What's your shape?

It has been said that each of has a particular shape, not just our physical shape, but also all the components that make us who we are. 

SHAPE can be an acronym for Spiritual Gift, Heart, Abilities, personality and Experience.

At the time of our spiritual birth we, when we first trust Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we also receive a spiritual enabling, or expression of his grace which is commonly referred to as a spiritual gift. There are lists of these Spiritual gifts in the Bible; 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12 and Ephesians 4. Every believer is given a particular gift for he or she to use to help build each other up and to make God known in their world.

Along with the gift we receive, we each have a heart or passion for some particular aspect of life. We may be passionate about social justice, the poor or the lost. We may have a real heart concern for the sick or for prayer, for teaching or for doing practical things. Our passion is what excites and motivates us. What motivates you – what do you get passionate about? If you had the chance to choose, what would you like to do more than anything else right now? What do you like to do more than anything else? This is your passion, or your heart.

All of us are born with certain abilities and talents that we need to develop through life. We may do this through education, training and practice. Unfortunately it is possible to have these abilities within us and to leave them undeveloped. Perhaps we have been afraid of trying something through lack of confidence, or because of the reaction of others. Or may be the first time we tried we failed or maybe our parents steered us into some other activity. All of us, however do have abilities, some are practical, some relational, some academic. Some are good managers; others good at public speaking while others are expert in the garden or in sport. Whatever it is, you have God given abilities that are specific to you and which need developing.

Our personality comes from both our heritage and our environment. 

Some of us are outgoing and love to be the centre of attention, while others are more retiring and prefer the back seat. There are those who can’t keep still for a moment and others who are, much more relaxed and easy going. One person may have a strong need to succeed while another is happy to be one of the crowd and just blend in. We are all different – but we all have personality! Your personality is unique to you, it is who you are, and you don’t need to be like someone else to be significant.

Every person’s experience is peculiar to them; no one else can live your experience, although you may be able to share what you learned from it with others. Only you can live your own experience, it helps make you the person you are, fashions the way you think and respond to circumstances and determines how you respond to your world.

Each of us has a different shape – and that is the way God intended it. He has molded you so that you fit exactly into his family the way he wants you to. You don’t need to be the same shape as everyone, or even anyone else, only someone of your exact shape will fit into the place God has prepared.

Don’t try to change your shape – instead, find the place where you fit.

Created for a Purpose!

Your life is not a matter of random events  - you were created. Not only that but you were created by God for a purpose. 

In his letter to the Galatian Christians, the apostle Paul explains the basis for his calling as an apostle. He states that he was set apart in his mother’s womb, called to be a preacher. Some 600 years earlier, Jeremiah is told by God that he had been consecrated and set apart as a prophet even before he was born. God knew him intimately and had formed him with this purpose in mind. Psalm 139:13-16 reminds us that the way we are put together in the womb and even the fact of our conception was not a random act of chance but was according to the design and intention of Almighty God.

Like these mighty men of God, you too were planned for a purpose. God put you together in such a way that you would be entirely suited to fulfill the purposes he has for you. More than that, the events of your life, your history and all that it contains continues to mold and shape you according to his master design.We make think we are inadequate or unsuited to our God given task – Jeremiah complained he was too young, Moses thought he couldn't speak, even Amos said that he was neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet – just a herder of sheep (Amos 7:14)! Time and again God uses the most ordinary people to do extraordinary things. God has a plan for each one of us and he prepares us, putting us together exactly as he wishes so that we are able to do his will.

Sometimes the events of life seem unfair and even painful. Things happen to us that we don’t understand and we may even suffer personal harm or loss. It is never God’s desire to cause us suffering and yet it is often these very sufferings that build our character. While God doesn't initiate this hurt or suffering he does allow it and then turns it around to build us up and prepare us for the greater purposes he has planned for us. All the events of your life, your parentage, schooling, career, relationships and so on combine together to make you the person you are today. Each step of your journey is a building block that God is using to make you into the temple he chooses to dwell in and which he intends to use for his glory. Too often we hear, and perhaps even say, “if only I was like so-and-so, then I could do that”, or “If only I had done this or that”, or "I wish I were somebody else”, “when this or that happens, then I’ll serve God”. God knows you, and chooses you – as you are- to accomplish his purposes. He doesn't want you to be like someone else or to wait for some unfinished work to be completed before you embark on the journey he has planned for you. He wants you as you are, with him as your constant companion, ready to do his will.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to lead us along the journey God has set ahead of us. While his leading is very much related to the conduct of our everyday lives, it has the significance of directing the course of your life, first preparing then leading you into an adventure with him that will see you accomplishing things you never thought were possible.

Like Moses, Jeremiah and many others beside expect to hear the voice of God telling you that he has plans for you. Determine today, that when you hear his voice you won’t resist him or make excuses about why you cannot do what he asks, instead embark on the great adventure of ministry he has prepared for you from before you were even born and which he has equipping you for ever since.

Building the Wall

Building the Wall

Ezekiel 22:30

Our cities are in danger of being overrun with evil. Their walls are in disrepair

It seems that violent crimes are on the increase, incidence of drug abuse is soaring, childbirth outside of marriage is accepted as normal, abortion is seen as a woman’s right and should be exercised if a career is threatened or a financial burden produced, smoking, obesity and alcohol pose huge costs to the health budget, interest in the occult is increasing and schools are routinely guarded by armed police. In this climate of social dis-ease God looks for someone to stand in the gap, to rebuild the defenses of society and is amazed that he can find no one.

The consequence of someone not standing in the gap of their community’s walls is to have that community destroyed. God has placed you in the place you are in for a purpose, so that you can watch out for those under your care. He wants you to pray for them, fight for them, act on their behalf and to protect them against the enemy. God says through Isaiah the prophet that he looked for someone to intercede on behalf of the people but he could find no one. When he looks out at your community, workplace or city what does he find? Does God see watchmen and women at the gate crying out day and night so that God’s praise will fill the city, does he see others warning the people of the danger to come and urgently calling the people to change their ways? Is he able to find those who cry out against social injustice and who do their best to change the circumstances of the poor and the oppressed? Or when he looks at the Christian community does he find complacent Christians enjoying a season of praise and worship as they congratulate each other on how well their ‘church’ is going and how good the music program is?

We live in a between time, the time between the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ and his return in glory. We eagerly anticipate that return, but until he comes God has given us a ministry to fulfill. He has placed you in the family, marketplace and the city you are in so that you can watch over them. He has called you to be watchmen and women who will take seriously the responsibility to care for his people. We live in desperate times, the people need a saviour and they need someone to lead them. God has given this responsibility to you. The task is urgent, no one knows how long it will be before the return of the Lord but right now the enemy is camped at the gate looking for an opportunity to force his way in and loot, rape and pillage the people of God’s possession. How well do you know your enemy, are you are aware of his strategies and devices for leading people astray? Have you identified the weaknesses in your community’s defenses that he will exploit and have you recruited others to work side by side with you on the wall so that your defense is secure?

When Nehemiah organized the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem he made sure that everybody knew their place on the wall. They all had a job to do and there were others who guarded them while they worked. Each of us has a role in building the walls of God’s kingdom and it is essential we know what part of the wall we are supposed to be building. If there is someone missing from the wall, or if they have not done their part then the defenses may be breached. It is not up to the unsaved of our cities to build the walls against Satan, it is up to you and me. We need to identify the places of corruption and bring them before God in intercession. We need to speak prophetically against the injustice and moral sickness that permeates our society and we need to warn our children of the dangers they face. We must watch over our cities, we must watch out for our cities and we must protect our cities and pray for their welfare. For those engaged in the marketplace, apply this principle to the place where you work. God is looking for someone who will stand in the gap and build up the wall – will that be you? 

Protecting the Marketplace

Protecting the Marketplace  Jeremiah 31:6 

Another word used to describe the role of the watchman is nāsar, which means to safeguard and keep something in one’s care. God describes himself this way when he speaks of his role as the keeper or watchman over all men (Job 7:20, Isaiah 27:3) but the word is also used to guard material things, possessions or the fortifications of a city. In Jeremiah 4:16,17 the watchman keeps guard around a besieged city stopping those inside from receiving help or deliverance. The watchman is to protect those in his or her care and take whatever action necessary to prevent any harm from coming to the city.

In earlier times a necessary part of the defence of any city was the city wall. This wall prevented invaders from gaining entrance unobserved, but also only allowed people to leave through its gates. It was essential that the wall be maintained properly and that the watchmen stay at their appointed places so that they could sound the alarm in the case of any attack or threat. If the wall was breached, the defence of the city was at risk. Our modern cities generally do not have walls, although some of the more affluent suburbs have ‘gated’ communities, which prevent undesirables from gaining access, but there are still cities around the world that have walls from an earlier time in their history. I worked for a time in a maximum security prison which was surrounded by a wall on which were located watchtowers where armed guards were stationed to both keep prisoners from leaving, but also to prevent unwanted visitors from gaining access. The wall was an essential part of the prison’s security, regular checks were made on its condition, and the guards were often subjected to surprise visits to make sure they were alert. There are spiritual walls around our communities and workplaces on which watchmen have been placed, but which must also be kept in good repair. The enemy is always looking for a breach in the wall through which he can gain entrance, and our responsibility is to ensure that such an opportunity does not exist.

In describing the role of the prophet in Isaiah 58, God reminds them of their responsibility to speak on his behalf, warning the people about the consequences of their sin. He goes on the say that if the people were to listen to his message and change their ways, doing as he asked them then they would be called repairers of the breach and restorers of the streets where people live (Isaiah 58:12). This passage gives us a clue about how we are to act if we are to protect our communities against the attacks of the enemies. Essentially what God was telling the people to do was to look out for the poor, the needy and the afflicted. Perhaps the greatest opportunity we give to the devil to do mischief in our communities is through the areas of poverty, affliction and misery, if we are to deny these opportunities then we must repair the breaches in our walls.

Sadly many Christians live almost entirely unaware of the social needs of their communities, they don’t know any poor people, they are ignorant of the misery and affliction suffered by many and fail to see the need around them. There are Christian employers who deny decent working conditions to their employees and while they live luxuriously complain bitterly about having to pay even an award wage or provide mandated benefits. The watchman will repair these breaches, not only will he or she speak out against injustice they will also work to bring it to an end. As a watchman you will work hard to build up the fortifications around your city, community, workplace. You will identify areas of weakness in your defences and strengthen them. You will also warn the members of your community of the approaching danger and remind them that God will hold them responsible for the way that they live. What’s the condition of the wall where you have been stationed, is it in need of repair – then now is the time to go to it!

Watching out for our marketplace

Watching Out for Our Marketplace Ezekiel 3:17 

God uses the word sāpâ to describe a watchman that makes him or her self so aware of all of their circumstances that they are able to gain an advantage over their enemy. It also suggests the ability to lie in wait or to ambush. In a negative way the wicked are said to watch the righteous in order to find an opportunity to slay him (Psalm 37:2), but on the other hand a wise woman looks to (or watches over) her household (Proverb 31:27). Watchmen were commonly employed by rulers of a city to warn against attack or to look out for something or someone (1 Samuel 14:16, 2 Samuel 18:24, 2 Kings 9:17-20) and Ezekiel was appointed as a watchman over the house of Israel so that he could convey God’s warnings to the people.

The role of the watchman is prophetic, he or she is appointed to warn against danger and to alert the inhabitants of a city to the threats they face. God has appointed you as a watchman or woman over your community and marketplace. If you are going to be effective in your task then you must be fully aware of the dangers and threats as well as the requirements God places on the people. What are the threats that face your community or marketplace today? Are there significant moral issues, perhaps hotspots of drug abuse or crime in your neighbourhood? Maybe there are business practices that are unethical or even illegal in your workplace. Are there people you care for whose lives are on a downward spiral due to alcohol, promiscuity, greed or dishonesty? The watchman is to warn against danger and alert the people to the consequences of their action. Ezekiel was told that if he failed to warn the people he was to watch over then he was liable for their lives, but if he faithfully proclaimed God’s message then he was free from any other responsibility toward them even if they refused to listen.

God has appointed you as a watchman or woman. The wise woman in Proverbs 31 diligently took care of her family’s every need; this is the first responsibility of every father or mother. This is how you exercise your role as a watchman. Then you are responsible for your part of the marketplace, the lives of those under your influence are your responsibility. If you don’t warn them of the danger they face, their lives will be held to your account. This is an awesome responsibility – it would be well to pause and think on this for a moment. God has placed you on the wall of your community or workplace to look out for the people and to tell them whatever he has to say. This is why you are there, you are his spokesperson, he is depending on you.

It is not popular to speak out against the moral, social and ethical ills of our community and workplaces; it is much easier to just pray about them. But there comes a time when the watchman does more than pray, he or she also speaks out. If you are to be God’s watchman or woman then you must be prepared to be more than just a quiet witness, certainly there are those who have been clearly given a prophetic gift or office, but all of us are called to watch out for those under our care. The good watchman makes himself aware of the dangers and takes action to warn those at risk, in this way he or she complements the intercessor who brings these needs to God in prayer, but at the same time he or she is urgent in making the threat known.

The battle we face is a spiritual one, it is fought in the heavenly places but its effect is felt right down here on earth. While the intercessor takes up the fight in the heavenlies the watchman prepares the troops for battle on the ground. He or she is informed about the enemy’s strategies and also the weaknesses in the community’s defence. If the watchman is doing his job, then not only will the people in the city be prepared for the attack when it comes, it will be delivered and the enemy defeated

Watching Over the Marketplace

Watching Over the Marketplace Isaiah 62:6-7 

On a number of occasions in the Old Testament God spoke to the people of the need to appoint watchmen. He used three different Hebrew words when describing their role. In Isaiah 62 God describes these watchmen as shamar; this is a word that suggests the need for the watchman to exercise great care over those in their charge. That care involved physical protection but also other aspects of a shepherd's role including nurturing, feeding and nourishing. God claimed that he had appointed watchmen over Jerusalem and he gave them specific instructions. It is not too much of a leap to extend this role to the watchmen he appoints over our city and then perhaps to the marketplaces in which we are engaged.

These watchmen are to never keep silent, not that they are to talk incessantly or to preach ceaselessly, but their responsibility was to pray continually. They were to constantly remind God of the need to re-establish his glory in the city. The watchman was to take no rest for himself and in turn to give God no rest until he did what was asked. The primary responsibility of the watchman is to intercede. The intercessor prevails in prayer, often taking no physical rest, but more accurately never giving up until his or her prayers are answered.

God has appointed watchmen over the communities in which we live, further than that he has appointed them over the market and workplaces in which we are engaged. We are those watchmen and women; we have a responsibility to intercede on behalf of the communities of which we are a part. God commands his watchmen to never give up, but to keep on nagging him, not allowing him rest until he establishes his glory in our cities, workplaces and communities. It is God’s desire that we pray, but this is costly prayer, it requires that we make it a priority, taking no rest until we have what we ask of him.

The watchman prays from a shepherd’s heart, he is concerned for the sheep over which he watches. Some of those sheep are in the fold, but many are not and the shepherd must care for them also. The fold represents all those who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; they are his sheep and he promises to care for and protect them. But there are many other sheep that are not in the fold, they are the lost sheep and the shepherd will leave those in the fold to go and find them. In your workplace and community there are many lost sheep, many who are outside of your congregation who are lost and in need of a shepherd. As the watchman or woman of your community or workplace it is your responsibility to care for them and bring them into the fold. The first part in fulfilling this responsibility is intercession. Pray continually; don’t give God any rest until he establishes his praise and glory in your marketplace, this is what he commands you to do.

The watchman’s role is a pastoral one; he or she is to care for those in his or her charge as a shepherd would. In other words God has called you to be a pastor of your community, whether that be the place where you live or the marketplace in which you are engaged. Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus to be on the guard for themselves but also for flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers (Acts 20:28). In this same way you are to shepherd the flock that God has given to you. You are a shepherd and you have a flock to care for. How well do you know thecondition of your flocks? Are you able to intercede on their behalf, asking God to meet specific needs? Do you give yourself no rest, praying continually for God to establish his praise in your workplace or community? This is your responsibility, this is why God has put you where you are so that you can remind him of his plans and purposes and lead those who are in need of a shepherd into the pasture he has provided for them. 

The Welfare of your City

The Welfare of Your City  Jeremiah 29:7 

The significant thing about God’s command to the people to seek the welfare of the city is that the city was part of Babylon – they were expected to seek the benefit of a city which belonged to a pagan nation and ruler! This was the city that God was going to send his people to and they were going to be there for a while. In seeking the welfare of this city the people would find welfare for themselves. God expects us to be a blessing to our city; our presence there should mean welfare for all who live in it. We are to be actively doing things that will bring a benefit and prosperity.

God has placed you in a community, it may be a town or a larger city, but you are not there by accident. He has sent you there so that you can be a blessing to it. In the same way you have been sent to a place of employment for the same reason. Apart from the fact that you will bring welfare to your workplace, there is a more selfish motivation, that is, in its welfare you will find welfare. In other words, as the business grows you will receive the benefit. There are many ways we should be working toward the welfare of our workplace, we should work hard, turn up on time, make sure we are honest all that we do, be polite and courteous to our workmates, employees, customers and suppliers and so on. Above all these things we should pray.

Jeremiah told the people to pray to the lord on behalf of the city that they were sent to. This principle should be extended to your work place; you are to pray on its behalf. But for what should you pray and how do you go about it? The most obvious thing is to pray for the people that you work with or for, then of course are your suppliers and customers. But we can also pray for the business decisions we face and the challenges that will occur in the course of normal operations. We can pray for ‘difficult’ employees and ‘challenging’ customers and when faced with machine breakdowns or supply problems we can pray about those things to. At the end of each day many people like to plan their agenda for the following and write up a ‘to do’ list. I have found that using this list as a prayer list ensures that God is invited to participate in all of the business for that day.

In Revelation 3:20 God declares that he stands at the door of the church knocking, waiting for someone to open the door and invite him in. This is another principle that can be extended to the places in which we work. Jesus wants to gain admission to your workplace, but he needs you to invite him in. If there are other believers in your business that you can join with, then you have the assurance that wherever two or more of you meet together, then Jesus is in your midst. You also know that whatever you ask will be accomplished for you by your father in heaven. Do you pray specifically for the business and workplace issues that you face? Do you expect God to be interested in your success at work? God is in fact interested and he wants you to succeed. He has even promised to assist you in your endeavours, why not invite him into partnership.

Across the world there is a growing network of businessmen and women who have formed a 51% club. This club is merely a loose association of Christians who have determined to make Jesus the managing partner in their business; they give evidence of this by giving 51% of their profits to him as the major shareholder. These funds are used to alleviate systemic poverty throughout their communities. In this way they not only seek the welfare of their company, but their city as well – and God is certainly adding his blessing! This is a conviction that these men and women have come to and is not a rule or obligation imposed on every believer, but there is an obligation for everybody to actively seek the welfare of their city and for most of us this will be best achieved by being successful and growing our businesses.