Luke 14:28 - “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?”

As Christians, we serve a God of limitless abundance. There is literally nothing that God can’t do, or give to us. That’s a fact. (Let that sink in). Now, on the other hand, the word of God also let’s us know that faith without works is dead, meaning that we also have an active role to play in many of the promises that God has for us. In this 5-day devotion, we’ll look at two of my favorite bible characters, Moses and David, who were equal parts amazing and imperfect, to get a better understanding of what it looks like to prepare for what we are praying for and what to expect along the way.

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?” Then the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” “A staff,” he replied. - Exodus 4:1-2

Moses went on to use that seemingly ordinary staff to perform miracles before Pharaoh, start plagues, part the Red Sea, bring water from a rock and so much more. 

One of my favorite “life hacks” is to use what I have to get what I want, and that idea came from this conversation between Moses and God. A lot of times, our lack mindset causes us to spin our wheels worrying about what we don’t have or stressing about things we can’t control instead of making the most use of what we do have. We can change this cycle of thinking, by renewing our minds daily with the word of God and reading countless stories on how God used small things to do big things, we start to see that focusing on what’s in our hands is what will bring us the progress we’re looking for. 

Think of the story of the widow in 2 Kings 4. “The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, ‘Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.’ ” 

I personally find the prophet Elisha’s response to her to be so fascinating. He didn’t say “let me wave my hand and fix that for you” but instead, verse 2 goes like this:

“Elisha replied to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?’ ‘Your servant has nothing there at all,’ she said, ‘except a small jar of olive oil.’”

And as you read on in 2 Kings 4, you’ll see that the small jar of olive oil ultimately saved the widow and her sons. (P.S. I encourage you to read the whole chapter, it’s good!)

Preparation for the things that we are praying for ultimately starts in the mind, and in the way we see things. In days 2-5 I’ll be sharing even more bible and personal stories of people who used the things, skills and relationships that they already had, to make it to the next level. Your challenge today is to begin to recognize all of the things that are already in your hand. Once you make this a habit, you’ll begin to see how God continuously uses the puzzle pieces in your life to fulfil His promises to you. 

Prayer: Father, today I bless you for being the creator of the universe and the owner of all things. Help me to see the blessings and opportunities in front of me each day. Speak to me daily and help me to see how You can use the things in my hand to prepare me for the future that You have for me. Amen. 

Additional Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 4, Exodus 4-14

Your approach to life changes when you realize that every opportunity or experience is a place to prepare for the future that God has for you. Many people today are unhappy in their jobs, and trust me I understand and I have been there. But I also realize today that choosing to learn everything that I could from past jobs and volunteer experiences has prepared me to do what I’m doing today. If I instead gave 50% to everything and spent my days complaining instead of learning, I’d have far fewer transferable skills to use today in my business and ministry work. 

As usual, I LOVE to highlight bible stories and today we’re going to look at David. David was the youngest, smallest and least regarded in his family. So much so, that he was assigned to look after sheep all day - a job that everyone else assumed was easy. You can tell by the way that his brothers spoke to him in 1 Samuel 17 that they didn’t see his work as difficult or important. And you can tell by the accounts of 1 Samuel 16 that his own father didn’t believe David would amount to a whole lot because he didn’t bring David before the prophet Samuel until Samuel rejected every other son and specifically asked for him. The wild part about this, is that this small, sometimes forgotten and seemingly easy job that David had is actually what prepared him to kill Goliath, and become king. 

“Saul replied, ‘You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.’ - 1 Samuel 17: 33-37.

David had been preparing for an unknown battle during the entire time that he was tending the sheep. Now that a great opportunity revealed itself, the skills that he needed to conquer it were second nature to him. He had past experiences fighting, using his slingshot and most importantly relying on God to help him through. If he hadn’t prepared in his prior role, there’s a good chance that David either would have never challenged Goliath, or gotten squashed trying to make Goliath his first battle mate. 

Your challenge today and everyday that you remain in your current position is to learn every single thing that you can while you are there. Learn what it feels like to

inquire from God and hear His direction in the small things, so you can be confident in what He says when it’s time for big decisions. Challenge yourself to try new things on a small scale, so you can learn to try new things on the big scale. Preparation starts now. Use this time wisely!

Prayer: Father, today I thank you for the plans that you have to prosper me, to give me hope and a future. Though I may not know the exact future that you have planned for me, Father, I ask that you guide me so that I can use all of the experiences before me to prepare for it. I trust that You are the ultimate author of my story and that I’m where I am today for a reason. Father, help me to maximize this season so that I’m ready for the next. Amen.

Additional Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 16-17

One of the greatest lessons that I learned in life came on the first day at my very first post-college job. I was working for an IT consulting firm, and in orientation, they let us know what the growth path through the ranks looked like. Analysts get promoted to consultant, then manager, then senior manager and then partner. But my biggest ah-ha moment came when they explained that you got promoted after you began showing the leadership the traits of the next level. So while they expected analysts to be promoted within 2-3 years, that would only happen if you learned to perform as a consultant, and give suggested fixes to problems instead of just pointing out problems. As a manager, you should be able to suggest solutions and staffing plans. As a senior manager, a solution staffing plan and budget. Then as a partner, be able to show how performing this work will help us sell more projects like this in the future. You had to show that you could perform the job before you got it. 

This growth plan reminds me a lot of the parable of the talents which Jesus shared with his disciples. Each of their responses to the opportunity, and diligence in doing the work is what led them to the end result that they each got.

To one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.  So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. - Matthew 25: 15-28

There are so many lessons from this, but one that stands out is that good work is rewarded with a promotion (which usually is even more work). This parable is another example that a lot of times we don’t discover exactly what we’re preparing for until we get there. They didn’t realize that the way they handled the talents was going to be the key to becoming a manager or master - their choice to be diligent anyway opened the door for them to step to the next level.

Prayer: Father, please help me to work diligently as unto you in all of the things that You bring my way. Help me to develop into everything that you’ve created me to be through my daily experiences. Thank you for the hope and the future that You have planned for me. Amen.

A large part of preparing for what we pray for is understanding what it means to be a leader or in a place of influence. The truth is that the higher you go up the leadership ladder, the more you open yourself up to criticism and the easier it is to get frustrated with others who can't see things on the level that you see them on.

Take David for instance. Right after killing Goliath and risking his life to do what everyone else was afraid to do, you would think that everyone would have loved and rooted for David. But the bible tells us that this actually was the start of a whole new problem that David had to live with for years.

“When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.  As they danced, they sang:

“Saul has slain his thousands,

    and David his tens of thousands.”

 Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”  And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. The next day an evil[a] spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul.”  - 1 Samuel 18:6-12

King Saul sought David’s life multiple times out of jealousy after David killed Goliath. Even though God’s spirit left Saul before David came on the scene, David became the new object of Saul’s anger. But because of David’s preparation and solid character, he never retaliated and patiently waited for his turn to become king.

Moses was another example of someone who developed a whole new set of problems after stepping into leadership. Moses’ anger issues became far more apparent as he continued to lead the Isrealites and witness their repeated disobedience even though they knew the right things to do. It was so bad that his anger towards them ultimately cost him his ability to enter the promised land. 

It’s easy to covet those in leadership positions until you understand the true weight that you have to carry in leadership - including criticism, jealousy and managing imperfect team members just as David and Moses did. But, this is where preparation comes in. Instead of rushing to “make it” in life, taking the time to develop character, patience and understanding before you get there is what will sustain you once you arrive. 

Prayer: Father, I thank you because you are good. Your plans for me are good, and so is your process to develop me until I get there. Father, help me to grow so that I have the wisdom to handle what may come once I step into a new level. Amen.

Additional scripture readings: 1 Samuel 17-18, Exodus 31, Numbers 20

At Ignite, our motto is “Discover. Love. Lead.” We love to help people discover their identity in Christ, love God and others and lead in their discipline. And on this final day, I’d like to focus on leadership. It is very possible to adopt the character of a leader, so much so that no matter where you go, people see it in you. This is why someone from a totally different organization can be hired to lead a team of people who’ve been working at a firm or non-profit for years and do it effectively. Once you understand who you are in Christ, your gifts and your leadership skills naturally become who you are. 

One thing that always comes to my mind about Moses is that when God first called him, He had just one command. Go and tell Pharaoh to let my people go. So you’d think that Moses’ mission would have ended once the Isrealites crossed the Red Sea right?

That’s not quite how the bible recounts it. 

Moses went on to lead the people through the desert, lead them to food (manna) and water, establish a hierarchy of judges that worked under him, bring the ten commandments to the Isrealites and so much more up until the moment that he died. 

He completed the task of bringing the Isrealites out of Egypt, but in the process, he became a leader, and that identity stayed with him for the rest of his life. 

When Adam and Eve were first created, Genesis records that they were charged with having dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26). God is pleased when we grow into an understanding of what it means to lead - whether our siblings, our children, in our workplaces, or even in church.  

And I hope that you can see through this 5-day devotion that leadership is not a title that is given, but an attitude that is developed. 

My prayer for you is that you achieve all of your dreams! Get out there and be great! But don’t neglect the process and all of the lessons along the way. They are there to help you to sustain the blessing once it comes.

Prayer: Father, I thank you for all that I’ve learned over the past 5 days. I am the clay and you are the potter, and I ask that you mold me into everything that I’m meant to be on the inside and outside. Thank you in advance for growth and the lessons because I know that you chastise the ones that you love. I pray that you help me to see the lessons from past and current experiences as I press forward to the promises that You have for me. Amen.

Additional scriptures: Exodus 15-40