Andy Sanders: "2016: My Kingdom Come, My Courts Be Done!"
Jan 17, 2016
From the desk of Steve Shultz:
We've all been through trying times...and it's often human nature to rely on your own strength and skill...but in those times God is Faithful to set us straight as we learn to lean on Him above all!
I appreciate Andy Sanders taking the time to write this real and raw word about the season he walked through in his own strength and capability...you'll glean from it! These times don't have to be futile if we learn the lessons the Lord gives us through them, as Andy shares in his word.
I'll leave you with this encouraging word of the Lord from Andy:
I hear the Lord say: "I AM your Redeemer and Endless Source. Like limitless trains filled with precious cargo, I will release supply channels of blessing into your lives. Place your burdens on Me. I will break off the yokes of debt, the bondage of doubt, and will restore the fortunes of the widow's mite (those who gave out of sacrifice). I have not given up on you; don't give up on yourself."
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Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
http://www.elijahlist.com
Steve Shultz, Founder and Publisher
The Elijah List & Breaking Christian News
http://www.elijahlist.com
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"2016: My Kingdom Come, My Courts Be Done!"
At the beginning of 2015 I set out ready to conquer the world through a deep passion that I've worked in for many years – called publishing. By February, bizarre disappointments piled up fast. By the time fall came, I was exhausted and ready to pull my hair out (what's left of it).
Just recently, however, my perspective was transformed. God gave me a divine "sneak peek" back at myself in February. I was staring at myself from God's perspective – His lenses on my eyes. It was as if God came down and made an appointment with me, like when an earthly father speaks to his child.
My biological father would sit down with me from time to time and reveal some areas of my life from his perspective, allowing the true motive of my heart to be exposed, then mended. Now I was standing with my heavenly Father as He revealed the past year of my life. My jaw dropped! I understood why this year felt so much like an uphill climb. (Photo via Pixabay)
Being transparent with you, even to my embarrassment, here are three truths God showed me:
1. I Was Building an Empire With My Own Strength.
I have published for a long time and have seen great successes and failures. In 2015, I was ready to go to the next level. Looking back, I knew how to work the system with or without the Lord. Sometimes we can become so good at what we do that we can ignore simple leadings of the Holy Spirit's work within us. We become accustomed to working out of instinct rather than by the Spirit.
2. I Wasn't Putting the Lord First in Every Aspect of My Life.
I was seeking the Lord on my schedule, when it was easy and comfortable, but I wasn't pursuing His presence the way He has asked of us – to give His goals for our day precedence over ours and have His guidance in every aspect of our lives. Unfortunately, the Lord was getting the crumbs of my time instead of the main course of my life.
We can become so good at what we do that we can start to operate in more of a humanistic (self-sustaining) spirit and not in the Spirit's planning. Re-learn how to walk with Him by the minute and the hour, not just the weeks ahead. (Photo via Pixabay)
But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33 NIV
"There are some who are filling their schedules up with distractions. They are time-wasters. My love for you isn't confined to natural dimensions. Walk with Me, be with Me."
We are human beings, called to "be," rather than "do." Don't adopt the trap of doing rather than being. Be with Him in every aspect of your lives.
We can get so good at planning ahead that we forget to look down to see His feet right with us, walking every step of the way. I hear God saying: "It's My year to walk with you, and through this you will shape My Kingdom. A Kingdom-seeking army will rise; a remnant of people will march forth."
3. I Had to Be Knocked Off My High Horse.
When I looked back at 2015, I felt embarrassed. I saw myself on a "high horse," building my empire with my strength. I realized why so many turns took place in 2015. I was blaming God for all the troubling things that had happened! The thought that God was responsible for my mess was tucked deep within my heart, festering like a faulty time bomb. I wanted God to bless my self-seeking motives, and God wasn't going to do it, because He won't allow us to settle for the insufficient supply of our own efforts.
I hear the Lord say: "I AM your Redeemer and Endless Source. Like limitless trains filled with precious cargo, I will release supply channels of blessing into your lives. Place your burdens on Me.
I will break off the yokes of debt, the bondage of doubt, and will restore the fortunes of the widow's mite (those who gave out of sacrifice). I have not given up on you; don't give up on yourself." (Photo via Pixabay)
...I [will] restore your fortunes before your very eyes. Zephaniah 3:20 NIV
The Lord stretched your life to prepare you for what's most important in 2016 (see Isaiah 54). Sovereign sustainability and Kingdom substance will increase greatly. I see restoration blueprints falling down through Heaven. These are God's strategies to empower us!
MY Kingdom Come
"...The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire." When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of Heaven. Then I said: "Lord, the God of Heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of love with those who love Him and keep His commandments..." Nehemiah 1:3-5 NIV
One of the first things Nehemiah did when he got the news about Jerusalem was to pray, seeking God for days (verse 4). Nehemiah knew his life would change with that news – his hometown was destroyed. He buried his face in front of God before he took a single step toward home.
"I desire to teach you how to walk with Me all over again. When I slow down, you want to walk faster. I want to be with you. Do you lead, or am I leading you? My steps are yours. Your feet are in My footprints. We are one – where I go, you go."
(Photo via Pixabay)
I Am Your Power
...The king said to me, "What is it you want?" Then I prayed to the God of Heaven, and I answered the king, "If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it." Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, "How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?" It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time. Nehemiah 2:2-6 NIV
Don't go to your assignments without God's blessing. We get the news, vision, or prophetic word and jump into the assignment without receiving His commission.
Passion isn't permission – presence is.
Moving without presence creates spiritual prematurity over your calling. We are sometimes thinking a five-year plan when God was thinking a twenty-year plan. The Kingdom doesn't fit into microwave Christianity. It's like building a house without blueprints.
"...May I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?" And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests... Nehemiah 2:7-9 NIV
Timing activates protection and provision!
My Courts Be Done
What is His Kingdom will last! Value what is treasured in God's heart. By humbling ourselves, we gain the King's agenda for 2016. This establishes true Kingdom authority, granted by His heavenly courts. Nehemiah had everything needed from the king to get the Lord's work done.
When written by the king's hand, we have access to the Lord's high courts. In 2016, the battles that take place in the high courts of our nations will be won in the high courts of Heaven. (Photo via Pixabay)
"You have access to win wars in My heavens – the courtroom of decisions. What is won in Heaven is won on earth. The many battles America will face in 2016 is the battle of the courts."
Do not underestimate the power of worship in 2016. Worship matters for God-encounters.
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Andy Sanders: Before Andy's graduation, he had an encounter with God that altered his life. He has since devoted his time to preaching the Gospel, writing, and developing authors. He co-authored the Capturing the Supernatural series. Andy has a BA from Central Bible College, and carries a Masters and Doctorate in Christian education from Freedom Seminary, graduating with honors. His family resides in Syracuse, New York.
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