Life can be tough sometimes. That’s not a statement that lacks faith; it’s just a fact. When what feels like all hell breaks loose in your life, it can reveal a lot about a person. Proverbs 24:10 (TPT) says, “If you faint when under pressure, you have need of courage.” Or your strength is limited. Often, our weakness becomes an excuse to quit, but strength and courage come because of faithfulness when under pressure produced by the enemy. I want to say it simply: don’t ever give up or quit!
Keep getting up each day with the same passion and vigor you had when God first spoke to your heart and gave you the vision or the open door that you walked through that got you to where you are right now. The events that seem to knock you back with every step forward are an indicator that your movement was a threat to the kingdom of darkness, and the enemy was intimidated by your faithful response to God’s given direction and counsel. We are not of those who draw back, due to fear, but press into God even more!
I have been drawing from Isaiah 40 in the last few months, speaking about God coming alongside us in the journey. This was and is possible because of the action of sending Jesus to bridge the gap created by sin so that connection, fellowship could be reinstated and the assignment would be restored. What is the assignment you may ask? Glad you asked as looking at a part of the assignment is the focus of this letter. When our attention, alignment, affection are on Him, the assignment will gain momentum and be fulfilled.
Attention deals with your focus. What are you looking at, meditating on, and thinking about? When hardships and difficulties come into our lives, if we are not watchful, they will pull our attention away from what matters and cause us to fret and be concerned. The problem with this is that we stop looking unto Jesus, start to worry, and allow thoughts to hold us captive, leaving us paralyzed with fear and concern.
Alignment speaks to our values. Values are the non-negotiables and determine your goals and how you will attain them. Like having a devotion to prayer and reading of the Word. Time with family and friends. Church attendance. The enemy may not be able to get you to alter your values, but he may try to get you so caught up in the affairs of life that you begin to drift and chase the things that don’t support or aid your values. In Luke 10:38-42, I don’t believe that Martha’s values were off; I just think she lost sight of what really mattered and what would produce desired results. Mary chose the good part.
Affection is connected to the heart. What you love, you make time for and protect. What is most of your time given to? This hits home because we can quickly think about how we spend our time and what we pursue with it as time is valuable. Because of this, the enemy uses the illusion to speak, “If I only had_______.” (Fill in the blank) Life would be easier and more fulfilling. This is not a statement about being diligent, but rather to highlight that we can be deceived into believing that something can replace God in providing support and aid in our situation. When pressure hits our lives, affection guides us and sets the course that desire follows. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus says that God is to be the recipient of our affection, for in so doing, our hearts will be fully satisfied.
Assignment deals with purpose. When your attention, alignment, and affection are all connected to Jesus, and He is the center of it all, the purpose of life is given clarity and daily operation supplied with wisdom and ability. I also want to say this: the ultimate assignment to us as believers has not changed. No matter your career or position in life, the call to a child of God remains one thing: to reign in life through Him, Jesus!
Genesis 1:26-28: God gives mankind the assignment to have dominion over and subdue the earth. While you and I are on this planet, we have been given the ability to accomplish kingdom business and bring order out of the chaos created by the enemy’s oppression. We are not to be overcome by the overwhelming circumstances of life, but to awaken in us the reality of Christ and bring peace to those in turmoil.
Romans 5:17 says, “For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” The assignment has not changed, and the attack of the enemy in your life in any area is nothing more than the devil trying to steal your attention, alignment, affection, and get you to give up your assignment. When you reign in life, you govern your thoughts, steward your influence, promote the power of God’s word, enforce righteousness, and build what heaven has approved.
Use these points as a tool to recalibrate your gaze, rhythm, pursuit, and energy. It is time not to lose momentum but to charge full speed into all God has called us to and continue to take kingdom territory and win souls for the sake of Christ. No quitting. No giving up. No backing down or making excuses. We have been given the authority, resurrection power and Word of the living God to occupy and push back an enemy that is defeated until He comes. You are more than a conqueror!