Are You Losing Sight of Your Why? Do This.
Drenda Keesee • May 29, 2020
I used to waste a lot of time trying to change people instead of holding out the life-giving Word of God and letting people choose change for themselves.
How you invest your time really does matter, and what you choose does make a difference.
Here are some tips that the Holy Spirit gave me that have helped me be more effective for God’s Kingdom:
1. BE BIGGER THAN TIME STEALERS!
3. BE BIGGER THAN DECEIVERS!
5. BE BIGGER THAN COMPROMISE AND SIN!
You don’t want to play with anything that even resembles a stumbling block. (Yes, this even includes missing church and not reading and
studying the Word.) You are empowered to live a life that has no hint of sin! You are to have freedom from sin and live as an example!
I thought I could change people and keep them from making bad decisions. I would give everything I had—pouring out all of my energy and time to help someone—and when they chose to not follow God, I would face overwhelming discouragement.
I felt so ineffective as a believer and as a minister.
Have you ever felt ineffective?
That’s exactly what the enemy wants. He wants to distract you, deceive you, disillusion you, and derail your faith.
He wants to make you ineffective.
We all have been given only so much time. At the end of my life, I want to know that what I lived for—how I invested my time and effort—really mattered, that it made a difference, built a legacy, and left the world a better place.
The enemy will try to pull you off what matters and get you to invest in the wrong things, the wrong people, and the wrong choices and decisions to shipwreck your faith and your life.
Gary and I made plenty of mistakes while learning how to operate in God’s Kingdom in the early days of our ministry, (I'm so glad God is bigger than our mistakes.) but one big way the enemy was able to distract us was by getting us to take false responsibility for people and their choices.
Because of that, we were always dealing with dysfunction and problems instead of doing more of what really mattered. In fact, we almost quit the ministry over some of them!
More than 20 years ago, for example, there was a lady who would come to the altar for prayer on a weekly basis. I prayed for her every
week for freedom from evil, but she would come back week after week and month after month for the same prayer.
We tried to help her. We even gave her a part-time job at the church to help support her. We tried everything we could to help her family. It was discouraging and exhausting because things never got any better, and I couldn’t understand why.
Eventually, we discovered that she was intentionally deceiving us and living a very different life than she had portrayed to us. I have since learned that a person can never be free unless they
decide they want change in their life.
There were others, too. We had people who would come and disrupt worship services and try to draw attention to themselves. We once had a man come to a youth event at our home and start running all over our yard during worship time. And our cat chased him as he ran! When he came up our hill, he fell backwards and started rolling. No, I’m not kidding.
He rolled 40 feet and, when he stopped, our cat pounced on his chest and started pawing and purring. Needless to say, the youth were no longer worshiping God.
Each time these kind of things happened with people, I would ask God, “Why did you send us these people? What do we do with them? How could you put us through this week after week?”
God simply answered and said, WHO SAID I SENT THEM?
The enemy had been eating our lunch, and all along we thought it was God who was doing it.
In our lack of understanding, we were allowing people
to take the focus off of God’s Word and worship. Meanwhile, we were only becoming more and more discouraged thinking that God was not doing what He promised.
We must become wise to the enemy’s schemes to steal, kill, and destroy.
The devil will never give up his efforts to steal your time and distract you from what really matters.
When we neglect where we should invest our time and finances, and something goes wrong, God is usually blamed. This is a tactic of the enemy.
God is wise with His investments. You and I need to be too!
Shortly after these events, the Holy Spirit took me to an example in the ministry of Jesus where a rich young ruler proclaimed he had followed all of God’s commandments since childhood. Jesus then tested the heart of the rich young ruler before he was willing to take him on as a disciple. He told him, “Go, sell your possessions and give them to the poor, and come follow me.”
Jesus put a requirement on him that would hold him accountable and would show his heart and motive. Up to that point I had never really thought about how Jesus tested the hearts of men to reveal their real intentions and motives. We know now that if the ruler had followed Jesus, the reward would have been greater than anything it would have cost him.
But when his heart was tested, he was all about himself.
Jesus wisely saw this. Jesus didn’t invest His time in the wrong places!
The Bible tells us to “redeem the time for the days are evil.”
So how can you navigate through this time with wisdom and discernment so that you are investing where God would have you?
1. BE BIGGER THAN TIME STEALERS!
- Invest your time wisely.
- Become established in your faith.
We've all made mistakes, but at some point we must grow up! We can’t always just hear the Word of God; we must come to understand the Word. We understand by DOING IT, even when it’s not easy. - Avoid compromise.
There are no shortcuts to true success without living the principles of God’s Word.
2. BE BIGGER THAN THE WORLD’S DECEIT!
The Bible tells us that the natural man (or carnal man) doesn’t receive the things of God.
Colossians 2:6-10 says,
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus our Lord, so we walk in Him rooted, and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit (vain deception), according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and NOT according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
I have seen Hell prevail in people’s lives when Jesus is no longer Lord over their lives.
People betrayed Jesus, and people will also betray YOU.
People aren’t always faithful, but GOD IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!
The disciples hung out with Judas every day in the ministry. Jesus knew Judas was cheating, stealing, and would betray Him, but the
other disciples had to decide whether they would follow Judas or Jesus.
other disciples had to decide whether they would follow Judas or Jesus.
You have to decide, too!
We all have to decide who to listen to and who to follow.
- Stay the course! Persevere with the Word!
What did God say? Do it! Stay with it!
- Keep sowing and growing.
Everything you do IS important and is, literally, sowing your future harvest.
Every action has a response of reaping, so make sure you sow good things out of a good heart. Live your life with purpose and make a decision to do it God’s way.
4. BE BIGGER THAN PROBLEMS THAT DISCOURAGE YOU!
Grow in grace. Grace is God’s ability and empowerment; it is not mercy.
You grow in grace by recognizing His power over your own rights. We are dead to ourselves, so we don’t use grace as a means to argue
our rights to live marginal lives, or play with sin.
our rights to live marginal lives, or play with sin.
Live in a God-empowered state where you don’t even want to have a hint of anything sinful in your life!
First John 5:17-18 says,
We know that whoever is born of God does not continue in sin, but he who has been born of God KEEPS HIMSELF, an the WICKED ONE DOES NOT TOUCH HIM.
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may KNOW HIM who is TRUE; and we are IN HIM who is true, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life! Keep yourselves from idols, dear children.
Some believers look at grace like teenagers look at turning 18.
Many teens think that turning 18 means that they come out from under their parents’ authority and are free to do what they want.
Instead of showing that they are adult-like and can honor their parents as a young adult, they are actually proving how immature they
really are. That’s the way a lot of Christians look at grace; but grace is not freedom to sin; it is freedom from sin.
really are. That’s the way a lot of Christians look at grace; but grace is not freedom to sin; it is freedom from sin.
studying the Word.) You are empowered to live a life that has no hint of sin! You are to have freedom from sin and live as an example!
When people start to justify playing around with sin, they get snared. Just admit it, quit it, and forget it!
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Learn more about how to overcome all that the enemy tries to throw at you in every
area of life in Gary and Drenda's Faith Over Fear Package.
In Shark Proof, Drenda combines her wit, humor, and life experience from 23 years in ministry to create a captivating book on overcoming one of the greatest problems we face: dealing with difficult people.
And, in Gary's Faith Over Fear 6-part series, you'll learn how to handle EVERY fear, so fear doesn't handle you.
And, in Gary's Faith Over Fear 6-part series, you'll learn how to handle EVERY fear, so fear doesn't handle you.
Reading Time 5 mins 59 secs – Have you ever sensed God calling you toward something bigger than what you can accomplish on your own? Perhaps it was restoring a relationship, launching a business, serving in ministry, changing careers, or believing Him for healing, provision, or freedom. Yet as soon as you considered taking that first step, your mind filled with questions. How will this happen? Where will the resources come from? What if it doesn’t work? Those questions are familiar to every believer because God’s promises often lead us beyond what seems naturally possible. Left to ourselves, we tend to evaluate every opportunity by our own experience, abilities, and resources. But God’s Kingdom doesn’t operate according to human limitations. It operates by faith. Too many Christians spend years living in what Proverbs describes as “hope deferred,” waiting for circumstances to change while never stepping toward what God has already promised. God never intended for His children to simply admire His promises from a distance. He invites us to believe His Word, act on it, and experience His faithfulness firsthand. Every Promise Carries God’s Ability When God makes a promise, He never asks you to accomplish it through your own strength. His promises are not empty wishes or encouraging thoughts. They carry His power to accomplish exactly what He has spoken. Isaiah reminds us that God’s Word never returns empty but accomplishes the purpose for which He sends it. When God speaks, He has already considered every obstacle, every need, and every detail you cannot yet see. Nothing catches Him by surprise. That truth changes how we respond when God leads us into unfamiliar territory. Instead of asking, “How am I going to make this happen?” we begin asking, “Lord, what are You asking me to do next?” Faith doesn’t require us to have every answer before we obey. It simply requires us to trust the One who does. Faith Moves Before You See the Outcome Hebrews 1:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” God’s Word becomes the evidence that gives us confidence to move forward even when visible proof has not yet appeared. Throughout Scripture, we see this pattern repeated again and again. Peter had to cast his line before finding the coin in the fish’s mouth. Joshua and the priests stepped into the overflowing Jordan River before the waters parted. The disciples seated thousands of hungry people before the loaves and fish multiplied. In every case, obedience came before the miracle. God rarely reveals every detail in advance because He is teaching us to trust Him instead of our own understanding. As we move toward His promise, He faithfully reveals the next step. Revelation follows obedience. Stop Measuring God’s Promise by Your Resources One of the greatest obstacles to walking by faith is our tendency to evaluate God’s calling based on what we currently possess. We look at our bank account, our experience, our education, or our circumstances and conclude that what God has placed in our hearts is impossible. But impossible according to whom? If God has truly spoken, then His promise is not limited by your current resources. He already knows what you need before you ever take the first step. He knows the people you’ll meet, the opportunities He will open, and the provision He has already prepared. The God who gives the assignment also provides everything necessary to fulfill it. Our responsibility is not to manufacture the outcome. Our responsibility is to trust His Word enough to begin walking. Faith Always Has Corresponding Action James 2:17 teaches that faith without works is dead. Genuine faith always produces action because believing God changes the way we live. A farmer builds a barn because he expects a harvest. A fisherman prepares his equipment because he expects to catch fish. Expectation always leads to preparation. The same principle applies to every promise God gives us. When we truly believe His Word, our actions begin to reflect that confidence. We pray differently. We speak differently. We prepare differently. We stop waiting for perfect conditions and begin positioning ourselves for what God has promised to do. Faith is never passive. It responds. Don’t Leave the Promise Unclaimed Second Corinthians 1:20 tells us that every promise of God is “Yes” in Christ. Through Jesus, we have been welcomed into God’s Kingdom and invited to live under His covenant promises. Those promises were never intended to remain words on a page. They were given so we could experience God’s goodness in every area of life. The question isn’t whether God is faithful. The question is whether we are willing to believe Him enough to move. Faith doesn’t wait until every detail is clear. It responds to God’s Word with confidence, trusting that He will reveal each step in His perfect timing. As we walk in obedience, we begin to see His faithfulness unfold in ways we never could have orchestrated ourselves. What promise has God placed before you? Where is He asking you to trust Him instead of your own understanding? Perhaps today is your opportunity to stop waiting for certainty and begin walking by faith. As you take that first step of obedience, remember this: God already knows the way forward. He has already prepared what you cannot yet see, and He is faithful to accomplish everything He has promised. When you move toward His promise, you’ll discover that He has been preparing the way all along. A Simple Prayer Father, thank You that every promise You make is trustworthy and backed by Your power. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed fear, doubt, or my own understanding to keep me from moving forward in faith. Teach me to trust Your Word more than my circumstances and to recognize the next step You are calling me to take. Give me the courage to obey even when I cannot see the entire path ahead, knowing that You are faithful to provide everything I need. Help me walk confidently in the promises You have prepared for me and experience the fullness of life You desire for Your children. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Reading Time 5 mins 07 secs – Many Christians know what God has promised. They’ve read the verses. They’ve heard the sermons. They believe God is faithful. Yet they still wonder why they aren’t seeing breakthrough. Why does fear keep returning? Why does peace seem so difficult to hold onto? Why do God’s promises sometimes feel distant from everyday life? The problem often isn’t that God has failed to provide. The problem is that many believers have never learned how His Kingdom works. God never intended His children to simply know His promises. He intended them to live in them. You Belong to the Kingdom Paul writes that we are “ No longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household ” (Ephesians 2:19, NIV). The moment you accepted Jesus Christ, everything changed. You weren’t simply forgiven. You became a citizen of God’s Kingdom. Citizenship comes with rights. Every nation has laws that protect its citizens and benefits they are entitled to receive. God’s Kingdom is no different. When you were rescued from the kingdom of darkness and brought into God’s Kingdom, every promise He has made became part of your inheritance. You have a legal right to everything God says belongs to His children. The question is whether you’re living like a citizen. Knowing Isn’t Enough Many people assume that knowing God’s promises is enough. But Scripture teaches something different. You can know what God says and still fail to experience it. Imagine owning a field. The deed is in your name. You clear away the weeds and prepare the soil. But you never plant a seed. The land belongs to you, yet it produces nothing because you never put it to work. Many believers treat God’s promises the same way. They know them. They can quote them. But they never learn how to apply them to their lives. God’s promises were never meant to stay on the pages of your Bible. They were meant to become your reality. Prioritize Standing Your Ground Paul tells believers to “put on the full armor of God” so they can stand against the schemes of the enemy. Then he repeats the same instruction again and again: Stand. Stand your ground. Stand firm. The enemy’s greatest weapon is often intimidation. He wants you to surrender what God has already promised. He fills your mind with fear, doubt, and discouragement, hoping you’ll abandon your confidence before the answer comes. But Scripture says the shield of faith extinguishes every fiery dart of the enemy. Fear doesn’t have to control your thinking. When you know who you are in Christ and what God’s Word says about you, you don't have to agree with the enemy. You agree with God. Apply What God Has Given One of the most powerful verses in Hebrews says that the heroes of faith, Through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised (Hebrews 11:33a, NIV). Notice the progression: They believed. They acted. Then they received what God had promised. Faith is more than believing God can do something. Faith responds. It takes hold of what God has already provided. Jesus demonstrated this throughout His ministry. When He encountered sickness, He spoke to it. When He encountered demonic oppression, He commanded it to leave. He applied the authority that already belonged to Him. As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we have been given authority through Christ. That doesn’t mean we control God. It means we agree with His Word, receive His promises by faith, and apply them to the situations we face. Don’t Settle for Less In the book of Judges, the Israelites abandoned the fertile land God had given them and hid in caves because they were afraid of their enemies. Instead of standing on God’s promise, they adjusted their lives around fear. How often do we do the same? We settle for anxiety. We accept defeat. We lower our expectations. We begin believing our circumstances have the final word. But God’s Word says otherwise. If He says He will provide, believe Him. If He says He has given you peace, receive it. If He says healing belongs to His children, stand on His promise. Don’t build your future around what the enemy says is possible. Build it on what God has declared. Every Promise Is Already “Yes” Scripture says that every promise of God is “Yes” in Christ. God has already spoken. His promises are already established. Our response is faith. Our response is “Amen.” “So be it.” When we agree with God’s Word, stand our ground, and refuse to be moved by fear, we position ourselves to experience what He has already provided. God isn’t withholding His promises. He invites us to understand His Kingdom and walk confidently in the authority He has given us. His promises are still true. His Kingdom still works. And everything He has spoken remains available to those who believe Him. A Simple Prayer Father, Thank You for making me a citizen of Your Kingdom through Jesus Christ. Help me understand what You have already provided for me and teach me to walk confidently in every promise You have given. Strengthen my faith to stand firm when challenges come and to agree with Your Word instead of fear. Show me how to apply Your truth to every area of my life and trust that Your promises are always faithful. Thank You that every promise is “Yes” in Christ. I receive what You have prepared for me and choose to stand on Your Word today. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.
Reading Time 5 mins 48 secs – Most people were never designed to simply survive. Yet that is exactly how many live. Paycheck to paycheck. Bill to bill. Problem to problem. When life becomes a constant struggle to make ends meet, dreams often begin to disappear. Vision fades. Purpose becomes difficult to see. Instead of building something meaningful, people spend their energy trying to escape pressure, avoid emergencies, and make it through another week. But that was never God's design. Money Is Not the Problem Many Christians have been taught to view money with suspicion. Some assume that having money is wrong. Others believe that prosperity and spirituality cannot coexist. Yet Scripture does not say money is evil. Paul told Timothy that “ the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil ” (1 Timothy 6:10, NIV). The problem was never money itself. The problem was allowing money to become an idol. Money itself is simply a tool. Like any tool, it can be used for good or for harm. A hammer can build a house or break a window. The issue is not the tool. The issue is the heart of the person using it. God never intended His people to fear money. He intended them to understand it, steward it, and use it for Kingdom purposes. The Curse Was More Than Sin When Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden, they lacked nothing. There was no fear. No shortage. No survival mentality. Everything they needed was already provided. But after the Fall, humanity entered what Scripture describes as a cursed system of painful toil, sweat, thorns, and thistles. God told Adam that the ground was cursed and that food would now come through painful labor and the sweat of his brow. From that moment forward, people found themselves fighting simply to survive. Many people are still living under that mindset today. They work jobs they dislike because they feel trapped. They surrender dreams because they feel they have no options. They lose sight of who they are because survival consumes all their attention. But Jesus came to bring something different. Good News for the Poor When Jesus announced His ministry, He stood in the synagogue, opened the scroll of Isaiah, and declared that the Spirit of the Lord had anointed Him to proclaim good news to the poor. Jesus knew that poverty was about more than money. It affects how people see themselves. Dreams are exchanged for desperation. Purpose is replaced by pressure. Jesus came to restore more than provision. He came to restore identity. Think about that. What is good news to someone who is poor? The good news is not that poverty is a blessing. The good news is freedom. Freedom from bondage. Freedom from limitation. Freedom from a system that keeps people trapped. Isaiah’s prophecy continues by describing broken hearts being healed, captives being set free, and those who mourn receiving beauty instead of ashes. It paints a picture of restoration. Jesus came to restore what was lost. He came to reconnect people to the Kingdom of God and the resources, wisdom, and provision that flow from it. You Were Created to Create One of the greatest lies people believe is that they are destined to spend their lives confined by limitations. But you were made in the image of God. God creates. And He created you with the ability to create as well. You were not designed to live without vision. You were not designed to live without purpose. You were not designed to spend your life trapped in survival mode. God reminded Israel in Deuteronomy 8 not to forget where their increase came from. As they entered a land of abundance, built fine houses, and watched their silver and gold multiply, He warned them not to believe their own strength had produced it. Instead, He said, “ Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth ” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NIV). Notice what it does not say. It does not say God gives everyone wealth without responsibility. It says He gives the ability. The wisdom. The ideas. The opportunities. The strategies. The insight. Often, one God-given idea can change the course of an entire life. The Blessing Works Through You Many people spend their lives looking for something to bless. The Kingdom works differently. God blesses people. When Joseph was placed in charge of Potiphar's household, everything under his care prospered because the blessing was operating through Joseph. The blessing was not on the building. The blessing was on the person. The same principle appears in Deuteronomy 28, where God promises to bless everything His people put their hands to. The blessing wasn't on the barns. The blessing was on the people filling the barns. Wherever you place your hand in obedience to God, His favor, wisdom, and provision can flow through you into that assignment. You carry Kingdom authority. You carry Kingdom citizenship. You carry Kingdom potential. You Can Start Today Perhaps you feel trapped in survival mode. Maybe debt has stolen your peace. Maybe disappointment has caused you to lower your expectations. Maybe you’ve stopped dreaming because life has become about getting through the next month. God has not forgotten you. His Kingdom still operates. His promises still work. His wisdom is still available. His favor still opens doors. Paul wrote that God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask, think, or imagine according to His power at work within us. And the same God who gives seed to the sower still gives His people the power to produce wealth, create value, serve others, and fulfill their purpose. You do not have to spend your life surviving. In Christ, there is a better way. A Simple Prayer Father, Thank You for sending Jesus to redeem me from every part of the curse and to bring me into Your Kingdom. Help me renew my thinking where I have accepted survival as my destiny. Show me the opportunities, wisdom, and purpose You have prepared for my life. Teach me to steward resources faithfully, trust Your promises completely, and use every blessing to advance Your Kingdom. Thank You for giving me the power to produce wealth and the grace to fulfill my assignment. In Jesus’s name, I pray. Amen.