This week I was in a prayer meeting at my church. A young, fiery prophet began to implore us all to be about our assignments. Take a step into what the Lord has called us to do. Don’t just wait on the side line of life, step into the story God is writing.
A few minutes later the pastor asked me to pray for people and share whatever the Lord was speaking to me. I was so challenged by this young man. All day the Lord had been speaking to me about the areas of distraction in my life. Those little foxes that are spoiling the vine.
I’ve noticed how innocent past times are taking too much of my time. I’ll say, “one more game….it’s only a quick check on my timeline on social media… this phone call won’t be long”. All of a sudden, hours have seemingly passed and I’ve missed what could have been productive time. I’ll miss my moment. It is time to begin to remove the distractions in our lives.
As I shared about removing distractions in my life, I felt the Lord spoke three things to me. First, FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS. What you behold, you become. When you focus on the news, you become fixated on every problem and often times fearful. When you fix your sight on the problems you only become overwhelmed. But when you fix your eyes on Jesus, He is the author and finisher of your faith. He gives you the faith to overcome. Your perspective is shifted to a higher perspective.
Secondly, FOCUS ON YOUR ASSIGNMENT. I am not responsible for your assignment and you are not responsible for mine. When I am busy looking at others, I can be overwhelmed, envious, jealous and/or discontent with where I am and where I am going. Godliness with contentment is great gain.
We each have been gifted and anointed by the Lord for our own journey. Steve is a nurse. He has knowledge and a skill set I do not have. We both may work in a hospital. We both may go into the same hospital room. However, we are not called to the same assignment in that room or space. I am not called upon to put in an i.v. I am called to pray and minister, providing spiritual and practical assistance to the patients. If I try to do Steve’s job, we would have some serious problems and a lot of severe pain to others. When we get out of assignment, it impacts not only us, but those around us too.
We need to get in our lane and stay in it. We need to focus on our assignment, and not how someone else should be doing their assignment. They are accountable to God, not us. We are accountable to God and not others.
Lastly, we must be FAITHFUL TO THE LORD. In Psalms 37:3(NASB) reads, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.” Faithfulness is something that grows. With each action in faith, we are cultivating and growing a garden of faithfulness. Fruitfulness is found when faithfulness takes root. The farmer plants the seed. They water, they fertilize, they weed. Over time, the plant grows and produces. We must continue to be faithful to tend what has been planted within us.
I sense that many are in a stretching and trying time. As I was praying I had a picture of silly putty. You remember silly putty from when you were a kid? It would be pliable in the designer’s hand. It would be shaped and softened and then stretched. Once stretched, it would be pressed into a newsprint or comic and you could see the imprint of the paper.
I believe many are being stretched like the silly putty. You have been pushed and pulled in the Master’s hand and now He is pressing you into the scroll of your life. His assignment is being imprinted on your heart. Once it is impressed on you, it is time to focus and be faithful to Him.
Don’t judge your assignment against your brother or sister. Just be faithful. Allow it to take root in your heart and grow. Water it. Feed it. Pull out the weeds. Be faithful to the process. Faithfulness leads to fruitfulness.
Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, focus on our own assignment, and be faithful to Him.
