GET THE FAVOR FOR YOUR ENDEAVOR!

"... let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,

And establish the work of our hands for us;

Yes, establish the work of our hands."

Ps 90:17

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a frustration free life? Wouldn't it be awesome to endeavor things and do things and have it go smoothly and successfully? Many of us live our lives as if we are paddling upstream against a heavy current. We are huffing and puffing, struggling, and the whole time complaining and wondering why is this all so hard? We are working so hard at what we do in our own way and, sometimes find that we have put all that effort into painting ourselves into a corner. The end result is discouragement, weariness and ....frustration clear and simple. But shouldn't we be free from that?

Moses was a man who had a lot of things to do. He had to get an entire nation out of bondage, convincing a tyrant Pharaoh to let them go. Then Moses had to get this mass of people across a desert to the promised land and deal with all the small details of their needs for 40 years. (He was an incredible multi-tasker!) So Moses makes a prayer to God recorded in the Psalms, "May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us." Immediately as women we think, yes Lord, I need beauty! But "beauty" is not referring to something physical, but to an intent. It is translated to mean 'agreeableness" or "favor". So we can restate that as, "May the favor and agreeableness of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the works of our hands for us." Now that makes a difference! Because when God is in agreement, then the deal is sealed!

Now Moses, who had a lot on his plate was praying that the agreeableness and favor of God be upon him, but for a purpose; to establish the works of his hands for him. Notice the "for him". A lot of us who do a lot of things, do those things by our own agreement and will and in our own strength and power. Let me simplify this thought by putting it practically. "God ,I need to do what you agree with, because if you agree with it, then I have your favor in the situation. If I have your favor, then you extend yourself to establish it, FOR me."

Can I take it further? To establish means to "set up". So when God believes in what you are doing, He will actually set it up for you, so you don't have to struggle in it anymore! Finally, some relief! But the key is to do that which God agrees with. He can not bless disobedience, and He can't bless a mess and disorder! I watch some people struggle in their endeavors and the whole time they are begging God to help them. And God says, I don't agree with what you are doing and how you are doing it, so first you need to do what I want you to do, then I will bless you. Don't ask God to bless what you are doing, until you know you are doing what God is blessing! If Moses had endeavored to get Israel out of Egypt and it wasn't God's time or His assignment, or Moses tried to do it his way using his own words and acting like a fool, God would not have put His favor on it and it would have been a complete failure! But He inquired of the Lord, heard from God, did what God said, the way He said it, and it WORKED! And not only that, but they left with blessing!

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So, what are you doing? How are your doing it? Is God for it? Is it the ordination of the Lord for you? Check that out FIRST! GET THE FAVOR FOR YOUR ENDEAVOR, then with the agreement and favor of God- watch God set it up and make a way and maybe for the first time you can do it without the stress! Try it!

IMAGINATIONS!

Jeremiah 7:23-24

"But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people: and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may go well with you. But they listened not, not inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward."

The worst thing that can define our lives is that we are going backward and not forward! After all, the Word tells us we are to be continually transformed into His image, growing from Glory to Glory. It tells us that we should be throwing off what hinders us so that we can run the race and press on toward the mark. All this indicates a forward growing motion. To go back is to return to what we used to be, the way it used to be, before the Holy Spirit dwelled in us and we walked according to the Spirit of God.

What does this scripture indicate is the prime culprit of going back? The counsel of our imaginations which are birthed from darkness! In fact, the enemy sends us his counsel through our imaginations. That is why we are told over and over through the Word of God to watch our minds and thoughts.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God,for the pulling down of strongholds, and casting down imaginationsand every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God."

When the enemy puts his counsel in our minds through our imaginations, he is setting that imagination up in hopes it will be exalted above God's counsel, His knowledge. It is our responsibility to take captive that thought and cast down imaginations in our minds that would cause us to ignore God's Truth and ultimately lead us backward. To move backward is to retreat in distance away from God's ultimate plan and His best for your life. That is the goal of the enemy. To get you moving away from God's plan and purpose and thus you go backward and not forward.

Let me show you how relevant this is to our lives. We all have imaginations that come to us, that if we don't cast down, could damage our lives, and God's kingdom. Here are some examples:

You think a particular person or people do not like you.

You presume what an individual will say or think.

You assume a diagnosis of sickness in your body.

You play out an event negatively before it happens.

You interpret every night dream with an emotion or apply it to reality.

You exaggerate.

There are so many other examples I could give. But know this, Imaginations are mental images, pictures or conversations that are conceived in the heart of man, (even through dreams). If an imagination does not line up with the Word of God and with Truth, you must cast it down! Ultimately, the enemy is waiting for you to think on it, own it and with much anticipation, he desires you to give your imagination a VOICE! Because the moment you vocalize your hidden imagination, it takes on life!

So today, take captive your lofty thoughts and cast down your imaginations. And by all means, DON'T give your imaginations a voice! Think upon the truth! Imagine His Word! Give voice to His promises!