Daily Word

Seek Ye First

For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. —Philippians 2:21

Can you imagine a person who joins the military and then does his own thing? He gets out of bed when he wants to, exercises when he wants to, and trains when he feels like it. No, once enlisted, the soldier is told when to get up, when to go to bed, when to eat, when to exercise, and when to sleep. The trainees must hear and obey the commands of their superiors. In the Spirit realm, your Superior is Jesus Christ, or the Word of God. He, through it, will tell you how to grow, prepare, and train to be effective in the Kingdom. The Word will make you familiar with your weapons, your armor, and even your enemy. It will give you the same heart and desire as your Leader, Jesus Christ: you will look on prisoners with compassion, and you will desire to free those who have been bound for years. You will begin to love righteousness and hate iniquity (Hebrews 1:9). You will forget about “your own” desires and begin to seek His will. Note: the army becomes responsible for the soldier’s needs—his living quarters, his clothes, and his chow. Why do you worry about what you will eat and drink and wear? It’s because you have started “seeking your own”! A mature believer’s focus is on God’s kingdom, not his own needs (Matthew 25:34–40). Do not worry about your needs. The government of heaven will take care of everything you need—as you take care of your heavenly Father’s business.

Stay Focused

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. —2 Timothy 2:4

When a person enlists in the military, he or she becomes the property of the army, navy, or whatever branch he or she has joined. Each member is taught and trained to carry out a job in the military so that in a time of battle, each can succeed. You are currently in boot camp spiritually. You are being trained and taught to stand on the Word and follow God’s Spirit. It is not time to get caught up in the little problems and affairs of this life. All these little counterattacks are meant to get you to stop advancing in God’s kingdom. They are meant to paralyze you into not running the race set before you and, as a result, not obtaining the prize (Hebrews 12:1). It is essential that you stay focused on your call and position. We have enough believers doing nothing for the Kingdom. You need to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), and then all these little distractions will take care of themselves. Do not get hung up on the affairs of the natural and neglect your spiritual call and training (2 Timothy 2:4)! You should have one desire—to please the One who has chosen you! How do you please Him? By cultivat ing faith in His Word and stepping out on that faith by His Spirit (Hebrews 11:6; John 6:29).

Dealing with the Tough Stuff

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. —2 Timothy 2:3

You have been called, you have been chosen, and you are now a son of the living God and a citizen of the kingdom of God. In this verse, Paul tells Timothy to live as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Everyone who is born again now has a purpose and a position in God’s kingdom. To live as a good soldier will mean enduring hardness. A soldier is a person who is pursuing an enemy, who is advancing. We do it for the Kingdom’s sake. But when you do, you will run into hardness. This “hardness” may include others who are not as serious about their position and privilege as you are; it may include family members; it may include friends; it may even include other Christians who do not want to get involved. People will avoid you, they may even talk about you, but it does not change the fact that you are called to reflect and manifest the love and power of Jesus Christ. When Paul was first saved, his own people could not stand him, and the believers were afraid of him, so he went to the Gentiles to “take ground.” Look for and find a group of people who want what you have—who desire to be free, to be on fire, to belong to God, and who will endure hardness from those who do not understand their commitment. Do not complain, criticize, or back down, but endure.

Follow His Lead

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. —Galatians 5:25

The Church of this generation will not possess any more author- ity than any other generation; they will not have more of the Holy Ghost; they will not have a greater anointing than the others who preceded them. They will just be taught and trained to use what they already have. They will become efficient in the “all authority” Jesus gives to us in His name (Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:19), and they will become skilled in the “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you” (Acts 1:8). When God poured out His Spirit at Pentecost, He poured upon all flesh the whole Holy Ghost. We did not get part of the Holy Ghost or some of the anointing, but we received all the power heaven has to offer. Since that time, the Church has continuously prepared for a move of God, prepared for an invasion of the kingdom of God, prepared to be used of God. Some have prepared their whole Christian lives, only to die and never make any impact on spiritual things. Now is not a time of preparation, but a time of cooperation with the Spirit and with the authority God has already provided. We do not need more power— we need to learn to cooperate with the power we already have. God’s Church will be taught to minister the life and power of God, not by systems or formulas, but by God Himself (2 Corinthians 3:5–6).