God Always Has A Plan…Always
God always has a plan, always. That is to say, God never is caught off guard about any situation you face. If God has indeed led you to where the way forward seems impossible, obviously God knows something you don’t. He has information you do not and is about to do something you do not anticipate.
As we draw closer to Jesus we share more of His sufferings. As that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead starts to fill us, we experience the same difficulties He faced. One of the challenges we encounter is that we begin to be out of sync with the people around us. We act differently and do unexpected things, which are of God, but are not what the world expects of us. We also begin to see things differently which again puts us at odds with those who don’t. Just as Jesus said “let the dead bury the dead” we put God’s calling and will above cultural obligations. Less and less people understand us as we become more and more like Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
Who is really crazy here?
We find ourselves becoming outside of the norm and people come and tell us that we are crazy because of our actions and words. However, it is not we who are crazy but they who are insane. While our lives are coming into alignment with the Holy Spirit, their lives are still careening towards the precipice of Hell. When we speak of heaven it upsets those who have not received the love of the truth and conflict arises not from the words we speak but from the truth they will not accept.
It is true that some Christians become prideful and take on a contentious spirit and that is not what I am speaking about. I also understand that some become legalistic and try to force their interpretations of scriptures on others and I am not talking about that either. What I am talking about is those Christians who are honestly humble and just wish to live Godly in Christ Jesus. I am encouraging you that if you suffer as Jesus did for taking on His Father’s nature then great is your reward in heaven.
Don’t let the unbelievers get to you
So you have followed God and now you find yourself outside your church. Those who used to accept you now believe you are a heretic of sorts. What do you do? Some, fearing man more than the Holy Spirit, give up. They back-pedal, desperately trying to regain the good graces of their peers. Feeling little to no support, they simply give up on God and are again pulled down into mediocrity.
Others turn bitter and shut out the world because of the pain. Still others fade away and never again launch out into the unknown. Shunning by loved ones is often times a terrible act of coercion and is a foul cruelty of the heart. Unfortunately this is one of the main ways misguided leaders bring those who do not agree with them back into the fold. I personally hate shunning with a passion.
Jesus mends our broken hearts
When you find yourself alone with God simply turn to Him and ask Him to give you courage. You will go through a mourning of natural ties that are broken and that is OK. There will be fear. You will wonder what you will do now. Anytime a man or woman is separated for His purposes it removes them from the common place. It brings them into the supernatural school of God. It may be that you are the first from your group to experience God in new ways. Those who lack your faith attack you and this is also common. Know this though, if God has called you to be a forerunner, He is with you in a very special way. He has cleared the path and certainly gone before you. All you have to do is follow.
Always err on the side of faith
God always rewards faith for it is lack of it that caused this world’s ills in the first place. Many times God will cause natural circumstances to work out in ways you could not have imagined. If necessary, He will even violate the physical laws of this universe on your behalf to make a way forward. God is never without options and if He is moved by your faith, no mountain can stand before you.
If you truly wish to become like Jesus, your life will change radically. Those who see this change will wonder what is going on. You will say and do things, perfectly in line with the will of God, which will cause people to want to throw you off a cliff. You will be compassionate when they are critical and harsh when they see nothing wrong.
The way of the wilderness
To walk with God is to walk alone. To abide with him means to be in His secret places on high. This means you will stray far away from the realms of the common. To be privy to His mysteries requires that you cleanse your mind of all that is not of Him. In so doing you begin to think not as the world thinks but as God thinks. This is what it means to have the mind of Christ.
In conclusion, I know that it is difficult to be misunderstood and maligned for simply obeying the Holy Spirit. Your heart breaks for those who do not understand the glories God is showing you. You desperately want your family and friends to know God as you do. Be encouraged, though, because God is not through with anyone yet. If you are indeed a forerunner then it only means they may catch up. Here is a truth,
“The people you love may only have the opportunity to break out of their chains of bondage because you had the audacity and courage to do so first.”
With that in mind, take strength and courage. Let your Father lead the way so that, as you step out, others may see the way forward.
