FIND YOURSELF [4/11/2022]
I was privileged to speak at my church on a Wednesday night recently. I spoke about “Covenant Lifestyle” (living a life aligned with the promises and directives of the Word of God). In my message I mentioned “finding yourself” in Scripture, like Jesus did when He quoted Isaiah 61 to the people of Nazareth in their synagogue (see Luke 4:16-21). Paul also received revelation from God regarding the path of life he was to follow when he ran across Scripture in Isaiah; “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6b) he quoted this at the beginning of his journey in Acts 13:47.
One might argue that “this verse was prophesying about Jesus” and they would be correct. The Holy Spirit will oftentimes cause a verse of Scripture (or, in this case a portion of a verse) to ‘jump out at you’ while you are reading His Word and fellowshipping with Him – this is also called revelation, or quickening (when something from the Word of God grabs your heart—comes alive on the inside of you). Please don’t shrug those instances off and forget about it. Many times this is a powerful way the Lord speaks to us.
I was stirred up again just last night regarding the Body of Christ—all of us—taking our place in the gifting and callings we all have from God. I was reminded of the call to “find our place” and to get busy ‘being about our Father’s business.’ Every one of us has been graced by God to be a part of the overall Body of Christ. “For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary” (1Cor. 12:14-22, bold mine for emphasis). ALL MEMBERS ARE NECESSARY!
There is an urgency from the Father regarding finding (and taking) our place in the Body. I believe the demonic activities we are seeing taking place on this planet are greatly occurring because the Church (Body of Christ) isn’t fully walking in her authority – being the restraining force we truly are. “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2Thes. 2:7). This section of Scripture clearly indicates that the Body of Christ acts as a ‘restrainer’ to wickedness. Because we have focused more on doctrines that end up dividing us instead of walking in the unity of the faith – Salvation comes through believing on Jesus, for “the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, and Habakkuk 2:4) – we have become weakened and not much of a threat to the realm of darkness!
Another weakening we suffer from is comparing ourselves with one another. Somehow we want to function in something are we’re not equipped for (graced). So, because we aren’t graced (ordained by God) to function in a certain thing, we get frustrated and give-up on doing anything for God. Remember the discourse Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing?” (1Cor. 12:16-17a)? God had Paul write these things to indicate the importance WE ALL HAVE in the Body of Christ. Regardless of what we have been graced for, we have a purpose that is not being fulfilled when we don’t: 1) find out what that purpose is, and 2) we don’t walk in it with contentment.
I’m hearing the Spirit of God say: “There are things that won’t be accomplished until the one who is supposed to accomplish them does so.” In other words, there are things ordained by God for a particular individual to accomplish that will not happen until that individual does them. Katherine Kuhlman testified that God chose her to that particular ministry because the individual He originally called to it refused to obey the calling. We all will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ – those who are Christians (the Body of Christ) that is – and give an account for what we did while in the body (living life here on earth). Paul wrote: “each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1Cor. 3:13-15). I don’t want my life – the things I did while in this body – to amount to a pile of rubble, I want to hear the Lord say: “Well done thou good and faithful servant.” This portion of Scripture in First Corinthians is talking about getting done what God ordained for us to do. He had equipped each of us to do something in His Kingdom.
Romans 8:19 says: “For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” Another way to say this is “All of creation is waiting for the individual members of the Body of Christ to take their place and function in their anointing (which is God’s grace).” I’m here to tell you, my brother and sister, that true fulfillment, true peace, true joy is simply waiting on the other side of our obedience to that little wooing we all have deep inside our inner-man which is coming from God – Who so loves the entire world, that He is wanting to give us to them and wrap this age up, bringing us to Heaven and begin the rest of eternity!
