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God's Plan for Your Purpose
By Richard Fiurlow
Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
-Ephesians 5:17
"We were created with Purpose"
Man
has a desire within him to have purpose and value in life. The zeal
within us to want to achieve and place our mark in the earth is the cry
of our heart to fulfill our destiny and meaning for being alive. God has
a plan for every life. There are no accidents or mistakes in Gods plans
and purposes. No one is here as a result of an accident. We were not
manufactured on a heavenly production line, we were hand made! Each one
of us crafted as an original masterpiece of His grace. God as Creator
and Originator of the universe formed man with His hands, breathed into
him the breath of life, blessed him and said it was very good because
this was all done in accordance with His eternal purpose. He has a plan
for you and it is very good! The Bible says For I know the plans that I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare (well being) and not
for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 (NAS).
Gods plan and purpose for your life did not begin the day you were born it did not begin when you were saved it did not begin at the time you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit but the Scriptures declare that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and have been called to fulfill His plan for your purpose in life. Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:3-6). You will find that many times God has been working in the circumstances of your life years before He reveals some aspect of His purpose in you. Philippians 2:13 says For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. God is not at the mercy of circumstances, He does not have to wait to see what we are going to do, or not do and then adjust His plans by our actions. He doesn?t need a committee to vote on His will, or get the approval of man or the angels. God is Absolute in Power and Authority. He already has a complete and perfect plan for every man, and that does not fluctuate and change to conform to our beliefs, nor does He adjusts it to fit our lives when we do not know His will for us, but He expects us to seek diligently to learn His will and obey it. One basic cause for much of the sickness, worry, anxiety, frustration and failure in life is directly related to the lack of knowledge concerning Gods will. We were created to live in realms of glory and power.
Our success in life is determined by our willingness to walk in His will. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23). The word ordered means to establish, lay down or ordain, and is used by David in Psalms 8:3 where he says When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? The cycles of the moon, the movements of the planets, the sun, the billions of stars in their courses and the countless galaxies throughout the universe are all ordained by God with such precision that time can be measured by the sun and stars. It is this same term which is used in Psalms 37:23, where we are told, the steps of a good man are ordained of the Lord. The same wisdom which ordained the courses of the sun, moon, planet and stars with magnificent precision has also ordained your steps! Think about it, our Lord Jesus loves us with an everlasting love, so why wouldn?t He want to give us direction in life? The Lord has not called us to work for Him, but to learn to move with Him to learn to move and to flow in the stream of His will and purpose. True soldiers realize they are not commissioned to work for the army, but to learn to work and move with it. No soldier takes it upon himself to devise his own plans for winning the war alone. Imagine if a soldier decided to take a tank and a gun to defeat the enemies army alone. NO! He doesn?t move until the commander tells him to move, and even before he can do that he must be trained and disciplined to deny himself, submit to authority and flow with the orders of his superiors. The Will of God, His purpose for our life is not about doing works or winning victories. Its about serving Him and doing what He says. Real victory is a life submitted to His will. True success comes to the person who has begun the journey of walking with God into their destiny. His will is not for an hour on Sunday or a series of religious events during the week, but it is a daily walk with Him recognizing that without Him we cannot do anything, and shouldn?t want to!
Paul said to the Colossian church (Colossians 1:9) he was continuously praying for them that they would be filled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. We are limited in our understanding. We only have knowledge of past and present events which still are limited to our perception and comprehension. God who dwells in eternity, moving in the past, present and future simultaneously has so designed our lives that if we put our trust in Him who is not limited by the perimeters of time, space and matter, He will bring us into a realm of spiritual capacity that will cause us not to be swayed by the influences of this natural world and the affects of the environment around us, but rather in His Word that can never fail to produce that which is was spoken to do. The will of God is His Word. They are one. It is the will of God that everyone accepts the gift of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians. 5:9). It is the will of God for everyone to be free from bondage whether it is the bondage of sickness, disease, poverty, bad habits, emotional or mental disorders whatever is not from heaven. The Bible says The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:9). If its not going on in heaven, it is not Gods will for it to go on in the earth. When we believe His Word, we are activating His will and purpose. God is preparing and end time army of believers who will be so sensitive to the voice of His Spirit that they will immediately respond to His leading and obey without question or doubt. This is to be a spiritual army of specialists, thoroughly trained in spiritual warfare, completely emptied of self, joyfully submitted to Jesus, fully equipped with the armor of God, speaking the Word in authority to pull down strongholds and breaking bondages.
How does God make His will known to us? He revealed His will to Joseph in dreams, warning him to flee into Egypt with Mary and the child Jesus. Again, after the death of Herod, God told him in another dream to return to Palestine. He spoke directly to Samuel during the night, and to Moses from a burning bush, imparting to them revelation concerning His will and purpose. God revealed His plan for the redemption of the Gentiles in a vision to Peter, and sent an angel to Zechariah announcing the birth of John the Baptist who was to be the forerunner of Christ. In answer to the prayers of the Church at Antioch, the Holy Spirit made known Gods will concerning the apostolic ministry of Paul and Barnabus, while He confirmed His purpose to Gideon through the use of a fleece. God continually imparts revelation of His will when we ask Him what His plans are for our purpose. There is no need to stumble through life in darkness, wandering confused or begging God to give divine guidance as if He must be persuaded to give us help and direction. Did you know that God has pledged Himself to direct each step of your life? The promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-6:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. "
There are three conditions of faith in this promise that must be met in order to have divine direction. First, total trust in the Lord. Put your hope and confidence in the Lord. Second Don?t depend on your own intelligence and reasoning for support and third before every decision, and in every choice think on Him, give ear to what He is saying, know His voice and the glorious promise is He will give direction, He will show His divine will.
The Weymouth Bible says Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). The life of faith is a life of confidence in God. To have confidence in God is to trust what He has said in the Bible. Faith knows nothing of alternatives, substitutes, helps or exceptions. Total trust in the Lord is to confess like the Psalmist I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust. (Psalms 91:2). Total trust in the Lord is to have the confidence that God is faithful to do all that He has promised to do. It doesn?t matter what it looks like, God never fails and His will for our life is a road that always leads to victory. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23). The good news is God has already said YES to every promise He has made (2 Corinthians 1:20), and that He does not go back on His Word (Numbers 23:19). We were in a certain city conducting a healing service and a lady came with a debilitating hip condition. We went back to that city and church a year later and the same sister testified that after we prayed for her nothing happened! But she went home after the service and said the Lord promised healing for me, I believe what the Lord has promised and what his prophet has declared! Although she didn?t see any immediate physical change she did not alter her confession and maintained an unrelenting have faith in God. She testified that after six days of believing and standing firm, that morning of the seventh day she woke up completely healed! That is faith in action, believing in Gods Word brings His Will to your life.
The second condition is to not depend on your own intelligence and reasoning for support concerning the Will of God. How many times have you prayed for guidance concerning Gods will but already had your mind made up as to what you desired to do and how you wanted God to answer your prayer? Or maybe you have tried to help God provide the answer or solve the problem. So many are willing to trust God only up to a certain point, but then begin to panic if the symptoms become worse, or if the deadline is approaching and there?s no answer in sight. We cannot expect divine direction unless we are willing to humble ourselves and admit that our fallible wisdom and intellect are incapable of solving the complexities of life or in fulfilling Gods perfect will in our lives.
The third condition is to acknowledge God. Give ear to what He is saying. When we believe that He is directing our steps it will be reflected in our daily conversation. Not just a mental agreement but to believe from the heart. We acknowledge God through praise. When we praise God we are agreeing with what He has already said and revealed to us about who He is. Acknowledging God through praise makes us more aware of His presence and purpose creating the desire to please Him.
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Gods Plan is already established"
Gods plan and purpose for your life did not begin the day you were born it did not begin when you were saved it did not begin at the time you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit but the Scriptures declare that you were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and have been called to fulfill His plan for your purpose in life. Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:3-6). You will find that many times God has been working in the circumstances of your life years before He reveals some aspect of His purpose in you. Philippians 2:13 says For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. God is not at the mercy of circumstances, He does not have to wait to see what we are going to do, or not do and then adjust His plans by our actions. He doesn?t need a committee to vote on His will, or get the approval of man or the angels. God is Absolute in Power and Authority. He already has a complete and perfect plan for every man, and that does not fluctuate and change to conform to our beliefs, nor does He adjusts it to fit our lives when we do not know His will for us, but He expects us to seek diligently to learn His will and obey it. One basic cause for much of the sickness, worry, anxiety, frustration and failure in life is directly related to the lack of knowledge concerning Gods will. We were created to live in realms of glory and power.
"The Revelation of True Success"
Our success in life is determined by our willingness to walk in His will. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalms 37:23). The word ordered means to establish, lay down or ordain, and is used by David in Psalms 8:3 where he says When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? The cycles of the moon, the movements of the planets, the sun, the billions of stars in their courses and the countless galaxies throughout the universe are all ordained by God with such precision that time can be measured by the sun and stars. It is this same term which is used in Psalms 37:23, where we are told, the steps of a good man are ordained of the Lord. The same wisdom which ordained the courses of the sun, moon, planet and stars with magnificent precision has also ordained your steps! Think about it, our Lord Jesus loves us with an everlasting love, so why wouldn?t He want to give us direction in life? The Lord has not called us to work for Him, but to learn to move with Him to learn to move and to flow in the stream of His will and purpose. True soldiers realize they are not commissioned to work for the army, but to learn to work and move with it. No soldier takes it upon himself to devise his own plans for winning the war alone. Imagine if a soldier decided to take a tank and a gun to defeat the enemies army alone. NO! He doesn?t move until the commander tells him to move, and even before he can do that he must be trained and disciplined to deny himself, submit to authority and flow with the orders of his superiors. The Will of God, His purpose for our life is not about doing works or winning victories. Its about serving Him and doing what He says. Real victory is a life submitted to His will. True success comes to the person who has begun the journey of walking with God into their destiny. His will is not for an hour on Sunday or a series of religious events during the week, but it is a daily walk with Him recognizing that without Him we cannot do anything, and shouldn?t want to!
"The Word and Will of God are One"
Paul said to the Colossian church (Colossians 1:9) he was continuously praying for them that they would be filled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. We are limited in our understanding. We only have knowledge of past and present events which still are limited to our perception and comprehension. God who dwells in eternity, moving in the past, present and future simultaneously has so designed our lives that if we put our trust in Him who is not limited by the perimeters of time, space and matter, He will bring us into a realm of spiritual capacity that will cause us not to be swayed by the influences of this natural world and the affects of the environment around us, but rather in His Word that can never fail to produce that which is was spoken to do. The will of God is His Word. They are one. It is the will of God that everyone accepts the gift of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians. 5:9). It is the will of God for everyone to be free from bondage whether it is the bondage of sickness, disease, poverty, bad habits, emotional or mental disorders whatever is not from heaven. The Bible says The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:9). If its not going on in heaven, it is not Gods will for it to go on in the earth. When we believe His Word, we are activating His will and purpose. God is preparing and end time army of believers who will be so sensitive to the voice of His Spirit that they will immediately respond to His leading and obey without question or doubt. This is to be a spiritual army of specialists, thoroughly trained in spiritual warfare, completely emptied of self, joyfully submitted to Jesus, fully equipped with the armor of God, speaking the Word in authority to pull down strongholds and breaking bondages.
"Have Faith in God!"
How does God make His will known to us? He revealed His will to Joseph in dreams, warning him to flee into Egypt with Mary and the child Jesus. Again, after the death of Herod, God told him in another dream to return to Palestine. He spoke directly to Samuel during the night, and to Moses from a burning bush, imparting to them revelation concerning His will and purpose. God revealed His plan for the redemption of the Gentiles in a vision to Peter, and sent an angel to Zechariah announcing the birth of John the Baptist who was to be the forerunner of Christ. In answer to the prayers of the Church at Antioch, the Holy Spirit made known Gods will concerning the apostolic ministry of Paul and Barnabus, while He confirmed His purpose to Gideon through the use of a fleece. God continually imparts revelation of His will when we ask Him what His plans are for our purpose. There is no need to stumble through life in darkness, wandering confused or begging God to give divine guidance as if He must be persuaded to give us help and direction. Did you know that God has pledged Himself to direct each step of your life? The promise is found in Proverbs 3:5-6:
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. "
There are three conditions of faith in this promise that must be met in order to have divine direction. First, total trust in the Lord. Put your hope and confidence in the Lord. Second Don?t depend on your own intelligence and reasoning for support and third before every decision, and in every choice think on Him, give ear to what He is saying, know His voice and the glorious promise is He will give direction, He will show His divine will.
The Weymouth Bible says Now faith is a well-grounded assurance of that for which we hope, and a conviction of the reality of things which we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). The life of faith is a life of confidence in God. To have confidence in God is to trust what He has said in the Bible. Faith knows nothing of alternatives, substitutes, helps or exceptions. Total trust in the Lord is to confess like the Psalmist I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust. (Psalms 91:2). Total trust in the Lord is to have the confidence that God is faithful to do all that He has promised to do. It doesn?t matter what it looks like, God never fails and His will for our life is a road that always leads to victory. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised (Hebrews 10:23). The good news is God has already said YES to every promise He has made (2 Corinthians 1:20), and that He does not go back on His Word (Numbers 23:19). We were in a certain city conducting a healing service and a lady came with a debilitating hip condition. We went back to that city and church a year later and the same sister testified that after we prayed for her nothing happened! But she went home after the service and said the Lord promised healing for me, I believe what the Lord has promised and what his prophet has declared! Although she didn?t see any immediate physical change she did not alter her confession and maintained an unrelenting have faith in God. She testified that after six days of believing and standing firm, that morning of the seventh day she woke up completely healed! That is faith in action, believing in Gods Word brings His Will to your life.
The second condition is to not depend on your own intelligence and reasoning for support concerning the Will of God. How many times have you prayed for guidance concerning Gods will but already had your mind made up as to what you desired to do and how you wanted God to answer your prayer? Or maybe you have tried to help God provide the answer or solve the problem. So many are willing to trust God only up to a certain point, but then begin to panic if the symptoms become worse, or if the deadline is approaching and there?s no answer in sight. We cannot expect divine direction unless we are willing to humble ourselves and admit that our fallible wisdom and intellect are incapable of solving the complexities of life or in fulfilling Gods perfect will in our lives.
The third condition is to acknowledge God. Give ear to what He is saying. When we believe that He is directing our steps it will be reflected in our daily conversation. Not just a mental agreement but to believe from the heart. We acknowledge God through praise. When we praise God we are agreeing with what He has already said and revealed to us about who He is. Acknowledging God through praise makes us more aware of His presence and purpose creating the desire to please Him.
TO BE CONTINUED...
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