Building According To Pattern Podcast Series

From God's perspective, success is never defined by the goal. Instead, it is the process of getting to your goal that determines whether you are successful or not. The things you do, the character changes you make and the paradigm shifts that occur along the way. How much more your image begins to closely mirror that of His Son as you journey and how much of what He places you in the earth to do you are diligently accomplishing. 

This is what success looks like from God's vantage point. It has nothing to do with your ambitions. Instead, it has everything to do with His plans for your life. If you have no clue concerning why you were placed in the earth, of who you are and where your identity lies, you cannot even begin thinking about being fast-tracked. You, my friend, are completely off-track!

Does God have a fast-track to get you the success you are looking for? Yes He does. Is it in sync with what we have in mind? Unfortunately and fortunately most of the time, it does not...

The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. The world is eagerly waiting for you to find yourself, find your place and to begin manifesting the glory or the image of God in the earth. 

As an image bearer, a son of God, you have been placed in an environment to represent His image. To make Him known to those around you who do not know Him. You are being called to make a difference, to take a stand, to change some things and to be a source and force of influence. You have the capacity to change environments and to shift atmospheres. 

You have the ability to transform your domain, your circle of influence. It's time to get activated and to get involved. Say something. Do something. When you begin to express your image as a son of God, when you decide to get active and assume your place, it gives others permission and the courage to do the same. 

What's in a name? By definition, a 'name' refers to a word or term used for identification. A personal name identifies a specific, unique and identifiable individual person. Your name is your identification. By it you can be identified. It is the thing that distinguishes you and it is intricately tied to the substance of who you are; your essence. From a philosophical standpoint, essence refers to the attribute or set of attributes that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity. So if a thing were to lose its essence, it would lose its identity. 

Your name represents your location; spiritually, intellectually, ideologically, and philosophically. Your name is your character. Your name represents what will one day become your history, your legacy. What you will be remembered for. Your name is the only signature you truly have. Use it wisely.

 

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he and so he becomes. Your thoughts and thought-processes are always being sourced and influenced by one of two forces; the Master Designer and Manufacturer of your life, who is synonymous to a software developer, or the enemy of every human being, satan himself (the cyber-criminal). The quality of the information that enters your heart ultimately drives your decision-making process and subsequently your actions and the overall quality of your life.

From time to time, a software developer has to make available software files commonly referred to as a 'patch' or 'service pack', that contain updated information and various fixes designed to resolve issues or errors impacting the general operations of your computer system. A software update is the process of running an update on the computer that installs the latest up-to-date code and fixes. If your processor (your heart) has been impacted by a "bug", self-ware updates and upgrades are readily available for download. They are contained in your Manual for Living. 

Change; quite possibly the most controversial concept in the world of languages. It's a topic we love to hate. We understand its significance, we value its applicability, we appreciate its merits, we long for its results, but we despise its process and we resent its demands. 

Whether it is in our personal life, our interpersonal relational dynamics, on our jobs, or in our businesses. Whether it is with our spouses, our significant others, our children, our families, our colleagues, or our friends, the notion of change can be quite intrusive. Most remarkable of its qualities is that it is loud, it is constant, and no matter the delay, it will not and cannot be ignored. At some point in time, we will have to respond to its knock. For real change to begin, for a shift to occur in your life, confrontation is an absolute necessity. 

The hardest thing you will ever have to do, I have discovered, is change. It is a most difficult process. It takes time, energy, deliberation, and frustration. It comes with pain and agony, and it requires extreme commitment. Change that involves your own unique individual self is one thing, but change that involves the inheritance, the legacy you have been given and how you have been socialized by your family, is a whole other ballgame.

What is your story? What have you inherited that is threatening to sabotage the dreams you have in your heart, the destiny that God has in mind for you? What legacy have you been handed by your parents and even grandparents that is working overtime to cripple you, to make you impotent? Change is possible. It starts with a decision.

What pattern, plan, dream, or vision have you been seeking to work with, implement, or execute that has absolutely nothing to do with your own unique design? What have you been trying to make fit into your world or what have you been seeking to conform to that is simply incurring you more frustration and pain, rather than the success you were meant to have? 

If God is not apart of your plans and if you are not busy executing His plans for your life, that is, your purpose, you are simply wasting time trying to execute your own scribbles. Your pursuits this year must be driven by what is written in your DNA; the inbuilt pattern for your life. Your pursuits this year must be co-signed by your Master Manufacturer. In-fact, if your plans are to ever succeed in a timely manner and remain on course, here is some advice; get God on-board and get Him on-board quickly!

Merriam Webster defines a standard as "Something that is very good and that is used to make judgments about the quality of other things". By virtue of this definition, one thing is absolutely clear, if that standard or benchmark is missing, there will be no basis on which the quality of anything can be measured. Everything in this life is measured by a standard, a benchmark. 

Our standards are tied squarely to our identity; how we perceive and even value ourselves. The premium we place on our individual lives. Right at this moment, you might be living or even functioning below the standard you were designed to live by.

Never forget the lessons, never forget the stance, never forget your commitment to the greater cause, the bigger picture for your life. Never forget the sacrifices you've made. Never forget what God has shown you that is ahead of you. 

What you must let go of, however, are the failures, the losses, the disappointments, the missed opportunities, and things and people that you had to walk away from. 

"Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love Him." Your obedience to God and your firm commitment to His plans for your life will cause you to make your boldest moves yet.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!! But have you ever asked the question, "Why?" Beyond the festivities, the gift givings, the family gatherings, and even the realm of the manger, there are truths concerning the coming of Jesus Christ, the One whom Christmas is all about. It is very important for us to know them and to never, ever forget them.

He is God's gift to a dying world; a world steeped in gross darkness and wickedness. A world made totally blind to the love of the One who created it and everything in it. Knowing why Jesus came will give us a reason to live, long after the gifts and festivities of the season have past.