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Consider The Project given in this Lesson
Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study
Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
Strategy from God
"The armor that God has given me is not full of missiles and weapons to go after the enemy. It is literally given to defend what I already have now."
~ Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
After you watch the video and read the study notes on this page, answer these questions here on the Blog mentioned above:
So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Isaiah 55:11
DISCUSSION:
This week we're going to discuss the characteristic of receiving strategy from God. Not only does God have a plan for you, but He is also the One who has the strategy for you to implement plan. So as we dive into the concept of strategy, just think about the fact that when God does something, He first purposes His will in His heart, then speaks it forth from His mouth, resulting in that word accomplishing His intended desire, as we see in Isaiah 55:11. God's word does not return void to Him; it comes back accomplishing all that He spoke.
God implements His strategy operating as the King:
• God sits on His throne, His seat of authority over His kingdom, considering what He wants.
• Then He declares it.
• When He speaks, He wants His intention to be done. God does not say anything unless He means it.
• What He declared is fulfilled.
o What is God's strategy to implement what He wants to accomplish?
When I was in Heaven, I saw that Jesus was the head of the angel army. He is a Commander who instructs all the angels on what to do. The angels have different rankings and are sent for specific purposes. They are given their orders, then they go forth and come back. There are strategies for every assignment that God's will requires to happen. These angels are working to accomplish that by influencing people and world events.
Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.
Psalm 103:20
I saw that God has a command center that is full of strategy. He always wants to establish His plans by manifesting what He has inside of Him. He accomplishes that by speaking, then sending the angels to execute it.
However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
John 16:13-14
The Spirit of God also works on the earth to accomplish God's will. So there is a command center in Heaven that implements the Father's strategy.
GOD'S PLANS ARE HIGHER THAN OURS
Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.
Proverbs 16:8-9 ESV
There is quite a bit of revelation in this verse; however, let's concentrate on the fact that we have our own plans in our hearts. We strategize on what we want, yet it says here that the Lord is the One who establishes a person's steps. So if it's not what God wants, He will establish your steps differently. Sometimes you may have a specific desire that never comes to fruition. Since we have been given free will, we can choose to manipulate situations to get our way; however, in this discussion, we are referring to those who are Spirit led, which is what we are at Warrior Notes.
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
Romans 8:13-14
As Christians, we are supposed to be Spirit-led. In other words, we give God the ability to say yes or no. We yield to Him so that He may ignite in us the dreams and the desires to do specific assignments, as well as eliminate the areas that may not be what He wants. It is essential to wait on Him to allow time to make it clear. I often hear clear instructions from the Lord, which I do immediately. Then there are other times when I'm unsure because there is just insufficient information. So I back off and wait until the Spirit gives me the strategy.
There may be a dream that has remained in your heart, and you may plan your way, but remember that it is the Lord Who establishes your steps. Each of the steps of the righteous is ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). Your steps are planned out and numbered. You can yield to this revelation and have confidence that God will establish you; He will give you the first step. So if you haven't received that first step yet, it may not be the right time, or it may not even be of the Lord. So you can plan things in your heart, but the Lord establishes your way.
RECEIVING WISDOM FROM GOD
Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Proverbs 24:3-4
This verse talks about being established; however, it goes beyond just receiving strategy to acquiring understanding from the Lord. Wisdom is receiving the understanding that God gives. A house is built with wisdom, and understanding establishes it. Through knowledge, the rooms are filled with precious and pleasant riches. Here Solomon speaks of wisdom and knowledge from God, given so that you can implement His will in your life with His help, not by doing it your way.
WORK FOR THE LORD, NOT FOR PEOPLE
The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5 ESV
This verse talks about God already being at the center of a diligent person's plan. On the other hand, the person who is hasty, running ahead and doing their way, will end up in poverty. In other words, they do not have wisdom, and God is not in their agenda. I have found it extremely important to give God time to speak to you and work with you. You cannot just do things on your own. You must learn to wait on Him.
Warrior Church Home Fellowship Study
Dr. Kevin L. Zadai
Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24 ESV
In this passage, Paul is talking to the Colossians; however, He is essentially giving you a strategy. When working with the airline, I always had to remember that I work for the Lord. Often I wasn't treated fairly, and the work was challenging, even though there were many rewards to it as well. It was a good company. The point is that throughout the many difficult situations I faced, I had to remind myself that I was working for the Lord.
Reflect on these truths:
• Whatever you are doing, remember that you do it for the Lord, not to please people.
• Certain situations will happen to you that God is not involved in. People don't keep their promises; circumstances are sometimes unfair, and it can be difficult.
• You must hold onto the revelation that you will receive a reward from God, an inheritance. You will be paid anyway.
• It may not be instantly or even in this life, but you will be rewarded.
The cost of serving God is knowing that some of His rewards are not instant. Often they do not happen immediately, nor at the time you think you should have it. In our society, we have instant breakfast, business, and everything. We have gotten to a place where we want immediate gratification. When we invest money into something, we want a return right away. In this realm, it is essential to note that some rewards do not come instantly. You may not see instant compensation when you're mistreated or ripped off. However, you are serving the Lord, as Colossians 3:24 states. When you do it unto the Lord, know that you certainly will receive your inheritance. Working unto God and patiently waiting for His reward is one of God's many strategies in the Bible, which we must adhere to.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
2 Corinthians 4:17
Remember that God is leading and guiding you. When you do a kind act for a person who doesn't even recognize that you did it, you might not get a thank you, yet rest assured that God is keeping track of it. You will be rewarded for it. It does not matter whether you get a thank you or not. This applies to your job as well. The company you work for may not even appreciate what you do, which means that you might never get rewarded for certain assignments down here. Don't worry about it because God will make it up to you.
UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Down here, you will not often receive instant gratification for your acts of faith, but know there is a strategy in Heaven.
It is important to understand the way the angels work. They are fighting in a supernatural realm, which is instant, but the manifestation of it in our natural realm is not. We see this in Daniel's account, where it took 21 days for the angels to get to him, even though they were sent that day that Daniel prayed (Daniel 10:12-14). For this reason, Paul teaches about the armor of God and spiritual warfare in the book of Ephesians.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Ephesians 6:10-17
Paul says when you've done everything to stand, then stand. This may sound redundant because he already said to stand, but there is a reason. So you have all of this armor on, but what do you notice? You must look at the armor and realize that most of the pieces are defensive. They are all defensive weapons except for the sword of the Spirit, which is the only offensive weapon. God is equipping you to defend and protect. Since the sword of the Spirit is the one you use offensively, the stand is very relevant.
The verse says to stand because you are ready to defend. If you're defending something, that means that you already have it. Christians should be thinking, the armor that God has given me is not full of missiles and weapons to go after the enemy. It is literally to defend what I already have now, so I am defending it. The strategy is knowing that we have already been given all that we need from God, so whatever we do now, we work heartily unto Him.
Realize that you have an inheritance. Ask yourself if you would worry about money if you knew you had an inheritance coming. Would you even think about it? Yes, you might need money before receiving it, but would you worry about money if you knew you would be getting it? If you knew that God could heal you, deliver you, do miracles, and if you knew that angels were on their way because you prayed and God sent them, it just might change how you think and live down here.
PRAYER:
Father, in the name of Jesus, thank You so much for the strategies that You have in Heaven with your angels. And I thank you, Lord, as you have personally taught me, You desire that all believers should receive strategies from You. Father, I pray that You give us the strategies You have given the angel armies. Instruct us concerning Your will for each of us down here. Father, I ask for supernatural impartation of faith from Heaven right now. In the name of Jesus, I thank you, Father, that nothing will be impossible for our family all over the world. Faith is rising up, and all things are possible. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1. According to Colossians 3:23-24, why is it important to have the revelation that we work as unto God, not people? Is God behind every situation?
2. Why is it important for believers to be led by the Spirit when it comes to receiving strategy? How does God establish His way in our lives?
3. Regarding timing, how does the supernatural realm differ from the natural? Why is it important to understand that God's rewards are not instant?
4. Take some time to discuss what it means to stand according to Ephesians 6. Concerning strategy, what is the purpose of the armor of God?
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