Where Are You? (Last Sunday of 2019 Sermon)

“Where are you?”, the Lord God called and said to the man. “Where are you?”, I too ask as we near the close of the year 2019.

God’s question was a relational question because He was interested in their location (Genesis 3:8-9). A relational question seeks for one’s position relative to a fixed place. Say you were to give your current location, you would normally do so in reference to a landmark. Similarly, God was interested in Adam and Eve’s current position (status) relative to Him – their fellowship.

Where Are You?

The following Stages and Cycles of Life will help you to identify ‘where you are’. These are very helpful at the end of preferably a year, but they can also be useful at any given time.

Stages of Life

1. Childhood

This is the stage of learning. A person in this stage of life is one in need of help, especially from teachers.

2. Adulthood

This is the stage of living. A person in this stage of life is in need of doing exploits. Thus, such a person is constantly looking for challenges.

3. Elder-ship

This is the stage of legacy. A person in this stage of life is in need of empowering or imparting others.

Cycles of Life

Seed-time is a time to sacrifice or invest (study the Bible, pray or fast) while harvest time is a time to enjoy the fruit of your sacrifice or investment and reinvest. Therefore, a sower cannot behave like a harvester, and vice versa. Behaving contrary to the season you are in will make you to not benefit from the same.

Even though two people (mostly acquaintances) can be in the same time-frame, most often than not they will be in different seasons. Normally, mentors (like Elisha) will be in their harvest time while their mentees (Gehazi) are in their seed-time (2 Kings 5:25-27).

Cold and winter is a time of loneliness, rejection and people fighting you. During such a time nothing works and you feel dry. There is no way you can harvest during such a time. In addition, the snow that covers the ground and vegetation can be misleading. But it need not be – the water it carries the water that will help the dead-looking vegetation to spring back to life. Therefore, cold and winter is a season of supply of life.

In the night season, nobody notices or gives you a chance. However, it’s the time to dream. In the daytime, it’s the time to be recognized.

Important Things to Note

Don’t exit your season just because you are not being celebrated or you are being mistreated. In Genesis 16:1-9, Hagar could not be allowed to take Abraham’s seed (Ishmael) to the wilderness (wilderness kills seeds, especially of relationships and business). Ishmael had to be in Abraham’s house to receive the blessing (because blessings are spoken over a person).

Seasons cannot be rejected, and they are not permanent. Therefore, when God changes seasons, you must change your actions. Also, at any particular time, you are either entering into, in, or exiting a season. It is therefore important work with God – it is an angel who tells Hagar to go back to Abraham’s house, and also leave.

It is also important to note that Hagar’s destiny was tied to Ishmael’s destiny. Your destiny too, is tied to your seed. Therefore, don’t quit relationships you shouldn’t. Some people have and have consequently lost out on the benefits of the season.

God raises people in seasons. At His appointed time, He opens the door and many enter (just like we do enter an open lift), and He shuts the door. This implies that talent is half the whole, timing is the other half. Hence, be like the sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32).

One season always prepares you for another. When it gets intense, just know that the season is about to change – it is always darkest before day break. Jacob entered his dark season when he negotiated himself into 7 years of labour (Genesis 29:18-30). His darkest was when he fled from his father-in-law (Gensis 31:4-17) and met his brother Esau (Genesis 33). Thereafter, his story changes – He becomes Israel.