Of course, your obedience to God doesn’t guarantee you a trouble-free life. For one thing, Paul himself wrote, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). You will always have to stay alert to thwart the attacks of an enemy who continually looks for ways to derail or discourage you as you seek to fulfill what God has asked you to do. And as you pursue the assignment He has given you, the threat of calamity or danger can never be the measuring rod of your obedience to His plan for your life.
It’s true that Paul endured some level of persecution throughout the course of his ministry. It’s also true that he was eventually martyred as a result of standing true to Christ. But a study of his ministry reveals that after Paul positioned himself correctly in his divine priorities and began to focus on ministering to the Gentiles, he eventually experienced a phenomenal level of provision and protection.
During certain periods of time in certain parts of the world, many believers, past and present, have suffered and do suffer to the point of death for their faith. We must remember Jesus’ words: “…In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
If you walk out God’s plan your way, you may enjoy a measure of success, but it will be nothing compared to what you would have experienced if you had stayed with the original plan as He revealed it to you. If you want supernatural power, miraculous provision, and divine protection to be a continued reality in your life journey, you must make sure at all times that you are where God wants you to be and you’re doing what He has told you to do.
I encourage you to evaluate your walk with God in light of these questions:
- Have I stayed true to the plan God gave me?
- Have I veered in any way from the assignment that I know God has given me to complete?
- Have I enjoyed the power, provision, and protection that I know is mine in Christ as I’ve pursued God’s plan for my life?
- Have I experienced a measure of the success that I’ve dreamed about and that I know God wants to give to me?
If you are frustrated with your Christian life and have wondered why you haven’t walked in a higher level of victory, I ask you to carefully contemplate with an open mind and heart. Study Scripture to see what happens when a believer deviates from the plan God has for his life, and also how quickly blessings will return to that believer as he realigns himself with God’s original plan.