Cultural Challenge 5

Don’t wait. Declare.

A common problem is for people to wait for God to tell them what to do with their life. It is a fallacy to believe that until God speaks to you, you will not know your area of meaningful expansion for yourself. God has already spoken to you intrinsically thru preferred work. That is your area of meaningful expansion for yourself. Declare it as your gift back to God.

Spiritual Awakening:
God’s greatest gift to you is your free will. God waits for you to act of faith. The spiritual awakening occurs when you freely declare your area of meaningful expansion for yourself as your gift in humility back to God. This consecration of your area of meaningful expansion for yourself is your hands acting as God’s own hands on this earth as an act of faith.

“The more you give your hands to Me, the more I will honor you” is a core statement of devotion to the Infant of Prague, a mystery and widely popular devotion to the Child Jesus with a globe in His hand and a crown on His head. Making yourself small like a child is Declaration.

Presentation – Declaration

Video Resource: Declaration of Work to God | Susan Davis, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMU4hwMxi8k

7 minutes

Susan Davis, a Senior Vice President in commercial lending at a major national financial institution, will share a story of declaration. Hear Susan’s struggle, while doing work she preferred, yet seemingly being left behind. Hear this strong woman double down at her former employer before moving to her new employer. She credits Declaration in her Work Meets Faith small group, humbly offering her gift in banking back to God. Hear how quickly God opened doors, and how her prayers were answered.

Declaration

Every action has a consequence. The consequence of Declaration is consecration. You have to claim your area of meaningful expansion for yourself as your own. Then declare it for God.

The first nudge is from God thru our preferences. When we make our self small so that God becomes big, we do our part in humility in letting God use us. It is paradoxical to make our Declarations out of humility, but that is how God asks us to be like Him. He wants us to create as He did. And our declarations will become our vows to God. You will declare your area of meaningful expansion for yourself as your bond with God. The Biblical promises associated with your declaration are: “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28 “You will pray to God and God will hear you. You will have good reason to fulfill your vows. You will decide on a matter and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.” Job 22: 27-28; also see Job 21-26. Once you decide on your area of meaningful expansion for yourself and declare it in faith to God, “it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.”

You do your part and God will do His part. Your story will be in God’s story. Psychologists call bringing your story to reality, self-efficacy. Self-efficacy means passion for one’s work. With God at the center of your life, your work will have meaning of the highest order.

In a quiet, prayerful manner ask the Declaration Questions.

1. Can you describe a portion of your work that you prefer doing?

2. Does the portion of your work that you prefer doing give meaning to your work life?

3. Is there a way you can do more of this preferred work? This is your area of meaningful expansion for yourself.

4. Do you see this work as truly in the best interests of others?

5. Can you get the job done?

Bible Resource: Declaration

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Job 22:21(new Jerusalem Bible) “Agree with God and be at peace; in this way good will come to you.

22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart:

23 If you return to the Almighty,’” you will be restored, if you remove unrighteousness from your tents,

24 if you treat gold like dust, and gold of Ophir like the stones of the torrent-bed,

25 and if the Almighty is your gold and your precious silver,

26 then you will delight yourself in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God.

27 You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows (Per Fr. Piotr, vows = covenant/law/love God/love neighbor as yourself. How do you make a declaration? Verbally or in writing.).

28 You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways.

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Also Mk. 11_23-25 Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him.

Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours.25 When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”

When you are ready, make a declaration to God that this preferred work is an area of meaningful expansion for yourself, and give it over to God so that you might better love all before you.

Ephesians 4:22-24

You should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Once you join a Work Meets Faith small group, ask those in your small group, what attributes you will need to accomplish your declaration?

List the attributes, for example patience.

Find corresponding scripture citations, for example internet search “patience: Bible.” Result: 1Corinthians 13:4-5 Once you find the passage search for example, Usccb: 1Corinthians 13:4-5, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Print attributes and scripture to become your personal section of scripture written by God with you in mind. Honor the Word by studying it until it becomes your own. You will find yourself inexorably drawn to God. It will be superlatively efficacious. And “Light will shine upon your ways.”