Someone once said “The safest place to be is in the will of God”; although some would argue that it doesn’t always feel that way. I want to encourage you that our feelings don’t constantly display the truth. Feelings are fleeting, but the truth of God is everlasting.
However, knowing that in His will we are safe doesn’t always help our feelings of vulnerability and doubt. So, I’ll throw out this question to ponder while you read, do I really want the will of God for my life?
Often times we say we want the will of God because it sounds good. But when push comes to shove, you will learn quickly whether you said it because it sounds cute or if you really meant it. The bible tells us that there is a cost to following Christ, and we should count that cost before undertaking the journey.
“A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple. “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? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’” Luke 14:25-30 NLT
It would appear that along the route we tend to forget that we’re not promised a walk in the park, especially when the enemy attacks us. And the only reason he does that is because God loves us, but remember that it’s a privilege to not only trust but suffer on behalf of Christ (Philippians 1:29).
When we say something will cost us, it means we have to give something up in exchange for another thing. In this case we have to give up our rights, die to ourselves, and pick up our cross in order to follow Christ. Since we have this natural tendency to please self, this is not an easy path to take and it makes sense why the path to life is narrow and only few find it.
The good news is that we don't have to run this race by our strength. We have God beside us (Psalms 16:8). The reason some might be finding it hard to accept the will of God is because of the suffering involved, but if you could only see the glory that lies ahead (Romans 8:18); it can never be compared to the price. Let me give an illustration. Take your suffering as a seed planted, you don't harvest a seed rather you harvest fruit. And fruits are not only bigger than seeds but they are harvested in larger quantities.
Maybe you're in a situation whereby you've been waiting on God for the manifestation of His will in your life and you are discouraged, please whatever you do don't look back! The bible says that if we do we are not fit for service (Luke 9:62). In a moment of weakness, Lots wife looked back and the result was permanent. She turned into a pillar of salt and that was the end of her story.
I think that if she really understood what was waiting ahead for her she wouldn't have considered looking back. God was giving her a chance to live and flourish, but she turned back maybe because she wanted a last look at what she left or she saw the journey ahead and it looked like too much. We can learn from this story about how expectancy and faith go hand in hand.
So, are you expectant of God?
Do you believe that Gods plan for your life is perfect? And that He orders your steps?
Over the last couple of weeks I've heard that word, expectancy, more times than I can count and usually when you keep coming across something over and over again, its God trying to get your attention. After sitting quiet enough to hear what He was trying to say, I learnt that I was slowly losing my expectation of the things He had promised to establish in my life. Can I be honest?
I was tired of fighting, of holding on, being strong, and waiting on the Lord. Felt like time was mocking me saying “After everything you’ve done, you have nothing to show for it so stop being naïve and look elsewhere.” Truthfully, I almost bought into those words until I assessed the voice properly. God doesn’t discourage us, so it was definitely the enemy and since I know his plan is to ruin my life, I rejected those words.
The enemy was speaking these lies to discourage me, and trust me when you start getting those hopeless thoughts; it means you’re on the right track. The enemy only goes after things that God wants or has his hands on, so when the attacks come then know God is working on something big!
All this to say, it’s not going to all be peaches and cream as we follow Christ, but know that the greatest harvests are birth from the most costly sacrifices. I understand that it gets hard, but hold on. You’re one step closer than you were yesterday and draw hope from the word of God that says:
“There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:18 NIV
