THE ONE WORD ORDER
Kolyah
September 23, 2020
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“LIVE DEEPLY AND PURPOSELY IN THE PRESENT”
Kolyah
Shana Tova (Happy New Year)! We have entered into a new Jewish calendar year as of a few days ago. The year is now 5781. What this year will hold for each of us remains to be seen? If you pay attention to what the media and the political pundits are saying, it doesn’t look good. Whenever the calendar rolls into a new year, people are given to uncertainties about the future, as well as to reflections about what has been. Questions about what changes have been made, about what forced changes might yet appear, and about what changes might need to be made on a personal basis, can occupy our thoughts surrounding a new year. It’s good to stop and to assess where we have done well, and where we have fallen short. It’s important to see where we have kept our promises and where we have lacked follow-through. An honest look at our choices, and at the fruit that has come from those choices, is vital for growth and learning. To continue into another year, while holding to the same failed or rebellious actions and attitudes … enabling negative, unfruitful, things to operate in us, and to come through us … is a recipe for pain and failure in the unfolding 12 months. Time is passing. Where will it take us? To a large degree that course is up to us; based upon where we focus, and upon the choices we make, as a result of that focus.
All of us have the opportunity to choose where we will place our focus (our priority of attention) in life. We have many options. Some will look at the past and long for the “good old days” … grieving what is not gone, and will need appear again. Other will look over their shoulder to see a history that they want to forget, or which they hope to outrun. There are still others, who focus almost exclusively on their future hopes and dreams … on things that they ache to see materialize in their future. This is especially true when events of the past haunt us, and when situations in the present day seem far too difficult for us to handle. Fixing our eyes completely on the future, as a way to negate the past, or to blot out the present challenges can be a form of escapism, as well as an opportunity for delusions to develop as a way to avoid reality. So, perhaps, with all the present challenges and threats bearing down on our world, the vital question of this new year might be: Where should we be placing our more focused attention? What focus will make us stronger, more at peace, and more effective?
If we are continually looking at the past, we can find ourselves in a rather hopeless trap. Who can possibly change the past? Who can erase it, edit it, or get a complete “do over”? The past is gone. To live in the past is to set ourselves up for regret, discontentment, and unhappiness. At the same time, the lessons of the past, and the treasured experiences of the past, need to be brought into our present understanding, so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes, or set aside genuine treasure. We must not take false narratives on board, or become fixated upon “sparkly” things that are comprised merely of temporary wood, hay, and stubble at their core. We need to be both grounded, and focused on enduring Kingdom truth and substance, while the unfolding realities of life emerge in the present season and time of life.
To live with our focus, and with our priorities, set inordinately upon the future, can cause us to be horribly discontented with our present life. If we neglect the spiritual realities, we can become very impatient to leave the present behind, so that we can move on to a happier place that may exist only in our imaginations. A completely forward focus can cause us to be blind to the blessings and opportunities that presently surround us … i.e. to those things that are established and designed to be part of our purpose and calling here on the earth. Living with our eyes totally on the future can leave us potentially living in a fantasy that may, or may not, ever appear. We can be setting ourselves up for painful disappointment when our plans are frustrated, or delayed beyond the constructs of our mental fabrications, preferences, or expectations. What if these things never appear? Again, it’s is all too easy to fall into a state of hopeless discontentment, so that we become blind to the valuable elements, and to the treasures of the present day. When we fix our eyes on what “might be” we become ineffective in dealing with “what is”. “Peter Pan thinking” can come into play; leading us into future traps. Living in this kind of fantasy thinking can also enable us to stumble into, otherwise avoidable, present-day pitfalls. We need to be attentive to where we are walking right now in the present moment, while still holding a positive expectation of what the future will hold for us.
To try to live, while lacking a vision for the present, often means that we have a weak grasp on the role we are appointed/anointed by the Lord to play right NOW. Every day has purpose. Every day has a calling on our life to be fulfilled. We never mark time, nor do we ever have a worthless/pointless day of life. It’s how we choose to look at things, value/use our time, and where we decide to focus our attention makes all the difference. Where we focus will have a huge influence on what we do with our time. In addition, if we are to be part of the Kingdom remnant of believers, it’s important to resolve to actually LIVE fully each day, so that we become active participants that will help build, and to present, the Kingdom NOW. If we lack that resolve, we will give ourselves excuses/permission to sit on a pity-potty … perhaps becoming content in passing the time through being entertained … or maybe inclined to do nothing, but to sit around sulking and whining or hiding out. When we don’t live with purpose and vision for our life on a daily basis, we are far more easily contained and controlled to operate in agreement with evil dictates that intend to cripple, to silence, or to destroy our impact on the world.
The way of the Kingdom is always to BUILD upon good foundations. As we build upon the Rock of YHVH, our future is secure and bright. We can take the heritage, the learning, and the gifting from our past, and then daily place these things upon the word of the Lord, to establish the promises in our moment by moment reality. While some of those promises are yet to come into view, or to take form, we can still have joy and purpose in the present day. That is true only as we build upon the essentials of the past while continuing to move toward what is yet to come. We build the Kingdom stone by stone through engaging with life assignments/challenges/learning in the present moment.
The only way that we can really live in strength, and in Kingdom priorities, is to treasure what we have in the present moment. It may not be what we expected or chose, but our experiences in the moment are unfolding the life that the Lord has given us for today. As the Lord is Sovereign, and as He is the Author of our life journey, we can embrace whatever today presents to us as part of a total plan of blessing. Right now, certain elements of life may not feel at all like a blessing. We might not want any aspect of our present, painful, experience. Any yet, there is divine input coming into our life, as a result of whatever we are undergoing right now. The difficult things can actually be bricks baking in the oven of affliction that will become part of a new construction … an extension of something glorious to come in the days ahead. Today can disprove the past, or correct the errors, through a change in course or action. Today can provide the raw materials, the lessons and the contacts out of which the future can be built. In the Lord’s plan and economy, no experience is wasted, and no suffering is pointless, when entrusted to His hands. Wherever there is loss and trauma, there is an opportunity to shine the life and love of the Kingdom, through the testimony of our response. If He is the priority within us, and if we trust His love and care, great things can emerge from the fires of affliction, because HE IS IN THE STRUGGLE WITH US … and HE is refining us into pure gold for His glory.
All our seasons of life are valuable treasure. The days of the past, the present, and the future all have the Lord contained within them. Wherever He is, there is blessing. When our life is over, we will give an account to the Creator regarding what we did with those treasured hours, days, weeks, months, and years. How much did we love throughout all those opportunities contained in our lifetime? That will be the primary question asked of us? How much did we give of ourselves into the script that He wrote for us at the beginning … into the ordained purposes, and fully into the calling of YHVH, which was intended for us to accomplish before we take our last breath? When we leave this earth, the prize of heaven will never be given according to how many awards we won … how many degrees we earned … how much we accumulated of material wealth. The reward of heaven will be handed to us according to the level of truth that we lived, shared, and invested. And ultimately, the highest prize will be given to those according to how much they LOVED during their life on earth. First and foremost, the scale will measure how much we loved the Lord, and how much we placed Him first in priority. Secondly it will be how much we demonstrated our love of Him by how we LOVED those around us, whom He loves. How much did we risk or sacrifice to love in the standard and fashion of love that Yeshua demonstrated? How enduring was our love in the face of persecution and pain? Was our love pure, or did it have an ulterior motive connected to it? Did we love fully, or was it conditional or partial. Loving those, who love us is easy. Loving those, who hate and persecute us is far more challenging. Did we meet the challenge, or did we go the way of carnal flesh by cutting people off, by shunning them, slandering them, etc. Did we let pain, loss, and persecution defeat our love by allowing it to whither or die? If, during this past year, we latched on to “love” something that the Lord disapproves of, it’s time to separate ourselves from that idolatry in this new year.
One cannot love properly and fully, unless we are living in the present moment. We cannot live fully in the moment, unless we know that the Lord wants us to build His Kingdom every moment of our lives. Love and Kingdom truth are transmitted NOW. They are expressed NOW. They are demonstrated NOW, if lives are to be changed NOW. The Kingdom is being built right NOW. Yes, it may be an act of great love to bequeath someone with a large financial blessing, or physical inheritance, after we have passed away from the earth (if the Lord has given us financial wealth). But if we have the financial means to build the Kingdom right now, and to obey the Lord in serving Him with the distribution of our finances into what He wants built now, surely that is a higher joy. We will have the thrill of seeing the means, entrusted to us, change lives while we are alive. Glory to YHVH!
In addition to living in the NOW, and building the Kingdom NOW, we need to go DEEPLY into what the Lord has presented to us for each moment. We can’t be part-timers. We can’t just skip along the surface and play in the shallow water; serving the Kingdom when we can spare a moment of our “own time”. Time is too precious and it’s too short for us to be dabbling in the things of the Kingdom, while we stay affectionately attached to the shoreline of carnal existence. It’s time to be ALL IN.
As this world darkens and becomes more stressful, we will need to look more deeply into what is real and what is of true value. So much of what the world values is surface stuff … appearances, veneers, personal power, financial abundance, temporary fame, and vain success. Much of all that is passing away … and at best, it is uncertain and even fickle. We’ve been taught by our flesh and by the culture to judge by what we see exteriorly, and according to what we hear during the rush of our day, or are told in the shallows of popular culture. Too many believers have constructed the security foundations of their lives on surface stuff that will not endure much longer in our present world. Soon the evidence of that truth will become very visible. Too many evaluate the success of their work on temporal substance and on carnal standards. Paul tells us this in 2 Cor. 3:11-13 (NASB)
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, 13 his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work.…
We must live in the proper depths … in Kingdom depths, not in soulish depths of our mind or emotion … not in the spin of the media reports or in public opinion … not in the depths of social political correctness, comfort, convenience, or in the spin of humanist academia. It is the depths of YHVH’s word and of His Spirit in which we are to live deeply and passionately at all times … not just occasionally. Emotions can be a huge trap, and even an obstacle, against living in the truth of the Kingdom … even negating living with true meaning and with divine purpose. Emotions are powerful in dissuading people from living in reality. People, who can’t face the anger, the guilt, the shame, the offense, and fear, etc. in their heart, will often try to live within their own minds; creating their own version of reality. Operating in their intellect helps them to avoid facing the dark stuff, and the painful contradictions that are resident in their deluded or distracted hearts; deceiving them, crippling them or immobilizing them. In the brain … in the mind … those, who are arrogant about their grasp on truth (through their intellectual prowess) often accuse, cast blame, rationalize, block out, isolate, and attack the people of YHVH, in order to push back truth to a “safe distance”. They can use emotionally, mental, and vocal bullying to silence the truth that comes from YHVH’s life-giving perspective. Only by being willing to live in the truth as the Lord presents it … which includes truth of the spirit, the mind, the emotions, the will, as well as our actions and motives … can we function as balanced, focused, Kingdom citizens of strength and purpose.
So, this is a New Year … an opportunity to course correct or to fine-tune our relationship with the Lord, as well as to sharpen our focus and our depth in the Kingdom. Consider the following questions: What has worked for us in the past year? What has failed us?
**What focus has brought us peace? What focus has brought us distress?
**What has pulled our focus away from the Kingdom or blurred our vision of Kingdom realities?
**What role did emotions play in our conclusions about reality, in our relationships, or in the course we decided take?
**What power did we give our intellect over the power of the Spirit in interpreting what was happening around us … and what our response didn’t to be?
**Where did we feel “out of balance” in the way we were operating or thinking? What was the cause of that imbalance?
**In this past year, when did confusion enter in to spin us out of a place of peace, and out of a focus on the Kingdom? What were the threats or the issues that threw you? What were the hooks that grabbed you before you were aware of being captured?
**When you, personally, became aware of feeling overwhelmed, what were your next steps taken? How long did it take you to run to the Lord, or to confer with other members of the Body in the Kingdom?
**How often did you help other believers get out of the “weeds”? Get ready! You will need to get used to doing that, given that it will be happening more often in this year.
This year of 5781 could be the most challenging year ever, and at the same time be the most fruitful year for the Kingdom that we have ever seen. We get to play a role in determining which way it will go, by getting on board with the truth about WHO YHVH IS, and about WHO WE ARE WITHIN HIS PLAN. This year will require increased focus and faith. It will require that we go to greater depths in the Spirit; giving ourselves to instant obedience in order to follow the call of the Lord. Courage will come to us as needed, as long as we keep our focus on HIS reality and truth, over and above the political and physical developments. We will be greatly challenged to take a firm stand against the encroaching darkness, and having done all else, to continue to stand immovable. We will need to become bold interpreters of life for the confused/terrified, and loud voices of warning to the deceived blind, who are walking into deadly traps. As deceit tries to seize more power to delude and to control the masses, we have to be fearless, uncompromising, voices of Kingdom truth in order to shatter the lies. Perhaps the most important thing to do in all this, however, is to begin this new year in a humble, submitted position before the Lord. We must throw ourselves upon His mercy, confessing our sin and our total inability to manage life without Him. We must ask Him to assert His Lordship over every aspect of life, so that this world will not slide into the abyss of total depravity.
When what we had requested, hoped for, and planned does not appear to our satisfaction, we will need to do what the prophet Samuel’s mother, Hannah, did many generations ago (1 Samuel, chapter 1). Hannah desperately longed to be a mother … to have a baby emerge from her womb to love and to hold. Her frustration and pain were laid at the feet of YHVH. In the process, Hannah vowed that the child she would bear would be given back to the Lord around age three (at weaning) in total service to Him. How many of us could do that? How many of us would be happy giving the most precious, long-sought, treasure back to the Lord after a brief few years? If you continue to read in the chapter, of 1 Samuel chapter 2, you will discover that Hannah gave birth to five more children (3 sons and 2 daughters). She was fruitful beyond her dreams and request. She surrendered and trusted, and was greatly rewarded. So, as we enter into this new year … a year that appears to hold many losses and challenges for the world (and perhaps for our own lives) … lets declare Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving and make it our own. 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 (NASB)
1Then Hannah prayed and said,
“My heart exults in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD,
My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
2“There is no one holy like the LORD,
Indeed, there is no one besides You,
Nor is there any rock like our God.
3“Boast no more so very proudly,
Do not let arrogance come out of your mouth;
For the LORD is a God of knowledge,
And with Him actions are weighed.
4“The bows of the mighty are shattered,
But the feeble gird on strength.
5“Those who were full hire themselves out for bread,
But those who were hungry cease to hunger.
Even the barren gives birth to seven,
But she who has many children languishes.
6“The LORD kills and makes alive;
He brings down to Sheol and raises up.
7“The LORD makes poor and rich;
He brings low, He also exalts.
8“He raises the poor from the dust,
He lifts the needy from the ash heap
To make them sit with nobles,
And inherit a seat of honor;
For the pillars of the earth are the LORD’S,
And He set the world on them.
9“He keeps the feet of His godly ones,
But the wicked ones are silenced in darkness;
For not by might shall a man prevail.
10“Those who contend with the LORD will be shattered;
Against them He will thunder in the heavens,
The LORD will judge the ends of the earth;
And He will give strength to His king,
And will exalt the horn of His anointed.”
Those words of Hannah are declarations of deep and sure truth. It is where she put her moment by moment faith and focus. Now it’s our turn. What have we longed for but have not yet seen? What threats loom against our safety and prosperity? What Kingdom realities have we neglected to see or to declare? What changes would YHVH like for us to make, so that we are more than conquerors … so that we become occupiers of ground that the Enemy has declared belongs to him, but which is ours to claim?
Let’s go “all in” with our Kingdom commitment and focus. Let’s dive in deeply and shout out praise and thanksgiving to the Lord in all circumstances in EVERY MOMENT. This is HIS YEAR, and He has made it OURS! Praise HIM!!