How to make it your best friend in 2009.
Momentum is the unseen genius behind much of what is achieved both in our world and for the Kingdom of God. It’s rarely ever mentioned, receives no awards and is rarely ever visible to the naked eye. It’s a power, however, that surges beneath the surface of all who finally achieve their dreams. Those who lose it’s presence lose out on more than they could even imagine.
David had it when he approached Goliath. Joseph had it when he approached Pharaoh, and Jonah regained it had it when he approached Nineveh. Without a lion and a bear there may never have been a Goliath. Without a dream from the butler and baker, there may never have been a chance to hear the dream of Pharaoh. Without the quick acceleration of Jonah, there may not have been a Nineveh.
Momentum is defined by Mass times Velocity. For a river like the Mississippi, mass is the weight of the water and velocity is it’s speed. The sheer volume of water that flows within its banks makes this river one of the great rivers of the world. For the Christian, mass is defined by everything we’ve heard from God in our past that we’ve put into practice and still have faith for. Our speed is defined by the time it takes between hearing from God and putting it into practice. It’s our true passion and our true belief.
There are four laws that are fundamental to the power of momentum.
1. The more momentum we have, the more unstoppable we become.
As a child growing up in Australia, I spent many hours trying to redirect the flow of water in many kerbside drains after the heavy but short tropical downpours of Queensland summers. Sometimes I succeeded! What I never succeeded in doing is changing the course of the nearby creek. And not for the want of trying! It’s easy to stop a trickle, much harder to stop a torrent. and it’s all because of the resistance busting momentum!
When you’ve got the Big Mo(mentum), the small stuff remains small. When you’ve lost the Big Mo, the small stuff becomes very huge indeed. The voice of opposition grows out of all proportion, fears multiply and emotions dominate. The more momentum there is in your life, the smaller these things become, They’re often not removed – just rolled over or pushed aside. And that’s what you and I need in 2009 – a good dose of resistance busting momentum!
2. Momentum reduces energy consumption.
When you start a car up and begin to accelerate, the fuel consumption far exceeds that which is necessary for speeds of up to 70 mph along the motorway. Most Christians are far more exhausted than they ever needed to be. To stop and start in both life and the plans of God every week and every year is to give yourself an even greater task than the original task mapped out for you. Life wasn’t meant to be that taxing and that difficult.
3. Momentum allows you to do more and go further.
Even when your foot is no longer on the accelerator, momentum always gives you a boost into the future. Talent without momentum can easily be buried. There are many gifted people who never make it into their God-given destiny and there are many ‘less’ gifted who do!
Back when I was a Bible college student, there were a number of hot shots who got some great prophecies and had a huge future. I was constantly jealous of their amazing display of the gifts in the Spirit and their enthusiasm for prayer and breakthrough. I felt like I had only one talent and they had five. Behind the scenes, however, each of them had big areas where they failed to put the Word of God into practice. Their gift was big, but their pace became smaller and smaller. From my one talent, I felt like I eventually received one more, and then from my two talents, received two more … etc. As Brian Houston said recently, ‘I find myself being an overachiever!’ And it’s not because of talent and gifting for me, it’s the assistance of an unseen force – the power of momentum.
4. Momentum prepares you for the speed of blessing.
Preparation is imperative if you want to catch and retain blessing! Most people are looking simply for a spot of luck. Paul Daniels, when asked about luck, once said that luck was where ‘years of preparation meets a moment of opportunity.’ Without using what you have today, God will not increase your tomorrow. Without being willing and obedient today, you will never eat ‘the best of the land’ (Isaiah 1:19). You simply won’t be ready.
Since momentum is so advantageous to your 2009 and achieving what God has for your church, here are four keys to establishing the ‘Big Mo’ in your life.
Firstly, get a vision!
Get a vision of future blessing. Stop looking back and start to look forward. What are you ‘looking forward to’ in 2009? Galatians 3:26-29 clearly states that we do not belong to the wisdom and philosophy of the world, but the authority of Christ and his new covenant. Through his covenant we have been united with the great promises of Abraham. ‘Blessed to be a blessing’ is our destiny. I believe that 2009 is my year of grace and favour, and yours as well (Isaiah 69:1-2). I believe it’s the year of miracles and abundance (Isaiah 41:18-19). I believe I will eat the best of the land (Isaiah 1:19). The recession changes nothing. The wisdom of the world is the opposite to the wisdom of Christ. I choose to believe that the best is here and that my God is the expert at turning bad report into good report. Get a vision, write it down, declare it, walk in it. Stop your small negative thinking. It doesn’t serve you well.
Secondly, get started!
Stop procrastinating and putting off till tomorrow what ought to be done today. Stop holding back. Stop sulking; it’s time to do what must be done! You don’t have to walk 1000 miles, just the first mile!
Stop despising the day of small beginning (Zechariah 4:10). Everything in the kingdom starts small and ends up big. Even Jesus came wrapped up as a baby! Don’t attempt to be the best Dad in the world, just get home before tea time. Stop attempting to be the best prayer in the world, just start to pray for ten minutes. If you aim too high, you’ll destroy the very power you’re trying to amass. Momentum is a friend of the small.
Thirdly, get faster!
It’s essential to get some speed up once you’ve started! Increase the amount of praying that you do – not stupidly, but incrementally! Increase your giving from beginning to tithe to beginning to give offerings and gifts on top of it, both to the church and to others. Begin to shorted your time from hearing from God to doing it! Peter tells us that if we possess the qualities of things like godliness and goodness in ‘increasing measure’ then ‘they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 1:5-8).
Fourthly, get prepared!
Don’t wait for success or for perfect conditions. Ecclesiastes says, ‘Whoever watches the wind will not plant. Whoever looks at the clouds will not reap’ (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Don’t wait – start to prepare now for blessing. Isaiah 54 tells us to stretch our tent curtain wide otherwise we won’t be prepared for what’s about to fall on us. If you haven’t ploughed up the ground and exercised faith for what you already have, you’ll not experience the fullness that is surely to come.
Already this year there’s been voices of opposition and fear that have tried to stop you in your track. If you choose to not stop, pick up pace and ignore their calls for you to quit, you’ll soon find the greatest friend of the faithful come and join you on your amazing journey of destiny. The more you know him, the easier life becomes. The Big Mo. It’s yours if you want it.