24 Then [Jesus] added, “Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more. 25 To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them” (Mark 4:24-25, NLT).
How do we know when it’s the RIGHT TIME to make that CAREER change? How do we know we’ve found the right person to MARRY? How do we know what’s best to do with our MONEY? How do we know the right DISCIPLINE for our children? How do we know? How CAN we know what is right?
If we are a follower of Jesus Christ, we generally PRAY about it. We pray, hope for the best, and let things play out. The problem is, that often times what we prayed for falls a part. It backfires. We get frustrated and ask God, “What went wrong?!”
If we are really, really honest with ourselves, when we stop to reflect on our situation, most of the time the path leads back to our own MISTAKES. And you think, “But I prayed about it. I asked God to bless it, to show me what He wanted me to do. I even read my Bible for the answers.”
When the results turn out to be FAR from what we prayed for, there is usually one key component that we didn’t see coming, one aspect we didn’t consider. PRIDE!
It is amazing when we try to humble ourselves before God and seek His direction in our lives, how PRIDE can sneak in when we’re not looking and steal the show. Here’s how it works…
OUR PLAN: I have a plan. I want God to bless my plan. I pray to God for His will to be done and for Him to lead my path. HOWEVER, I continue to pursue MY PLAN under the Grand Assumption that God thinks my plan is as perfect as any plan that He could come up with.
GOD’S RESPONSE: You asked Me to bless YOUR PLAN, but I have a BETTER PLAN, but in your state of PRIDE you turn a deaf ear to Me and won’t listen to My plan. So, be careful what you ask for, because if you really want to see how your plan will work out for you, I (God) am willing to allow you to mess yourself up in order to HUMBLE you and teach you to DEPEND ON ME.
In seeking God’s will, we often have an agenda that we want God to bless, rather than asking Him what HIS PLAN is for us! When we pray and seek guidance in God’s Word, let us remember to LISTEN for His Better Plan. A plan that will be blessed with Confidence and sense of PEACE the likes of which we have never known.
David McCall
Executive Pastor
