Pop-ups

Love you all, praying for you,
 
Hang with me, this is important. 
 
One of the most challenging things you will face in life – pop-ups.  Those things that pop-up during your day.  Things that you think you need to do, that God hasn’t told you to do, or do right now.  But they will bombard you from everywhere.  There are three major popups.  #1 - Things that jump into your mind that you want to get done.  Ideas of something you should do, or forgot to do, or would be nice to do.  #2 - Things that Others want you to do, or need you to do for them.  Things they need help with, or want to delegate to you, so they don’t have to do them.  And it’s not just your boss that tries this.  He has the right to, and the authority to, others don’t.  They are not in authority over you, but they will still try to delegate things to you.  Can you get me this?  Can you help me with this? Or do this for me?  Why would they do that thing - if they know they can convince you to do it.  That’s one less thing on their todo list, because they just added it to yours.  #3 Popup - Things that God wants you to do.  Sometimes He might prompt you with something He wants you do - in the middle of the day.  There are actually three times that God will prompt you to do something.   The number 1 time God will give you things to do is PiVAT before dinner.  The more consistently you meet with Him, the more you will hear His voice.  No different than any relationship.  Consistent times together will improve communication greatly, and take your relationship to a new level, that’s why couch time and date night is so important in a marriage.  Scheduled communication times grow relationships.  The number 2 time God will give you things to do…  In the night season. When you are sleeping, your mouth is not moving, and your spirit is uninterrupted.  That’s when God will speak, He will give you counsel in the night season (Psalms 16:7). Some translations say my heart counsels me in the night season.  That’s not the correct interpretation…  God said the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it.  That does you no good whatsoever, so it’s not talking about that.  It’s talking about God giving you counsel in the night season by the Holy Spirit through your spirit that communes with Him.  So you get God’s downloads for you in the night season.  That’s why it’s good to keep your PiVAT Journal beside your bed at night – so you can write down what God speaks. If you don’t, you won’t get back to sleep because you’re worried that you’ll forget what He said by morning.  That’s because you will!  Write down what He says right now, and then go back to sleep.  He can multiply your rest – you’ll be ok, but you won’t be if you don’t remember what He tells you.  It was important or He wouldn’t have told you.  He’s got things for you to do, and to know and believe.  When He tells you, write it down.  The number 3 time God will tell you something – is at times during the day.  He may choose to do this (but it won’t be nearly as often as other people will.  People will always have a crisis or over commitment that they think should now be your priority).  God will sometimes tell you something that He has coming up for you - during the day.  No matter who the source, God, yourself, or others.  Write down these pop-ups in your PiVAT Journal.  Whether what God said, during the day, or something that popped up in your mind, or something that someone else interrupted your day with – a request to fill a need or to do of theirs.  Write it down.  But not in the right column of PiVAT for today – that’s reserved only for what God told you to do today only.  Nothing else goes there until He says so, so write the pop-ups below the right column.  These are PiVAT Maybe’s - not necessarily to do’s for you right now.  Then ask God if this thing is important enough to go in the Right Column (God’s To Do List for you today).  And if so – the exact time today that He wants you to do it.  If He doesn’t tell you specifically – leave it alone for now.  At the end of the day – half of those ‘pop-ups’ have already gotten done by someone else, or faded in their emergency status.  They didn’t need to get done by you anyway.  Cross those out… put a line through them.  For the pop-ups that remain at the end of the day…  Re-write them on your ongoing PiVAT Maybe for this month – things for God to confirm, delay or delete.  One of the critical first steps of learning discernment.  Is letting the Holy Spirit separate in your mind the difference between PiVAT and PiVAT Maybe.  For Pop-ups during the day, they go below the Right Column not in the Right Column.  Ask God is this for right now?  And He’ll confirm it instantly and tell you what time… If not just leave it below – and finish what God told you this hour.  The third place to write pop-ups, (#1 Below the Line, #2 PiVAT Maybe for the month). #3 - Take a new conversation page to get them off of your mind.  Sometimes even before you begin PiVAT before dinner with God, or when you wake up in the morning, or during the day – so many pop-ups are filling your mind, you can confuse them with His Voice.  That’s why it’s good to just take a new Conversation Page in your PiVAT Journal and write them all down.  Get them off of your mind, and onto the page.  You won’t worry about forgetting them, you can come back to it later and ask God which ones are for you and which ones are not.  It will also help clear your mind before your PiVAT before dinner time with God - so you can hear what His Spirit is saying.  Once you get your PiVAT from Him, you can ask Him about your list of pop-ups.  He might weed some of them out immediately, or tell you which ones are for others, not you…  But sometimes, He won’t tell you His final decision on every one of your pop-ups right now.  Just leave them there, and focus on what He has for you to do in this hour…  He knows your heart.  He will make sure He tells you what you need to do - as you consistently meet together with Him during PiVAT before dinner.  Pop-ups can be future to do’s – short-term or long-term, but they are often just distractions – the devil’s attempt to keep you from what is best for you – what God told you to do right now!  Finally - a good skill to develop in life – is pop-up conversation skills.  When other people give you popups, either your boss or an authority figure in your life (like a parent or teacher) or someone just trying to get you to do their to do’s.  A good first response is to say – “Thanks for mentioning that, let me check my schedule, pray about it, and I’ll get back to you.”  (Often they’ll find someone else to do their work for them).  If it’s your boss, say something like… “Thank you, I understand,” maybe even ask for clarification if you need to... (It will let them know you are listening, and honoring their request). Then say – “Here’s what I’m doing right now that you asked me to do this week… would you rather me complete it, or do ‘this new thing’ (that they just mentioned?)  They might say – yes – it’s an emergency.  “Perfect, I’ll get right on it, and just to communicate - it will take me until next Tuesday on the other thing if that’s ok?”  (Remember, under-promise, over-deliver) “But I’m happy to do whichever one you prefer.” Sometimes, they will reconsider and say -  OK, you’re right, finish that thing you were doing, but jump on this one right after.  “Perfect!  I got you!”  If they are not your boss, that pop-ups conversation gives you a buffer, a chance to consider, pray about it, and make sure you do what God told you – not what others want you to do.  Remember, other peoples’ lack of planning, or over commitment, doesn’t constitute an emergency on your part – nor does it make it a To Do that God has for your Right Column of PiVAT for today.  Praying that you’ll will review PiVAT Maybe – a vital skill in life.  Have you ever heard someone say, “I just didn’t get anything done today!”  They’re probably right.  And the two reasons that statement is accurate.  #1 - They didn’t know what God told them to do… or they wouldn’t have spent so much time at the water cooler… or the #2 reason that statement is accurate - Their day was consumed with ‘pop-ups’ and they didn’t get done what God wanted them to do. They might not even know about PiVAT before dinner – so they really don’t ever think of God’s plans being different than theirs, or better than theirs – they just didn’t get done what they planned, or what they thought was most important.  So they said – “I got nothing done today.’  Praise God!  He’s got better for you.  That’s what you used to do, that’s how you used to be… but God is leading you higher - into His plans not yours – His Good, His Best, the way chosen for you.  Pop-ups are rarely His plans for you right now.  If one of them is, He will confirm it.  Sometimes a phone call from a friend in need – is - His will for you to drop everything and be there for them.  Ask Him and He will tell you.  But most pop-ups are distractions.  Either not for you, or not for you to do today.  Be careful!  They will keep you from doing what God told you to do.  Write them down – either below the Right Column on PiVAT (God’s todo list for you today), a New Conversations Page where you have room to get them all off your mind, and then if still appropriate – on your ongoing PiVAT Maybe for this month.  And get back to what God told you!  The wise are discerning.  Discernment in life for major decisions – starts with discernment for Pop-ups.  The Holy Spirit will lead you – if you ask.  Remember He’s in control – not you - if you want to obey the Word of God and do His will for you.  So you walk in the Spirit – not by the flesh, which will always jump from one thing to another.  God’s plans are not your plans (nor are they other people’s plans for you). They are way better!  PiVAT before dinner and throughout the day – will keep you on His plans – and His timing – which leads you to His blessing and the good that He has for you!  Praying that your Pop-ups won’t control you, praying that by the Holy Spirit you will sift them through God’s will.  It will make you highly effective. 
 
Love you all,
dad