Where Am I Going?

Well, I am the type of person that likes to write potential things down almost like a bucket list with certain things that I place more emphasis on whilst others I am not too fussed about. However, since my relationship with God is starting to get back on track again, as nice as all these potential things look I am still very much in two minds as to whether I am supposed to do those things or not. I have made plans and all but only a few of them seem to be coming along at the moment and then I start panicking and doubting if I am going to reach a particular goal. Now, I know that I should have faith however thoughts start to come in such as “is this plan that I made even my destined path”. Or I am hesitant about taking active steps into fulfilling my purpose because I am scared of failing.

Thinking about those important things may now cause fear to creep in and hold you back. For example, if you know me then you know I love singing it gives me an outlet where I can express myself. I will be honest, I tend to shy away from finding myself an environment where I can share the gift that God has given me and especially now when I no longer have my uni campus fellowship to go to every week (I have A LOT of love for Salem Hertfordshire!) it is looking kinda long so I just stick to singing in my shower. What I personally do not want is to keep allowing this sense of fear to hinder me because I know when that final day comes and I have to give account for my work on earth I really do not want to be in a position where I didn’t achieve my full potential because I was sitting around doing nothing or occupying myself with other unimportant things so yeah faith without works is dead (James 2:17).

Life is actually to short and there is only one shot at it before we are reunited with Him. So I definitely urge us all, including myself, to really start making bold choices to be unapologetic in living out God’s truth during your respective journey of life because we ultimately want to be living in God’s will not our own. Don’t let fear cripple you into thinking you cannot do it especially if you have a desire to live right. This thought particularly hit me after reading James 4. It hit me to the point where I was had to put down my iPad and really let the passage sink in.

“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”  ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
James 4:13-17 (NIV)

Reading those verses was like a bruhhh moment honestly. Having read all of that these thoughts really got me going and I started studying about purpose and how I can apply it to my current situation. I read a mixture of reading plans on the YouVersion Bible app one of them being the #JosephChallenge by Kanayo and I can honestly say they have really opened my eyes, heart and mind much more about God. The central message that I got from all of the four reading plans is that your purpose should ultimately glorify God and direct others to Him. So now when I think about what I actually want to do I have to ask myself how is God going to get glory from this? Are others going to think about God through this? I want to make sure that I do all it takes to ensure that I pursue it wholeheartedly without any fear.How can this be done? Firstly it is time to COMPLETELY submit yours ways and plans for your lives to God so that he can guide me you so that I will not take anymore unnecessary detours from my path. I know this gets repeated a lot about submitting your ALL to Him but it is really important.

Also, now is the time to start fully relying on the Holy Spirit to take over and help you to be more sensitive to God’s voice when he is directing you to do something or go somewhere. Do whatever you have to do to really get to know the Holy Spirit and the way He moves and feels about your actions.

 “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you; And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged; “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come; He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you; All that the Father has is mine;therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
John 16:7-15 (NIV)

John 16:7-15 highlights that the Holy Spirit is there to help us. Jesus went so that he can send us the Holy Spirit to help us. He is the Spirit of truth so he will guide us to walk in truth and is a direct connection between us and God so whenever we get stuck in what to do we should rely on our spirits to help us make a decision instead of relying on earthly wisdom simply because the Holy Spirit was sent to us from God so that we can fully be aligned in His truth. We should become so familiar with the Holy Spirit that we will be able to distinguish what is of God and what essentially will be a waste of our precious time. Get that discernment game on lock!

Finally, while you are waiting on the Lord to direct you, you have to place your hope in His word and really begin to meditate on what His word is telling you to do and how to act. This is a time to really exercise your patience and faith in a sense that as you are waiting for things to come to fruition you will mature to a level where you will be able to handle the blessings that God will give you since your mindset and inner self is constantly be renewed. Also, having faith shows that you believe in the unseen and believe in what is yet to come (Psalm 130:5-6; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Hebrews 11:1).

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
    and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
    more than watchmen wait for the morning,
    more than watchmen wait for the morning”
Psalm 130:5 (NIV)

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day; For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all; So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

Even though you feel like you are at a stand still and you feel like your life isn’t moving anywhere, just keep reminding yourself about having patience and trust in God’s plan because He ultimately knows what is best for you. Really believe that your greater is coming and whilst you are believing it you should start getting ready for it. I have decided to simply stop worrying and allow God to take control whilst I continue to strive harder to know Him much more and let the chips fall where they may.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you; Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded; Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom; Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
James 4:7-10 (NIV)

All in all, I myself was confused about where I was going and what I am actually doing with my life here on earth but I can honestly say reading both John 14:1-6 and James 4: 7-10 have truly answered my question. Ultimately, we are going to one day be reunited with our Father in heaven but for us to get to that point while we are here on earth in essence, we have to draw ourselves closer to God and He will draw near to us. When He draws nearer, you will start to understand Him sooooo much more that you will be able to see and feel when He is directing you to do something or go somewhere.

I hope this may encourage someone who may feel like they are at a crossroad to take a moment to just go into God’s presence and allow Him to guide you down the path that is meant for you.