The Word of God is full of promises. Promises of redemption, sanctification, health, wealth etc. The promises are ours for the taking , but the sad reality is that many of us are not walking in these promises.
There is an evil I have seen under the sun, the sort of error that arises from a ruler:
Fools are put in many high positions, while the rich occupy low ones.
I have seen slaves on horseback, while princes go on foot like slaves.
Ecclesiastes 10: 5 – 7 (NIV)
As far as the Word is concerned, it is evil for you not to walk and live in the riches spelt out for you in the Scriptures. Perharps ignorance of these promises is to blame, but I am convinced that poor positioning is also a cause of this great evil.
The Power of Proper Positioning:
Position: a situation that confers advantage or preference
Positioning therefore has to do with placing yourself yourself in a situation that confers advantage or preference to you as an individual.
Are you placing yourself in a position that allows you to receive the promises God has just for you?
I will take my post;
I will position myself on the fortress.
I will keep watch to see what the Lord says to me and how he will respond to my complaint.
Then the Lord answered me and said,…
Habakkuk 2: 1-2 (CEB)
Do you see that? The Lord responded to Habakkuk as soon as he got into the right position. This is not a one off, old testament phenomenon. We see this same principle in practice in the new testament as well.
Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:1- 10 (NIV)
Had Zaccheus not climbed on that tree, would he and his family have received receive salvation?
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.
Acts 5 : 12 – 16 (NIV)
Do you see how correct positioning allowed people to claim the promise of healing ? (see Isaiah 53:5 )
The Position of the Heart
Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23 ( NIV)
To take your rightful position as a son of God (see John 1: 12 -13), walking in the rights and privileges that are yours, you have to position your heart correctly. The above mirror lets us know that everything we do is grounded in our hearts.
There is a specific heart that allows us to fully receive everything God has for us. This heart is seen in the above mirrors of Habakkuk, Luke and Acts. This heart moved God to answer the deep desires of His children.
What is this heart? Over the course of 4 weeks, we shall explore this heart. As we do, determine that you will align your heart with the Word, so that you too would not be guilty of the evil Solomon lamented about.