How are your results?

This past Sunday, we had a wonderful opportunity to minister the word of God at a great church in Fort Worth, Texas. The presence of God was there and it was a great time together. The message was, “How are your results?”. This is one of the most important questions we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis. This is a question we should ask ourselves in every area of life. What kind of results am I getting? What kind of results am I getting in my work life? After all, isn’t that what the boss wants to know? In fact, many people lose their jobs for a LACK of results. Why? Because results are what they are looking for. Results are the indicator of effective efforts.

Yet, Christians will go months, even years without asking some tough questions of themselves regarding results in their spiritual life. This is puzzling, because, even unbelievers expect results from Christians. This is not new. It was the case when Jesus was here. Read Matt 17: 14-16 “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him (Jesus), kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Here is a man wanting results from believers and received nothing. This is not what Jesus intended for His church. In fact, if Christians produced more results, I am convinced there would be less unbelievers.

So, why don’t Christians expect more results from themselves? Why not ask yourself, when I pray, what are my results? When I interact with others, what are my results? When you are “believing” God for something, what are my results? When I am ministering to others, what are my results? When I am communicating something difficult to my spouse, what are my results? What are my results?

If the results you see are next to nothing or negative, why keep doing the same thing over and over again? Change something! As Christians, we should not be looking for religious activity, or exercise. We should not be trying to fill the pews for the sake of numbers, or trying to have larger alter calls. We should be looking for results. Jesus made a phenomenal statement recorded in Luke 7:35. It reads, “Wisdom is justified by her children”. Wow! Simple, but powerful. In other words, your results are displaying the level of wisdom you use. What is being birthed by the wisdom you have been using so far? If the answer is little to none, change something. Change the way you think. Do, or learn to do something different.

We all know change can be difficult, uncomfortable and hard. But, sometimes it is absolutely necessary in order to get the results you need, or want. If you are ever going to get the God kind of results in you life, or ministry, you must think the God kind of thoughts, take the God kind of actions, and do the God kind of activities. It is not God that is having a power shortage down here on earth. The breakdown is always on our side of the equation.

Paul writes in Heb. 4:12 “Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In the book of Romans, Paul writes “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;. That means something should be changing.

The word salvation in Paul’s statement means to deliver from bondage. To set one free. To deliver you from whatever is holding a person back from being all that God intended for them/you to be. Did He intend for you to be poor? Did He intend for you to be sick? Did He intend for sin to keep dragging you down? I don’t think so. In fact, the answer is NOOOOOO!!!! He did not. He intended for it to be on earth as it is in heaven. He never intended for any of that baggage to be in your life, or mine. That is why He is so willing to deliver you and set you free. He is waiting to show Himself strong in your life. 2 Chron. 16:9

I know what you are thinking. If He is so willing to set me free, and I am so willing to be free, why is He not setting me free? Well, deliverance is not for everyone. Aha, I got you there. I just gave you a head scratcher. I know it sounds like I am contradicting myself. But I am not. God wants EVERYONE delivered, BUT, as it says in the verse above in the book of Romans, “for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;“. Key word “Believeth”. Ok, you are not sure about that? How about Mark 9:23, “all things are possible to him who believes“. How about Matt 17:20, when the disciples did NOT get something done? Jesus said, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” and we can keep going and going.

Are there limits to what can be done? Yes, there are limits. You are not going to be able to believe God for your neighbors wife, or that all the money in the bank is going to be transferred into your checking account. But, you can believe in all the promises of God for your situation. He has given you everything that pertains to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3).

So, if God wants me to win my battles, and I want to win my battles, and He has already given me everything that I need to win my battles, why is it not working? Why are there no results? Maybe it is how you have been thinking? Maybe it’s because of the traditions of men? While Jesus was speaking to the religious leaders one day, He said in Mark 7:13, you are “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.” How about that. There is something that can shut down the power of God. It is called, traditions of men.

Now you might be saying to yourself, I don’t have any traditions. Oh, yes you do. We all do. We call them habits. Habits come in many forms. There are good habits and bad habits. The key is to develop the good ones and crucify the bad ones. There are lots of habits that trip us up, but the one no one considers is your thought habits. Your thinking. How you think about everything. How you think about yourself. How you think about others. How you think about work. But the most important is, how you think about God and His word.

Your thinking sets the stag for almost everything in your Christian life. If you think right, good things can, and will be yours to seize upon. You will create a better perspective. One that will be pleasing to God. Not that everything will be smooth sailing, or without struggle, or pain. But one that will be pleasing to God. One that says we are well able to take this mountain.

Start tearing down those bad habits of always thinking the worst in yourself, and in others. The habits that you trained your mind to think, that sabotage your peace, health and your future. Negative thinking is the worst habit of all. It is a enemy. It is paralyzing. It is a cancer to your soul. Kill it! Or better yet, do what the bible says to do and start casting down imaginations (Thoughts and thought patterns) that you have exalted above the word of God. 2 Cor. 10: says, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalt itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” In other words, start thinking like God thinks.

Paul is saying to get your thoughts inline with the word of God. Be what He says you are. Do what He says you can do. Don’t argue with God and His word. Embrace it. Become it. You ARE a new creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph 2:10). Tell your mind to line up with the word until it is. It is not your spirit that is giving you the hard time. It is your mind. Subdue it, train it, and use it. Phil 2:5, “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.”

Phil 4:8 reads, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Wow! If I think on a good report, the God of peace will be with me. That is exciting!

Until next time, think good thoughts. Think God thoughts. Think like the champion God created you to be.

May God richly bless all that you put your hand to do. Amen.