Building Your Future

1 Cor 2:9-10, "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God."
 
In this present season God is shifting people around. He is calling them to move, change jobs, start businesses, sell businesses and some are starting a whole new career path. Transition is the familiar word but at the same time there is a lot of dissatisfaction. This is the time when many people are searching. One of the problems is that people are depending on old ideas of how to begin this new journey in God.  

In Genesis 30, Jacob was busy tending his father-in-laws sheep, which he had been doing for 14 years, when the Lord spoke to him about a change.  During Jacob's stay with Laban he had been blessed with two wives and at this point 11 sons. He had given his best in his job but after awhile, started to see something disturbing. His boss, Laban, increased abundantly as Jacob had been faithful but as in most jobs, there was no future in front of him since Laban had sons of his own. Jacob now has a very large family to provide for and to give an inheritance to. So he decides to move on and begin to create his own wealth system. Laban knows what a blessing Jacob had been to him and asked him to stay. He said that he could name his wages, but Jacob did not want wages. It's hard to create wealth with just wages no matter how much you make. Jacob was looking to do something creative and let the Lord bring the increase. Jacob was smart and did not ask for money which would have put a burden on his employer, but instead he asked for a profit sharing plan and in this case it was some of the animals that Laban possessed.

In Genesis 30:32-36, Jacob presents his fair plan to Laban. And his employer agreed to release some of the inventory in order for Jacob to build his future.  As soon as the deal is made, Laban moves the inventory to another warehouse three days journey away. Jacob is left with only the boss's inventory which in reality could never produce a future for him. He was stuck with no seeds for the future. If you had to start with nothing and you didn't have a seed, what would you do to succeed?

The Lord gave me two words:  Vision and Creativity.  
 
VISION:  Without a vision people just wander around working at jobs that they dislike, living unfulfilled lives without hope. A vision must start with the harvest in mind. Vision is not about "you" it's about "them." What would you really want to do if money was never the issue? Many people, when they see what God has in mind for them, immediately start looking for donations. Often, people come to me with a vision that God has given them (the thing that they are pregnant with) and ask me to pay for them to have their baby. The church must move from a consumer, to a producer and a distributor.

Jacob needs to see himself as a powerful funded nation even though his current situation is "stuck in a job with no future". So the Lord shows him a plan in a dream. When you ask the Lord to get involved it doesn't matter who ripped you off or took advantage of you in the past. Ask Him for His help!!
 
In Gen 31:10-13, the Lord showed Jacob something regarding the herd. Although it didn't look like Jacob could prosper but if he could see beyond the white on the animal and into the DNA, then he could see his prosperity and God's blessing for him. When he sees that, he then does his part with the rod and it wasn't a weak or sick  animal but the best and strongest.

What Jacob visualized he received - but God had to tell him what to see. Jacob had to believe that God wanted to him to prosper.  Then Jacob saw  it and brought it into existence- - He simply used some sticks and believed God. He wasn't running around chasing away the weak males or herding the strong together.  Sometimes it's just a matter of seeing things that we have never seen before and many times nothing changes but us. Many times the things that hinder sight is in the way our programs are running in our head or  from the things that we have been taught. Reason, logic and your five senses reside in the first level. This level can solve very little.

This is where our educational side is most focused. For example, if you want to buy a house or start a business or ministry we will try to do it with reason and logic. We will look at income and financial information first to determine whether or not to do something. If the income doesn't meet our expectations we will not move forwards regardless of the opportunity or what God says.
 
I heard it once said that reality is for those who lack imagination.  As we begin to meditate,  we begin to create a way to bring things to pass.

CREATIVITY (The power over revenge))In order for God's creative power to flow through us, we must be able to set aside our current limitations such as education, finances, past failures /successes, thoughts about ourselves, certain beliefs, friends, natural abilities and talents.  We also must rid ourselves of any revenge in our heart.

Creativity starts when we commit to the fulfillment of the vision. You never look at what you have, to determine what you are to do, but you find what you are to do and start with what you have. It's the ability to let God use you beyond your ability. These are the times we are living in. God wants us to think outside the box and use our creative power through dependency on Him.

NOTE ABOUT GUEST ARTICLE:  I would like to introduce to you a very special friend who I met through the Kingdom Business Association (KBA) in Charlotte N.C. I love her enthusiasm and passion for the next generation of young business leaders.  Elizabeth Braswell is the President of Ebraswell & Company, an organization designed to empower, equip, and engage entrepreneurs.

Elizabeth has built several businesses including real estate, an international relocation company, and most recently, a large direct sales organization responsible for distributing over $2 million per year.  She reached the top 2 % of the company within 16 months.  

As a wife, mother, and business owner, Elizabeth brings a unique perspective to the issues that home-based businesses and entrepreneurs are facing in today's economic environment. She also carries a powerful prophetic message and burden for people to recognize the bigness that is inside of them and to see their God sized dreams unlocked and ignited.
 

Eugene Strite,
President Sent Forth Ministries