Psalms 119:130 NKJV The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
Hebrew – someone that is naïve concerning the challenges and complexities of life.
Dictionary – not complicated or complex, free of deceit or guile, believing every word
To place all of this in its proper context, we must always remember that we are all called to be stewards or managers of our resources for God in order to accomplish His purpose in the earth.
Manage – the organization of the resource at your disposal in order to accomplish the desired purpose.
Simplifying your life is to make good choices, choosing those things that are needful in order to organize the resources of our lives.
The solution to a complicated life is to be a better manage your life.
The resources of our lives can be categorized in three general areas:
- Time Management
Ephesians 5:15-16 NKJV See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Redeem: to buy up, i.e. ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss (improve opportunity):
Martha (Luke 10) was doing a good thing but she was doing it at the wrong time.
- Resource Management
If you don’t manage the material resources of your life well, it will cause your life to become complicated.
- Relationship Management
Strife and contention will always cause your life to become complicated and stressful.
We can also see that the complications of our lives will show up in these three areas of our lives.
(Proverbs 24:3-4 AMP) Through skillful and godly Wisdom is a house (a life, a home, a family) built, and by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation], (4) And by knowledge shall its chambers [of every area] be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Knowledge – the acquisition of facts, truths and principles
Wisdom – applying knowledge to make good decisions
Understanding – to mentally organize, or arrange. The ability to arrange the information so that it connects with each other so that it makes sense to you.
Wisdom will not come until you are organized.
(Proverbs 10:23 NKJV) To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.
(Proverbs 14:33 NKJV) Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known.
(Proverbs 17:24 NKJV) Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.
(Proverbs 24:30-34 NKJV) I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; (31) And there it was, all overgrown with thorns; Its surface was covered with nettles; Its stone wall was broken down. (32) When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: (33) A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; (34) So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.
The lazy man and the man who was not organized achieved the same results – failure and chaos.
(Proverbs 16:16 NKJV) How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Organization is second in value only to wisdom.
Organization – to put in working order, to gather available elements into a functional arrangement
Because God has called us to be organized, He has given us the ability to be organized or He would be unjust.
We are required to manage or organize the resources of our lives in order to carry God’s will in the earth.
Even God works this way.
(Hebrews 11:3 AMP) By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible.
- We must learn not to confuse “neat and tidy” with organized. They can be two different things.
- Being organized has less to do with the way an environment “looks” than how effective it “functions”.
If a person can find what he or she needs when he or she needs it, feels unencumbered in achieving his or her goals, and is happy in his or her space, then that person is well organized.
There are some misconceptions about organization:
Misconception: Organizing is a mysterious skill that only a blessed few are born with and the rest of us are meant to suffer without it.
Fact: Organization is not a talent that you are born with, it is a skill. It can be learned and developed.
Misconception: Getting organized is an overwhelming, hopeless chore.
Fact: No matter what it is that you are organizing, no matter how daunting the task or how huge the backlog, getting organized boils down to the same very simple process. Once you have mastered the process, you will discover organizing to be a cleansing and empowering process and a way to maintain a simplified life.
Misconception: It is impossible to stay organized.
Fact: Organization is sustainable, if your system is built around the way that you think and designed to grow and adapt with you as your life and work change. It is when your system is a poor fit for you that maintaining it is a difficult chore.
Misconception: Organizing is a non-productive use of time. I have more important things to do with my time.
Fact: In the pace that we move today, you will thrive in an organized environment. Those who are disorganized will feel overwhelmed and unsure of which way to turn.
In our attempts to organize, we have a tendency to have a knee-jerk reaction to attack first and then analyze and evaluate what is the best plan of action.
Does any of this sound familiar:
- You go shopping for containers to get your clutter problem under control without having measured, counted, or examined how much you have to store.
- You go on impulse purging sprees, ruthlessly getting rid of much as you can to create a sparse existence, then to discover too late that you tossed out something that was important to you.
- You adopt organizing tips from friends, magazines, and books with no thought as to whether they mesh with your personality or fit your situation or needs.
- You tackle the bits and pieces of your organizing problem without ever looking at the big picture.
- You grab on to the mantras like, ”reduce your possessions 50 percent” or “touch every piece of paper only once”, or “if you haven’t used it in two years, get rid of it,” in the hope that they will change your life forever.
- Organization begins with a mental process to produce the desired result.
- Organizing means creating a system based on your specific purpose, personality, needs, and goals.
It focuses on defining who you are and what is important to you as a person so that your system can be designed to reflect that.
Organizing means first take a look at the obstacles that are holding you back from being organized so that you can identify them and remove them once and for all.
- It is important to identify the root not the fruit.
- Organizing means getting organized before you buy any containers, put anything way or throw anything away.
Process of Organization:
- Analyze – step back and take stock of your current situation by defining where you are, where you are going, what’s holding you back, and why it relates to your purpose in life.
(2 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV) (5) Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?–unless indeed you are disqualified.
- Strategize – create a plan of action for the physical transformation of your space, including a realistic schedule for making it happen.
(Luke 14:28 NLT) “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it?
(Proverbs 24:27) NLT Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house.
- Attack – methodically dive into the clutter, sorting and arranging items to reflect the way that you think, making sure you see visible, dramatic results as you work.
- Break the project into bite-size pieces.
How do you eat the elephant? One bite at a time.
Get the Holy Spirit involved in this process!
(Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
(Isaiah 11:1-3 AMP) AND THERE shall come forth a Shoot out of the stock of Jesse [David’s father], and a Branch out of his roots shall grow and bear fruit. [Isa. 4:2; Matt. 2:23; Rev. 5:5; 22:16.] (2) And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him–the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord– (3) And shall make Him of quick understanding, and His delight shall be in the reverential and obedient fear of the Lord. And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, neither decide by the hearing of His ears;
- You have the Chief Organizer living in you!