3-Crosses

Delete to Complete

Just last week I was thinking that I had not received a prophetic word in a while… and then while driving home last night, I suddenly heard this word from God.

“It is time to delete.”

I thought to myself, delete what?  Then I heard the Lord say that you must begin to delete, otherwise, you can’t compete… and if you can’t compete, you won’t be complete.  I began to pray and ask God what this meant and, immediately, I was reminded of the scriptures in 2 Timothy 2:1-5 which say:

“You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You, therefore, must endure[a] hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.”

I asked the Lord what I should delete. He said, “delete anything that blocks the presence of God and creates an idol.” Idols have the ability to outshine God by replacing Him in worship and communication. Idols may be leaders, financial opportunities, personal goals, relationships, or self-serving prayers that do not include confirmation from the Lord.

“You did run well, what or who now hinders you from obeying the truth?” – Galatians 5:7

Just as an athlete must meticulously train for the opportunity to compete. Discipline becomes the norm and replaces laziness and self-centeredness. Like an athlete, we must train and be disciplined in order to compete with ourselves in our faith.

“Stand fast in the liberty and freedom by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” – Galatians 5:1

It’s time to delete the bondages. In order to delete, we must disentangle ourselves from the affairs of our lives. It may take time, but the value of drawing closer to God’s presence will be well worth it as we clear away the obstacles and debris within our faith lives.

It’s time to disassociate from those who criticize, and who want to dismantle the Kingdom. We must disentangle from philosophies and religious spirits that want to arrest our thoughts and bind our actions, so we may be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and crowned with the faithful.

Disentanglement can also be painful. I am in the process of decluttering my life and home in anticipation of an upcoming move. Memories try to pull me backward, but the result of the decluttering is very freeing and propels me forward. After my wife died two years ago, I met a sweet lady with whom I am now engaged. Together, Rebecca and I must delete to combine our lives and personal belongings into one house. Engagement to Rebecca means engagement in her life and processes. This is a result of our relationship.

Relationship with God is much the same. We delete those things that hinder our walk with Him, becoming more clearly engaged in life with Him and His processes. To accomplish this goal, we must be willing to delete in order to compete, which will allow us to become complete with Him.

Think of it as a franchise. Franchises respond to their corporate offices and follow their regulations, rules, and processes. An individual McDonald’s can’t arbitrarily choose to put a Starbucks drink on the menu and Marriott can’t decide to decorate with the colors of a Holiday Inn. The Kingdom of God is like a franchise from the corporate office in heaven to earth. However, we are not always good at following the directives of our “corporate office” in heaven. We often become disenfranchised with God’s Kingdom and plan for our lives, trying to change His will and teachings to fit our needs and desires.

We all want revival, restoration, and blessings… but are we willing to delete those things that hinder revival, restoration, and blessings from coming upon us? These are the things we will need to be complete and to walk worthy of our vocations and callings according to God.

I have at least two callings in my life. One is the communication of Biblical principles through writing and speaking. Specifically, I am called to revive and renew through the gifts of the Spirit, prayer, prophetic words, and disciplined outreach.

My other calling is to be relational to others, equipping them to connect with God and the people in His Kingdom. I want to be salt and light to people, making things better and brighter.

I know my callings. They are embedded in my heart. Each day, I must live my callings while continuing to delete and compete in my faith in God. It will not always be easy, but it is the only path to reaching completeness with God and His Kingdom.

May you also seek your callings, follow God’s directives, and always remember to delete (disentangle) and compete (through discipline) so that God may complete your life through His revival, restoration, and blessings.