LIVINSOUL® BLOG hosted by: Lynn A. Jackson

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Does God Have A Purpose For Your Life? Absolutely! (Part 3)

Know and Understand God’s Word

So far I have shared the following two steps with you about achieving God’s purpose for your life:
1. It’s not about you, it is about God.
2. Obedience is mandatory.

The next thing you must occupy yourself with is the Word of God. You must know and understand God’s Word. If you don’t you can be severely misled. Understanding God’s Word is crucial to achieving your God given purpose. Without understanding God’s Word you could cost yourself years off of your life by chasing the wrong things. This is serious! Study the Word. Ask God to line your understanding up with His. I can’t stress how important this step is for your destiny. For years I believed there was scripture that said; The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but he who endures to the end. While the bible does make this statement it is not in the same verse or the same book. Ecclesiastes 9:10-12; Matthew 24:12-14 Because I heard so many people say it, I took it for granted that it was so. Without knowledge and understanding of God’s Word you will obey the wrong thing. That could be dangerous.

I have known since I was a little boy that God has chosen me to do great things and speak in high places. One of the teachings I received on stepping into my gift was that I needed to wait for a pastor (man) to ordain me first, and then I could preach. I was taught that this was God’s order. You could not be a preacher until some other pastor, preacher, or evangelist said so, and ordained you . So I waited for my turn. I helped other men in their ministries, patiently waiting for my own. Patiently waiting to see what God had shown me in my dreams. I submersed myself into God’s Word to ensure I would study to show myself approved. I needed to be ready when my name was called upon to take the mantle and run with it. While I waited, I wanted to serve God and continue to become a better man, a stronger man. “Pursue God’s destiny for your life”, is what I kept hearing. In my mind I was more than ready, but I had to be obedient. That’s God’s Word right?

I turned away from many things. I stopped talking to the friends I had, although they had done nothing wrong to me. They were in need of a Savior just like I was. I couldn’t see that then. I was too busy listening to the pastor and not paying enough attention to the Word I poured over on a daily basis. My soul vision was to be what God showed me in my dreams. I just had to wait my turn. Or so I thought.

In my isolation I had issues though. I loved women. I felt like I couldn’t live without them. Women became my comfort instead of the God I professed. I had to hide it. I couldn’t be a pastor having sex with multiple women. I wouldn’t be ordained if they knew this secret of mine. So I hid it, but not from the ladies. They knew, because they were willing participants to my weakness. I kept praying and praying, repenting and repenting. I was doing everything I knew to do, but nothing was working. I was sinking. As a matter of fact I sank. I remember sitting and saying to myself, ‘All I want to do is preach God’s Word.’ Why was that so difficult? Maybe if I could have just preached I wouldn’t be in this mess. Maybe I wouldn’t feel so separated from myself. If I could just do the one thing I believe I was created to do. Oh well, I guess I just had to wait my turn. Or so I thought.

Paul encountered God by being knocked off his feet by God’s great light and was blinded for three days. After God sent Ananias to remove the scales from Paul’s eyes, he got up, spent some time with the local disciples, and started preaching. He didn’t talk it over with anyone. I guess he just figured he needed to go tell somebody about his story. He needed to tell someone what God had done for him. In telling the story of how Christ changed his life, one of the most dynamic ministries known to man was birthed. All without the approval of the leaders of the church of his day. Acts 9:1-22

I am not suggesting that order is not necessary within the church, but what I am saying is that you don’t need a person to let you know its okay to lift up the name of Jesus. Paul lifted up the name of Jesus and look at what happened as a result. After years of making bad decisions based on a flawed understanding of God’s Word, I cried out to God. I told God that I was tired of the direction my life was moving in. I couldn’t take the hypocritical church anymore. Of course, I had become a chief hypocrite. Knowing God’s Word, but not acting on it because I didn’t have a piece of paper saying I could. Amazing!!!!!

God saw me in my mess. He saw me in my illusional state. He heard me cry and reached out to me. I asked Him; What should I do Lord? He said, ‘Read My Word and tell the story that is in you.’ Enter: “The Day Jesus Spoke Hip Hop”; a vision exposed ten years after its original inception. It’s not just about hip hop, it’s about Christ meeting you where you are. He met me where I was and saved me. This, from the heart of a man that has faced many challenging things in my life. I thank God for His Word and Him allowing me to understand it. You want your destiny? Know and Understand God’s Word.
..To be continued..
© 2010 Lynn A. Jackson

No comments:

Post a Comment