Are you living in God's Will?

There are people in this world that hardly ever go through any major life altering experiences in their entire lives. They live their lives with little or no worries whatsoever. Then there are those that go through occasional bad seasons in their lives but they are short-lived. These people get right back up, dust off their bottoms, and learn from these brief lessons in life.

However, there are those that are forever going through storms in their lives. These people go from one problem into another and never seem to stay afloat long enough before they are pulled back down into deeper waters. Every day is a struggle for them. They may have momentary relief from their problems but before they know it, another problem surfaces. Life for these people is a constant battlefield.

Lately, it is in this battlefield that I have found myself more often than I desired. Oftentimes, I ask myself why are there ungodly people that never seem to have any problems in life and then there are Godly people that cannot seem to get out of them. Ever since I can remember, my life has been one of many struggles. Many times I came out victorious and other times I have lost much. You can say I have been seasoned in the trials of life.

Recently, I have been asking God a lot why can’t I get out of the rut I seem to be in. I know what the Bible says about the troubles of this world and how we must walk in faith, however, when life deals you blow after blow and leaves you gasping for air, sometimes one tends to lose focus on God and our prayers can turn into a constant complaint. With all the chattering in our minds, we cannot hear God speaking to us due to our constant worrying or constant whining.

It is when we stop talking long enough that we hear what God has been trying to communicate with us. And it was during this brief silence that God answered me through a vision.

As I prayed and talked to God, I found myself in a spiritual battlefield surrounded by the enemy and everywhere I turned there were landmines. The battlefield was dark and a cloud of smoke covered me. The landmines were not visible but I knew they were there. I knew they were there because I had stepped on a few of them.

In this vision, the landmines were endless and they each had names: fear, doubt, faithlessness, rejection, divorce, abandonment, loss of loved ones, anger, discord, loneliness, sickness, depression, confusion, poverty, failure, and so on. Somehow I had wandered into this spiritual battlefield and now I lived there.

Did I get there because of something I did or did not do? Did events in my life cause me to wander in here? I was not sure but I was trapped in a land that seemed devoid of God and hope.

Every time I tried to venture out of this hole I dug for myself, I would run back into it from fear and if I happened to muster the courage to get away far enough from there, something would happen that would send me right back into this battlefield. I felt trapped, alone and deserted. Time seemed an eternity there and I could not see clear beyond this battlefield. I asked God, how did I wander into this spiritual battlefield? Did I cause this? 

Immediately I was reminded of the purpose for my very being. His will for me in my life. It was a revelation that God gave me many years ago. It was one that was not given to me all at once but gradually in different stages of my life. Somehow, I had forgotten His purpose for me in life and I was reminded of how it all began.

For me as it is for many, it all begins with our salvation and the burning fire that is placed in our hearts when we are first called and come to the Lord. We know instinctively we have a purpose in this life, we may not all know immediately what His purpose is for us but we know that God does have a divine purpose.

Then we experience the desire to serve Him fervently and wholeheartedly. We want to run before we can walk, we are willing to live and die for Him. The Holy Spirit woos us, cuddles us and cares for us as a mother cares for her baby. He fills our very soul and we begin to feel a love like never felt before as we surrender our whole being to Him. We begin to serve Him in church, Sunday school, home visitations, hospitals, prisons, and everywhere we feel Jesus is needed.

Slowly, as we begin to mature in Christ, the fire simmers to a steady warm glow and He begins to reveal to us what His will is for us in life. Sometimes we do not fully understand this calling and wonder why God would even call us into this thing He wants us to do, but we want to please Him and are obedient to Him. Some of us may waiver and ignore the calling and some valiantly set out to follow the path He called us to as He equips us in our journey.

For some, however, as the years pass we begin lose focus of our first love. The troubles of this world, family life, work, responsibilities, and every worldly thing that heads our way distracts us from His will for us. We begin to lose that connection and close relationship we once shared with Him. Worse, we are deceived into believing that since we are still serving Him, we have not lost our focus, but in reality we have. Our hearts are not in it.

Slowly we begin to stray from the path He led us to and wander off into dangerous territory, and before we know it, we have forgotten what He has revealed to us, what His purpose is for our lives. We are no longer walking in His will. We are serving ourselves, our family, our jobs, and even our church but we are not serving Him. We have neglected to do what He called us to do. Some have even neglected to read and study the Word as He asked and He can no longer use us teach others.

Are you living in the middle of a spiritual battlefield? Do you see yourself surrounded by minefields? Are you bound in a spiritual prison? Maybe God has called you to do something and you have either neglected or ignored to do it. You do not have to live in this spiritual battlefield anymore. Ask God to show you were you failed Him, where you went wrong and humble yourself and ask for forgiveness, then get back on the path He chose for you. Do not be afraid, He will equip you.

If you see yourself in this situation, it did not happen by chance. God allowed this to happen for a reason and He wants you to be sober and prayerful. You were most surely chosen to be in God’s army to serve Him otherwise He would not have bothered with you; He has a purpose for you in life.

Stop looking at the enemy and the minefields in your life and focus only on Him. Do not take your eyes off Him and He will lead you out of your battlefield unharmed and stronger than ever. Walk in His will and pray in His will and He will set you free from your prison. Stand ready and gird up your loins because the time is near and there is still much work to be done.