Occupy

It is one thing to know God’s promise for you, and it is another thing to occupy your promise.

Week 1: Occupy Till I Come

Luke 19:13 KJV, “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, occupy till I come.”
Read the context from v.12-27
Occupational troops are not the same as warring troops. When occupational forces go in, they do not go in to win a victory, they go in to enforce a victory that is already won.
Occupy = do business, to busy oneself with, to engage in the mission, to trade.
Luke 19:13 AMPC, “Calling ten of his [own] bond servants, he gave them ten minas [each equal to about one hundred days’ wages or nearly twenty dollars] and said to them, ‘Buy and sell with these while I go and then return.’”

PRAYER POINTS

Pray that we will have the courage to repossess and recover what the enemy has stolen from us with strength and boldness. “For the kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent take it by force!” Matthew 11:12, NKJV
Pray that we do not disqualify ourselves from entering the promised land through grumbling, murmuring, or complaining, instead, may we persevere in the journey, encouraging ourselves and others to keep moving forward until we fully possess and occupy the promises God has given us.
Pray that the next generation will also taste, see, and experience the goodness of the Lord just as the older generations witnessed because the Lord will surely do His mighty works again for our children and our children’s children. Psalm 34:8 NKJV
Pray that we continue to sow and till the soil of our hearts, removing the mess, roots, rocks, and hardened places that must be uprooted. May we prepare the ground so we can plant the seeds God has entrusted to us and called us to occupy! “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.” Jeremiah 1:10 NKJV
Pray against principalities and strongholds as we step into a new level of spiritual warfare. May we rise in prayer and intercession with steadfast faith. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NIV
Pray that we will be ready to do battle, preparing ourselves for the promises of God that He has called us to step into. “Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying. ‘Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’” Joshua 1:10-12 NKJV
Pray that God will equip and guide us in all spiritual gifts and strengthen us for the battles ahead, so that we may faithfully do the work of ministry, persevere, and contend until we fully possess and occupy the promises the Lord has given us.

Week 2: The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19 NKJV, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
What we have missed oftentimes is that we have been co-missioned
In other words, we are co-laborers, and our challenge is to engage in the mission that we have been given.
Jesus said it this way—He said, "I want you to occupy till I come."

PRAYER POINTS

Pray that we will have the genuine compassion for the lost to pursue them and disciple them. Not only that we introduce them to Christ, but we be willing to work together to bring those who are lost into spiritual maturity so that in turn, they can and will also share Jesus to their sphere of influence. “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
Pray that we will carry the Father’s heart, pursuing and bringing back souls into the kingdom. “Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.” Matthew 18:11-13 NIV
Pray that we will occupy the territory that the Lord has given to us and that wherever we go, we will shine our light, be the beacon of hope and light to the darkness surrounding us. “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NIV
Pray that we continue to persevere no matter what challenges we face and will remain strong in season and out of season, occupying the territory God has given us. “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” 2 Timothy 4:2

Week 3: We Are Well Able to Overcome It

Numbers 13:30–33 “Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.’ But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’"
God challenges us with the assignment, and we think it is about us—when in reality it is about increasing His influence in the place He has put us.
Many people are invited to possess territory they did not think they needed. Why? Because most people are content to get out and never get in.
God’s intention was, “I brought you out to bring you in”—that is to occupy.

PRAYER POINTS

Pray that we can learn to have faith like Caleb, that we will have the courage to rise up in faith, take possession of what God has promised and trust with full confident that we are able to overcome our giants through God who gives us strength. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:31-39 NKJV
Pray that when God gives us assignments, we will not see them as burdens but as opportunities to increase our influence in the places where He has positioned us. “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:13
Pray that we will not settle for the mediocre life, but instead we can fully step into the territories God has given us to possess.
Pray that we will understand God’s true intention, not just to bring us out of bondage but to bring us into the abundance of His provision and prosperity, into a land flowing with milk and honey and filled with all good things from our good Father. “So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” Exodus 3:8

Week 4: An Invitation to Participate

Joshua 1:2-3 “Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses."
Understand that when God calls you, it is an invitation to participate in purpose.
God is internally moving us towards the purposes He has originated.
You are being invited to go occupy territory.
Chaos is not greater than the promise; God says I want you to possess land that is ALREADY yours.

PRAYER POINTS

Pray for courage like Joshua, that we may step boldly into the land He has already given us. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” Joshua 1:2–3
Pray that our understanding will be enlighten to God’s call as an invitation to participate in His divine purpose, not only as a task but as a partnership with Him. “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.” Ephesians 1:18
Pray that we will remain sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit, allowing God to move us toward the purposes He has already established for our lives.
Pray that we will not be intimated by chaos of this world, but instead stand firm on God’s promise, knowing that the land He calls us to possess is already ours.

‍