In the previous articles we went line by line through the story of Jesus visiting his disciples one last time in (Jn.21) in order to speak to them about things to come and restore Peter to his divine purpose and calling. After drawing several wonderful truths from the text we then switched gears and began to look into what I call “Seven Practical Principles” from the story of Jesus restoring Peter. In this article, the last in the series, we will finish up the seven principles by discussing number six and seven. But first here’s a refresher of the seven principles:
- Define Your 1 Divine Purpose With Love & Fruitfulness
- Define Your 1 Divine Purpose with 3 Goals
- Use the Power of Repetitive Words to Reinforce Your Divine Purpose and Co-Create Your Life With the Lord
- Do Everything Else Before Breakfast
- Get a Clear Vision for the Future
- Set Genesis Deadlines
- Identify Distractions You Are Most Vulnerable to and Come up With a Productivity Plan to Overcome These Distractions
Now let’s divine into number six and seven and see what else the Lord has to show us!
6. SET GENESIS DEADLINES
Now this is something that I didn’t totally get from the twenty-first chapter of John, but I did get it from the bible. I decided to include it in this list of practical principles because I felt it was very important and that it fit with this list and would help whoever was reading this who might need help with the practical things when it comes to getting back on course. For this principle I go back to the book of beginnings, Genesis, in which we learn how God creates with deadlines.
Simply put, when God decided to create the heavens and the earth He did not give himself a billion years to do it. Why? Because if He would have given himself a billion years to do it then that’s exactly how long it would have taken. No, he did it in six days because that’s how much time He gave himself. The same is true for you and I. You must set unreasonable Genesis deadlines and demand of yourself what most people deem impossible. This is a real key to see your productivity go through the roof when it comes to fulfilling your divine purpose and accomplishing your goals in threes.
In the world of psychology and business there exists something called “Parkinson’s Law” which states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” (1). In other words if something only takes three months to do and you give yourself six months to do it rather than three, in most cases it will always take you six months to do it. It’s one of those interesting things about the brain that we still don’t fully understand, but the wisdom in overcoming this issue is found in the bible, praise be to God! God gave himself Genesis deadlines and He completed his work and rested all within the allotted time. This is wisdom for us which we must learn.
I think that the fact that God created the known universe and everything therein, all within six days, giving himself the seventh to rest, is significant because it corresponds to the way we tell time. We measure time in days, weeks, months, and years. A week is very significant because a week is something quite small and manageable when you think about it. Too many people, if they focus too much on what they need to accomplish this year, within the next five years, or over the course of their life can get overwhelmed by the sheer scope and measure of it all. But anyone can focus their efforts and achieve something in a week’s time. If we learn to plan big things and give ourselves deadlines on a week to week basis like God did, what could we create with the time and power we’ve been entrusted with? Too often too many people sell themselves short. You, your ministry, your sales team, are capable of much more than you give yourself credit for. Set Genesis deadlines for yourself and for those you're called to lead and watch how much your productivity soars and how many beautiful things you’re able to create that brings glory to God and helps improve the lives of those around you, including your own! Interestingly, this also another secret of billionaires that I came across recently in my studies, that I also noticed in the bible. Billionaires often set unreasonable goals for themselves and those who work for them leaving people amazed at the things they accomplish having the same 24 hours that everyone else has. Learn to compress time itself and create your universe in just six days and watch what happens!
7. IDENTIFY DISTRACTIONS YOU ARE MOST VULNERABLE TO AND COME UP WITH A PRODUCTIVITY PLAN TO OVERCOME THESE DISTRACTIONS
Jesus told us in (Matt.6:24) that we cannot serve two masters, because we would end up hating one and loving the other. There are many applications of truth that we can draw from this passage and the surrounding scriptures, but for our immediate purposes I wish to simply convey once again that our eye must be single (Matt.6:22). What you focus on often ends up being who or what you serve. Satan is the author of many distractions that absolutely rob us of our potential. When you clarify your divine purpose and start to fulfill that purpose by daily advancing three goals you must quickly identify the things that try to distract you or take your attention away from what you’re called to do, and you must come up with a plan to overcome these things and turn wasted time into productive time. A key which I’ve found is asking yourself the “why” question.
Why are you getting distracted? Why are you procrastinating? Why are you scrolling through social media all the time or wasting an hour of accumulated time everyday watching a cat ride a bike on youtube? Procrastination is usually just a symptom of stress. We’re stressed because we know we need to do certain things, and the more we think about doing them the more we seek to retreat into social media or entertainment to try and relieve that stress. This is why simplifying things is so very important. Just focus on one purpose, three tasks at a time, three goals at a time. You don’t have to conquer the world today, you just have to do a few things to advance your goals, that’s it! When you use such wisdom strategies to overcome things like procrastination and stress you’ll find that your productivity will increase.
Part of your plan for overcoming distractions and staying productive with the precious time that God has given you should be to intentionally manage your time on social media, watching videos, texting, and reading/responding to emails. With the increase in technology today billions of hours have been robbed from people or wasted because of the highly stimulating distractions these new technologies provide. As for me, I only check my email and social media twice a day. Once when I wake up in the morning and once after dinner. My entire day is devoted to my one divine purpose and my evenings, after dinner and after I’ve finished my work for the day, are devoted to my family and rest. In my experience if you are not intentional with managing these distractions they will rob you of much of your potential. God did not put you on this planet for such a time as this in order for you to waste your time here. Walk worthy of the call (Eph.4:1). Be intentional with how you spend your time to glorify God and fulfill your divine purpose. Live life to the fullest! Jesus is worthy!
CONCLUSION
There you have it. How to get back on track with your divine purpose after a crisis has occurred and seven practical principles to help you identify and walk out your divine purpose and calling. I pray that this series has been a blessing to you. Do please write to me or comment on these posts telling me your story, where you’re at, and how I can pray for you concerning your divine purpose and calling. You have so much more to offer yourself, the Lord, and the world around you! It’s going to be amazing to see what all you accomplish to the glory of God in the days to come as you refocus and refire! Please let me know if these writings have helped you in this in any way! We want to rejoice with you and hear all the wonderful things that God is doing in your life!
In His Service,
Stephen Powell
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