Time, Talent & Treasure

“Belonging to God: Time, Talent and Treasure”

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to all our brothers and sisters, and believers in covenant of Dominion Church International! As we are in the process of putting our lives in order, and continuing with “Strengthening the 12 pillars of Life”, we are headed into our fourth week of 2012. This brings us to focus on sanctifying our “Time, Talent and Treasure” to God. These three things are intimately connected, and how we handle them is a result of whether or not our hearts “are perfect toward Him”(2 Chronicles 16:9). Now this perfection is not in a sense of being flawless, but belonging completely to God. This means all that we are, have and do belongs to Jesus. We demonstrate this with our actions on a daily basis not just on Sunday during “service” while the people within the four walls of the church building are in attendance and watching, but this is who we are, daily, as the people of God.

Let’s take some time to define these three possessions God has given us to be stewards over in our lives: time, talent and treasure. Time is defined as "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present and future regarded as a whole". Talent is defined as "aptitude or a skill". Treasure is a "quantity of precious metals, gems or other valuable objects". Take to heart that we all have these three things to use to the glory of God and what we do with them reaffirms our love and devotion to Him.

Time is the greatest equalizer of them all. We all have exactly 365 days a year. This is one thing in which there’s no need for competition to exist. What we do with time can either help us or harm us in developing the other two things which we all possess, talent and treasure. What we do with our time will also draw us closer to or further from God. He never moves, we move. Here are a few suggestions from the word of God concerning time. David says In Psalm 63 to God “early will I seek you” and later he, in the same chapter, says “When I remember you upon my bed, I think of you in the watches of the night”.

These are times of preparation for the day because who knows what we will face heading out the door or what news we may get through some form of messaging before we hit the door. At night we can be released of what may have transpired during our day and assess how we’ve handle it. In times of confession and repentance, we allow to Him wash, cleanse and reassure us that we are “loved with an everlasting love”. Time is what we use to develop and improve on our talents and often the development of those talents can produce what, to some, is the “most valued treasure”.

Speaking of our talents, whether inherited, attained through training, or self-taught, we owe them to God. Our talents are a part of who we are and so we give them to God as an “act of worship” (Romans 12:1), not for a spotlight, but for the world to see the realness of Christ. We “let our light shine” by letting God shine through our talents. As we shine, for Him, someone will notice.

Solomon said “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings…”

The last of the three T’s and possibly the most controversial is treasure. It’s one of the biggest fights that we have when it comes to yielding to God. Scripture says “the love of money is the root all evil”. To that I’ve heard people “adjust” their love and say things like; “I don’t love money, but I love what money can do for me”. So it’s not the money, but it’s the “doing for me” that they love. I am all for prosperity, however, the motive for prosperity is the concern. If we belong to God, so does our income, everything and everyone else we treasure.

Many of us are selling ourselves short because of hoarding. An example of what happens when you try hiding money from God is Ananias and Sapphira. Not saying when we don’t give the money to God we drop dead, but when we hold back, we will reap the consequences. The point here is somewhere in our heart lies the expectation of unlimited blessing in every area our lives, yet we pick and choose what and how we give and, in this particular case, have the audacity to act as if we gave all because it seems to have worked well for someone else. When we love God, wholeheartedly, we understand it all comes from Him. Our giving is a picture in action of our appreciation of what He has given us. Stinginess is the twin of ungratefulness. The offering benefits the offerer more than offeree. J

Eric B Flournoy, Elder | Dominion Church International

Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Walking in Dominion

Consecrated Living: What You Feed Will Grow!

2012 is “The Year of Divine Order”. God has promised us that “If you put your life in order, you can order the life you want.” In order to put our lives in order, we have committed to “Strengthening the 12 Pillars of Life”, each month focusing on an important area of life that we want to set in order. This month, the pillar is “Your Relationship With God”. This month, we have dialogued about “Putting God First”, the fact that “There Is Power In Your Mouth” through prayer, and our desire to have “A Praise that Pleases God.” This week, we are shifting our attention to “Consecrated Living.”

To “consecrate” means to “set aside for service to God.” The 23^rd Psalm reminds us that “we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.” We belong to God. But God never asks us to do toward us what He Himself is not willing to do toward us and then some. Here are some important aspects of consecration to remember:

1) Glorify God in your Body.

I Corinthians 6:19-20

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

It is important to note that we cannot save ourselves. The finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary and our faith in the same does the saving – but the work of glorifying God in our bodies is ours to do.

2) Exchange your mind for His mind.

Philippians 2:5-11

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth;

11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Being born in sin and shapen in iniquity, we are not naturally prone to thinking the way the Lord intended for us to. As born again believers, we begin the process of renewing our minds. Many a veteran believer will tell you….the battle is either won or lost in the mind. We should make it a practice to think upon the things of God and subject suspect thoughts to the Word of God before acting upon them.

3) Strengthen your spirit-man to reign in your life.

Galatians 5:16-25

16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Finally, what you feed will grow. If you want to be a victorious believer with a closer walk with the Lord then you must feed your spirit man and not your flesh. Consecration almost always involves a level of fasting and prayer. Jesus instructs us to take up our cross and follow Him. Denying our flesh while simultaneously surrendering to the Lord brings a deeper walk with the Lord as we are able to focus and attain an ear to hear the Lord speak to us concerning our own lives.

As I conclude this post, Vashawn Mitchell’s song, “Chasing After You” comes to mind. As you continue to pursue a deeper relationship with God this month, be encouraged…seek and you shall find! J

Bishop & Co-Pastor Hardin

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Walking in Dominion

Real Worship

“To worship you I live… To worship you I live…I live to worship you!” Most of us are familiar with this popular worship chorus sung by Israel and New Breed. As we continue to bring order to our relationship with God, this week our focus rests on praise and worship.

Praise and worship is a staple of every one of our church services, and as such, when we hear these two things being mentioned, we tend to think of that time where the song leader sings our favorite songs, we do our little dance, clap our hands and call it a day.

Many, believe it or not, leave it to the P&W leader to sufficiently persuade them that God has done enough in their lives that they should praise him. Song leaders have to remind us who God is and how the mere fact that we are present in the service and not lying dead somewhere is more than enough motivation to open our mouths and do as the psalmist David calls on us to do in Psalm 100:4. Unfortunately, I think some are misinformed as to the nature of true worship before the Father.

Praise and worship is not about saying church clichés and sounding good or knowing how to carry a tune. In John 4, Jesus spoke with the woman at well concerning the true nature of worship. Now that we have dealt with what it is not, let’s look at what it is.

Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth”. True worship begins with YOU. Not the pastor, the musician or the song leader. And it begins where you are. God knows we are not perfect. He knows we have our issues. He himself is the only one who can perfect us and make us the righteousness of Christ Jesus. While He does not expect flawless praise from us, He does expect us to be REAL.

The Message Version puts it this way, “Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.” In other words, worship comes from standing before the Lord just as you are with your shortcomings, your faults and your issues and gazing upon Him who is holy, perfect and awesome and realizing how great He is! True believers are on a journey to knowing God. We seek Him with the promise in mind that we will find Him. So in simplicity and honesty we come before Him.

I know for myself that I am reduced to tears when I think of how many times the Lord has proven Himself and His love for me. I know that there is no point in putting on an act for the One who knows all and sees all. So I stand before Him just as I am, knowing that He has accepted me...ALL of me. It blows my mind that He is so concerned about me.

As we seek to deepen our walk with the Lord this month, know that no bells and whistles are needed to spend quality time in worshipping the Lord. There are many who can attest to the fact that there are few experiences comparable to connecting with the heart of God in worship. It is the language of love between a Father and His children and it's yours to be had. Why not take the time now to be real before the Lord and share YOU with HIM…He wants nothing more J

Co-Pastor Claudia Hardin

Dominion Church International

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Walking in Dominion

There is POWER In Your MOUTH!

Pillar #1: Your Relationship with God | Week #1: The Power of Prayer

"What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

Talking is so central to life - maybe that's why God put our mouths in the middle of our faces! Ha! No, but seriously, besides taking their first step, a baby's first word is a monumental event for every family because speaking is the most intimate and personal form of individual expression. This is by divine design. We are made in His image and likeness; so just as God said "let there be..." and there was, each of us has the same declarative ability to shape our realities based on what we say.

The problem for many of us is that while we emit a lot of words, often we're saying a bunch of nothing -- and our realities reflect that. We shoot verbal buckshot, when what would be more appropriate is a well-aimed slug. Truly powerful speech is the kind that manifests itself as verbal communion with God, otherwise known as prayer. In Matthew 16:19, the essence of this prayer is crystalized where Jesus said, "And I will give unto thee the keys to the kingdom; and whatsover thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose in earth shalt be loosed in heaven." You have the keys!

King Solomon shed some more light on this in Proverbs 18:21: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." In other words: THERE IS POWER IN YOUR MOUTH! So in the words of Arnold on the 80s sitcom Different Strokes, "What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?"

The most critical words we speak each day are the words we speak with our Heavenly Father. So, as we put our lives in order in 2012, here's a simple guideline for effective prayer as taught by our Lord Jesus:

Adoration: "Our Father, which are in heaven. Hallowed be thy name." Begin your time of prayer by acknowleding how great God is. Magnify Him larger than anything you may be facing. He's bigger than every problem inside of you and outside of you. Give emphasis to the "hallowed" or holy name of Jesus. It may seem old fashioned, but there is still power in the name of Jesus. Every knee still must bow, and every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is LORD. Blessing the holy name of Jesus calls into subjection everything in your life that would exalt itself above His name.

Declaration: "Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This is where you use the power of your tongue to begin commanding circumstances to conform themselves to the governmental order of the Kingdom of God. You speak to powers and principalities -- to the governmental system of this world -- to remind them that there is a SUPREME power, and that power resides in the KING of kings, and the LORD of lords. Command power brokers to bow to the sovereignty of God Who lives in you. This has the power to impact not only your life, but the lives of those around you!

Supplication: "Give us this day our daily bread." God is rich unto all who call upon Him, and He delights in giving His children good gifts. Ask God for whatever you need, whatever you want. Don't be shy. God delights when we ask him for the hard things. And don't ask God for cookies -- you can bake those for yourself! Ask Him for things that are beyond your own abilities. Ask in faith, and stand amazed at how willing He is to "do exceeding, abundantly above all you could ever ask or think."

Confession: "And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." This time of vulnerability in God's presence is a good time to admit what you and He already know -- you ain't all of that. You've messed up -- you've messed over others. Confess in as much detail as possible the things you know you have done to displease God. You cannot be forgiven if you are not willing to forgive. Genuinely forgive others so that your prayers are not hindered.

Petition: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." God's guidance for each day is paramount. Our daily paths are often lined with concealed pitfalls engineered by the enemy for our destruction, but we take great joy in the fact that "surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler" (Psalm 91:3). The plan of the enemy will come to nothing when we appropriate God's protection and guidance in prayer.

Adoration: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory." Finish up the way you started -- by making God bigger than anything you may face. It's okay to "stroke God's ego". Remind Him how wonderful He is and how much you take comfort in riding in His arms.

There is power in your mouth! Use it wisely.

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Walking in Dominion

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