CONCENTRATE!!


When you hear someone say:

          “I’m so broke I can’t pay attention!”


The answer to that dilemma is:

          Keep your mouth shut! Complaining is NOT the ‘answer’ to your circumstance.

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          Yes - we are a ‘busy’ people. In fact, we’re a busy nation. Our minds are at warp speed; and our days seem to be shorter and shorter.


          Many things clamor and blare for our attention. And in the process of daily living, we tend to lose our love of hearing God and staying in His Presence.

          Turn to 2 Peter, the 1st. Chapter.


2 Peter 1:2 (NLT) MAY GOD BLESS YOU WITH HIS SPECIAL FAVOR AND WONDERFUL PEACE AS YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS, OUR GOD AND LORD, BETTER AND BETTER.


Right away, Peter blesses the people - BUT! He puts a stipulation on the blessing. Peter said “AS YOU COME TO KNOW JESUS BETTER AND BETTER”. You have a direct and vital part in this blessing.


Listen: 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT) AS WE KNOW JESUS BETTER, HIS DIVINE POWER GIVES US EVERYTHING WE NEED FOR LIVING A GODLY LIFE. HE HAS CALLED US TO RECEIVE HIS OWN GLORY AND GOODNESS!

Our heart and our prayer should be:


Lord,

          Make us as You created us to be. Max out our love for You, Lord Jesus. In fact, Lord, enforce Your Will! I lay down my own agenda and submit to Your’s.

          And one day, Lord, I will be able to stand in Your awesome Presence and hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”.

 

2 Peter 1:4 -6(NLT) AND BY THAT SAME MIGHTY POWER, HE HAS GIVEN US ALL OF HIS RICH AND WONDERFUL PROMISES. HE HAS PROMISED THAT YOU WILL ESCAPE THE DECADENCE ALL AROUND YOU CAUSED BY EVIL DESIRES AND THAT YOU WILL SHARE IN HIS DIVINE NATURE.

 SO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO APPLY THE BENEFITS OF THESE PROMISES TO YOUR LIFE. THEN YOUR FAITH WILL PRODUCE A LIFE OF MORAL EXCELLENCE. A LIFE OF MORAL EXCELLENCE LEADS TO KNOWING GOD BETTER.

 KNOWING GOD LEADS TO SELF-CONTROL. SELF-CONTROL LEADS TO PATIENT ENDURANCE, AND PATIENT ENDURANCE LEADS TO GODLINESS.

 

          O.K., here’s the deal: even though the promises have been made and given, I must appropriate or earmark those guarantees in order for them to be activated.

 

Listen: Making the ‘effort’ to apply the benefits God has promised galvanizes angels on assignment (as ministering spirits) into action on your behalf.

          Obviously, self-control is a big deal with the Lord. It’s necessary in order for these Biblical concepts to work.

 

          And I have another no-brainer for you: just being able to quote this passage is not going to ‘cut it’! The Bible says in Matthew 4:5-6 (NKJV) THEN THE DEVIL TOOK HIM UP INTO THE HOLY CITY, SET HIM ON THE PINNACLE OF THE TEMPLE,

 AND SAID TO HIM, "IF YOU ARE THE SON OF GOD, THROW YOURSELF DOWN. FOR IT IS WRITTEN: 'HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU,' AND, 'IN THEIR HANDS THEY SHALL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU DASH YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'"

 

Satan skillfully threw in appropriate Scripture verses to prove a point. But Jesus knew that quoting Scripture and “living” it aren’t necessarily the same thing!

 

And in verse 7 of that same chapter, Jesus said: “....IT IS WRITTEN AGAIN, ‘YOU SHALL NOT TEMPT THE LORD YOUR GOD.’” You see, the enemy will try to manipulate every circumstance you find yourself in. Even to the point to trying to convince you you’re doing a “God” thing to obtain his (the devil’s) desired end result: YOU GOING TO HELL ALONG WITH HIM!

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2 Peter 1:8-10 (NLT) THE MORE YOU GROW LIKE THIS, THE MORE YOU WILL BECOME PRODUCTIVE AND USEFUL IN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. “Knowing” the Word isn’t enough. You must grow from knowing that Word.

 BUT THOSE WHO FAIL TO DEVELOP THESE VIRTUES ARE BLIND OR, AT LEAST, VERY SHORTSIGHTED. THEY HAVE ALREADY FORGOTTEN THAT GOD HAS CLEANSED THEM FROM THEIR OLD LIFE OF SIN.

 SO, DEAR FRIENDS, WORK HARD TO PROVE THAT YOU REALLY ARE AMONG THOSE GOD HAS CALLED AND CHOSEN. DOING THIS, YOU WILL NEVER STUMBLE OR FALL AWAY.

 

          What you listen to is very important! You ‘hear’ me now. But you aren’t necessarily listening!

          Have you ever had a difficult situation in life when you cried out to God? You really want to ‘hear’ from Him; but all you hear is silence! You fast and pray and petition heaven. Then, when you don’t hear an answer, you cry out, “Why, God?”

 

          Well, the answer might be because we get so buried or submerged below the level of communication with the Lord, we can’t HEAR what He’s saying! We become self-absorbed; and THEN we begin to question God! To receive correct communication from God, we must be submissive, and acceptive to His Spirit. THAT’S why I say, “enforce Your will, Lord!” It puts me in a vulnerable place before my Lord. It takes away all the possibilities that I would inject if I was on my guard; and put stipulations on my prayers.

 

2 Peter 1:12 (NKJV) FOR THIS REASON I WILL NOT BE NEGLIGENT TO REMIND YOU ALWAYS OF THESE THINGS, THOUGH YOU KNOW AND ARE ESTABLISHED IN THE PRESENT TRUTH.

 

You see, God has placed us together for a purpose. He has a plan for us and for this ministry that has not been completed. Perhaps He is also reminding you from time to time that you are submerged too far in your own life and trials to hear Him properly. So God gives you Pastors and Teachers, etc., to validate you and remind you that you’re not alone!

 

And finally: 2 Peter 1:18-19 (NKJV) AND WE HEARD THIS VOICE WHICH CAME FROM HEAVEN WHEN WE WERE WITH HIM ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.

AND SO WE HAVE THE PROPHETIC WORD CONFIRMED, WHICH YOU DO WELL TO HEED...”

 

           Even Peter's confidence was made sure by confirmation. He used substantiation of a prophetic occurrence as his "insurance" to God's people. It was his "ATM" number that allowed him to enter that place that was his; but not approachable without proper verification.

 

          Peter was in attendance of a special ‘called’ meeting where God spoke directly to His people. That’s an excellent reason for not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together!

 

          So you do have a valid purpose; a call, if you will. And just as God confirmed His Word and Voice on that mountain with Peter in attendance, so He strengthens us as we walk and learn and study together.

 

THERE ARE TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGES TO PAYING ATTENTION!