The United states of America currently has about thirty-eight military bases around the world which are strategically stationed, so that if disturbances or conflicts arise, personnel would be readily available. The military personnel did not just happen to be in these strategic places, they were placed there after deliberate planning, based on intelligence.
These bases, scattered throughout the middle-east, Europe, and other places also serve the purpose of keeping in check renegade elements who otherwise might be prone to give trouble. Thus, a stabilizing effect is often achieved in the respective regions where these facilities are to be found.
In the spiritual warfare God has also positioned His people in strategic places upon the earth, so that a stabilizing effect can be achieved. Thus, if conflicts and disturbances in the spiritual realm, or in nature should arise His people would already be in position to carry out His will where needed.
If indeed we are being led by The Spirit of God, then the places where we work, and the neighborhoods where we live, and the businesses that we own did not just happen by accident, because it was based upon intelligence, and deliberate planning why the providence of God placed us where we are living and working currently. Let’s read:
Psalms 139:1 O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before and laid thine hand upon me.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Thus, it is of critical importance that we know why we were placed in such and such a place, and even more important, that we fulfill the primary mission for which God placed us there, for this also is a part of understanding the ways of God. Daniel did not just happen to be in the lion’s den, and the three Hebrew boys didn’t end up in a furnace in Babylon by chance.
Again, Joseph did not choose to go down in Egypt, neither did the hatred of his brothers force him to go there. It was all a part of God’s greater strategic planning and placement, so that His good purposes might be fulfilled in due season. Therefore, we owe it to ourselves to find out why we are where we are.
The answers to these questions can be found in the scriptures, for our primary mission in this world is not to make money even though we must work. The main reason God has placed us where we currently are is to spread the gospel, the good news of His salvation, and thus, every other temporal concern lies downstream of that great commission.
This should not be viewed as a mere suggestion or a good idea, it is the command of God to all would-be followers of Christ, for we were not saved by God’s grace to enjoy the great benefits of salvation all by ourselves; we were saved to serve and to call others to God’s kingdom. That is God’s primary purpose in placing us strategically wherever we may be. Let’s read:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Christ’s promise to be with us till the end of the age was given in the context of our fulfilling that great commission, and wherever it is not being fulfilled, His presence with us is not promised or guaranteed. Some Christians may not have understood this, and as a direct result, their focus was on making a living, and on retirement.
Furthermore, in scattering His people strategically throughout the earth, it is God’s will that we be as salt which seasons food, so that the effects of His grace and His righteousness could be sprinkled near and far, even permeating neighborhoods, cultures, our educational curriculum, and every other aspect of living, wherever we are placed. Let’s read:
Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
So, let us recap briefly what was stated in the first segment of “The ways of God”. Knowing God, and knowing about God are two completely different things for when one comes to know Him personally, he, or she will inevitably practice whatsoever they have seen or heard of Christ, for wherever Christ is known to dwell in one’s heart by faith, good works are bound to follow. It cannot be otherwise.
Knowing about God however has to do with a mere superficial, or theoretical knowledge of Him, which never produces any influence, or fruit of real worth.
In such instances, a bare-bones sort of Christianity, which produces only robotic works of righteousness is the result, in so much that there might be much talk about God, much reasoning, much argument on religious topics, but the motive power of The Holy Ghost is conspicuously absent.
Thus, it is critical for us to understand the ways of God through strategic placement. When God called Abraham to leave his friends and family in UR of the Chaldees to go to a strategic place, it wasn’t so that he could find better pasture for his flocks. That by-product would follow, because the blessings of God are upon the spiritual and temporal aspects of life, but material benefit was not God’s main purpose.
God’s will in relocating Abraham in Canaan was so that he could win as many souls for God’s kingdom as possible. And Abraham stepped up to the plate by fulfilling his appointed station in life. Therefore, wherever God has strategically placed us, let us all never forget this primary purpose. Let’s read:
Genesis 12: Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou
shalt be a blessing.
3 And in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Genesis 13:3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had make there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
[Conflict and Courage pp 49] The life of Abraham, the friend of God, was signalized by a strict regard for the word of the Lord. He cultivated home religion. The fear of God pervaded his household. He was the priest of his home. He looked upon his family as a sacred trust. His household numbered more than a thousand souls, and he directed them all, parents and children, to the divine Sovereign.
But in our day, it seems as if the cares of this world, and the desire to procure wealth, has replaced the God-given purpose for which we were saved. Many are now consumed with investments, and money-making, to the point where the great commission has become secondary, or something we engage in when we have nothing else to do.
With many professed followers of Christ, making a living, and making money takes precedence, which consumes our best energies. This very sad reversal of priorities was predicted by Christ, so that we may avoid the snare of being commercially minded. Let’s read:
Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
16 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
17 And he thought within himself saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.
However, God would have us understand that His strategic placement of His people in the earth often involves more than just spreading the gospel. Salt is not only used for seasoning food, it is also used as a preservative, and therefore, in placing us where we are, it is God’s purpose to also preserve life, in the most literal sense.
The ways of God, what He does and why He does it should be understood by all, as much as is possible. There have been times when God would not permit destruction in certain places for the sole reason that some righteous persons were living in the area.
Were it not for this strategic placement, certain cities and provinces that have passed the boundaries of their probation would be subject to terrible destruction. Especially in our day, when the forces of nature are scheduled to become more renegade it is of great importance, that as the “Salt of the earth” we do not lose our savor.
Whenever there are un-resolvable problems on the job, or in the neighborhood, some Christians might tend to point fingers at sins and evils that are taking place in others. But while this may be true in some instances, the problem might also be with the “salt” which has lost its preservative quality.
Jonah had temporarily lost this preservative characteristic when he chose to disobey God. It’s worthy of note that on that ship, he was not the only person indulging sin, for the other passengers were not without faults either. But Jonah, who had been strategically commissioned to Nineveh, based on intelligence, was not fulfilling his appointed role, and therefore, he inadvertently caused harm and loss to other people. Let’s read:
Jonah 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.
7 And they said everyone to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So, they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.
8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?
10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid and said unto him. Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.
12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.
15 So they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.
But in another instance where one righteous man was in the neighborhood, the lives of many persons would have been spared, if they had followed on to repentance. The ways of God are to be found in His merciful dealings with multitudes, for He takes no delight in destruction. But He often uses his people as strategic channels of blessing to those who may not know any better.
When God said to Abraham “In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed” He was referring to Christ who would come of Abraham’s seed. But for his part, Abraham must choose to be a channel of the blessings God was to give. Abraham was to be the salt in his neighborhood, looking out for both the spiritual and temporal good of the citizens of the area. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
Abraham comes all the way down to ten righteous persons, and he asks again, if there are to be found only ten, will mercy be dispensed. Then the answer is given, if only ten righteous people are located in Sodom, the entire city will be let off the hook. Let’s read:
Genesis 18:32 And he said let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
In our day many of us have become obsessed with the cares, and temporal concerns of life. The very purpose for which God had called us has been too often sidelined by material pursuits, and bit by bit, almost imperceptibly, we have lost our first love, and have traded the great commission for monetary commission.
As a result, many persons who do not know God are inadvertently exposed to harm and danger, both in the spiritual and temporal realm, and thus, it will be found in the day of final accounts, that some of the tragedies and losses incurred in some areas can be traced back to lukewarm Christians who have lost their savor. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 3:17 Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore, hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me.
18 When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
[The desire of ages pp 306] Hearts that respond to the influence of the Holy Spirit are the channels through which God's blessing flows. Were those who serve God removed from the earth, and His Spirit withdrawn from among men, this world would be left to desolation and destruction, the fruit of Satan's dominion.
Though the wicked know it not, they owe even the blessings of this life to the presence, in the world, of God's people whom they despise and oppress. But if Christians are such in name only, they are like salt that has lost its savor. They have no influence for good in the world. Through their misrepresentation of God they are worse than unbelievers.
Let us then as followers of Jesus hit the reset button in our thinking; let us re-prioritize that which Christ has given us to do primarily, and let us all allow the grace, mercies, and blessings of God to flow freely through us to others in our neighborhood, and on the job, and everything else that pertains to this life will fall into its rightful place. We’ll end with verses of scripture which state exactly this. Let’s read:
Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
God Bless!