Thoughts & Reflections from Pastor Zee
Breakthroughs Are Never Easy
Elijah said, "By my word, there will be no rain for 3 1/2 years." One announcement. 8 words, and it was true. At the end of the 3 1/2 years of famine, the same man had to pray seven times to create a breakthrough for it to rain again. Seven prayers for breakthrough versus one announcement to shut the heavens. Quitting is easy; you can just stop. However, breaking through demands power and resolve. You cannot be emotional about it, nor should you take offense. Will power has to be free and devoid of human emotions. Breakthroughs are never easy. They are full of barriers and unpaved paths, and most times you must clear the path. Demonic forces, other people's will for your life, human limitations, man-made demarcations, laws, and psychological warfare, as well as intellectual, physical, and emotional limitations, are all barriers to breaking through. Prayer has always been and will continue to be the most powerful force in breaking down barriers. Intercession is a literal force.
If it is to be
There comes a time in every man's or woman’s life when you realize that if it's to be, it’s up to you. In an instant, you get the revelation that everything you need to succeed is inside of you, and God has already made sure of it. The phrase "I can't do it" implies that the creator made a mistake by creating you with existing limitations. We are on a journey to discover the power within. You cannot be intimidated by anything. The people in front of us are not judging us; they are looking to be inspired, which implies that everything we have been through—what we have seen, what we have felt, what we have heard, the disappointments, the victories, even the deep things we can’t put into words—all those things are tools to inspire others. So, as we face challenges, let's reach deep within. We cannot be anxious; rather, let’s come alive and believe that we are the best. The reality is that God doesn’t answer all prayers. Some prayers are to convince yourself that you are the right candidate. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, "Let this cup pass from me." God was not going to answer that prayer. That prayer was a conviction that if it's to be, it's up to me.
You Better Be Starting Something
Human beings are born to create, to work, to be, to do, and to always be full of ideas. Individually, we have over 6,000 thoughts per day on average. All those thoughts are looking for legitimacy in this physical dimension. Hence, we, the recipients of those thoughts, are entrusted with the power to create and start something. Being idle is a waste of thoughts, energy, and the inherent creative force within.
When we resolve to start something, there are always two opposing forces at work, and we have to deal with these forces harshly. Because of these forces, graveyards are referred to as "the junkyard of ideas," where many remarkable ideas that were never realized are buried along with humanity.
The two forces that compromise ideas are:
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Internal: Are you sure you can do this?
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External: Who do you think you are?
The first one is usually the blatant voices, which stop you right at the gate before you even get to face the second external question. The key to dealing with these forces is making sure it’s part of your culture to always start something. That way, you develop the resolve and strength to always override them.
Pastor
God’s kingdom is a massive entity and the head of this Kingdom is God by himself. All of humanity and the unseen world exist at his pleasure. God has given man the power to make choices regarding his ultimate destiny. As a free moral agent, man has the awesome responsibility to make choices yet time and again we have deviated from choosing what God has set as statutes and standards for his Kingdom. With man’s ideas we have created alternate unrecognized kingdoms replacing the fundamental structures that God has in place, instead, presenting our ideologies and erroneously calling that God’s Kingdom. God has His Kingdom, His way, His Statues and His order.
I am passionate about God’s Kingdom, there is absolutely nothing like it—a spiritual organism of gifted people serving one another in availability and love. I mostly want to be recognized simply as a servant of Christ.
Leadership
Executive roles in this ever-changing complex world require a total focus on people and not products. For generations, products have been at the center of strategic management of time, space, and knowledge. However, in this new era where anyone anywhere can create, innovate, and execute, the focus has to shift from products to people. Everything is changing at the speed of thought, and it is easy in this fast-changing time to fossilize. Change is becoming more rapid, and it is becoming harder to manage people. I believe that the antidote to these complex changes is leadership that is guided by kingdom thoughts and centered on accommodating people and their ideas.
A Family's Legacy
Proximity to God doesn’t exonerate you from pain and challenges. Being close to Him gives you love, peace, grace, patience, and assurance. The major battle is really the fight for family. In family, we find foundation, identity, power, trust, options, and above all, we learn how to receive and give love. Family is meant for us to build on top of previous generations. The unfortunate part about starting over or rebuilding is that we lose wealth, knowledge, wisdom, and finance. We are paying it backwards whenever we do not pay it forward. Paying backwards is borrowing from the future. That’s why debt hurts a legacy. It is painful to pay for things that happened in the past. If you can’t pay cash and you can’t afford it, leave it, except when buying an asset that will appreciate in value. Loving your family is the antidote to spending. Family fulfillment drastically reduces the need and desire to spend. Let’s build families, and let’s desire family over and above everything else in life, because it’s easy for one generation to gain ground and another to lose ground. Rebuilding or starting over is way harder than blazing a trail or building on top of an existing structure.
Coach
I love coaching. We are who we are because of coaching—a tradition that has made the world what it is today. I believe without coaching there is no continuation, no progression, no evolution of ideas, talent, and improvement. For as much as I have coached, I realize more than ever that, as much as you are helping people grow, they are also helping you grow. We should always coach principles that will become sound doctrine, because you never coach skills, rather you coach the person. Skills are not transferable; principles are.
Complex World
We are living in a complex world that’s changing rapidly at the speed of thoughts. Thus, putting pressure on our ability to come up with ideas to strategically position us for the future. How society counters 21st-century challenges will be through ideas. That’s why I believe the next industrial revolution, if it’s not already here is IDEAS to reset this complex world we have created.
Fatherhood
Fatherhood starts with this remarkable line in the Lord’s prayer, “OUR FATHER.” We are who we are because God is. Everything we are is because we saw someone do it. Being a father starts with God, and we are fathers because God was Father first. One of the greatest names of God is Abba Father and thus, the highest honor for every man is fatherhood. The gift of life is produced through fatherhood. Replicating yourself is an eternal glory that resides in the crevices of every man. What the world needs the most are fathers, because children are the evidence of our existence. Who they become is evidence of our teaching! What their children become is evidence of our legacy!!
Don't Rationalize Time-Wasting
When you rationalize anything, you are literally rationalizing lying. In life, you either do it or you don't. There has never been a middle ground. Indecision is a decision. Attempts don’t count. The only way attempts count is when you use them as stepping stones to victory. The difference in the lives of Jesse Owens and Mark Robinson after the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin was a measly 0.4 seconds. Both men smashed the world 200-meter record, however, only Jesse Owens is remembered and spoken of because he ran 0.4 seconds faster than Mark. The reasoning is that 0.4 seconds can mean the difference between achievement and obscurity. That's why time is important, and hence we should never use the phrase, "I am just killing time." The truth of the matter is that killing time is suicidal. Time is your life measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and ultimately years.