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"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
(Jer. 29:11)

Several years ago, a news crew went to Arkansas to film the world's most expensive lawn mower. They found a wooden frame house and an old man sitting on the porch.

The reporter asked, "Are you the owner of the most expensive lawn mower?" The man spit some tobacco and said, "Yep." The reporter asked, "Just how much is it worth?" The old man answered, "$1.5 million."

The old man took them to the back yard by an old pine tree. He pulled back a tarp only to reveal the oldest, ugliest rusted out lawn mower anyone had ever seen. The shocked reporter asked, "Sir, this is worth $1.5 million?"

He replied, "Absolutely. You see, when Sam Walton first started Wal-Mart, I bought $600 in stock. One day I saw this shiny, red riding mower at Western Auto. I told my wife that I was cashing in my stock to buy that mower. If I had left that $600 in that stock, I would have $1.5 million today. You see, that right there is the most expensive lawn mower in the world."

When it comes to the will of God, many Christians are just like this man. They surrendered their lives to the Lord and began to walk in the plan of God. Suddenly, they saw something in the world that looked so good that they "cashed in" early on the plan of God.

Now what they traded the plan of God for is old and rusted out, and they live a life full of disappointment.

Surrendered
One of the greatest keys to prosperity and the blessing of the Lord is to be surrendered to the will of God. God will not force His plan and purpose on you. You have to volunteer and surrender to Him.

When we seek the Lord with our whole heart and set our affection on Him, all these things will come (Matt. 6:33). When you surrender and begin to walk in the plan and purpose of God for your life, the devil will offer you something of this world, but later it will only rust out.

Don't waste your best affection on things. Set your affection on God.

Some Assembly Required
The plan and will of God is an eternal thing. It is the only place believers can be happy and satisfied. The greatest satisfaction for any believer is to find their place in the body of Christ and serve in that place.

It takes the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, and supernatural relationships for you to be able to walk in the plan of God. There is "some assembly required" to get the will of God in your life. You must be in your place in the body of Christ.

Sometimes we can be in the right place in the body of Christ physically, but we may need some adjustments in our attitudes and thinking to function properly. We can position ourselves to walk in the plan and purpose of God by staying where God set us.

The book of Acts tells us that David served his generation according to the will of God. He found God's plan and served according to that plan. There is no greater reward or fulfillment for the believer than to look back at the end of his life and say, "I served my generation according to the will of God."
For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him.
(Job 23:14)

I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.
(Ps. 57:2)
Consecrated
Many times we fear surrendering to the will of God because we think the sacrifice will be too great. We all rebel and resist the Holy Spirit at times. We go our own way and do our own thing, but it turns out wrong every time.

When we surrender to God, it turns out right every time. God performs the things appointed for us when we obey Him.

One of the great missionaries to Africa, David Livingstone, lived a life surrendered to the plan of God. The final entry in his diary simply reads, "My Jesus, my King. My life, my all, once more I dedicate my whole self to thee."

Consecration to the will of God is a daily thing. Let our desire and focus be to serve our generation according to the will of God. Let God put us in our place in the body of Christ.

There is a price to pay when you do the will of God, but there is also a great reward! The devil will try to make you quit and give up when you are on your way. The devil will try to get you to "cash in" early for an immediate reward.

But we know that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). You must keep going in the plan and purpose of God and tell yourself, "I'm headed for a wealthy place. God is bringing me out" (Ps. 66:10-12).

At the end of the will of God in your life, you will have to pinch yourself because it will be better than anything you ever thought it could be (Eph. 3:20). It pays to obey God!

Source: It Pays To Obey by Mark and Trina Hankins
Teaching series produced by Mark Hankins Ministries

Author Biography

Mark Hankins
Web site: Mark Hankins Ministries
 
Mark and Trina Hankins travel nationally and internationally preaching the Word of God with the power of the Holy Spirit. The vision of MHM is to take the spirit of faith, the message of who the believer is in Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit to every generation and to every nation. Mark and Trina Hankins have been in full-time ministry for over thirty five years. Through church services, leadership conferences, mission trips, publications, radio, television, Bible schools, and the internet, MHM is reaching the world with the Word of God. Mark is known widely for his unique anointing to minister on the subjects of faith and the believer’s identification in Christ.
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