Key#1: I – I Have Chosen Thee – John W Rhodes
(segment from iFOCUS4Life Mastery Module 1 – Fearless & Driven with Purpose – Book)
iF4L Motto Text: “8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. 9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. 10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” Isaiah 41:8-10
There are Five points I want to bring out from Isaiah 41:8, how this relates to you: (only one listed below in this review)
- I Have Chosen You
God has chosen you “for such a time as this” to do his good will. You are not here in life, or in this small group, or connected with this church though as a member, or covenant partner by coincidence. You come from a seed of greatness, regardless of what your father, mom or grandparents did, you are from the seed of Abraham, meaning God has placed within you divine favor, grace, greatness and blessings.
God has called you out and chosen you for His use to bring Him glory. Despite what the enemy tries to do with your gifts & calling, or even your name, God has a great plan for you. You are not a cast away, but called out to come aboard the ship of Kingdom-hood to experience all that God has ordained for you. Stand in it, don’t be apologetic or ashamed, your past was all for His glory. Prepare yourself for what God is about to do in your life.
Chosen means called out, having been selected as the best or most appropriate.
Therefore, you must realize that you are the best to do what He has called you out to do. No one can do what you are doing, like you. Certainly, God can find someone else to do what you are doing, however, He knew He could trust you that’s why you are “perfect” for the job. God knew what He was doing when He called you out for His purpose and to do His will. All of us are given a responsibility, no one is more important than the other. And certainly God gives us the freedom of choice to do what we want, however, it’s important to acknowledge that we were put here for God’s use. We are all connected together to help others become better, we are helper’s of one another. There are some things that you do quite well that I simply may not be able to do like you. Also, there are somethings that I can do that you may not be able to do. We don’t have to feel inferior or intimidated, but we are to celebrate and respect the gifts that are in others. The only thing we should truly try to emulate is the excellence in which someone does something.
Each person must do their part in the body of Christ. In order for the body to function fully we need all parts of the body operating fully, if the hand is not in full operation, how can it maneuver what’s in front of it? If the feet are sick or need healing, the body can’t get to the destination where it needs to go effectively. If the head is not thinking to benefit the whole body, then some parts of the body will go neglected or lost. This is why the Apostle/ Bishop/ Pastor must make an effort to develop and nurture each gift/ person within the body so that they don’t feel left out. The body of Christ needs you to operate with full capacity and awareness that you are important and that you are most of all chosen and called out for the masters use, great or small.
When He says that He has not cast you away, God wants you to be reminded that he loves you and has a plan for your life. You must however, make a conscious effort to know what the will is for your life. No one can do it for you, therefore you must pray, read His word, meditate on it and be open to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you and has called you out to do. Regardless, of your past, once you have first of all given your life to Christ, or even been restored through true repentance, begin making the effort to draw even closer to God like never before.
As you go forth don’t fear the opposition you may encounter, and believe me the opposition will come, prepare yourself and stay dressed, that is dressed with the Whole Armor of God, as expressed in Ephesians 6. “Put on the whole Armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devils……” There are many tricks, demonic strategies and plans that will come your way, but staying dressed and prepared will help to arm you during the toughest of times. And about fear, it is something we all must learn to overcome during those trying moments, but there’s more on fear coming up.
(not in book below)
Once you realize that you have been chosen for the God’s glory their is nothing that can stop you but God himself. Place yourself in the masters hand and allow him to control where you go, what you do, how you think, etc. I have been chosen to change a generation even generations, that’s plural. Some things that you have done or the seeds you have planted to transform lives may not even be seen in your life time, however, remember that your life is not your own and it’s all for His Kingdom.
Stay FOCUSED and Seize Your Destiny. You have all you need , just focus and use what you already have to the max.
Be Blessed & Victorious,
John
