Paul received specific instructions from God and yet he did what most of us do and began to rely on human thinking and reasoning and as a result was led out of the will of God. He experienced all kinds of hardships and frustrations. Once Paul aligned himself with God’s will, supernatural provision and power “erupted” in his life and he received his very first offering. This all sounds great, however, the offering (which came from God) was delivered by two people who had good intentions but put pressure on Paul to again rely on human reasoning and go back to focusing on the Jews.
Paul listened to them and immediately experienced the same frustrations as before.
“So take a moment to ask yourself, Is my life aligned with God’s will, or am I doing my own will while pretending that it’s God’s? Be honest with yourself; Does it seem like you are seldom happy or satisfied and often frustrated and exasperated – including frustrated financially? If your answer is yes, I want to encourage you to ask the Lord whether or not you’re in the right place, doing the right thing. If you are in the will of God, it is likely that you’re going to experience joy, peace, and fulfillment – even in the midst of hardships. But if your life is generally joyless and frustrating – if it seems like you go through one defeated experience after another – there's probably an adjustment that needs to take place in where you are or in what you’re doing.” p.148
Unfortunately, Paul listened to human reasoning and went back to ministering to the Jews, where he was most comfortable and where it made the most sense to his human intellect. It didn’t take long before frustration built up and Paul realized he was out of the will of God and made the decision to fully obey God’s call where divine grace empowered him to overcome any and every obstacle.
Being in the will of God doesn’t mean you won’t have hardships or trials. What it does mean is that you will experience joy, peace, and contentment in the midst of those trials. Divine connections will occur. God makes sure the right people are in place with the exact gifts and tools needed to advance you and get you where He wants you to be. A divine connection was made for the Apostle Paul when he met Aquilla and Priscilla. The Bible says that they not only gave birth to the church of Corinth but that they did it with energy. God will do the same for you! He will connect you with the right people at the right time to help you successfully fulfill the plan of God for your life.
Be open before God and pray like David did, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”
Love,
Pastor Lisa