Through wisdom God set the heavens in place.  He laid the foundations of the earth.  Through wisdom He designed all things.  This incredible world we live in was created some seven thousand years ago and is still spinning and sustaining upwards of eight billion people.  We haven’t run out of air.  Haven’t run out of food.  No sir.  God planned throughout history for all mankind.  See Proverbs chapter eight if you want His word for it.  He knew you before the creation of the world.  He knit you together in your mother’s womb.  He has detailed intricate plans for you.  Plans to prosper you.  To give you a hope and a future.  After saying all that do you know what those plans are?

I was born again for over twenty years and knew He had plans to prosper me, but I didn’t have a clue what those plans were.  I started to think if He has good plans to prosper m… what are they?  I began to pray and seek Him for His plan.  Not my plan but His.  God’s will is good, perfect, and pleasing (Ro 12:2).  I can’t go wrong if I have His will for my life.  His will is His plan for me.  So I actually started to pray the way Jesus told the disciples to pray:  Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, and your will be done right here where I live on earth, just as it is in heaven!

It’s 2008.  I’m sitting in Sunday school in a sleepy country church listening to 12 adults argue about who’s their neighbor.  I am disgusted.  I love the Lord and hate religion.  I never heard a word the Pastor said that day.  I went home with my heart churning.  I was livid.  I sit down in our living room with my bible and read the parable about the good Samaritan again.  I say out loud, “What a bunch of morons!!”  I close my bible, stand up while staring out my window and say, “That’s my neighbor!”   My index finger pointed to my neighbor across the street standing on the top of a 4 foot step-ladder trying to paint the eave of his house.  My heart broke.

I had lived next to my neighbor for 7 years.  I had built a garage.  I had every ladder a man could ever want.

I had never talked to my neighbor.

The Lord reminded me how staunch I was about His word.  I believed the bible was the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God!  Written by 44 authors over 1500 years and consistent from Genesis to Revelation!!!  I also knew the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all your strength, all your mind, and all  your soul.  And to love your neighbor as yourself.  My heart was breaking.  I said I believed all that, but I saw if I believed it then I would know my neighbor’s name.

I walked out the door, crossed the street and introduced myself.  I apologized for not doing it years ago, so did he.  I offered him help painting and a bigger ladder.  Of course I received the manly response, “No, I’m good, but thank you.” I walked home with tears asking God to forgive me for being such a hypocrite.

I learned some great truths that day.  One is the very thing I hate in others is a reflection of myself.  I hated other’s religion and I was guilty of the very thing I despised.  I would say I believe the bible from cover to cover, but my actions were the fruit of my true beliefs.  The religious answer was I love my neighbor but my inaction of talking to him was evidence of my beliefs.  It was evidence of my heart.

Today I refer to that day as the beginning of the great awakening for me and my whole family.  God has continued to peel the layers of my beliefs back, like an onion, and show me my heart.  In the process He is setting me free.  I pray this helps you too.  I have said all of that to share with you what God has downloaded into me over the last eight years.  I know this will help you just as it has me.  This blog is the perfect format to share the overview but certainly not the depth of His insights.  It’s the perfect place to start.

That day in 2008 and many more days since was like I was running along doing just fine and ran into an invisible wall that was as hard as rock.  I get knocked backwards holding a bloody nose, figuratively speaking.  I look around and ask myself what just happened?  God uses situations we find ourselves in to show us our heart.  He always starts with you.  He is testing our faith.  Do we really believe what we said?

The wall we ran into is a test of our faith or beliefs.  If we know our purpose and believe the path we are on is leading to fulfilling that purpose then you see the glass wall as a step towards your future.  You see it like David saw the lion and the bear.  You run towards it and defeat whatever is trying to stand between you and your God ordained purpose.  Guess what comes next?  Yep, another glass wall.  David ran into Goliath.  The glass wall is actually a step you must go over to fulfill your destiny.

There are more than a few traps that I would like to point out.  The first is the enemy will come and lie to you saying that God would never bring trouble into your life.  The devil will say God is good and therefore trouble or hardship is not His will.  Tragically people will believe this.  That is a stronghold.  Wrong thoughts believed which are contrary to the truth of His word.  They get up and instead of approaching the glass wall they go the other direction.  The path of least resistance.  They find themselves in a dry and weary land where there is no water – but they have lots of company.  The enemy always twists truth.  It is absolutely true that God is good – all of the time!!  In fact, He is so good He shares the truth with you.  He told us we will have trouble and persecution, but take heart He has over come the world.  God uses all things for the good of those love Him and are called according to His purpose.  Smile as you hold your bloody nose for God will use that for good because you love Him and you are following His purpose for your life!  He didn’t say He uses all things for good – that is a half truth and a trap.

The next trap is to walk alone.  The truth is God uses people.  I know we don’t always like that but it’s true.  Our heart is deceitful above all.  If you sit in your closet, as you may tend to want to do, and try to see your heart you will only see part of it.  We all have blind spots. Others can see them.  Unfortunately others won’t share with you unless they know you.  You won’t listen to them if they do unless you trust them.  God uses people to help you along the way.  He is using you to help others.  This is all about His ways and not ours.  It is not good for man to be alone! The Godly relationships God has knit you into are critical for your success. If relationships are critical guess what the enemy does? Counterfeit relationships; these are not built on love and truth, but on the lust of the eyes, the flesh, and the boastful pride of life. Knit these kind of relationships like tares in a wheat field and the right relationships have a tough time growing.

Another pitfall is getting out-of-order.  We must avoid going through these steps out-of-order.  Did you know you can actually do the right thing at the wrong time and it is fruitless?  Try planting your garden in winter. Did you know you can do the right thing at the right time for the wrong reason (selfishness) and it is also fruitless.  Many people wonder where the power of God has gone, because they do the right things.  They are out-of-order.  I promise you.  Get in step with Him and you will see the Spirit manifest in your life.  We must let His Spirit produce the character of Jesus in us.  An example would be me with my neighbor.  I may conclude, since I need to love my neighbor, that I go introduce myself to my neighbors.  There is nothing wrong with this unless that is the end of it, then it is out-of-order.  God is doing a work in my heart, not my body or flesh.  This isn’t about works on the outside.  This is about the changing of our heart on the inside, which in turn will be obvious by our actions.

I want to encourage you to seek after God’s will for your life.  His good, pleasing, and perfect plan for your life.  This is where you will find life and life in abundance.  You remember Jesus said those who lose their lives will find them.  It’s not about us, it is all about Him.  He loves us so much that He has great things planned.  Things so great people will watch and see God’s glory in you.  They will know what is happening in your life has to be God!  He is glorified and you are blessed.  With God it is always win-win.  Love Him with all your heart and He works out the rest for you.

He’ll give you wisdom.  You will walk down the path of your purpose smiling from the inside out the whole way.  The same wisdom He created the Heavens and the earth with.  The wisdom that helps us know Him and His incomparably great power.  She’ll set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.  Wisdom is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare to her.  She bestows wealth on those who love her, making their treasuries full.  Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom and walk in His ways! This is your Call to Purpose!!!