The kingdom can be advanced in three basic ways:
- Groaning,
- Going and
- Giving.
As we are passionate about souls, don’t let us forget ourselves. If we are not doing well in life, we can do well in the advancement of the kingdom of God. We stay focused on kingdom advancement and we are also passionate about our life.
The whole plan of the father is that we prosper, flourish and progress in kingdom advancement and also he doesn’t want us to struggle in this side of eternity. It does not glorify God when we are lacking.
Proverbs 4:18 NKJV “But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day”.
We should be conscious of continuous improvement. Constantly and continuously getting improvement in life. As we are conscious that the kingdom of God comes first, we should also be conscious that our life must get better.
2 Corinthians 12:15 TPT “And as a spiritual father to you, I will gladly spend all that I have and all that I am for you! If I love you more, will you respond by loving me less?”
Apostle Paul was saying in scripture that he is ready to spend himself and spend all that he has for kingdom advancement. For us to do a thorough job in advancing the kingdom, we will spend and be spent. So if we will spend, how do we get to spend if we don’t take seriously an aspect of our life that will bring resources?
The only way we can spend for kingdom advancement is to invest in our personal life.
Practical way to progress in life
1) Seek wisdom and guidance.
Proverbs 1:7 NKJV “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
We must come to a point in our life where we must operate with an understanding that we have not fully arrived, that we don’t know all. Don’t dispose of wisdom and guidance from your relationship with people, mentors, leaders etc. it does not matter with age. Don’t compete with a fellow you should be learning from.
There is nothing wrong with learning from someone that is younger than you. Be humble.We should have the attitude of a learner. Don’t pretend about life, don’t act as if you are floating while you are stinking, be real and authentic in life. If we are not real, we give people the picture that we are doing well, that all is well.
2) Set goals and persevere.
It is not just to set goals but we need to persevere to set the goals come to actualisation.
The actualisation of a goal is not by setting goals, it is that we are persevering. So you need to persevere. Set a goal and put a timeline to it. Be intentional about life.we should have a high degree of tenacity to see our goal coming to pass. Phil 3:13-14.
Set a goal and put a timeline to it. If we don’t set a goal, we might be at a spot taking life as it comes.
Don’t gamble and just assume that God will do it. There are things God will do and there are things God is expecting you to do. The faith that puts all the responsibility on God is an irresponsible faith. It’s your drive that determines how successful you will be. That’s the way to progress in life and in career.
3) Cultivate discipline. The truth is that most people are not disciplined with time, resources, etc. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Nothing spectacular takes place in the comfort zone. You should learn to instill discipline. (1st Timothy 4:7-8) Maximize your time and resources.
4) Embrace challenges as opportunities. (James 1:2-4)
What you are going through might not be palatable but it might be a stepping stone to where God is taking you to.
It helps you to gain control in life. Stand firm in God.
5) Surround yourself with positive and great influences. The people you relate with determine your mindset, they will either restrain you or break limitations around your life.
Who are the people in your life? You are relaxed and not making significant progress because everybody in your circle has settled. (Proverbs 13:20) Surround yourself with strong and positive people who motivate you to become better.
They should be strong and positive. They are not in our lives to make us lose consciousness of God. They are strong and yet positive. If you hang around people who do not have value for the things of the Spirit.
We should not place a premium on online church service. There is no connection. There are people that walk into our lives and become extinguishers. They make us lose fire for God. These sets of people are a negative influence.
It must be a strong and positive influence we must be within. This calls for our attention to be drawn into asking questions in this aspect.
We must question the present and what we are doing in years to come. This is not to put us into desperation but to make us wake up from our sleep and our slumber.
So let’s talk, where are we? What is the plan? What is the way forward? How do we strike the balance of advancing the kingdom, fellowship of the Spirit and our career?
If there is a passion to get something done and there are no resources to get that done, it is possible to get things done.
It is very possible with focus. Focus is warfare. How to get on track is to ensure that all things must be done.