When God's Plans for Our Life Differ from Ours

Life. It took a lot to get you where you are today good and that every time that I become disappointed. God's plan for every time that I would become angry with God that I could not get my own way I could not get my plan. I look back and realize how foolish it is. As I look back I found myself thanking God every single day that he did not now be to have my plan to see in the long run. This plan is far superior in the long run.

His plan is far better in the long run.

As we say in hindsight, I bet he blocked my plans and stop me from going to well want to go because he has as much that's pastor and author Dr. Michael you sent me an honest being transparent as he passionately proclaims uncompromising truth right here on leading the way he think that all of this. Prayers you've whispered along life's way. What would have happened if they all had been answered. The way he wanted them to be at probably would've saved you a lot of frustration and anger in some places because you didn't you yet, we all think we do today that Dr. Michael USF reminds us that frustration doesn't have to happen if you understand now that God's plans are sometimes different than your own. Always better than your own. I need this today. Listen with me to Dr. Michael USF on today's leading the way. Today I want to talk to you about what you do when you discover that God's plan for your life is different from yours what to do when God actually live FedEx on a sudden detour that you have not planned on what you do when your expectations hit the wall. What you do when your strategic thinking does not lead you into the desired direction now wanted to turn with me to the book of acts show you an example from the Scripture back book of acts chapter 16 because here you find the apostle Paul is in one of those situation where he sees his plan is being replaced by God's plan, just begun his second missionary journey. As you know I met three missionary journeys. This is the beginning of her second one he was taking Timothy with him, training him for the work of the ministry and Paul discovers off they went to some Asian cities. It was ready to go to Bithynia and got said no, no, I am personally convinced Paul probably set themselves weatherman of Lord I prayed about this blog. I know this is a way to go. Lord I made all the arrangements so we we we took care of all the details we have done all of our strategic planning. We have done all of our thinking.

We have done all of our plans and we know our heart is now set on is going to Bithynia with the team because there were going to have a great time people are anticipating us. The plans are in place. Lord, I need to go to the thing that's the plan would plan gusted, no have you ever heard God say no to you. Because right, but the doses now when you don't hear his voice, but God gives closing doors only say God why I thought this is a what was supposed to go. God shuts the door. He says I'm closing the door to Bithynia because I want you to go to Troilus. Now we are not told exactly why the spirit of Jesus said not to Bithynia but yes, Dr. West when Paul had not gone to Troilus and while in reality we cannot speculate.

But as we look back at 2000 years of history.

I'm going to show you the bigger picture of God in mind, but my beloved friends.

I wanted to hammer out on this one. God does not always make sense to us.

He really doesn't do three thrill for major events in my life when God absolutely did not make sense when his plan did not make sense to me but he made perfect sense to himself and the why I'm running now in my old days that the best way to honor God is to say, Lord, what is taking place in my life is baffling to me, Lord, what is taking place in my life is not what I really have chosen for myself. Lord, what is taking place in my life is painful to me and God doesn't get upset about that. Lord, what is taking place in my life is confusing to me all about. Lord I know, I know that you are working all things all things to my good and your glory but is part of the problem.

This part of the problem for us here in the Western culture of America particularly part of the problem is that we really are shortsighted, shall set look at the average business. They do quarterly plans right and have quarterly reports when everybody we hang around the financial news to find out what the quarter did, but we do think in those reports will then shortsightedness. God is not operating a quarterly basis, God does not operate on an annual basis on all businesses do God does not produce a quarterly report or an annual report, God operates on the basis of the long haul and I said I can testify to you that every time I become disappointed with God. Every time that become disappointed with God's direction in my life every time that I become disappointed. God's plan for me every time that I would become angry with God that I could not get the long way.

I could not get my plan. I look back and realize how foolish it is.

As I look back I found myself thanking God every single day that he did not allow me to have my plan. You see, in the long run. His plan is far superior in the long run. His plan is far better in the long run it as we say in hindsight, I am so grateful that he blocked my plans and stop me from going the way I want to go because his is much better. The financial OS. I'm not anywhere near each other not just next door.

Though her far apart culturally. They're far apart linguistically. There were far apart in every other way. And Paul said, Lord, I made plans to go to Bithynia and got said no, you're not going to do that is Joe Westfall I'm convinced he and the team looked perplexed.

They really I have no doubt they were anxious because this is new territory for them.

They've never been there before. This is something new for them. I have no doubt that they were apprehensive. I have no doubt that they were asking God why is this God why are you doing this why the last one, but then you're just look so God, have you ever been in the situation where been so perplexed of God's direction in your life have you look back this past year and you set yourself Lord that's not where I plan to be by now. I thought by this time in my life.

Lord, I'll be here, not there all but listen, it was only when Paul actually got the Troilus was he even beginning to understand what God was doing and why God the spirit of Jesus stop them from going here and asked him to go there. Verse nine. During the night. That's intro S Heather Ritter traveled for days and they got there and when they got there during the night.

Intro S nothing Bithynia. Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him come over to Macedonia and help us see sometimes God works by closing a door, other times he works by opening a door. Other times he just lets you sweat it out anyway. Sometimes he works by placing a deadlock in front of you that you don't understand. Why was only the shortest point why, Lord, are you taking me the scenic route. Have you been in the scenic route.

Not that you are some guys you understand this, and I know you will understand is at least most of you will have you driven with your wife somewhere and you so anxious to get to your destination and then your wife says let's go.

The scenic route scenic route look at the cops. I want to tell you guys what we want to get the destination. Forget about the scenic route, but that's how God works sometimes is allowing the use of the scenic route because only through that scenic route to go to discover some things that you will be able to discover in your life unless you get there. I know Paul you plan to go to Bithynia but I'll take you to Troilus and I don't know what your Bithynia is see your Bithynia on your Bithynia new with them on a very different you plan in Europe was different from mine.

We all have different plans and that's your Bithynia but God's plan for you always, to take a trip to Westchester OS, whatever that is for you. Look again at acts 16. Paul was focusing on Asia is going to these. I just sit in this agency.

But God was thinking of Europe and this is the gateway to Europe. Remember again God is seeing all of history as if it happened in front of him, not just the next quarter. Not just the next year he seeing all of history in front of him and God is concerned about.

You are in eternity, not just today or tomorrow, but he is concerned about that to God is concerned about all of the span of your life, not just a year or two, and God keeps all of that in his mind and that is part of God's plan for the life of the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is seeing the beginning from the end and he knows exactly how it's going to work out. And while this roadblock that God has placed in Paul's way was baffling to him and yet it was one of the most important events in history will explain that to Paul did not know at that time that God has a bigger vision, his thinking in terms of thousands of years, hundreds of years, not just a few years.

What I mean by that is a God new that Asia minor, which is now modern-day Turkey was going to fall in the hand of the of the Muslims is going to be Islamic land, but God plan was for Europe for a period of time to become the center of Christianity so that Christianity would not die with the rise of Islam that his message and the preaching of the gospel would not come to an end to see God's plan continue to unfold and we saw how Europe became the center of Christianity and wind that went the parts in the 1800s in the 1900s God already had plan 200 years earlier by a group of godly Europeans become on a boat in a place called Plymouth Rock in order that America become the center of the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

For how long it's going to be I don't know but at least that's how God was planning things in his big plan and as you come under his authority as you come under his plan, and as you obey his will is going to use you say well the little old me. What am I in terms of world history is not really old Allview it is you, the child of the living God. You are a daughter you're a son of the living God, and he has a plan for your life and it is far more important than you can imagine. Whatever your whatever your whatever you do, God has you there for a purpose.

Amen. You see, Paul was puzzled but God was not. Paul may have been perplexed by God, was not to Paul. God did not make sense all but God made perfect sense to himself and the same thing with you my beloved friend.

When you submit to his will and to his plan. You might not like what is doing. You might appreciate what he's doing. You might not agree with what he's doing. You might even want to resist what God is doing in your life but God has a plan for you and it is perfect in the long run.

When God stops you from going to Bithynia, whatever it may be to you is because your blessings on until last see you think your blessings and in the failure none an aggressive know your blessings intro acts but that's not all intro ask God had a Macedonian vision for Paul did not tell them that before he got there is a God doesn't tell you everything before you buy. The first step when you say yes Lord you take the first step is to look around and show the second one, then the third one and the fourth one. He is interested in seeing you doing taking the first step in obedience and then the next step and then he unfolds in the unfold and Paul did not know what God is about to go until he got the last ones he said okay spirit of Jesus. You have stop me now you opening this door I'm going to go in obedience to your God says okay now I'm not going to let you wait for several days.

I'm gonna let you see it right away there until last was a Macedonian vision intro.

Ask God has a better and greater blessing than Paul could ever imagine. Intro ask God has a greater purpose than Paul could ever imagine. So please, please, please, stop kicking and screaming. I know of first experience. There are many many songs in my life where you can see my heels being dragged through the marks of those fields is a low drag to his bladder stop kicking and screaming long enough to discover God's plan for your life is going to be one step at a time. I would take me a long time to tell you about all the events about to refer to already, but you are not, and Paul another alone in this. If you read any of the biographies of the men and women of God, you will see how when they submitted to the will of God in the life God change our plans even though they were hearts was set on something God changed and went by the change him the blessing that they never could have dreamed of you going to discover if you read is as many biographers are love to read the biographies of these great men and women of God. I love to read how they were perplexed in the moments in the life and the way God is closing doors in their faces and they could understand why Scott doing this, many of them have confessed that and I thank God for their honesty because that encourages me encourages you some of the more confused that the time in which you are confusing time David Livingstone had his heart. Saul set on going to China but God closed the door and Sen. Africa Africa William Carey, the founder of the great missionary movement that is start all missions 200+ years ago. He had his heart set on going to Polynesia. But God said no you need to go to India he could understand. He was confused for a period of time, Jackson was determined to go to India but God said no you go to Burma G. Campbell Morgan, the founder of the Westminster Chapel was one of the great expositors in the early 1900s. He applied for ministry in the Methodist ministry and he was turned down.

He was so devastated he was so discouraged he was literally ready to walk out on the faith itself. He rolled his father one word table rejected his daughter here. He writes for that day very dark. Everything seems to he knows best. Today they're not too many preachers around the world who would not have one or two or more commenters books by G. Campbell Morgan on their shelves going to the Methodist ministry program and we never heard of him, but God's plan was for him to go and found the Westminster Chapel in order to have the impact that he had, but you might say well you know you only give me example of preachers and missionaries. Let me give you a second example Whistler, the famous artist. He wanted so desperately to be an army general, he really did, and he enrolled at West Point, but he didn't pass his chemistry exam and he used to say later I said if silicon had been a gas I would've been a major general Benny tried a couple of other things and he failed miserably before he discovered that he could paint goes will know the famous painting of his mother, someone put it this way. Let me read it to God leads us on by the path we do not know upward. He leads though our steps be slow though off with faint unfolds are on the way those storms in darkness, obscure the day. Yet when the clouds are gone. We know that he leads a song. Can you look back at the past year so the Lord certainly that was not what I plan for my life. That is not what I plan for myself, Lord. Certainly that was not where I thought I would be Lord.

Certainly that is not what I would have chosen for myself.

But I refuse to be discouraged because your plan is far superior.

Your plan is far better even though it may be perplexing at time even though it may be confusing at times, even though it may be difficult at times. But when the clouds lifted you'll be able to recognize the wisdom of God's choice. The superiority of his plan. The significance of his caring for you. God is not the author of evil, but God for his children and his children alone contain those bad things those evil things they do difficult things and he can turn them around in his economy and he can bring good out of for you and for your good and for his glory. A math but there may be someone here today does not know the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and friend. The Lord those promises are only for those whose faithful children, but today you can come and receive him a server that's your first step you cannot appropriate all of the promises that God has for his children until you become one of his children, and today you can do that you're listening to leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent all of your questions answered about Jesus. Just click over to LTW.org/GSS while the hustle and bustle of Christmas is pretty much over and done with. Life is quickly returning to a normal pace whenever normal is as we begin this new year someone mentioned number one way for you to stand with Dr. Yousef and leading the way and number to get a hold of a great resource to help you grow spiritually in 2020. The way to stand with Dr. Yousef is by becoming a frontline mission partner.

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