Lifted Above Pettiness: How to Stay Focused on Your Assignment

In this episode, we reflect on the lifting God gives that enlarges a person’s perspective and keeps them from descending into small fights. Through Scriptures such as Proverbs 19:11, Nehemiah 6:3, Genesis 50:20, 1 Samuel 24:10–11, and Matthew 5:44–45, this message highlights five biblical strategies for staying focused on God’s assignment. You will be encouraged to walk in emotional maturity, maintain divine perspective, use power with restraint, and respond with kingdom character.

Transcript

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Good morning and welcome to this expression of igniting your day. This morning, what's before us is a revelation the Lord is bringing to our attention. There is a lifting that enlarges a person's perspective so that they no longer descend into small fights that can distract them from great assignments. Let me say that again. There is a lifting that enlarges a person's perspective. There is a lifting that so enlarges the heart, the mind, and the spirit of a person that they no longer have the ability or appetite to descend into small fights that can distract them from great assignments. You and I know that there are great assignments before us, but we also know that when the devil discovers he cannot stop you, the next thing he does is push distractions towards you. He pushes distractions towards you. He wants to draw you into small fights. He wants to pull you into shouting matches. He wants to make sure you descend into activities that no longer match your high ranking in Christ. But the word of God shows us that there is a way a person can be so lifted that they are no longer able to descend into the small fights the enemy wants to use as distractions. This morning we are looking at five areas where this lifting must be expressed. 1. Emotional maturity. 2 Assignment Focus. 3. Maintaining divine perspectives. And 5. Kingdom character. These are strategies from scriptures. They show us how to avoid getting petty, how to avoid descending, and how to stay focused on the greatness of what God has committed into our hands. Let's begin with Hebrews chapter 12, verse 1. The Bible says, wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the same which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. The scripture says we should lay aside every weight and run with patience, so that the race set before us can be done and done well. That tells me something important. Overlooking some of the enemy's pertinence will not always be easy. If it were easy, the scripture would not speak about endurance. There are times when you will need patience. There are times when you will need grace. There are times when what is happening around you will try to pull you down into a lower state. But I pray for you today. The Lord will help you and the Lord will help me to focus on what is before us. We will not engage the enemy in his low state. We will not descend into small fights that can distract us from great assignments. In Jesus' name. Amen. Number one, emotional maturity. The first area is emotional maturity. Let's look at Proverbs chapter 19, verse 11. The Bible says the discretion of a man defereth his anger, and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. The discretion of a person makes them slow to anger, as the King James calls it, to defer. It makes a person slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook a transgression. I do not know how many people are getting things wrong around you. Some of these things may be simple things that should not have been missed. Some people may even be intentionally saying things or intentionally doing things to make you or to make sure rather you descend into a low level where you begin to trade words. But I bring you the word of the Lord this morning. The discretion of a person makes them slow to anger, and their glory is to overlook a transgression. That means there is glory in overlooking, there is maturity in restraint, there is wisdom in refusing to react immediately to every offense. The Bible says the discretion of a man defireth his anger. I think this is where many of us are challenged: the inability to defy the anger. The more you choose not to overlook certain transgressions, the more the brightness of what you carry can begin to face dullness. The scripture says it is your glory to overlook a transgression. That means you lose something when you begin to engage the enemy in his low state. Do not lose points, my brother. Do not lose points, my sister. There is a kind of restraint that comes from the Spirit of God. There is a grace that keeps you from descending. There is a spiritual constraint that helps you say, I will not go down that level. Take a moment and speak over your life. My eyes are fixed on the goal. My eyes are fixed on the Lord. I will not brood over the transgressions of those around me. I will not descend into pettiness. I am emotionally mature. I am strengthened by the Spirit of God. I overlook transgressions by the help of God in the name of Jesus. Amen. Number two, assignment focus. Assignment focus. Emotional maturity helps you overlook transgressions, but assignment focus helps you protect what God has committed into your hands. Let's look at Nehemiah chapter 6, verse 3. Nehemiah speaking, and I sent messengers unto them saying, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease whilst I leave it and come down to you? Friends, this was Nehemiah's response to the strategies, tricks, and gimmicks of Sanbalat, Tobiah, and Geshem. They wanted to pull him away from the work, but Nehemiah understood the greatness of what he was doing. He said, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. There is a perspective you must have concerning what God has committed into your hands. Until you see the work as great, you may not be able to give this kind of response to distraction. Nehemiah said, I am doing a great work. Do you see the work committed into your hands as great? Do you see your assignment as great? Do you see your office, your coding, your responsibility, your family, your spiritual work, your obedience as something great before God? There is a statement Apostle Paul made about magnifying one's office. That means there is a way you must value what God has committed into your hands. Declare this morning, I am doing a great work. My assignment will not be see, will not cease, my focus will not be broken in the name of Jesus. Friends, make up your mind. You are emotionally mature enough to overlook transgressions, and you are focused enough on your assignment to refuse distraction. From experience, when these kinds of distractions come, they are often designed to make a person miss life-defining moments. They come to make you miss kairos moments, moments that may not be recovered for years. When these distractions come, they are often sent to make you miss key moments in your life, your growth, and your assignment. But we declare this morning in the name of Jesus: we win by emotional maturity, we also win by focusing on our assignment in Jesus' name. Number three, divine perspectives. Divine perspectives. This third area is about maintaining divine perspectives despite what is happening around you. You must insist on divine perspective. You must learn to see beyond what people are doing and discern what God is working. We see this in Genesis 50:20. Joseph speaking, but as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good to bring to pass as it is this day to save much people alive. This was Joseph speaking to his brothers. He said, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. I ask you this morning, do you have a divine perspective concerning your present situation? Whatever that situation is, whatever the reason may be for which they are replying you the way they are replying you, whatever the context may be in which that person is speaking rudely to you, whatever the context may be in which someone is insisting that you not make progress, I ask you: do you have a divine perspective? Joseph had every reason to remain offended, but he saw something higher. He understood that people may have intentions, but God has a purpose. People may mean evil, but God can work out good. This is important because divine perspectives help you take your eyes away from pettiness, and I think that's the point here. Taking your eyes away from pettiness. This is what divine perspectives help you to achieve. It takes your eyes away from pettiness. This is an important lesson, and in this passage, there is an important lesson we all need to learn. We need to start seeing life from the perspective of God. If God is omniscient, then God already knew the kind of person Judas is carrier towards yet Jesus kept him in the team. Jesus could have decided to descend to the same low level as Judas, but he had a divine perspective. That perspective helped him to remain focused while keeping Judas in the team. This is not a call to condone sin or transgression. It is not a call to ignore wisdom, to ignore boundaries, or to ignore discernment, but it is a call to understand that when you have divine perspective concerning what is going on around you, you can master the art of staying focused. When you know how to overlook the pettiness of the enemy, you are able to keep moving, you are able to keep making progress. The scripture also reminds us that we do not look only at what is seen. The things we see are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. That means my life is expected to go far beyond the now. My life is expected to go far beyond today, and for that reason, I cannot allow today's offense to govern my tomorrow's assignment. I declare this morning, I maintain a divine perspective, I see situations the way God sees them. I will not be trapped by what is temporary, I will not settle into small fights, I embrace divine perspectives, I focus on what is eternal in the name of Jesus. Let me give you further support on this point. Hebrews 11 speaks about Abraham. Even though Abraham lived in the land of promise, he still lived like a stranger because he was looking forward to a city whose builder and maker is God. Even though Abraham was living in what could be called the promise, he still had eternal perspective. Because he had eternal perspective, it was difficult for him to settle in a way that could make the promise become an idol or a limitation. In the same way, you can maintain eternal perspective. You can refuse to settle into small fights over things that are temporary. How much is the contention worth? How much is the argument worth? How much is the offense worth when compared to where God is taking you? Can you pray again this morning? I maintain divine perspective. My family maintains divine perspective. My spouse maintains divine perspective. My children maintain divine perspective. We see beyond today. We see situations the way God sees them. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Number four, disciplined use of power. Disciplined use of power. The fourth way revealed in scripture is shown in 1 Samuel chapter 24, verse 10 to 11. I read, Behold this day, thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave. And some bade me kill thee, but mine eye spared thee, and I said, I would not put forth mine hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yeah, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand, for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and kill thee not. Know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee, yet thou hauntest my soul to take it. Friends, this was David speaking to King Saul. David had the opportunity to kill Saul in revenge. Someone even urged him to do it, but David said, I will not stretch out my hands against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Friends, there is something called disciplined use of power. This is one of the ways you refuse to descend into low levels. David had every chance in this situation to engage his enemy brutally. In this context, Saul was the enemy, yet David exercised restraint. He exercised restraint. I do not know the areas where the Lord has endowed you with power. Maybe you have a high position in your office, maybe you have what it takes to deal strongly with an adversary. Maybe you have the opportunity to retaliate. Maybe you have authority over someone who has offended you. But I pray for you, you will be able to exercise restraint in the name of Jesus. This can even apply in the home. It may be your children who have said or done certain things, and the enemy wants you to use everything you have to go into that low state where you begin to act in pettiness. You can choose to be disciplined in your use of power, you can choose restraint, you can choose mercy, you can choose to let the spirit of God constrain you. Why don't you pray for yourself this morning? I am disciplined in my use of power. The spirit of God in me constrains me. The love of God restrains me. I will not misuse power. I will not retaliate just because I have the opportunity. Amen. Number five, kingdom character. Yes. This final area is the ability to maintain what I call kingdom character. This is the ability to avoid the temptation of insisting that a certain class of people do not deserve your goodness. There are good and beautiful things the Lord has empowered you to do, but the enemy wants you to fall into the temptation of saying that a class of people do not deserve that goodness from you. That is not kingdom character. Let us look at Matthew chapter 5, verse 44 and 45. Jesus speaking, But I say to you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you, that ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven, for he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Friends, this is kingdom character. Jesus does not only call us to avoid hatred, he calls us to love, to bless, to do good and to pray. He points us to the Father, who makes his son rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust. Kingdom character is behavior that helps or that keeps rather the kingdom in perspective. When you have kingdom-oriented character, there is a moderation it brings into your approach to life. You remember that even those who have not yet said yes to God still belong to the realm of his concern. You remember that you are a child of a king, and there is a way royalty conducts itself. When they shout at you, you do not have to shout back. When they go low, you do not have to go low. When they act without understanding, you do not have to respond without wisdom. There is a way royalty conducts itself. Why don't you declare this morning? Everywhere I go, I exhibit kingdom character. My behavior is governed by the kingdom. I refuse to descend with the enemy. I will not allow people's behavior to determine my character. I will respond from the nature of my father. In Jesus' name. Amen. So, friends, these are five strategies the Lord has given us through scriptures. The first is emotional maturity. Proverbs 19:11 says, The discretion of a just of a person makes them slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook a transgression. The second is assignment focus. Nehemiah said, I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down. He refused to leave the work and descend into distraction. The third is maintaining divine perspective. Joseph said, You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good. This reminds us that God is never surprised by what people do. God can work beyond human intentions. The fourth is disciplined use of power. David had what he needed to end Saul's life, but he restrained himself. He refused to misuse the power and opportunity in his hand. The fifth is kingdom character. It is the ability to stay calm, to stay composed, and to remember that the Father causes his reign to fall on the just and on the unjust. I pray for you today. Everywhere you go, you remain and maintain kingdom character. Your composure will be governed by the consciousness of the kingdom. You will not descend into small fights, you will not miss great assignments because of petty distractions. Amen. Friends, there is indeed a lifting that enlarges a person's perspective so that they no longer descend into small fights that distract them from great assignments. Please take a moment today, identify one area where the enemy has been trying to pull you into pettiness. Pray over that area and choose one of these five strategies: emotional security, assignment focus, divine perspective, disciplined use of power, or kingdom character as your response. The Lord bless you in Jesus' name. Have a great day ahead.