Welcome to Give Him 15. Ceci and I are trying to slow down a little this last week of the year. To help with this, I’ve asked some of the prophetic voices I draw from occasionally on the posts to fill in. If you listen regularly you’ll know the names, even if you haven’t seen their faces before, and you’ll be very blessed by these posts. Enjoy! And I’ll see you next week.
The Power of Being Relationally Aligned
“Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. (Genesis 11:1)
God had a problem.
It was 4,000 BC, and the whole world was connected with one common language. And they decided to make a name for themselves by building a city with a tower that reached to the heavens.
It was a good plan, and it could have worked, except God took exception with it.
Now, man had a problem.
Genesis 11:5-7: “The Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language, they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’”
As anyone who has ever tried building anything knows, the surest way to discover your true friends from your enemies is to build something—anything. A house, a shopping mall, an elementary school, a power plant, a pipeline, a nuclear test facility, and yes, a move of God. It seems like there is always one group in favor and several noisy groups adamantly opposed.
Which makes me wonder why God took issue with the building of a tower. I mean…didn’t he say “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and yes, subdue it?” (Genesis 1:28).
Doesn’t this include tower building? I think it does.
Well, apparently it doesn’t matter what I think. God thought it was a bad idea and that was the end of it…literally.
“Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other. So, the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.” (Genesis 11:7-8)
That was it. From unity to disunity. From power to powerless. From progress to disarray. From one language to…well, to babble. Not very God-like, was it?
Well, actually it was. God recognized the power of relational alignment. He knew that if man was aligned, there would be no stopping them. Anything would be possible. To eternity and beyond!
Why was this an issue? One word: Sin.
God’s problem was not the advance of man. It was in what man was advancing. That city and tower were not about progressing with pure motives. This wasn’t a bunch of people sitting around, trying to find ways to improve the earth, to glorify God or even better, to get better cell phone reception. These were the sons and daughters of Adam, living in a fallen state, building a monument for their godless pride.
We see this often in today’s society.
No telling where they would have reached. But God wasn’t about to wait and find out.
Today, we see the same forces at work. Technology has fueled the information age and empowered man with a common language—the means of relational alignment. And while we are seeing great things from unifying inventions like computers, the internet, satellites and smart phones—I’m writing this on a computer right now—only a blind man could miss the evil being propagated through these same channels. The applications that enable the whole world to hear the Gospel also facilitate internet mobs’ intent on canceling anything that does not fit their social justice cause.
As we grow closer in one common language, we uncover the power to transform the earth—our pre-sin mandate. But we also tap into the power to do anything we set our minds to. The issue, therefore, is our minds, informed by our hearts and driven by our natures. The good that redeemed men and women can do is up against the evil that unredeemed people can do…often unwittingly.
Amidst the mess we see, the power of relational alignment cannot be ignored. The lesson of our day is that, yes indeed, we can accomplish anything we set ourselves to do when we are relationally aligned. Alignment works for good when those who aligned surrender to God. Indeed, relational alignment amplifies what unites us.
God doesn’t hate towers; He doesn’t hate building. He hates sin. Simultaneously, He loves mankind. And He loves it when we align under Him—surrender to His will, when we do it His way.
What is His way?
It starts with integrity of the soul and spirit—understanding Jesus’ life and saving power. It starts with people who know who they are in God.
It flows to leadership—people under God who have been prepared, tried and even tested, those who have held the knife over the beating heart of that which they loved and heard the words: “Stop! Now I know…” [Abraham and Isaac]
It starts with being qualified, and it continues with the attraction of capable leadership to those looking for leaders.
Many say that people are rebellious, and they won’t follow leaders. I say that many are tired of pseudo-leaders. Relational Alignment cannot be forced. The strength of a movement is not from blind obedience but in the resultant empowering of those being led. This happens through relationship.
Alignment is the key ingredient that binds the Kingdom of God into life-giving relationships. Our anointing’s are not made to function independent of one another. Not at all. We are gifted to serve each other, first in the Kingdom of God, and from there, to the world.
Jesus’ means of achieving all that the Father set in motion through His death and resurrection is His body—the Ekklesia, the church. Until and unless we become fitly joined together, we will not experience the power required to do what Jesus said we will do:
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will even do greater things than these because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12) (One of my favorite scriptures.)
Relational alignment is not easy to achieve, but it is vital.
We will spend a lifetime learning to be aligned and eternity rejoices through relational alignment.
I’d say it’s worth the effort.
Alignment is now.
It propels the church forward into the new era.
It qualifies us for greater power.
It holds us together when the storms of rage assault us.
It advances the vanguard, heals the wounded, shelters the weak, and directs the strong.
It makes the church the church. It makes the Ekklesia His legislative assembly. It is the sinew and tendons of the body of Christ.
It is the retort to the quintessential challenge: “Oh yeah? You and what army?” Relational alignment produces that army.
From aligned individuals to aligned families to aligned fellowships to aligned nations—it is the leaven that gives rise to the people of God to glorify Him through one language, one voice, one body.
It is the tower we should have built 4,000 years ago—the tower that God rejoices over.
And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
I want to mention at this point about a book that I’ve written, “Relational Authority: Authentic Leadership”
My friend, this is a tremendous resource that will help you.
Much of what I have said today is in this book.
It’s about building relationships that are strong. That are properly aligned.
I have another book that will be out in 2022, “Aligned for Conquest.” They will go together.
I suggest that you go to my website: ClayNash.org and look at this resource.
I truly believe it’ll be something that will strengthen you, mature you, and help you become that weapon for God that He needs in the earth.
Pray with me:
Father, teach us what building Your movement is all about. Make us wise craftsmen to align Your people through relationship. Teach us to be the leaders and followers that You intend. Make us the sons and daughters of Your family in all respects. May our identities in You lead us to unite in relational alignment with one another for Your glory. Amen.
Our Decree:
Now I want you to make this declaration with me:
We declare God’s Kingdom will come.
We declare His will shall be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
We declare that we shall align relationally.
The dross shall be separated from the gold, the chaff from the wheat.
We shall be purified and unified.
We shall be endowed with power from on high, as the early church becomes the latter church.
We will hold up the honor and glory of Almighty God—now and forevermore.
“Two are better than one. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.’”(Ecclesiastes 4:9, 12)
I want to thank you for joining with us today. I’m honored to be a part of this Give Him Fifteen; an incredible platform. But I’m honored that you would choose to take time to be here.
So, may God bless you, empower you, mature you and send you forth with His mandates.
America is being saved and you’re a part of it. God bless you.
Today’s post was contributed by Pastor Clay Nash. To find out more about Clay, click here or go to ClayNash.org.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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