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Friday February 19, 2016

There is no shortage of speakers, texts, or videos, encouraging us to either believe in ourselves, figure out what we are good at, aim high, be disciplined or to never give up. Despite the fact that all of these suggestions can lead to success; often times fulfilling the purpose for which God created us and success are two entirely different matters. Absent God’s divine purpose, your life will not make sense. Moreover, regardless of how much success you attain, there will always be that lingering sense that there has to be more to life.

As Nehemiah prayed for God’s favor and for opportunity, he also spent a good amount of time planning a strategy for something that in the natural would appear to be a complete waste of time. After all, considering his position as cupbearer to the King, he would never be allowed to go to Jerusalem to rebuild its fallen walls.

Nehemiah 1:11 NLT

In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

Nehemiah 2:4-8 NLT

The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me.

Never allow the impossibility of a task to prevent you from praying and planning. Although Nehemiah prayed for an opportunity to speak with the King, and although he prayed for God’s favor in the King’s sight, based on his statement: “in those days I was the King’s cupbearer”, we can speculate that more than likely he never expected favor or opportunity. However, this did not stop him from praying and planning.

Praying and planning help keep us focused. It keeps us focused on being successful where it really counts, in our divine purpose and on being successful at what we were created to be and do. As you pray and wait, create a strategy and develop a plan of action. What are those two or three things you can do right now?

Pray and be ready for your opportunity, never forget that God is always working behind the scenes. If what you want out of life is some success, then go ahead and believe in yourself. However, if what you want is to live a successful life by achieving your divine purpose, then pray, plan, and believe in God.

 

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Sunday, February 21 @11AM

 

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