When I was a little girl, I used to get really frustrated at my father’s rules. At the time, many of them seemed to be a pointless way to control me. One of the rules of his house was to read the instructions to everything before using it. I couldn’t even play with my toys after Christmas unless I completed reading how to assemble, use, clean, and whatever else was in the instruction packet. I’ve done this with cameras, watches, curling irons, and video games to name a few. When I bought my own car at 17, the first question that he asked me was “did you read the owner’s manual?”
I didn’t realize then that he was teaching me a valuable lesson. He was teaching me the importance of not just having an idea of how something works, but also having understanding.
Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV)
7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
He wanted me to comprehend the importance of knowing instead of assuming. He wanted me to know that there is sometimes an order that things must be done for them to work properly. He wanted me to know the risks that could take place if I didn’t operate it right and what to do if something went wrong. By the time I was grown I could put furniture together, handle simple maintenance on my car and whatever else I had good instructions for. I called myself a “can do kid”. I felt like if I could read instructions to fly an airplane then I could do that too. I worked my way up in many job situations by reading the company manual and teaching myself how to do different jobs.
A good father instructs his children and teaches them how to gain wisdom. I realize now that God has always been with me and outside of Him that I can do nothing. God’s grace allows us to grow and learn from our mistakes. Our God is the best Daddy and gives us the instruction manual for everything that He has called us to do.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
So many times God gives us a dream on the inside of us and we can clearly see the end result. We can see the big picture, but don’t know how to get there. We start moving towards it in our own strength before first asking for the instructions. Have you ever put something together by looking at the picture? Sometimes it can be successful, but there are times when you can get to a certain point and if you did anything out of order, then the whole thing is ruined. You either have to undo all of the work and start over, or throw it out if there was glue involved.
The little steps can make a big difference. I once worked a job where I wrote procedures for an operational manual. When the instructions were done, we would have someone who didn’t know how to do the job try by the instructions that were written. If the person couldn’t do the job it was because the instructions were missing “breathing” steps. These are steps that are done by someone who knows what they are doing without thinking (like turn power on). If you don’t know where the power button is, then how can you turn it on?
God does not want us do guess at our assignments. He has given us all gifts. Do you know your instructions or did you get a glimpse of the future and just start running towards it? Revelation of a thing can drive our faith, but if we don’t know how to get there we can cause unnecessary delay and setbacks. We should always study to show ourselves approved and do everything as we are doing it for the Lord. Would you halfway do something if Jesus was coming to inspect it?
God’s Word will always confirm who we are. He speaks to us through everything. He will send people to help us, lead us to resources, and open and close doors. His Word will come alive and give us exactly what we need to do next. Dreams, visions, and angelic visitations can tell us what to do. God has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and Guide us into all truth (John 16:13). As we go we should be praying without ceasing to get the next step (1Thessalonians 5:16-18). God will give us peace as we move forward in obedience and faith.
God’s gifts are given to us without repentance (Romans 11:29). This means that He doesn’t take them away. Unfortunately, too many people use their gifts without reading the instructions first and end up hurting a lot of people. If you are not using your gifts in love, joy peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23); then you’re not using them correctly. If you are not telling the truth in love, then you are ineffective. If you are moving forward by emotion/flesh, then you might be going the wrong way.
God is calling us to a new season of maturity. It is no longer good enough to know who we are. We must also know why we are. God wants us to impact the world with His glory. We must be strategic in learning how to move in our purpose and be everything that He has called us to be. We must carefully listen for His voice and obey in faith. He will give us everything that we need to advance in our assignments as we follow His instructions. Our gifts come with purpose that is uniquely designed for us. Why did He choose you? He chose you because Christ in you can do everything that He instructs you to do! Christ in you brings the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Christ in you is an overcomer and has victory.
Father we thank You that You have given us gifts and purpose. Forgive us for using our gifts without knowing the instructions. Show us how to seek You for every step so that we don’t do things out of order. We want our lives to give You glory by fulfilling the assignments that You have given us. We want to move forward in excellence and study to show ourselves approved. We want to do everything using the fruit of the spirit. We want to be lead by the Holy Spirit. We want to be sensitive to every way that You speak to us. Teach us how to wait and listen for your instructions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
I didn’t realize then that he was teaching me a valuable lesson. He was teaching me the importance of not just having an idea of how something works, but also having understanding.
Proverbs 4:7 (NKJV)
7 Wisdom is the principal thing;
Therefore get wisdom.
And in all your getting, get understanding.
He wanted me to comprehend the importance of knowing instead of assuming. He wanted me to know that there is sometimes an order that things must be done for them to work properly. He wanted me to know the risks that could take place if I didn’t operate it right and what to do if something went wrong. By the time I was grown I could put furniture together, handle simple maintenance on my car and whatever else I had good instructions for. I called myself a “can do kid”. I felt like if I could read instructions to fly an airplane then I could do that too. I worked my way up in many job situations by reading the company manual and teaching myself how to do different jobs.
A good father instructs his children and teaches them how to gain wisdom. I realize now that God has always been with me and outside of Him that I can do nothing. God’s grace allows us to grow and learn from our mistakes. Our God is the best Daddy and gives us the instruction manual for everything that He has called us to do.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
So many times God gives us a dream on the inside of us and we can clearly see the end result. We can see the big picture, but don’t know how to get there. We start moving towards it in our own strength before first asking for the instructions. Have you ever put something together by looking at the picture? Sometimes it can be successful, but there are times when you can get to a certain point and if you did anything out of order, then the whole thing is ruined. You either have to undo all of the work and start over, or throw it out if there was glue involved.
The little steps can make a big difference. I once worked a job where I wrote procedures for an operational manual. When the instructions were done, we would have someone who didn’t know how to do the job try by the instructions that were written. If the person couldn’t do the job it was because the instructions were missing “breathing” steps. These are steps that are done by someone who knows what they are doing without thinking (like turn power on). If you don’t know where the power button is, then how can you turn it on?
God does not want us do guess at our assignments. He has given us all gifts. Do you know your instructions or did you get a glimpse of the future and just start running towards it? Revelation of a thing can drive our faith, but if we don’t know how to get there we can cause unnecessary delay and setbacks. We should always study to show ourselves approved and do everything as we are doing it for the Lord. Would you halfway do something if Jesus was coming to inspect it?
God’s Word will always confirm who we are. He speaks to us through everything. He will send people to help us, lead us to resources, and open and close doors. His Word will come alive and give us exactly what we need to do next. Dreams, visions, and angelic visitations can tell us what to do. God has sent the Holy Spirit to lead us and Guide us into all truth (John 16:13). As we go we should be praying without ceasing to get the next step (1Thessalonians 5:16-18). God will give us peace as we move forward in obedience and faith.
God’s gifts are given to us without repentance (Romans 11:29). This means that He doesn’t take them away. Unfortunately, too many people use their gifts without reading the instructions first and end up hurting a lot of people. If you are not using your gifts in love, joy peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23); then you’re not using them correctly. If you are not telling the truth in love, then you are ineffective. If you are moving forward by emotion/flesh, then you might be going the wrong way.
God is calling us to a new season of maturity. It is no longer good enough to know who we are. We must also know why we are. God wants us to impact the world with His glory. We must be strategic in learning how to move in our purpose and be everything that He has called us to be. We must carefully listen for His voice and obey in faith. He will give us everything that we need to advance in our assignments as we follow His instructions. Our gifts come with purpose that is uniquely designed for us. Why did He choose you? He chose you because Christ in you can do everything that He instructs you to do! Christ in you brings the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. Christ in you is an overcomer and has victory.
Father we thank You that You have given us gifts and purpose. Forgive us for using our gifts without knowing the instructions. Show us how to seek You for every step so that we don’t do things out of order. We want our lives to give You glory by fulfilling the assignments that You have given us. We want to move forward in excellence and study to show ourselves approved. We want to do everything using the fruit of the spirit. We want to be lead by the Holy Spirit. We want to be sensitive to every way that You speak to us. Teach us how to wait and listen for your instructions. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
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