God has a definite plan for your life. Every person who serves the Lord has a place with God that He has prepared for them, a place in which they may fulfill His purpose for His honor and glory. The Apostle Paul wrote, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him (I Corinthians 12:12,18). Don’t seek to find your own place in the body of Christ; yield to the Lord and seek Him diligently. Then as a yielded vessel, allow Him to place you in the body of Christ where He wants you to be. It may not be what you want or think it should be, but it’s God’s will; and His way is perfect. As for God, his way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). It&rsuo;s important to keep an open mind and a humble spirit all the time so the Lord can use you as He wills to. He can do a great work when people yield to Him and allow Him to have His way in their life.

The Body of Christ

There are many members of a human body, and each member serves its own purpose and function; yet when you put all the members together, they serve the overall good of the body. So it is in the Lord. We all have a pur-pose in the body of Christ. We all have a love obligation and duty that is different from that of our brothers and sisters in Christ. In God’s plan, everyone has to work in harmony.

All the members of that body are important, and no member is more important than another except for the head of the body, Jesus Christ. In the human body, you may think your little pinky is not that important, but try going without it. Suddenly, it will become very important. Each member of the human body is important just as each member of the body of Christ is important.

As a child of God, you must know your place in the body of Christ and be in that place. Then give God complete liberty to use you for His honor and glory according to His will. Search the Old Testament and the New Testament, and you will find many examples of people who yielded completely to God and took their place in His plan. When people do that, God is able to do wonderful, mighty, miraculous things.

Gideon Followed God’s Plan

God called Gideon to bring deliverance to the nation of Israel because the people were under great oppression from the Midianites. Gideon started out with thirty-two thousand men, but God knew all of those men were not qualified to perform His will; so He told Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me (Judges 7:2).

God then instructed Gideon to tell the thirty-two thousand that if any of them were afraid, they should go home. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand (Judges 7:3). Those men left because of fear; but the Word says, God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

When God calls upon you to do something, don’t give in to fear. It can take you out of God’s will for your life and be a hindrance and bondage in your relationship with the Lord. Fear can even cause you to fail God completely.

Well, God told Gideon he still had too many men, and he would have to test them again. Bring them down unto the water [to drink], and I will try them for thee there...Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred (Judges 7:4-6).

Those three hundred men who drank the water from their hand were selfless individuals and alert in watching for the enemy. They were not putting their personal desires before God’s plan even though they had great thirst. The other men put their personal desires before the plan of God, and they failed the test.

Then God told Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you [Israel], and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place (Judges 7:7). God had those He needed to perform His will.

Still God did not go into action until the three hundred men who had passed the test were standing in their place ready to give all. Then a mighty miracle took place. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host [enemy] ran, and cried, and fled (Judges 7:21). Gideon and his three hundred didn’t do that; God did it, but that was only possible because Gideon and his three hundred men were yielded vessels God could use.

Elisha Stood in His Place

Elisha was in his place with God, walking side by side with the prophet Elijah. Because of that, Elisha saw Elijah raptured into Heaven in a chariot of fire. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:11).

As Elisha stood watching, he suddenly saw his master’s mantle descend from Heaven. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him (II Kings 2:13). Elisha received Elijah’s mantle and a double portion of God’s power that came with it.

Elisha had not allowed anyone or anything to take him out of his place with God, but he was tested and tried. At different times, Elijah had tried to divert Elisha from following him. There were also sons of the prophets who stood by the wayside trying to discourage Elisha from keeping his place with the Lord. With hearts of doubt and unbelief, they cried out, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace (II Kings 2:3). If those men had really believed what they were saying, they would have been right there with Elisha to see that great rapture event take place. They were just all talk and full of unbelief, and God knew it.

Elisha paid those sons no mind. He knew he was in his place with God. There are people today who profess the Word of God with their mouths, but their hearts are full of doubt and disobedience. They don’t follow the instructions of the Word, and they stand by the wayside trying to discourage others from doing that.

When the testing was over, both Elisha and Elijah stood on Rapture ground. As a child of God, you will be tested in ways you least expect; but like Elisha, you must not step out of your place. Some of those tests may be severe; but when the testing is over, you will stand on Rapture ground.

Esther Gave All for the Jews

Queen Esther stood in her place with God to save her people, the Jews. As a young virgin, she was chosen to be the Queen of Persia; however, she kept her Jewish heritage a secret. Later, Haman, a man who was wicked and very influential in the king’s court, deceived the king into making a law that at a certain period of time, all the Jews throughout Persia would be killed.

Queen Esther’s cousin Mordecai revealed to her the will of God concerning the situation—that she must go in before the king and intercede on behalf of the Jews. That was a problem for Esther because the Bible tells us it was a law that no one could go in before the king without being summoned by him. If someone did, it could mean death.

Queen Esther had not been summoned by the king for thirty days, so she was reluctant to go before him because it could cost her life; but Mordecai would not let Esther excuse herself. He said, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king&rsuo;s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father&rsuo;s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:13,14)? There are no excuses for any of us not to do the will of God.

Esther decided to take her place before God and put her life on the line. She fasted three days and nights and then went before the king without being summoned. Esther was in God’s place, so God was with her; and she obtained great favor with the king. Then Haman’s deceit was uncovered, and the Jews were given permission to fight for themselves to save their lives.

Where Were All the Followers?

After Jesus died and was resurrected, He spent many days with His followers before He ascended back to Heaven. In I Corinthians 15:6, Paul tells of a time when Jesus appeared to over 500 people at one time. What did He say to them? Did He preach to them? Could they touch Him? How many other times did Jesus appear to different people or groups of people? We don’t know those answers; but right before ascending back into Heaven, Jesus commanded His followers that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence (Acts 1:4,5).

Although all those people had seen Jesus, there were only about 120 who assembled in the Upper Room. Why? What was so important that all those people could not obey the Lord’s instructions? Jesus had demonstrated He was the Lord by being resurrected from the dead, appearing to them and talking to them; yet still, they disobeyed. That shows you how easy it can be to disobey the Lord and not be in your place with Him.

That Upper Room should have been over-flowing with people, but there were only about 120; and they were all in their place with the Lord. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:1-4). The Church of Jesus Christ was born.

Know Your Place in Christ

Jesus said, For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Those who are chosen are the ones who are ready and willing to be used by God. They don’t make excuses or justify themselves. They put their lives on the line and do whatever it takes to fulfill God’s will. Rev. Angley used to say that there are two kinds of people—those who are willing to work for the Lord and those who are willing for others to do the work. Which category are you in?

As a child of God, you must be in your place before the Lord at all times. Then He will fight your battles and give you the victory. Are you in your place in the body of Christ? Are you obedient to the Word of God and to God’s will for your life? Do you know the purpose the Lord has raised you up for, and are you fulfilling that purpose? God is not going to drop His purpose and will for you out of the clouds on your head; you have to seek those things. He [God] is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

The Early Church disciples were in one mind and one accord in the unity of the Spirit and in unity with their brothers and sisters in Christ. That enabled the whole body of Christ to func-tion in harmony to the glory of God and to bless people who were in need.

Paul wrote, For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular (I Corinthians 12:13,14,27). Each child of God has a special place in the body of Christ. Know God’s place for you and be in it.

Wear the Armor of God

Child of God, the Bible instructs you to stand in your place with God and wear the armor He has provided for you. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against princi-palities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Ephesians 6:12,13).

The armor of God will protect you so the enemy of your soul cannot hinder you from following the plan God has laid out for you. Every part of that armor is listed in Ephesians 6:14-17. Study it and put it all on every day.

We are in spiritual warfare, and you must be protected. The days are going to get darker, and the warfare is going to get greater. It’s not the numbers of people that matter to God; He needs those who are faithful and willing to give all. If people can give their all for man’s army, children of God should be willing to give all in the Lord’s army and stand in one mind and one accord with divinity. An army cannot be divided if it’s going to stand. It must be unified and work together in harmony. Every soldier must be in their place and fulfill their responsibility. Any person who is out of place and shirking their duty can cause a whole unit to be destroyed.

Commit All to God

You must be in the place God has for you without any fear, doubt or reservations because all of that quenches the Spirit of God. I say again that fear hinders God from moving and accomplishing His will. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7).

When it comes to anything concerning your walk with the Lord—working with your brothers and sisters in Christ, doing the work of God, using your talents for the Lord, living in the plan of God for your life or whatever—you must have a sound mind and do everything through the love and power of God.

Stand in your place and commit one hundred percent unto the Lord. Shed all the baggage and hindrances and become a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Hold nothing in reserve. If you hold anything back from the Lord and shirk even just one part of God’s plan for your life, you will make trouble for yourself and allow the devil to get in. When you sell out completely to the Lord, you are in His perfect place for you.

Paul was completely sold out. That’s why he could say, For the which cause [the cause of Christ] I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (II Timothy 1:12). Paul had given all.

When you give all, you will have living reality in the Lord and be ready to make any sacrifice for Him. It’s when people don’t have living reality that they begin to shrink away from God. They have talking faith but not acting faith, and they are not on frontline duty when the enemy is raging and the war is hot.

Be a Willing Sacrifice

Paul was ready and willing to give his life as a martyr without any fear. He knew what awaited him; and he wrote to Timothy saying, For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day (II Timothy 4:6-8).

Stand in your place as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1). That is just your reasonable or expected service. Christ gave His all for you; should you not give your all for Him?

You may think, “I am willing to be used, but I have nothing to offer the Lord.” When God called Moses at the burning bush in the middle of a wilderness, all he had was a shepherd’s staff, a rod; so no doubt, Moses felt the same way.

When God told Moses that he was to go to Egypt and tell Pharoah to let the Israelites go, Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he [God] said, Cast it on the ground. And he [Moses] cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it (Exodus 4:1-3). All Moses saw was an ordinary rod, but God showed Moses that he didn’t need much in order to perform God’s will. He just needed a humble, willing heart that was ready to obey. You may not think you have much to offer the Lord, but give Him what you do have; and let Him use it.

Use Your Talents for God

In the parable of the talents, there were three servants. Their master gave one servant five talents; he gave another two talents, and the last one received one talent.

Later when the master returned, each servant had to give account for what they did with their talents. The first two servants made use of their talents and increased them. That last servant didn’t think much of his one talent, so he decided not to use it and just buried it. He told his master, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine (Matthew 25:24,25).

That servant had not lost his talent or given it away; he just had not used it. Even so, the master was not happy; and he said, Thou wicked and slothful servant...Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 25:26, 28, 30).

Give the Lord your talents, and He will increase them. Give Him your abilities, and He will multiply them. Give Him your will, and He will use you. What you have may not look like much; but like Moses, give it to God and watch what He will do with it.

God Wants Humility

To be in your place with God is to be humble and have a sober mind. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted (Matthew 23:12). Ego has been a problem for some people, and that is why God can’t use them. The little bit that God does use them causes them to get lifted up in their own eyes. They also get lifted up if other people start commending them.

You have to humble yourself before the Lord and realize where your talents and abilities come from. Realize that it is God who bestowed them upon you and is multiplying them and giving you favor to use them.

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revela-tion of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:13). You can’t have a frivolous spirit. You must be sober-minded and know the hour you live in. You must know God has a plan for your life and be sober and diligent in seeking that plan. You must want to be used of the Lord however He chooses to use you.

Jesus said your place with God is in the prayer closet. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:6).

Jesus went on to declare that your place with God is also in fasting. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21). But how many of you Bible fast before the Lord? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast (Matthew 9:15). The Bridegroom is no longer with us, so you must wait for His return in fasting.

Never Look Back

It is important to remember this warning Jesus gave: Remember Lot&rsuo;s wife (Luke 17:32). Lot, his wife and their two daughters were fleeing from the judgments God was going to pour out on Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot’s wife was in her place as two angels were leading them out. They were commanded not to look back, but Lot’s wife disobeyed the Lord and looked back; and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

All Lot’s wife did was look back. She didn’t hurt or offend anyone, but God still destroyed her because she had disobeyed the Word of God. When God looks down upon your life, He must never find you out of place with Him. If you are out of place at the moment when Jesus returns, you won’t make the one flight out.

Demas was a child of God and a co-worker with the Apostle Paul, but he left his place with God. When Paul was about to lay down his life for Christ and was writing his farewell letter to Timothy, he told of how everybody in Asia and even Demas had forsaken him. How many others had forsaken him, we don’t know; but the intense heat of that fiery persecution from Rome was upon him.

Demas must have been special for Paul to have called him out by name; but Paul said, For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world (II Timothy 4:10). Evidently, Demas no longer wanted the trials, tribulations and persecutions of serving the Lord. Instead, he wanted to take the easier path. Do you think a few years of the pleasures of this world were worth it? If you could ask Demas that question today, surely he would say it was not worth eternal damnation in hell.

Come into God’s Plan

Friend, if there’s any sin in your life or any-thing that’s taking you out of God’s place for you, you had better get back. You may be a back-slider who had a definite place with God, but you turned your back on Him. Jesus said, For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)? Whatever took you out of your place with God, is it worth eternal damnation in hell?

Friend, I would like to pray with you right now. Backslider, take this opportunity to give your heart to the Lord. Sinner, this is your opportunity to find your place with God so He can use your life for His honor and glory and make you a blessing to others.

Pray with me now and say, Oh, God, save my soul. Forgive me of all of my sins. I am so sorry that I have failed you, but I have come home; and I will serve you in the place you have for me. I believe there is power in the divine blood of Jesus that washes away all of my sins. Come into my heart, Jesus. Come into my heart. Amen.

Friend, if you meant that prayer, Jesus is yours. Serve Him. Seek Him in the Word, in prayer and in fasting. Seek Him until He reveals to you His place for your life, and then never leave that place for anyone or anything. In eternity, it will be worth it.

Claim God’s Healing Promise

When you are in your place with God, He wants you to be in good health so you can be a greater witness for Him. Jesus said, If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven (Matthew 18:19). Raise your hands, and I will agree with you for God to move for you.

Oh, God, in the name of Jesus, I bring the people before you now. Lord, you know each request and each need. We know there is power in the blood of your Son, Jesus, to break every bondage and set each person free. Lord, lay a healing hand upon each one. Let the healing virtue in the blood of Jesus flow and set them free. Lord, we thank you for the healing blood stripes of Jesus, and we thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayer. Amen.

Friend, watch every sign of improvement and give God all the praise, the honor and the glory. Then let us know what God has done for you. God bless you today.