Any time you step out and obey God’s direction for your life, at some point in your journey of faith you will probably experience feelings of uncertainty and mixed emotions about your future.
But when you are walking by faith and trusting God to direct you step-by-step, you won’t always see the whole picture at once. You will probably only see glimpses of the plan God has for you like pieces to a puzzle.
In the Old Testament, God led His people, but they had to trust Him and obey Him every step of the way in order to fulfill His will and receive His blessing. For example, God instructed the children of Israel to carefully follow the Ark of the Covenant so He could lead them into their promised land – a land of prosperity and rich blessings.
They were instructed when they saw the Ark of the Covenant to move from the place they had settled and “go after it” (Josh. 3:3). Joshua commanded the people not to follow the Ark too closely, nor to lag behind “…that ye may know the way by which ye must go: FOR YE HAVE NOT PASSED THIS WAY HERETOFORE” (Josh. 3:4).
The children of Israel traveled paths uncharted as they journeyed by faith toward their destiny. They had to depend solely on the Lord for direction because they had not gone that way before. Similarly, under the New Covenant, God has set a course before each of us. But in order to fulfill our destiny in Christ, we must obey God and trust Him to guide us step-by-step in our walk with Him.
As you follow the Lord’s direction for your life, the future won’t always seem clear to you, and God’s plan for your life will not unfold overnight. Payday in God’s Kingdom doesn’t always come every Saturday night. But it does come! In the long run, obedience to God and His Word always pays.
In your walk with God, you will travel paths you haven’t traveled before – paths that are new and unfamiliar to you. But they are not new or unfamiliar to God. The Bible says God knows the way that we take (Job 23:10) and that darkness is as light to Him (Ps. 139:12). You may not know the future, but God does! He has a plan for your life, and He knows how to successfully lead you in order to accomplish His plan.
As a Christian, you do not face the future alone. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, is with you, and He will not lead you on a path where harm will overtake you. Rather, He promises to gently lead you on right paths if you will trust and obey Him.
The Lord may lead you on a path where the enemy seems to lurk on every side, trying to steal your joy and get you out of faith. But as you faithfully follow the Good Shepherd, you will receive your promised reward and feast at the table of blessing God has prepared for you (Ps. 23:5).
We must choose whether to follow God’s leading and direction for our lives or our own plan. Will we allow Jesus our Shepherd to guide us by His Spirit, or will we follow the path of our own design?
We may not know everything the Lord has in store for us, but if we will trust Him and obey His leading every step of the way, He will bring us into our own promised land and fulfill His plan for our lives.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications
Kenneth W. Hagin, President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries and pastor of RHEMA Bible Church, ministers around the world. Known for calling the Body of Christ to steadfast faith, he seizes every ministry opportunity to impart an attitude of “I cannot be defeated, and I will not quit.”
Rev. Hagin began preparing for his call to ministry—a ministry that now spans 50 years—at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa, Florida.
In his early years of ministry, Rev. Hagin was an associate pastor and traveling evangelist. Later, he went on to organize and develop RHEMA Bible Training Centers in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and in other countries around the world.
Kenneth W. Hagin’s array of responsibilities also includes International Director of RHEMA Ministerial Association International. He hosts the annual A Call to Arms® Men’s Conference, and with his wife, Lynette, cohosts RHEMA Praise, a weekly television program, and Rhema for Today, a weekday radio program broadcast throughout the United States. They also conduct Living Faith Crusades, spreading the message of faith and healing around the world.
Recognizing the lateness of the hour before the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, Rev. Hagin has expanded his speaking schedule beyond his regular pastoral duties. To fulfill the urgent call of God to prepare the Church for a deeper experience of His Presence, Rev. Hagin delivers messages that reveal key spiritual truths about faith, healing, and other vital subjects. He ministers with a strong healing anointing, and his ministry leads the Body of Christ into a greater experience of the glory of God!
Kenneth W. Hagin and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He is the son of the late Kenneth E. Hagin.