CONCLUSIONS

Recently, Pastor Karen spoke at the WE ARE ladies brunch at the Rock-Parkersburg. The word she delivered was a great wake up/reminder that we serve a GREAT BIG GOD!  She spoke on jumping to conclusions and this article was written from her notes and message.

She started off by telling us that our brains reward us for “coming to a conclusion” – even if that conclusion is wrong!  Because we are human, and want things fixed or solved, when we come to  a conclusion, right or wrong, our brain rewards us with dopamine. Interesting to say the least.  But then I began to think, oh my, how many wrong conclusions have I came to and been satisfied with in my life?  Then she said when Jesus said in Luke to “pray to the Lord of the Harvest” and ask Him to send laborers into the fields, He wouldn’t have said that had He not already come to the conclusion that there was a Harvest…for He is the Lord of that harvest!  So, when we pray, we need to go to His conclusion and pray it backwards!  AHHHH – now she had me!  Hook, line and sinker!

But first, let me share the definition of the word conclusion.  There are two –

  1. the end or finish of an event or process.
  2. a judgment or decision reached by reasoning

When I read the definition again after she shared it, I was like – “Of course!” Obvious! Why?  God is not in time.  Therefore, when He looks at situations in our lives, He sees the end of the process or He sees us finishing as His conclusion! The Bible says He declares the end from the beginning!  He already sees our end!  Jeremiah 29:11 says His plans are for our good – to give us hope and an EXPECTED END.  He’s expecting the end!   However, when we look at our situations, we often make our decisions by our own reasoning!  This, my friends, has been going on since Adam and Eve took the bite from the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil!  When they came to the conclusion that God was keeping something good from them and tasted and ate of human reasoning.

See, our conclusion, above all else, must be – Our God is a GREAT BIG GOD and He is FOR US not against us!  That is the first conclusion we must make and it must override all others.  And if we make this our ruling conclusion then let’s see what will follow…

Perhaps you have an ailment in your body.  Statistics tell us and society agrees, that once a person hits middle age their bodies start to be less than what they used to.  They say, your bones will ache, eyesight dims, energy level drops, etc.  And most people accept this conclusion as an unchangeable fact and don’t even think of trying to take care of their bodies with diet and exercise.  They reason and jump to the conclusion that age is the culprit, and therefore it  becomes a fact for them.  Or maybe you know someone who has received a diagnosis that is not positive.  With all the data and information and opinions out there, it would be easy to get overwhelmed and accept the doom and gloom report.  But, what would a great big God say?  Remember, Pastor Karen said to go to the end of HIS conclusion regarding the situation you face and pray it backwards – or bring His conclusion into your life.  HIS conclusion is His word.  So what does the word say?

1 Peter 2:24 – By His stripes you were healed.

Isaiah 53:5 – He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and by His stripes we are healed.

Psalm 103 – Bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all His benefits, – who heals all our diseases, even renewing our youth!

What if the next time sickness comes or an ache or pain that says you are not as young as you once were, what if we went to His conclusion? What if we stopped and said – NO – I will choose to go to His expected end for me and draw that conclusion instead?

What about a financial need.  Maybe the bank has come to the conclusion that they want more money from you.  Or the hot water tank goes out and the baby needs diapers and you don’t have the money for both.  What will conclusion will you come to?  How about one of the following:

2 Cor. 9:8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Phil 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Mal 3:10 – Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

How about we go to God’s conclusion and begin to pray and declare – Father, You promised that You would meet my needs. So I thank You that You have already provided what I need and I am standing on Your word.

What are you doing?  You are praying the conclusion – God’s expected end for you  and this releases FAITH!  Dopamine is good, yes, God created it.  But if my brain is going to reward me either way – I choose to come to God’s conclusion  AND  receive faith!

God takes His conclusions very seriously.  Remember the twelve spies?  Ten of them came to a conclusion other than what God had already said and they all died!  But the two that took God’s conclusion as their own…  Even though they had to walk through the wilderness, they received their conclusion even 40 years later when Caleb at 85, said give me this mountain!  God’s conclusions have no expiration date!

The word also tells us in Isaiah 14 that one day we will see the enemy and say “is this the one who caused all this trouble?” We will be astonished at the trouble we let this puny  little devil cause us when we serve a Great Big God!  There have been too many conclusions drawn that the enemy has more power than he really has.  Folks, if we would truly believe that our God is bigger, greater and for us, there would be nothing that could stand in our way.  We will go through stuff – but we will go THROUGH!  And we will win!  THIS – must be our conclusion.

So, I challenge you.  Begin to do an inventory and ask Holy Spirit to show you where you have accepted or came to  wrong conclusions in your life.  And when He does, confess, repent, and then meditate on the conclusion of the Lord until it becomes yours.

 

Final conclusion? Our God is a great big God!