Christian Living
Starting a new venture can be exciting and doubtless risky. Exciting because it is something new and seemingly promising. Risky because of the fear of failure, resource constraints amongst other uncertainties. Sometimes people handle the uncertainties of new ventures by proactively focusing on project purpose and objectives, ensuring tact and discipline in mobilising and utilizing resources, sticking to proven successful models and practice.
Creating from the beginning means starting fresh, starting from the beginning. It means initiating something that never existed before. It implies the onset of an adventure, first steps towards actualization of a dream, a purpose or an ambition.
The problem there can be with creating from the beginning is starting from a point of nothingness, which in a sense is actually its beauty also, because bareness presents countless opportunities.
God saw the opportunities in void and emptiness at the beginning…
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.“Genesis 1:1-5 NKJV
In this new time and season of life, as you embark on a new adventure or faith walk, what do you see with the newness of the new year? God saw the Heavens and the earth, He saw the plants, animals, He saw the beauty of creating them all, He saw man and the joy of fellowship, He saw you and He thought you and I were far more important and inspiring than the obvious void, emptiness and darkness that stared at Him in the beginning.
1. Start Creating From Your Mind
Genesis 1:1 says …..
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NKJV
Before we are told of all the interesting and beautiful things God made, Genesis 1:1 tells us God already created the Heavens and the earth. Someone may say; ‘Ah, Grace that’s just an introductory statement or a manner of speaking‘ but I dare say that God first saw the Heavens and the Earth with all its glory in His mind, He conceived it and subsequently set out to birth His conception.
Starting to create from the mind would therefore mean envisioning your final product or outcome, identifying aims and objectives, appreciating the relevance, importance and impact of your final outcome….in your mind and making a note of them.
Making notes at this point helps you keep tabs on your thought trail, helps to clarify your thought process, provides a base to layer on, and provides information that can be communicated with a future team.
“Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.” Habakkuk 2:2 NKJV
So start by creating in your minds. Faith sees and receives first before manifestation.
2. Identify Possible Challenges And Limitations
Genesis 1:2a records the existence of void, emptiness and darkness at the beginning…
“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.“Genesis 1:2 NKJV
God noticed the void, emptiness and darkness. He didn’t ignore them, He didn’t let them deter or stop Him. He proceeded by faith.
So to create from the beginning linelist all possible challenges, limitations, oppositions to achieving your aims and objectives. Write them down.
3. Identify Your Stakeholders And Partners
Through the Bible, we see God described as 3 distinct persons, with different functions but same nature, quality, substance, united in vision and purpose. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit; they are one, one God.
Mark 1:9-11 and John 15:26 are just 2 portions of scripture where we see the three persons of the Godhead identified distinctly (there are many more scriptures)..
“It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”Mark 1:9-11 NKJV
If the voice called Jesus “my beloved son“, then the voice must be the voice of the Father.
In John 15:26, Jesus speaks of sending the Helper; the Holy Spirit from the Father…
“But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” John 15:26 NKJV
Now that we have established the existence of the 3 in 1 Godhead, we can better understand Genesis 1:2b, John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:26..
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”Genesis 1:26 NKJV
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:1-3 NKJV
*The Word is Jesus (Revelation 19:13).
“…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” Genesis 1:2 NKJV
We see therefore that the Godhead worked together in unity in creation.
So to create from the beginning, identify your team; partners and stakeholders, people of likeminds, shared or common interests and beliefs. Also make a note of each person’s role and/or responsibility. God will lead these people to you or lead you to them.
4. Let The Spirit Of God Hover Over Your Plans.
“….And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” Genesis 1:2 NKJV
While I cannot tell exactly what this observation means, I believe there is a link between the Spirit hovering over the waters and the subsequent emergence of creation. So to be successful with creating from the beginning, let the Spirit of God hover over your plans. Spend time praying in the Spirit about this plan, and as you pray, the Spirit will surely unveil to you the various ramifications of your project, more than you’d ever imagine.
For me, this is probably the most critical of the 10 points listed in this article. Do not miss God, avoid mistakes, spend time praying in the Spirit.
5. Speak Your Creation Into Being.
“And God said” is the next thing we see following the hovering of the Spirit of God over the waters. God said; “let there be“. He spoke things into being.
To create from the beginning, speak forth the things revealed to you by the Spirit. Call these things by name as they are revealed to you. Write them down and note as much details about them as you possibly can.
6. Identify Roles And Functions Of Different Parts.
Everything God made was for a purpose, all of them. So identify and note down the functions, objectives, roles or responsibilities of the things revealed to you.
Objective of every God-given vision must ultimately be to bring glory to Him and secondly, to benefit mankind. If your creation or any part of it lacks in these 2; you may need to pray more.
7. Appreciate The Beauty Of Your Creation
As you appreciate the purpose and roles of every part of your creation, you’ll marvel at the impact they’ll make. That is a necessary spur to stepping out to accomplish them. God saw that His creation was “good.”
“Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Genesis 1:31 NKJV
8. Bless Your Creation
God may not have blessed every single thing He created, however He called them good. That in itself is a blessing. Bless your creation, pronounce God’s blessings on them. To bless something is to empower it to prosper. Speak to them concerning all that they will accomplish.
9. Appoint Trusted Persons To Manage Different Aspects Of Your Project.
This has to be persons with common interests and shared vision. It is dangerous to randomly select people to run your creation, project or vision irrespective of their level of education, qualification, or achievement. Passion is no doubt an essential drive of purpose, but there can be no passion without a conviction of purpose.
Unfortunately you cannot create an Adam who will be of your nature and likeness, so ask God to lead you to the right persons or to lead the right persons to you.
The person (s) you choose may require to be empowered through trainings etc. Oblige them. Provide him/her with authority, resources and allow for initiatives.
10. Rest From Your Creation. Watch, Guide, Protect.
Rest doesn’t mean hand over your God-given mandate to another and go to sleep. Jesus is seated, resting at the right hand of the Father, yet He is the Head of the Church, and He is building His Church against all odds. Can you imagine what work there is in leading the Body of Christ? Selah! Rest doesn’t mean to sign out.
I hope you learn something from these 10 things about creating from the beginning that will help you as you embark on new projects or initiatives this new year.
Have a blessed and successful year.
