...do what is needed of me, or pursue an opportunity for my own happiness.
...be here for my family and friends, or be another place and possibly do something greater with the very best of what my family and friends have given me in my life.
...wait for God to show me what He needs of me, or take a leap of faith and let Him make of it what He will.
Is there a right way or a wrong way to choose at all? One of my very best friends once told me that we can't mess up with God: that His will is so complete and sovereign, that we can't possibly do anything to make His plans go screwy.
I just want to know that what I am considering doing, is what He desires for me. We are told in scripture that God knows "...the plans I have for you... plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
I won't deny it: the past year or so has been, in many ways, the worst of my life. It has also brought me closer to God than ever before... and I say that having to admit that I am nowhere close to being the Chris Knight that He desires me to be. I've failed many more times than I have succeeded in measuring up to what He wants me to be. That's where the grace of God comes in... and I've never been more thankful for that than I have been lately.
I just want whatever I choose to do, to be for His glory and not my own. That, and to do right by the people that I care about most in this world.
6 comments:
It appears you are caught between a rock and a hard place - The choice of doing whats best for yourself against the sense of duty for others ... personally, if it was me, I would do what I could to make my life better and hope that others could understand and respect that decision.
Do you believe that you have been called of the Lord to Ministry? If it is, this is something you can't shroud in the language cloak.
Whatever it is, do not be afraid. Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and don't even think that you'll understand it all. Just keep your mind and heart focused on the Lord, and he will never lead you to a dead end.
Ol' You-Know-Who
Do what makes you happy. THAT is what God wants for you. Stop worrying about what God expects you to do, what he desires you to be, and just do what makes you the happiest. THAT is his plan. Thats his goal. He gave you free will to do as you please (within reason), and if you're happy, then God is happy. And everything will fall into place afterwards.
Dont worry if you fail many different times on that path to happiness. Almost EVERYONE fails quite a few times before they finally make a success of whatever they wanted to do. You've got to crawl before you can walk.
I would disagree with the last comment. Because on this side of things, we're talking about what you think - you think it will make you happy. Could be - it might - but it might make you miserable if you're not where He wants you to be.
That's the thing you need to confirm... what does He want you to do? If it is the thing that will make you happy, then I agree. Go for it. If it is the thing that you need to do, then go for it, and He will bring you joy in that choice as well.
Example... Jesus at the garden of Gethsemene. Did he choose the the thing that would make him immediately happy, or did Jesus do the thing that he needed to do?
Anyway, you've got my prayers.
-an old friend
Aloha Chris, the Bible says "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all" (Psalm 34:19 KJV). It's not easy being a righteous man, the world, the flesh and the devil seek to shipwreck us through various events and people because the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy but Jesus is come that you might have life and life more abundantly - to the full.
While I was in church today the Spirit of God reminded me that the word says the stone the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes (Psalm 118:22). God chose the rejected things, the things that are nothing, to bring to shame the things that are. God's word says that the exalted is to be brought low and the low is to be exalted - meaning, if you faced failure, denial, rejection and dead ends only to see someone else get what you wanted, only to see others promoted and you forgotten, well then it means YOU are God's chief candidate to be promoted and exalted. The first shall be last and the last shall be first.
I can tell you that the Bible says an inheritance hastily gained in the end will not be blessed. Many people may "seem" to have leapfrogged you but in the end, they have no permanence because you have what they don't - the Word of God and the Spirit dwelling in you.
Man of faith, be strong, be courageous, be bold. I believe that God will make all things work together for YOUR GOOD.
To the person who signed as "an old friend":
To the best of my recollection, this is the second time, at least, that you've left a comment.
I can't help but be severely curious as to who you might be.
If you wish to remain anonymous, that's fine. But if you perchance feel so led, shoot me an e-mail at theknightshift@gmail.com
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