The Missing Link
Part 4: The Present
In every family, there exist individuals that have a special assignment. This assignment is about the plans God has concerning the spiritual destiny of their family’s bloodline. This is a person that might go unnoticed by everyone, in fact, they may not even think there’s anything special about themselves, but there can be no denying that God is working through them. This person may not have thought about the connection between the past, present, and future. However, there’s an unspoken code within them, and hearing that there is an undeniable connection between the past, present, and future resonates deeply in their souls.
We are not to live in the past. That is not God’s Will for us. Neither are we to worship cultures, traditions, or ancestral roots. However, Heavenly Father wants us to understand that He has been working within our families longer than we can ever know. We must come to grips with the reality that we are indeed where we are in life this very moment because of what God has done in the past, because of what He’s doing in the present, and because of what He will do in the future.
It is extremely apparent that our progress is very important to God. With Him, there are only two directions, forward and upward: never backward, never regression. However, He does not rush us to achieve His purpose. He patiently waits as we grow in His Word, each generation becoming closer to the example of Jesus Christ, each generation becoming wiser and more entrenched in His truth. Spiritual perfection in Christ is God’s goal for each person. It is so important that we recognize that God’s goal for us of spiritual perfection in Christ cannot be realized without knowing the past. This is one of the reasons that God has given us His Word, so that we will forever have a record to remember what He has done in the past. Then, we must use the patterns He has set forth in His Word to produce in the present and in like manner construct the future according to His plan.
God tells us in Malachi 3:6 that He does not change. His patterns do not change. His plans do not change. His Word does not change, and His nature does not change. Why? Because He is the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega. He knows all things. He knows the end at the beginning, and therefore, His plan is perfect. It is impossible for God’s Will and Plan to be out of date or imperfect in any way, because He knew everything when He put the plan in motion. His Word is timeless, it will stand the test of time. So, even though God set forth patterns and plans thousands of years ago, that are relevant today and will be relevant in the future. His majesty, intelligence, and plans do not revolve around what we’re doing, we revolve and evolve around what He is doing. HE is the ONE with the plan.
God’s Word helps us to understand our calling. Through it, we should understand that the present must be used to understand the errors of the past, to repent of them and change course, so that the future for our lives and the lives of our families are in alignment with God’s Will, and therefore, pleasing to Him as well.
As we become wiser, we gain a better understanding of how the lack of knowledge and sins of those before us impact our lives today. Not only must we acknowledge their pain, suffering, successes, and triumphs, but we must also acknowledge that there were assignments for the Lord that they didn’t, wouldn’t or couldn’t carry out, but we can. Through Jesus Christ, we can be the key to breaking generational curses, so that we walk in his liberty in our own lives and seek God’s forgiveness for those before us that refused to follow His ways. Their blood runs through our veins, and through Christ, we are empowered to take care of unfinished business. We can and should do this for our bloodlines, so that generations to come are not ensnared in the way that we have been, and in the way that those before us were.
2Peter 3:17-18(NIV) tells us, “Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” Our marching orders from Heavenly Father is to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The question that you and I must ask is why? Why is it important for us to grow in our knowledge of Christ? The basic answer is that we must grow in Christ because God has told us to. He knows best, and He will always tell us to do those things that preserve and keep us close to Him. But we must also know that the more knowledge we allow to fill our hearts about Christ, the more like him we become. God created us in such a way that we become what we focus on most.
Family is extremely important to God. He created us with family on His heart and mind. He made us in His image. We are not to have a life shaped by things and feelings, but instead, our lives should be shaped by God through His Word. He tells us in Romans 12:2(NIV), “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” God’s goal for us is to become the very image of His only begotten Son. As we learn about Christ, we are transformed into the men and women God intended us to be all along.
Through our spiritual transformation, we gain a greater awareness of deeper truths and spiritual realities. One of those truths and spiritual realities is that everything is connected. Through us, God is rooting out the darkness and evil that exists within those connections. For us, this means we should understand that God has created the past, present, and future for our benefit. He is not limited by time and space. Past, present, and future are His gifts to us, and they exist for our learning and growth. Father God has no beginning or end, but He allows us the benefit of time so we can comprehend the unfailing nature of His love, the perfection of His Word, and the expanse and depth of His mercy and grace.
In our current times, many of us feel bad and don’t understand why feeling bad is so pervasive. We’re not happy with our lives, and we don’t have the relationships and resources that we believe we need to feel fulfilled. Some of us have prayed continually for change, but we’re not witnessing any movement. We don’t see ourselves as change agents, but this is exactly who Christ has empowered us to be. Through Christ, we have been given the spiritual empowerment to impact our bloodlines. The commitment to walk in this empowerment right this very moment could be the key to unlocking unimaginable blessings not just for our lives, but the lives of countless others. Pray about it and be led by God’s Spirit. ■
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“The Present” written by FMack for Springfield Fellowship © 2020. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.