Prioritize

Praise the Lord, Chosen Women!

Psalm 62:7 ~ In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.

I pray that this message finds you well and encouraged! I am writing to you a bit later in the week; but I know this message reaches you at the divinely appointed time. I was not negligent in my timeline -- I just had to prioritize to allow time for the things going on in my household. My godchildren were with us and we focused on our unique opportunity to plant some things into their precious lives; to simply spend time; and, to cultivate relationship between them and their godbrother. This time was beautifully and well-spent. I know that it will produce a harvest for all of us.

This morning my Spirit is filled with thoughts of the strength of God, and how that I am strengthened through and by Him. I am keenly aware that I have no strength of my own. My very breath and my ability to think, reason and move are based in His strength. I thank Him for enabling me to be and to live at all -- and specifically to live for and in Him. To be saved is such a miracle and a gift. Right now being seated in heavenly places . . . not future but now because of the Promise -- the Holy Ghost -- who lives in me.  If this does not produce a praise within us we need to really better understand the work of Christ in our lives unto salvation. He paid it all!

I wanted to share an excerpt from a book that is blessing my very soul. My husband is a voracious reader. One of the books that he has suggested that I read is blessing and challenging me all at the same time. It is full of affirmation and confirmation that my teaching and training was spot on; and then this powerful book challenging me to go much further! I recommend it to all ministers of the gospel.

Each line and paragraph is rich. I focused on this excerpt for one reason -- the Lord told me to. He said write it out to you -- some reading really need the wisdom and instruction. Here goes:

V. Priorities

According to Webster's Dictionary, a priority is something to which we give precedence by assigning a degree of urgency or importance to it. Many ministers have not settled the issue of what their priorities should be. Among those who have, too few live according to those priorities.

Life's many options compete for our time, and to have any control over our lives we must decide in advance to what we will give ourselves. The object of setting priorities is to allocate limited amounts of time and money where God directs us.

What is important to God? The answer to that question reveals what our priorities ought to be. Priorities help us narrow our focus. Simply stated, God wants us to live by biblical principles, to be ministers who pattern our lives according to the Word of God.

One day an expert in the law of God tested Jesus with a question: "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said unto him, "Though shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind." (Matt. 22:36-37)

If we comprehend the full scope of this great commandment, then our lives will take on a new dimension. We will set our hands to the task God has given or will give us, at the same time remembering that our most important work is to love Him. Whatever task He gives us provides an opportunity to demonstrate our love and gratitude for Him in a tangible way.

A minister's first responsibility is to guard his personal walk with God and to be loyal to Him. Absolutely primary to his calling and work is a minister's personal duty to cultivate his own spiritual life. Although spoken in another context, these words speak loudly to every minister: "They made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (Song of Solomon 1:6)

Unless we make our own spiritual life our first priority, there is a real danger that we may become merely professionals. The coldness of professionalism will never get the job done . . .  (The Pentecostal Minister; edited by J.L. Hall and David K. Bernard; Word Aflame Press, 1991)

As I was writing the Lord told me that some will think that this is not for them because of the word "minister." He said, "This is not limited to the minister -- the same priority exist for all saints in relation what you wrote on matters of prioritizing."

I pray that you . . . like me . . . will take a very serious and critical look at all that you are doing daily, weekly, monthly, etc., and ensure that as you prioritize your many activities and responsibilities that God is rightly and appropriately positioned in the midst. Do you have anything set in front of Him?

Have a wonderful rest of the week in Him!

In Service for the Master,
Evangelist Lisa Y. Mitchell

P.S., IT IS TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE 2010 CHOSEN WOMEN CONFERENCE! IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND AND HAVE NOT DONE SO, PLEASE GO TO THE CW CONFERENCE PAGE ON THIS WEBSITE, PRINT OUT  THE REGISTRATION FORM, FILL IT OUT AND MAIL IT IN ALONG WITH AT LEAST $25 TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE. PLEASE REMEMBER, THIS INITIAL REGISTRATION FEE IS DUE BY 6/30/10. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE WILL KNOW THAT YOU PLAN TO COME AND TO RESERVE A SPACE FOR YOU. THANK YOU!