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What Is It Time For

What Is It Time For?

On occasions, Father speaks a word so powerful, that only over time do we see the depth of the significance of the truth He has revealed. This is one such message I feel compelled to share with you.

I want to talk about a gift of God that is often not stewarded well. The reason for this is because many do not see this gift as a gift from God. I am talking about God’s gift of time.

Psalms 90:12 (NIV) Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

The most important thing is not to know how many days we have been alive, but rather, to live each day with a sense of divine commission and holy calling. This daily approach to life will release the Spirit of wisdom to lead us in accordance with Father’s will.

We need God’s view of time. It is more than the ticking of seconds on a clock or the turning of the pages of a calendar. Time itself is a supernatural creation of God.

Genesis 1:14-19 (NIV) And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark (distinguish) sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Yes, the creation of time is supernatural, but what makes it even more astounding is the reality that God created the ingredients needed to determine time – the sun and the moon – only on the fourth day! God had three days before He created the essentials to have the first day! Time itself is one of God’s greatest creations, and as such, it is an incredible gift to us.

God’s Gift Of Time

No one owns time but God. Everything that God gives us is to be stewarded by us, not owned by us. Therefore, statements like “my time” and “your time”, “spare time” and “free time” are not accurate statements. This is important to know because it is what will stir us to use God’s gift wisely.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV) There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

Because time is a gift from God to be stewarded by us, and because there is time for everything that God authors, we need to know what it is time for moment by moment. Many people ask the question, “What time is it?” This is fine, but the more important question is, “What is it time for?”

The only One who can answer this accurately is God. He conceived us in His mind, breathed His Spirit into our bodies, and He wrote every day ordained for us in His Book before one of them came to pass. He has prepared some good works in advance for us to do.

But I have discovered something that compels me to be transparent with you. Sometimes we don’t ask God what He wants us to do in case He asks us to do something that we don’t want to do! Often our struggle is not that we are doing something wrong, but that we are doing something different than what God has authored for that particular moment.

Galatians 5:25 (NIV) Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

God’s leading is not just about direction; it is also about timing. When we do things is important to God. We must guard against lagging behind God, but equally, we must be careful not to rush ahead of God. It is time to keep in step with the Holy Spirit.

Guarding Against Distractions

In order to use God’s gift of time wisely, we must guard against distractions. A distraction starts simply as doing something different than something else. While many distractions in and of themselves are harmless, in the life of a believer, they can become the very thing that removes (dis) the power of the Holy Spirit that has been provided for movement (traction) – distraction. When this occurs, we would do well to pause and ask Father, “What is it time for?” Realignment to kingdom purposes may be the very thing that is needed in these moments.

Many Christians are being distracted by good things. Martha showed us this when she became distracted by all that had to be done as a result of inviting Jesus into her home. Therefore, it’s not always about asking what is right or wrong, as much as it is about asking, “What now God?”

Here’s a few questions I want to leave you with today:

  • Is it time to serve God or to sit with God?
  • Is it time to speak or to be silent?
  • Is it time to go or to stay?

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Let’s be on time with what God has authored for each moment.

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Watch a YouTube Message from Steve – Stewarding God’s Time

Watch a YouTube message from David – A New Era

Related blogs – God’s Timing, Never Too Late

Available To God

We’ve entered 2023 and every day I’m becoming a little more aware of just how short time is. How valuable it is. And how we are commanded to redeem the time and make it count. My cry is that I want my life to count; I want to be useful! I want to be available to God and I want to be fruitful! Is that your cry too?

The Bible says that “David served God in his generation.” Many others have done likewise, such as William and Catherine Booth, Charles Finney, the Wesley brothers, Billy Graham, and Reinhard Bonnke. The key factor that these heroes of the faith had in common was their availability to God. They were just ordinary people like you and me. But that’s just it – God isn’t looking for superstars. He delights in using the foolish, the uneducated, the seeming nobodies. Father loves to use ordinary people whose hearts are sold out for Him. Jesus’ disciples are the perfect example of this. Whether we are those with one talent or five talents is not what matters to God. He is looking to do extraordinary things through submitted, committed, believers who are available.

To be available means to present yourself to be ready for immediate use. To be available is to be accessible, obtainable, to be willing to do something, or to resume responsibility for something.

In Luke 1:26-38 we read of Mary learning that she will give birth to a son. I can’t comprehend just what Mary must have been thinking and feeling, knowing the potential judgment that would come with explaining what had taken place. And yet her words were: “Be it unto me according to thy word.”

In Acts 9:1-22 we read the story of Saul’s conversion. Saul was actively doing everything in his power to bring about persecution to God’s people, so you can imagine Ananias’ thoughts when the Lord told him to go and lay hands on Saul in order that he might be healed. Yet, regardless of his own understanding, Ananias did as the Lord had told him – because he was dedicated to seeing the will of God fulfilled.

In Matthew 4:18-22 we read of Jesus calling some of His disciples. These men were not fishing for a hobby, it was their livelihood. And yet when they heard Jesus say “Come, follow me,” they left their nets behind and followed Him.

Many heroes of the faith are mentioned in scripture – these are just few of the many examples found throughout the Bible, of those who showed total commitment to pursuing the will of God regardless of the cost. So, what does it require of us today to be committed servants of God? It requires attentiveness to His voice, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, and a responsiveness to His leading.

Following Jesus is not always going to be easy and convenient. There is a cost involved.

Jesus tells a parable about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) – a story about someone who was available to God. A kingdom opportunity to show kindness and mercy cost the Good Samaritan not only in terms of money, but the time and inconvenience of an interruption in his day – taking him away from whatever it was he was doing.

Availability to God will often cost more than just time and effort – it will cost us our comfort.

Luke 9:23 (NIV) Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

We are called to complete abandonment to the will of God. To follow the Lord means we owe Him everything. We are called to die to self and to passionately pursue our Saviour. But in the world we live in today, there is so much that is constantly fighting for our attention. Today we have a great opportunity to stop and honestly assess our personal priorities. Ask yourself these questions: How do my priorities align with the Word of God? Am I available to God? What are the things that I allow to consume my time, attention, and money? And do these things have eternal value?

As believers, our hearts need to be ready to fulfil the will of God. We need to be presenting ourselves daily before God and asking Him what He’d have us do. A good servant finds out what his master wants and does that. However, this is not to be done in a religious way; it’s not works-based or performance-related. It is simply about a response of love for all the Lord has done for us – having an attitude of being available and willing to walk through doors of opportunity as they open before us.

Whether it is sharing the gospel, praying for the sick, showing kindness to a stranger, stepping into a leadership role, activating our faith, or giving to extend God’s kingdom, the only ability that God is looking for is availability.

How available are you today?

 

Read a Prophetic Word for 2023 here.