During a recent conference in Georgia my friend Barbara Wentroble taught an insightful message from the book of Ruth. She pointed out that Ruth, a hopeless young gentile widow, never would have inherited God’s blessings if she had stayed in the forsaken land of Moab. She had to leave her home and travel to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. Once Ruth was repositioned, she discovered God’s salvation and favor–and she ended up in the lineage of the Messiah.
The Bible is full of stories of people who had to move from one place to another to align with God’s plans. Abram and Sarai left their relatives in Ur; Moses had to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt; Nehemiah had to travel from Persia to Jerusalem. In the New Testament, Peter had to go to Cornelius’ house in Caesarea; Paul had to sail to Rome; and God had to scatter the disciples (see Acts 8:1) so they would fulfill the Great Commission.
None of these transitions were easy. We prefer the comfort of the familiar and the security of a steady paycheck. But faith is a journey, and it often leads us to places we would never choose on our own.
As I have pondered Barbara’s message, I’ve found myself asking questions about my own alignment. Am I in the right place to receive from God? Is He calling me to shift in any way–either geographically or in my relationships? Many respected prophetic voices have been talking recently about alignment because it is a crucial issue for God’s people. When the Lord is getting ready to do a new thing, He repositions us.
God wants us in the right place at the right time. Are you in proper alignment? Here are a few questions to ponder:
1. Are you part of a faith community? I meet many Christians today who tell me they have stopped attending a local church, either because they were wounded by a pastor or because they feel church is irrelevant to them. I don’t doubt that the wounds are real. But to pull away from the church is to cut yourself off from the fullness of His blessing. As imperfect as the church is, it is still His plan. God’s anointing has never rested on Lone Rangers who are motivated by an independent spirit.
Source: Charisma News
J. LEE GRADY is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. To listen to Barbara Wentroble’s message, “Aligning for Success,” given at the Bold Venture Women’s Leadership Gathering on Feb. 24, 2012, click here.
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