“You know what you need?” I can still hear this in my mind. As far back as I can remember people have been saying this to me. My parents, my teachers, my friends, even Dr. Phil. I can’t really remember what they said after that though. Strange, isn’t it. It seems everyone has an opinion of what you need. Honestly, I am just getting in line. Don’t stop reading just yet. I discovered, by the grace of God, His process for what you need so you get what you want – then you will step into your destiny and out of your rut. 

Before I go any further, I must warn you. I’m writing this to believers seeking after God’s will here on earth. I believe what you want is God’s ordained destiny for your life and the life of your family – it is not to feed sin.

I think about the Israelites with their back against the Red Sea and the Egyptian army bearing down on them. Think about the trial it must have been. Try and put yourself in their shoes. You’ve just been set free from bondage and left Egypt. It must have been surreal to go from slave to free overnight. There you are. You have your wife and kids and all your possessions. Then you hear from behind you the sound of horses and chariots thundering across the desert. Fear begins to raise its ugly head in your mind. Oh NO!! The Egyptian army is coming to slaughter you. The adrenaline, fear, dismay, must have been almost overwhelming. Your back is against the Red Sea while sure death is coming after you. You know what I want? I want rescued! I want out of there! I want on the other side of the Red Sea! I would give all my belongings for a rowboat. I’m desperate – you get the picture.

You know what I need? I need faith.

In hindsight, it is much easier to see what was needed. In the middle of living life, it’s not as easy. Hebrews 11, the great faith chapter, says the Israelites crossed the Red Sea by faith. Therefore it’s easy to see that they needed faith, the Bible says they crossed by faith. It’s a piece of cake, thousands of years later with the aid of God’s word and a peaceful office to read it in – Easy.

Unfortunately it is not that easy when we find ourselves in the midst of life’s trials. We long for answers, help, a way out. It is at this moment in time when it is so hard to see what you need will help get what you want. Most people dismiss what they need because they can’t see it leads to what they want. God has a divine plan for your life. It is good, perfect, and pleasing. Everyone wants that plan, but then they won’t move down the path of what they need. For example, God’s plan for David was to be King over Israel. Few people think that David needed to run for his life in the desert for twenty some odd years. The trials of life produced the character David needed to be able to steward being King. That is why the lion and the bear came before Goliath (the giant). Step by step God is leading us into His perfect plan if we will live by faith and believe Him. Live by faith and trust Him. Live by faith expecting great things.

Another example is Joseph. He trouble stewarding a dream. He surely wasn’t ready to save a nation. Remember when he had a dream that his family would bow down to him. Waking up and telling 11 older brothers they were going to bow down to him was probably not the best way to handle it. It was true, it just was not the right time. God often reveals what’s in us, or what we will do. Often someone hears God’s plan for his or her lives, like “you will preach the word,” then run out and start preaching. God is all about order and seasons. There is a right time, a right season for things to come to pass. Joseph continued to trust God in the well, slavery, prison and fulfilled that dream.  Jesus came at the right time. He stood up in the synagogue and read from Isaiah 61 at the right time.

What I see is most people hear a word or have a dream/vision for their lives and then proceed to try to get what they want rather than trust God is giving them what they need. That young man who heard he will preach the word may just need to work at Wal-Mart and trust God is providing for everything that he needs. Seek God and let Him prepare him to fulfill the calling on his life.  Doing the right thing at the wrong time is frustrating, not fulfilling.  Frustration is usually followed by asking God what’s wrong.  The whole time the enemy is trying to undermine your faith because you are not seeing what you believe is true.  Do the right thing at the right time.  Trust God, He loves you and has the best for you.  He knows what you need!

I know what you need :), I’ll leave you with two verses:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

-Ro 12:2

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

– Jn 16:33