The Kingdom of God represents His government. On this earth your kingdom will need to go for His to come. We need to be in the Kingdom before we discuss how to be effective in the government of God. To be in the kingdom is to be born again and submitted to His Lordship. The word Lord means to be the owner, master. Are you ready to give Him your surrender? Matt.16:24-26.
The first stage is you being willing and obedient to God. Being willing and obedient has to do with a decision, a choice you make. A product of your will. Would you be willing to obey even when you don"t see the benefits? Think about it. It is possible to obey without being willing and it is also possible to be willing and not obey accurately. We need to be willing and obedient. Now if you have a wrong motive for obeying, you may be derailed after a while. God wants to bless us but if the benefits alone are the reason for obedience then when we are required to do things that are for others to benefit, we may not be willing to obey. The focus of obedience should be Christ not ourselves. Our motive should be love. Remember that God will bless and reward your labour and faith. So be willing and then obey God.
DESIRE
Many people believe that they have desires that are not good. What we never see is that our desires follow our attention. What we give our attention to is what will determine what we desire. Your desires follow your attention. Change what you give your attention to. God wants to work with your desires. God wants to plant His desires into you. It so happens that the devil also seeks to control your life through your desires. This time we call it lusts. You have a part to play in what gets hold of your desires. Your attention determines your desires.
Desire God, His Word and His Kingdom. Direct your heart towards God. Love Him with all that is within you. The first commandment makes it clear that there should be nothing within you that is available for Satan to play with. The proof of your desire is your pursuit. What you are willing to pursue is the proof of what you truly desire. What you desire is highly influenced by what you give your attention to.
DISCOVERY
You are going to make discoveries about yourself and your heart. Discover yourself and your gifts. What you cannot acknowledge, confront and be objective about you cannot deal with. Whatever you discover, if it is good - develop it; if it is bad - deal with it by correcting it. Discover the state of your heart and do something about it. When you discover the hypocrisy in your heart, confess it and renounce it. You will discover carnality; deal with it by the Word. Discover your gifts. Develop them. Deploy them in serving others. This phase is a very vital part in our effectiveness for God. Whatever you discover becomes the raw materials for whatever you are going to use to build your life aright.
DISCIPLINE
Nothing becomes meaningful in our lives until we apply ourselves to discipline. There are two types of pain, the pain of regret or the pain of discipline. Goals are set, plans are made and discipline is required to press through. Discipline is what you are when nobody is there. It means being predictable. It means decisive actions in line with pre-set goals. When you discover what you have in God, discipline is necessary to bring it to fruitfulness in your life. Without discipline, whatever you have the potential to become will be just a pipe dream. Training is practical in cultivating a life of discipline. Training gives refinement to your raw gifts. Subject yourself to the lessons, knowledge needed to bring about the best in you. Understanding is so very vital to your training. Do not just acquire knowledge submit yourself to the necessary exercises that will bring about a refined gift in you.
SERVICE
Your gifts are for service. The more we serve the finer we become if it is done with the right heart and motives. Your capacity also increases with your service. Your authority in the Kingdom also increases with your service increase. To whom much is given much is required. God expects your service to bring blessings to many people. Serve people with God"s gifts in you. That is the sure way to Kingdom promotions in your life. Faithful in least is faithful in much is all about service. Faithful service to people will bring you into places of serving more people.
TESTS
Everyday of your life, you are passing or failing tests. Tests of love, humility, sincerity, integrity and submission. Stay sensitive to God in your heart and also to people so that you will be quick to pick impressions of God on your heart. Many times, you may seem justified to say or do things; at the end of it all you feel a check in your spirit. Yield to the check in your spirit and pass your tests. Settle things with God promptly.
REAL OBEDIENCE
That is blessing. The blessing is the enablement to obey. To be empowered to prosper is to be empowered to obey God. The correct motive is love; the correct focus is Christ and His purposes. He is pleased to see us respond to Him promptly. God takes the glory when His gifts in us are allowed to be put to use at their highest capacity and potential.
May the Lord help you to process your effectiveness and possess your soul with patience. God"s Kingdom needs all the effectiveness we can muster. Let us give God our utmost best. He deserves the best we can give Him.