[FONT='Times New Roman','serif'] If I handed you a puzzle piece, could you tell me what it was an image of? Even if you could make out what may be on your piece, you still wouldn’t have any idea how that piece fits into the bigger picture.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']You’re like that puzzle piece in the Body of Christ. By yourself, you don’t make much sense. But, when you find your place in the big picture, everything makes sense.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']When you’re born, you don’t know your place or your purpose. There’s a reason. Remember, King Herod tried to kill Jesus as a baby. The enemy would come for you in the same way if he knew your destiny. He would love to bring interference and to stop you from ever getting started. So, it’s in God’s favor and your best interest to keep the complete picture of your destiny from you until you’re mature and tested enough to reach it.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']I get calls from people that are in ministry and things are crashing down around them. Some of them have simply stepped out too soon. They had a vision and jumped right into it. See, in the world we get impatient. God isn’t like that. He takes the time to make sure that you’re ready to occupy in the place that he is sending you. He wants to make sure that when you reach that intersection of time, location, and purpose in your life, that you’ll stick a flag in the ground and claim it as His territory in the name of Jesus. He won’t send you there if you’re not ready.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']In I Corinthians 3, we read a letter from Paul to a young church that is just coming into Christ and making some mistakes. In this chapter, Paul tells them that the Lord has assigned to each his task.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']As people, we want to be cool. We want to fit in. We want to be like everyone else. But, being a part of the crowd isn’t what makes you valuable. Like gold and silver, what makes you valuable is your scarcity. There is no one else like you. God made you unique for a reason. Paul says, “The man who plants and the man who waters each have ONE task.” You have one task, or purpose, that you were created for, and God will reward you based on how you handle that task.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']God gave us the instructions for how to handle that task in I Corinthians 9:24. He told us to run our race in such a way as to get the prize. Think of how someone trains for a race. Think about how dedicated, how willing to sacrifice, and how focused they are. Distractions don’t pull them off their scheduled time to train. They understand the finish line. They understand the starting block. They know that the race can be won or lost in any of those moments, so they practice and practice and practice.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Training for a race isn’t easy. It isn’t always exciting. Finding your place isn’t always exciting. There are still chores that have to be done.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Look at Luke 16. It’s The Parable of the Shrewd Manager. This story is vital. It’s about the chores and about promotion. See, this manager didn’t do his job. But we he found out he was losing his job, he suddenly found a way to take care of things.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']He failed the test. He wasn’t working to help his master. He only worked when it helped him. That, right there, is why many Christians never reach their potential and their destiny. God can’t trust them with it.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']See, Christians get all excited about the anointing, but the anointing isn’t what takes you to your destiny. God trains you every day. You prove you’re ready to occupy your destiny by how you handle the affairs of life. Your trustworthiness over the little things, and the big things, is what moves you forward.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Have you ever gone into a fast food restaurant just before closing? Oh, that’s a wonderful experience. You walk in the place and you’d swear they had closed a few hours ago. They might even have the chairs up on the tables. I went into one one time and the employees who were still there actually argued in front of me over who was going to wait on me. Here’s the thing, in the minds of the people working there, that job doesn’t mean anything. It was a temporary job on the way to their destiny. That’s where they failed the test. They think they are going to reach their destiny by some ability or some talent, but in the world of the Spirit, God is the one that promotes. And, whether or not you get promoted isn’t about the anointing, it’s about being on time, being loyal, and doing what you said you would do.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']God promoted David to King. David had been on the hillside risking his life to save sheep, but he loved God and his family and he had been faithful and loyal with a trust. Joseph was in prison 13 years. He was faithful and he had success. He viewed every assignment as worthy to do his best in. That is why he was promoted to second in command.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']After I had a vision that I would start preaching, God didn’t tell me to start preaching. He told me to go to college. See, I had to get qualified to handle a trust. So I went to school. I didn’t start preaching after college either. God told me to go sell life insurance. Now, I was a shy kid and that was hard. But God knew I had to change on the inside. Twenty-one years later, I preached my first service. It looked exactly like it looked 21 years before in my vision. Yes, I know it probably didn’t have to take that long, but I also know I wasn’t ready. There are no shortcuts with God. You can’t fool Him. Your character has to be developed enough to be ready to do what you’re called to do. God is a rewarder. He knows your heart. He’s got to know and you’ve got to know that you can handle the responsibility there. He’s going to find out if you can handle it there by watching what you’re doing here and now.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']So, serve your employer wholeheartedly as if you were serving God. Don’t complain or murmur. Prove that you can handle a trust. Ask yourself, ‘How can I help this place profit?’ Make yourself so valuable that they can’t handle the thought of you ever leaving. Be faithful where you are and watch. God will show you just where you fit.[/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Father, Help me to find the place where I can be used to do that thing you have called me to do. Help me to be obedient where you have placed me to show myself worthy of promotion. [/FONT]
[FONT='Times New Roman','serif']Amen[/FONT]
