Work

By Charl Human

Gen.2.15

Gal.6:10

Col.3.23

Eph.4:28

One of the fantastic things that separates humans from the animal kingdom is not only our opposable thumbs, it's the gift of work. We discussed earlier how there was a problem on the earth. There was no man to "work" the garden.

All men and women are created for a task of some kind. Man's task is called work. Work was not a part of the curse of sin. Work was the original plan of God for all men to participate in on the earth. After the fall, the ground became cursed, and now work would be more challenging. We would have to work to eat, but work itself was not cursed.

Remember, Christ redeemed us from all curses. Work for a follower of Christ does not come from the attitude of "I have to work" but rather "I get to work." I get to serve. I get to show love in this practical manner. Work is a blessing in so many ways.

Work gives us a sense of accomplishment. Work can provide confidence, growth, and experience. Work can allow you to exercise your talents, lead others, and discover new methods. Work helps us solve problems, heal people, and contribute. Work can give us a community to minister and serve. Work grows us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. Work is awesome.

A man with nothing to do can become funky or get in trouble easier than a man on a mission. Work, I believe, is pleasurable. I will never forget a line from a movie, Chariots of Fire, which was about an Olympic runner. He said, "When I run, I feel His pleasure." He was referring to God.

I believe when we work unto the Lord and try to serve Him through our work, we move toward our destiny. We find pleasure not only in work itself but also in hearing the Father's voice of "Well done, good and faithful servant." To hear well done, we must have "done" something.

I encourage you to emulate your attitudes and beliefs around work. Do you have a "get to work" attitude or "have to work"? Do you work to provide, or do you work to serve the King of Kings? Your mindset about work can affect many areas of your life. I find the happiest and hardest working men are those who believe work is a privilege. God created you to work, so enjoy this aspect of your creation with all your heart.

Brought to the garden

By Charl Human

2 Tim.2:15

Jer. 29:11

Jer. 1:5

Gen. 2:8

Interestingly, if I were to ask you where was Adam created, almost everyone would respond, "In the garden." I want to share with you that this is not true. Adam was not created in the garden, which is important to understand spiritually.

Genesis 2:8 states, "Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the East, in Eden and there He put the man He had formed."

I have never heard this verse preached on, but I think this is a significant point in the creation of Adam.

Based on the scripture, Adam was made somewhere other than where Adam was given life. Adam's form was created but not in the garden. He also wasn't miraculously transported to Eden.

God created Eden and brought the man there. God has created a place, a destiny for just you, your Eden built by God. We arrive in our Eden only by following God. He holds our hand, leads, and knows where we are going - and we don't. Like sheep, He leads us to our still waters. Realizing this is a significant part of maturing in Christ. He should be driving the car.

The other noteworthy part of this story is that it didn't matter from where Adam started but rather where he followed. You might have been abused, abandoned, or addicted. Your destiny is not dependent on where or in what soil you grew up. You might have come from poverty or privilege, uneducated or educated, spiritual or not spiritual, moral or immoral. God created your Eden for you, and you need to arrive only with your willing heart in His hand.

You are not your past addictions, choices, worst moments, mistakes, or any negative narrative you might have. God divinely created you! You have a destiny! God knows the plans He has for you, and they are good plans. He knows the way because He knows what Eden He is taking you to.

I rest in this - I have never had a five-year plan. God as my Father has led me beyond my ability to imagine. I am only holding a hand and following Him. Part of your creativeness is wrapped up in following Christ daily.

Structure first

By Charl Human

Mathew 6:24

Heb.12:1-11

Prov.12:1

I love the scripture of Genesis 2:7, "The Lord formed man from the dust of the ground." You can imagine, almost like a movie scene, where the dust starts swirling around and this magnificent masculine male form is created. This is Step One of God creating Adam, and after God created Adam's body, He "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being."

As a Psychologist, I feel blessed to have worked with thousands of men and women over the several decades of my career. I often use Genesis 2:7 to illustrate how God creates in our lives today.

I want to highlight that so many people want to immediately see a change in their lives without fully embracing a discipline that can bring about the change they desire. For instance, a person who wants wealth in the future embraces the discipline of tithing, saving, and investing regularly. I have seen God supernaturally breathe on a discipline, and in turn, people obtain wealth. I have seen this in health and marriages as well. If a person embraces better eating habits and exercise, then he or she will become healthy over time. I've seen thousands of couples embrace sharing their feelings, praising each other and praying together, and thus reunite broken marriages.

Embracing self-discipline is a significant part of us growing in Christ. We can embrace a discipline or structure, like praying and reading the word of God daily, and over time we grow spiritually. We can practice patience, kindness, or any fruit of the spirit daily and find we have more of that fruit daily.

I want you to take a moment and ask yourself: "What are my structures?"

Are they spiritual? Or physical? Are they more intertwined with secular media and relationships OR are you consuming the word of God and investing in Godly relationships? Rarely do we, as western Christians, stop for even ten minutes and evaluate what we are creating in our life and future.

The secret is how you spend your time other than work and sleep. What you're doing with your time are your structures or disciplines that can bring blessings or challenges into your life. Today take a few minutes to answer this question of what you are creating and breathing your energy into. If you need to make changes, the Holy Spirit can help you move toward disciplines that pertain to your destiny.

The Solutions Take Time

By Charl Human

Gen.1:1-31

Gen.2:7

Previously, we established that you are a solution, medicine, or resource that will help solve a problem on earth. Lets dive deeper into how Adam was created and how God specifically created you.

In Genesis 1, there is a repeated phrase of God’s saying, let there be __________ and __________ would appear. You get the idea. God would speak it, and "bang!!" it was. This was true except for man. God did not say, "let there be man," and man was. Genesis 2:7 states, "and the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being."

Man was the only being that God touched and shaped into His own image. Man is the only one God breathed into, giving life. God handcrafted you. You are His masterpiece. He put His destiny and the DNA of Himself inside you as you took your first breath.

All of us have baby pictures. You look a lot different from what you looked like as a baby - just like an apple seed looks different from a grown apple tree.

The difference between a seed and a tree is time. The DNA of the seed doesn't change you. It just grows you into what you are to become. This process of "becoming" takes decades to unfold who you are. We all have this extraordinary DNA destiny inside of us that can impact our current circumstances.

We would be wise to apply the same principles of a seed to grow into our destiny while we are growing. Every seed needs four things:

Water

Light

Nutrition

Soil

As Christians, we need the water, the spirit of God, and the presence of God to keep us walking in the grace of God. We also need the light of God's word to mature us into our destiny. We also need nutrition and not just from food. We need to watch what we feed our soul and especially keep away from the unhealthy worldly junk that could be impacting our destiny. We need healthy, Godly nutrition. We also need good soil. I believe every believer needs the soil of a local church and community. This community allows us to grow steadily in Christ.

You are the solution. It will take time for it to manifest. Be diligent about water, light, nutrition and soil. You will eventually arrive, and you will and enjoy your journey!

There's a problem on earth

By Charl Human

Gen.2:4-8

Eph.2:10

John 13:35

Ps.139:14

The story of mankind doesn't start with man. The story of man begins with God. God is the center of all scripture, especially in chapters one through three of Genesis. In these chapters, God creates the heavens, separates waters, and creates vegetation and animals because of humanity but all before humankind's existence.

God is the one who imagined and created man. This is huge! We did not imagine and create ourselves. God Himself created us. We are His handiwork, His art, His sons and daughters. God provided abundantly for Adam and Eve before each was created. God also provided for us before we were created.

God protects us all - even in ways we may not recognize at first. I remember plowing snow in my truck, sliding on ice, and heading off an embankment. However, God placed a strong tree there years before to protect me from death or severe harm. I love how He provides.

All we ever need is ready for us. God creates in abundance and extravagance to meet the needs of our lives.

In Genesis 2:4-8, there is an interesting statement about God before he made plants or rain: "and there was no man to work the ground." You see, there was a problem on earth. There was not anyone to work in the garden.

Man was made as a solution, which means that you are a solution. The problem existed before God created you. You and I are solutions of some kind for the world. You are not an accident but a specifically-designed solution for a problem on the earth.

God has put the DNA of being a solution in us as Christian men and women. Then He sends us into time through our mother's womb and grows us into a solution that needs to happen on earth.

So many Christians doubt they were created to be a solution, but that is clearly what God was sharing in the creation of man. God created mankind to work in the garden.

I don't know what solution you are here for, but I know the three elements of why you're here:

A problem existed before you.

You are part of the solution.

It will involve hard work!

Resolve to change your expression

By Charl Human

2 Cor..3;18

The outside expression of your life tiesup with the health of the inward development of your heart. I’m not speaking of your organic pump for pushing blood through your body. I’m speaking of your values, your spirit, your emotional connection with Christ. It is in the development of your love relationship with Christ that the outside man connects with the inside of a man, and eventually a life change for good occurs.  

People see it. You see it. However, even though the fruit we express is a byproduct of abiding in Christ and is supernatural, a certain amount of discipline with our commitment to release this new life to others is required. In the early stages, we tend to not trust with abandonment the new wisdom God anoints us with, and it is easy to fall into some old ways of thinking, acting, talking and reacting. For this reason, we should be conscious of our words and perspectives when we speak, and to make a sincere effort to speak words that edify and encourage.   

I have found that being disciplined and resolute to be synonymous with taking action. I have also found that being a disciple and living with the disciplines that a teacher taught, to be synonymous with a disciple. So we need to realize that the way we represent Christ who is in us is important. To be a disciple of Christ is to allow our relationship with Him to impact every aspect of our life on the inside and on the outside. When we allow Him to work in us in this way, life change at the surface will follow. There is a cause and effect that occurs.  

As much as we are resolutely committed to allowing Him to take us forward it is His resolute, unwavering commitment to help us find the new life we seek. This encourages me to tell you to allow Him to lead you where He will, for at the end of the day He will lead you where you sincerely desire to go. This is how your life will continually conform to His image, and that is a good thing.

Be Resolute

By Charl Human 

1Tim.6:12

ACTION:  Resolve to make a life changing commitment

res·o·lute –determined, resolved, unswerving, unwavering, steadfast, unfaltering, persistent, tenacious, unrelenting, courageous.

I have been traveling the country seeing our leaders and the outstanding men who have been raised up within Influencers.  Each man has a story, and I’ve enjoyed hearing many of them. Most of these men came to a place in life where they were sick of the devastating choices they had made in their life, and they determined to live out their repentance by resolutely living a changed life inside out. I say “live it out” for this is a fundamental result and requirement of true repentance.  

We resolve to change our future life by taking every living force available to us by our King to help us live a changed life. There are a lot of tears of brokenness with these men, as they openly share their shameful past and the hope given to them with God’s forgiveness, and in many ways the restoration of critically damaged marriages and relationships. It is a beautiful and powerful demonstration of our God’s love and ability to change the most hopeless reprobates—like me. Yes, I had a past as well.  

Men like this influence the people around them for Christ to find answers for every need we have. One negative thing I have seen with some men is that they say the right things, and are open with their struggle. But, they remain in the struggle and never get out of it. They dip in and out of their challenges like a ship without a rudder, refusing to set a true course for transformation. Eventually these guys give up and live a life of defeat, and in doing so take many victims down with them. These men do not have beautiful lives. On the contrary, they protect within themselves a destructive force that will take them down and it has the stench of death to it.  

The good news with the King of Kings is that they can find the help and answers they need to change—if they will pay the price to receive it.  But they cannot find it without a life-defining, and life-changing re-direction to their life. This new direction requires a holy resolve to receive and live a new life in Christ. It requires a “sold out and no other way” resolution to find this new life without the bondage they are in.

For those of you who are interested in taking the necessary steps to move completely away from the spiritual quicksand you are in, I dedicate the next several devotionals to assist you. But make no mistake in thinking it will be what I can do for you. It will be what our King will do for you. But, it must first begin with what you will do for yourself. It must first start with your resolve to change.  Are you in? 

From: an influencer