What's Your Why?

Listen, I just wanted to write you a quick message to inspire you to examine your walk with Christ in order to push yourself to a deeper level. The message is simple “What’s your motive?” Why do you serve God? Why do you give to God? Why did you Partner to this ministry? Why do you live where you live? Why do you like what you do? Everything about you is defined in you “why”. Your why is the motive that determines your actions. Often times, as a youth I was every active and some would even say “I was bad”. Now as an adult I often ask myself the question my parents would ask me when they were punishing or rewarding me for doing whatever it was I did. That question is simply “why did you do that?” Why did you slap that boy? Why would you give him your bike? It was always why, why, why? And this question would cause me to reflect on my motives. Now as I child there were a lot of things I did out of ignorance but more often that not I would do things because of ill-motives, such as jealousy, resentment, or because I thought it would make me look good or I would get a extra snack.

As adults, we have come so accustomed to doing this how we were raised that we never actually examine the reasoning behind why we do the things we do. We can get so comfortable in what we were taught that we even pass these experiences and teaching down and it becomes traditional or a part of our culture. However, as cultural consciousness arises, I am compelled to challenge my circle, including you to examine your motives. Do you serve God because your parent served, like the military, or do you really love God so much that working for him is a pleasure? Do you give because you want to see people blessed, or because you expect God to reward you because you gave? Do you like socializing because it offers you a chance to tell your testimony or because it give you a chance to see what others are actually up to? See it’s when you examine your motives behind something that you can determine the outcome or results of that will happen next.

I once heard a story about a young lady who got married and was preparing thanksgiving dinner for her new husband. When she started preparing the turkey, the husband came in and saw her cutting the turkey in half before putting it in the often. He asked her “baby why do you cut the turkey in half before cooking it?” She looked at him and said it’s what my mom did. The son-in-law went to the mother-in-law and asked why did you teach her to cut the turkey before cooking it . She said it what my mother taught me. The husband went to ask the grandmother. The grandmother said “well my oven was never big enough to cook the whole turkey so I had to cut it in half.” The husband goes back to his wife and said “baby,stop cutting the turkeys up.” She said why? He replied “your grandmother said the only reason your family cuts the turkeys in half is because she never had a oven big enough to fit the whole turkey. Now you have a big enough oven yet you’re still cutting the turkey in half.” Listen, practices without principles can be often times be counter productive.

You’d be surprised how many people are doing all the right things but for the wrong reason. For example when Jesus said in Matthew 6:5 “when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” He was giving us insight of their motive and teaching us that when we have wrong motives, we will receive the reward of that there of. Because they prayed to be seen and exalt by men - that shall be their reward instead of praying from a pure place allowing God to seen them an reward them for their efforts. Catch this nugget “Practices without Principle leads to a Life Of Perversion.” How, because what you practice becomes your habits and your habits can determine and define your habitation. If you practice smoking, it will become a habit, if you allow that habit to continue your habitation will reflect that of a smoker. If you practice giving only when you need something that even will become your habit and then that habit will be your habitation, meaning you’ll only live at the level where you only have enough to give when you’re in need. Same with praying, if you only pray when you’re in trouble it will become a habit and then the habitation thereof will only be that if a person who’s prayer life can only be heard in times of trouble.

Therefore, I want to just encourage you this week to examine your motives. Why do you believe God? Why do you wake up every morning and go to work? Why do you work where you do? Why do you pray? Why do you want to learn more about the prophetic? Why do you give? Why did or didn’t you go to church yesterday? Why do you post what you post on social media? Why are you friends with the people you’re friends with? Once you’ve figured out the answers to all of your “Why” questions, write it down and ask yourself am I doing these things because of sound principles behind them. Or am I doing this because I saw someone else do it? There are will be multiple answers to your why, but what your objective is to determine if you’re doing it for the right motives and if those motives are guided by sound principles. Principles can be defined as fundamental truths that serves as the foundation for belief or behavior, on in other word it is the sound or logical reasoning for doing something. A life governed by God’s principle will always produce positive results. Listen I love you and I’m praying for you!

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