Again, we are blessed at Upstream Home Churches to have Karen Conrad teaching us on Purpose this week. Here is our blog from this week's session.
We’ve read about how Hagar and Esther found strength to continue when they were given purpose. There is provision in purpose. Provision for strength, guidance, wisdom, endurance. And there is also Promotion in Purpose.
But where does promotion come from? Esther knew she was fulfilling the promise that God had for her. She said, If I perish, I perish. But there was a confidence that God is good and that He is for us. Even when we face those tough decisions like Esther did, we can have confidence that God is for us and won’t leave us or forsake us in those trials.
We all have one common purpose. Every human being was created to know God. All of us are called to have a heart to heart connection with Him, to know Him. And from that heart to heart connection we are able to walk out God’s specific purpose in our life.
1 Corinthians 3:6 it says; ‘I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.’
Paul is saying that we have work to do, for sure, but it is God who brings the increase. Just the same as we find in Deuteronomy 8:18; But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God; for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth…
Let’s talk about stress. Stress is the root cause of most diseases, did you know that? How does it happen? There are a lot of things that contribute to stress, but one of the major contributors is trying to do too much in our own strength.
Yes, there are many things that we need to do to grow ourselves, our family, our business, our ministry, our relationships, our lives, but when we try to take on God’s part, that’s when stress comes.
When we try to take responsibility for the results, it becomes very stressful. In a practical way, there are things we do in the natural, but at the end of the day, to bring the increase, we have to trust God to do that. Then I keep free from stress, I focus on what I’m supposed to do, I don’t step into what God’s supposed to do and that allows Him to bring the increase because I’m not in the way saying “I got this! I’ll handle it!”
Fellow workmen, with and for God. If God’s told you to do something, God is with you, He is for you. And we are super blessed along the way, because His promises are yes and amen. But the right heart sees it this way:
‘Lord, I’m going to do this through what you called me to and I’ll trust that when I do that You’re going to be with me, if I need promotion you’ll be my promoter. You said right here that we are co-labourers together!’
This is loaded! When we recognise that we are nothing without God, but we are not without God, then we start to operate in the way Paul did. He recognised that he couldn’t do it without God, but that God was with him all the way. So, Paul walked in confidence knowing that he would do his part as best he could but that it was up to God to do the rest.
When we bring our best in the natural to what God has called us to do, He will add His supernatural! So first of all make sure the heart connection is strong between you and God, stick to what He’s called you to do, do it to your best ability, then trust Him to bring the increase. And rest in the knowledge that He who has promised to do it will surely do it!
Amen!
Watch Karen speak on this very thing by clicking on the image below...
