To our faithful members who read our offerings each week, some of you have been with us since we began online some 16 years ago, and we so appreciate you. We pray for you often, and we endeavor to encourage you to grow higher and greater through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You’ve partnered with us in this quest, and we are honored that you’ve allowed us to be a part of your spiritual journey in Christ. We pray that you will continue to do so, because when our faith in the Lord is mixed with love and right believing, we can do wonderful things. Not only can we triumph over hurdles, tricks, and plots that the enemy sends our way, but we can build our catalog of right believing in a way that pleases Heavenly Father. It will then become the foundation upon which we launch an empire. Building an empire isn’t just for those who have lots of seed money. You don’t have to be the most popular, or have a ground-well of folks in your camp. The one thing that you DO have to possess is a belief that you’ve been destined by God to change profoundly someone other than yourself.
When you strike a matchstick on the side of a matchbook, fire is ignited. The friction kindled when the stick strikes the surface causes enough heat to generate the desired outcome, which is of course, fire. One small, thin stick, typically no more than an inch or two, can light a candle or ignite an explosion. In this same manner, a single person can bless, influence, and change one person, or an entire community or country. It all begins with the intention to do something meaningful for the Kingdom of God.
In John 15:1-3 (MSG), Jesus Christ said, “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.” There are some people in the faith that say they love God, but at the end of the day, it’s just lip service. There’s nothing to back it up. Jesus Christ is our example. He’s the way to the Father; he’s the way to truth; and he’s the way to life. Without his example, we’re clueless and helpless. With his example, we have a roadmap that tells us exactly what to do and how to do it to get the absolute most from this earth experience.
We’re not here to waste time or be aimless. We know from his words in John 15 that we are to be productive. We are to use our lives to do what Jesus did, to continue his ministry to serve and be a blessing. If the sum total of our lives isn’t measuring up to service, that’s a problem. We have got to wake up and realize that we are either doing something to advance the Kingdom of God, or doing something to advance the kingdom of darkness. There is no in between. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve two masters. You either love one or hate the other.
The day and time in which we live demands that we become incredibly serious about the accumulation of our deeds, bad or good. There’s an acceleration afoot, and what we do in this season is incredibly consequential. We’ve got to become extremely interested in the impact of our influence and the legacy that is left as a result of it.
From the words of our Lord and Savior’s mouth, we are told that Heavenly Father cuts off every branch that doesn’t bear fruit. Many people have been tricked into thinking God will allow anything to slide, and that most folks will make it to heaven. This simply isn’t true. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 7:13 (NLT), “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” Indeed, many do choose that way, and abdicate their responsibility to the faith and the multitude of privileges and rewards that accompany it.
God’s grace truly is amazing! The transformation of our ideas, thoughts, attitudes, actions, and behaviors for the better is a testament to His grace. We can’t drink from the cup of His grace and not be changed, but some people are mistaken. They have mislabeled grace as permission from God to keep doing the same things they’ve always done without consequence. They will soon burn out, because this is not faith mixed with love. God is the farmer! He produces! That’s what love does. It changes things, so if we are not interested in productivity or fruit, we’re sleeping on the job. If we’re not interested in doing something that helps spread the truth of God’s Word, we’re sitting on our gifts.
Someone said that they weren’t interested in building an empire, they just wanted to be able to take care of their families, put food on the table, and live a quiet and peaceful life. We all want this, but as lovers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we should be willing to concede to his plans for our lives. He knows our capabilities. He knows our destinies. He said in
John 15:8 (NLT), “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” Jesus is willing to work and partner with us to produce much fruit. All it takes is the faith, love, and desire to please God on the greatest level of which we are capable.
So many are giving up on their destinies. Yes, this world is kinda crazy right now. Yawl know the level of foolishness has reached an all-time high, but I’m not concerned with political spins or deceptions. Not gonna try and sugarcoat meanness or validate the stuff that’s passing as Christian values these days. These are all tricks that the enemy is using to move our attention away from what God is doing in, with, and through us. God is working in you, and for this reason, your attention must be on how He’s moving to increase you—make you ready for expansion, and for the empire you’re destined to birth.
Heavenly Father knows what branches will bear fruit. He knows when our intention is to sit on the anointing, ignore the revelation, and neglect the call. He will not reward a lack of diligent effort from us, because He has endowed us with Holy Spirit power; therefore, we are far more capable than we think. An empire is not always defined by its size, but by its impact. You were born to put your brand on something significant. We have it in us to build an empire of believing and trusting God that will continue to spread through generations after us. Wake up to this! Become interested in the legacy you were destined to build!
To receive the latest issue of the SMS Magazine, click here.■
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The Empire You are Destined to Birth!” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2017. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.