether you are on target with your money, as well as your thoughts, conversation and time. You have to ask God whether you are near anything that will last. If you mess up now, it will cost you everything. If you win right now, you win forever. Wake up, don’t act dead and God will give you understanding. Depend on God and you will maximize what is happening right now.

Jesus cautioned us in Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” With God as your help, will you take an honest look at where you are heavily invested? For example, the tithe belongs unto the Lord. If you tithe, then your heart is with the Lord. However, if you are socking your money away for retirement, then your heart is in retirement. This is presuming on tomorrow. God tells us not to worry about tomorrow. God is faithful. He will cause you to be blessed. David said in Psalm 23:1: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” A shepherd leads the sheep. David said that God was his shepherd because he followed God. We don’t need to understand it and it doesn’t need to make sense. We just need to walk by faith and not by sight. God will never tell you to do the same thing over and over again because that’s not faith. He will lead you in ways that you don’t understand.

You cannot serve God and money (Matthew 6:24). However, you need money to serve God. Money is a tool God gives us to fulfill His plan. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Giving is the only way we can fulfill God’s plan for us. God will work everything together for your good when you put Him first. If you put Him first, there is no way you can come up short. We are soldiers for Christ. We are in a fight. There is nothing you can do to save yourself.

There is trouble today, so don’t worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:33-34). Take care of today. Overcome today with God’s grace and mercy that is only available to you right now, which will set you up for whatever may come. You are preparing for the future by living correctly now. If something is first in your life, then it touches everything in you life and everything in your life is arranged around it. If you would establish your life around God, then God would work your life out. Worry brings confusion and destruction. Worry is pride. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. We need to embrace the Word with all our heart and ask the Lord to help us. Those who are established in God know that if they love Him then God will work everything together for their good. There is only now. What you do right now will determine your deliverance or not.

In His Word, God tells us to wake up so that we won’t be dead (Romans 13:11). Your deliverance is nearer than when you started. If you wake up, you will be out. Sin isn’t worth it. We are in a war. You need to operate on the Word right now because there is a war going on. You have to “put on the armour of light.” (Romans 13:12) Understanding will come after you take the step of faith. We must conducts ourselves honestly (Romans 13:13). When you give up getting your own way, you cease from sin (Romans 13:14). Until you give up getting your own way, you are still a sinner. God will give you the desires of your heart, but you have to give up getting your own way so that He can bring it to pass. Suffering is the only way you can be promoted. Jesus was given the name above all names because He did thing’s God’s way.

God sent Jesus to save us from ourselves. If you give up getting your own way, you will be blessed. If seeking first the kingdom of God is your first priority then your life will show it – specifically, your thoughts, conversation, time and money. God is trying to take care of you, but He can’t if you are trying to get it your own way. This is a word of liberation. The truth always delivers. God tells us not to be anxious because He wants to take care of us (Philippians 4:6).

There's Only Now: Part 10

There is only now in which you can live. There is nothing to sweat, if you walk with the Lord. Don’t waste energy sweating. God didn’t mention sweating in the Bible until after the fall of man. Christ is the last Adam and He has restored us into the place of the first Adam before he fell. Adam was in fellowship with God until he was deceived, and fell away from God. As long as we are with God, we have nothing to sweat. So, stop sweating!

God gave His truth in order the make people free. We should receive His Word with meekness, knowing that it will make us free. God knows what He is doing. It is important for us to realize that the world doesn’t have anything. The children of God should not envy sinner. We are here for the purpose of leading sinners out of the world.

God knows all things. He knows the end from the beginning. Jesus chose us, we didn’t choose Him. He calls us friend because He has told us everything that God told Him to tell us. We, as Christians, should stop looking to the world for answers. We have the truth of the Word of God. We should not be compromising with the world, but we should take up our rightful position. The children of God should stop looking and start doing. When we start doing, we can watch God work out everything for our good, command blessings to come upon us, add things to us and make things come to pass. The only prosperity the world has to offer is money. God has made known everything necessary for His people to walk out in righteousness, i.e. to live in God’s true prosperity.

We are not to presume on tomorrow or look to the future. We must maximize the grace and mercy that is available to us now in order to live life more abundantly as Christ came to offer it. God says in His Word that this life we have is nothing but a vapor. He said this to give us perspective to major on now because faith is now. God has already caused everything to be and laid it up for us – we just have to follow it.

When we have the proper perspective, then we can set up the proper priorities. Priorities are meant to be guardrails in our lives to get us to our destination. They help guide us and lead the way. Jesus set the priority for the children of God: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33 NKJV) Jesus tells us to give up our lust for power and lofty positions, and our ambitions, and it will be added to us. We have to remember that we will have to give an answer to God. God knows that holding us accountable is the key to getting us to our destination. We have to buy into accountability – this is called humility.

The world is crying out for people of integrity. We, as children of God, should stand up and take our rightful position. We can’t be scared of the truth. We must be in fear and awe of God. The world wants what we have. We are supposed to be bold. We can’t be lazy. There is only now that God will show himself to us, but only if we tighten up our walk of faith. If you want to go higher, you have to step up your walk of faith. You have to change. There is no promotion without overcoming.

Only God’s counsel will stand (Proverbs 19:21). Our plans won’t last. We can know God’s will. He says what His will is in His Word. Also, the Spirit of God reveals His will to us (1 Corinthians 2:9-10). The will of God is to be known because it is meant to be done. We must major in the Spirit of God right now. We have to stop acting like we don’t hear God. We have to stop acting like we are deaf. We can only do this by the Spirit. We have to stop denying God. Don’t take for granted the mercy and grace of God. He has given us the breath of life in order to find Him.

We have to examine certain areas in our life and in each area ask: What will last? We have to run this question through our thoughts. We have to ask ourselves whether every thought is established on the Word of God. We have to run this question through our words or conversation. Our words frame our lives. A confession of faith is always a response to what God has said and promised. As children of God, we are not to declare what the situation is or deny that the situation exists. God commands us to ignore the situation. In Hebrews 13:5-6, God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us, so that we may boldly say “The Lord is my helper.” God is always talking to us now. In these verses, God deals with our thinking first and then tells us how to make a confession of faith. People in the world can do stuff to us, unless we boldly declare the truth for ourselves in our circumstances. It is only a confession of faith because there is something there contradicting it. To ignore something means that it is there. We have to call things that don’t exist. We can only do this God’s way. God is begging to show Himself faithful to us, but if we don’t give ourselves over to Him it won’t ever happen.

Lastly, in terms of our time, we have to ask: What will last? God wants our time. We have to make sure that we are spending our time in ways that will last. If you make a plan without the Lord, you are acting in darkness (Romans 13:11-14). Everything we do should be in consultation with God.

There is Only Now: Part 9

Through this series we’ve learned that there is only this moment in time. “Now” is present and the only space and time in which we can think, speak, or act. As we’ve gone through this series, we’ve come to understand that this is God’s perspective for us to adopt. God is outside of time. God is the same now as He was our yesterday or our tomorrow. So how are we, who are inside of time, able to draw close to Almighty God who is outside of time? By living our lives in the present and taking on things as God leads. It is critical that we adopt this mindset. God has laid up gifts and surprises for you every day, but are you allowing Him to bring it to you, trying to get it on your own, or foregoing them altogether? It should amaze you that all of your promises from the Word are in the present. You can’t do anything about yesterday or tomorrow, so you’ve got to take care of now.

The enemy can’t touch anything God has in store for you, the best he can do is move you away from the gift. James chapter 1 advises us against having a double mind. We must ask in faith in order to receive. From this point forward, your walk must be circumspect (set with boundaries for your protection). If you are moved, then you can’t receive anything. God wants to show Himself strong through our circumstances. Our weakness gives rise to affliction, and outwardly, these aren’t good times. The good news is God delivers us out of darkness ALL the time! We have a hope – an expected end (time’s up) – to this chaos. When time is up, we’ll have a manifestation – the harvest is coming in. The peace of God works in persecution, affliction, and adversity, not in good times. People are afraid of the dark because it is the unknown. There are no experts! Only God knows, and He’s looking for the righteous. His Word is a lamp to our feet, and illuminates the darkness so we can find our direction. But you first have to know where you are before you’ll know where you’re going.

Our foundation text for this series is found in Matthew 6:33, 34. Priority trumps everything. You can’t have split priorities; there is only one – to seek God first. God then tells you in what order all the other priorities ought to be in.

1. Remember, you’ll have to answer to God. This isn’t punishment, retribution, or a threat, it’s the truth. You need to be in that bubble of protection called now where God can protect you and keep you in perfect peace.
Proverb 23:17; 19:21
Ask yourself: What will last? Consult the Word to set up proper priorities.
Areas to examine:
Thoughts – 2 Corinthians 10:5. Start by holding God’s Word (meditating) in your mind day and night.
Conversation – Proverb 12:14; 13:2; Romans 4: 17– Prosperity begins on the inside! Start with your mouth and the words that come out of it. Christians are no different in this respect. Stop lying! We must hold ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ accountable. Use tact! Looking to our example, Abraham, we must begin calling things which are not as though they are.