Our society is fixated on success and the collection of “things”. There is a huge difference between our definitions of success and God’s.
I don’t think it is possible for us to reach any level of true success outside of the plan of God. This will require us to become dependent on the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
We have been talking about the commitment required to unlock and pursue the plan of God. It is true that we will need to deal with natural obligations.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8
Joshua was called to lead a nation of millions of people. His natural obligations were much more than any of us probably can imagine.
God gave Joshua the secret formula for success. He told him that “good” success could only be achieved by meditating on His Word day and night. If this was possible for Joshua as leader of a nation, wouldn’t it also be possible for us today?
I have talked about the price required to unlock the plan of God. This may include turning off our daily news programs, missing our favorite sitcoms, or skipping an entire season of our favorite sports team!
You may like football, baseball, or soccer. For illustration, let’s assume your sport is American football. Each year the National Football League (NFL) ends with the Superbowl. What would you do if God asked you to turn off the game to spend time with Him just as the game was beginning? Most would watch the game and then pray only if the game they were not too tired.
I once heard Kenneth E. Hagin discussed how much he enjoyed reading Western novels. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. He went on to say it had been years since he had read one. His focus was on the ministry and he just did not have time to read those novels!
Success in our quest to unlock the plan of God will require us to make a commitment to the Word of God. This is a missing ingredient in the lives of most Christians. Paul exhorted his readers to renew their minds with the Word. Most are instead allowing their minds to be renewed by news reports, television programs, and sporting events.
We have allowed the world to influence us. Many church services today resemble worldly entertainment venues. There is a whole movement that crosses denominational lines which aim to make worship “seeker-friendly” by avoiding anything that could possibly offend attendees.
Jesus never hesitated to confront sin when needed. I’ve heard people talk about His message as being about love and acceptance. They have not read the Gospel account recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John! He preached repentance and the Kingdom of God.
There is a price that will have to be paid in our pursuit of the plan of God. This is a foreign concept for most Christians today. We want to serve God but only if doing so will not require us to change our lifestyles.
God’s love for us is not based on whether we pay the price or do not. He loves us no differently regardless of whether we do what He has called us to do or no not do it! This is an important point because Satan will use discussions like this to put Christians under condemnation.
God is merciful and offers forgiveness to anyone who will turn to Him. The Holy Spirit will never condemn any person (Romans 8:1). He is a gentleman and will wait for us to look to Him for help in this journey.
We have been given the freedom to choose the level of commitment that will be made in regard to our relationship with God. He gave us free will and will not force us into a commitment we are unwilling to make.
Many people have completed their time on earth without entering into even the first part of God’s plan. Each was known by Him prior to taking their first breath but for one reason or another missed out on what God had planned for them.
If we choose to make the commitment to pursue God, we will find the Holy Spirit waiting to guide us in our journey. He will be with us even if we are unwilling to make this commitment but we will struggle with being able to recognize His presence.
We have come to the end of this age. Jesus will be returning soon for His Church. Many speak of desiring an awakening but more is needed for that to happen.
Jesus is going to return for His glorious Church. Unfortunately, this does not describe the larger part of Christianity today. It is often becoming more and more difficult to discern the difference between Christians and sinners in our current society and this must change. The first step is for us to make the commitment to present our bodies as living sacrifices for the Lord’s use.
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